Finding Simplicity and Balance

I have been on a quest lately. Mostly in my mind, and probably a bit more passively than actively, but none the less on a quest. I have been thinking about it a lot lately, and have had a few conversations with my husband as well, but reading a couple of blogs this morning only reiterates my need and desire to become more active than just thinking. This blog article is pretty long, but I find much of what he is saying in "The Difference: Living Well vs. Doing Well" reflects a lot of how I feel with wanting to simplify. And then another one talks about "Balance and Well-being" and my life is not to the extreme of hers and my blog not taking up as much time, but the principles in general that she shares really reflect how I am feeling.
There are things in my life I feel take up too much time and attention and I have worked to make these areas simpler. For example, picking out meals for the week/month can be time-consuming, but I find that using Evernote helps me to have all recipes in one spot, lets me tag them and find what I want quickly and easily, lets me quickly paste pages and recipes I find on the internet, and lets me continually update with my changes and alterations. This has cut the time I spend on this task greatly. But then there are other areas of my life that I haven't found the best solution for. Like finding time for keeping my house clean, grocery shopping, doing laundry, doing home improvement, spending quality time with my kids, working part time, coaching volleyball, blogging about life and other issues, all the while trying to be a wife and mom and friend...
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed at what seems impossible, and sometimes I feel highly motivated and can find the time and desire to get an immense amount of stuff done in a day. And I do love checking things off of a to-do list, but I do not want my life to become one big to-do list! I want to enjoy the process of living, to enjoy all that God has created for me to enjoy!
Some small steps I am taking to work on balance and simplicity:
I am planning a yard sale and I am excited for how much I hope to sell, for how much I hope to get out of our house and feel like we don't have so much stuff around that we don't need.
I am working to create structure in my day, but with flexibility so that, again, I am not bound by a life of to-do's.
I am trying to make sure I make it a priority to work out on a daily basis because I know how good this makes me feel, physically and emotionally.
I am trying to find times and places for my toddler to interact with others his age so he can grow socially and so that I can try to meet other moms possibly in similar life stages.
I am also trying to be more inviting about having others over for a meal, or making it a point to get out of the house and interact with other people and families. It's good for all of us! Relationships can be hard but they are so good!
I am trying to use small amounts of time to clean/cook/do housework instead of getting overwhelmed at all that needs to be done and the time that needs to be involved and not doing anything as a result.
I am trying to make sure I take a little time for myself each day, even if it is just a little extra time in the shower, I know I need it and I know I feel better after it.
How do you simplify? How do you find balance? I'd love to hear about it. And I'd love to keep you involved in my process as well, as I hopefully begin to see how my small changes make big impacts.

New Stage

I just recently turned 30.
And a few days later I had my second child.
I am getting older and my family has gotten bigger, and I need to be better about my time.
I wrote about being more efficient here and then an update here.
I wouldn't say I am doing great, but I have had a lot going on, so it's been hard to find my rhythm with this. But I am determined now.
My mom gave me the book Steady Days when my son was born 2 weeks ago. I have read some of it. I am trying to get ideas. To get inspired. To get my butt in gear!
This evening I took about 5 minutes to purge my "container drawer" where I keep all my food storage containers.  I threw away lids that had no containers, and threw away containers that had no lids. Then I took about 20 that I rarely use (since I have SO many and only so many places to put them since my deep freezer died) and stored that on an open shelf going down to the basement. I didn't want to throw them all away in case I do need them one day. And surely I would need them first thing tomorrow if I threw them away tonight.
Anyways, it was 5 minutes. But it felt great and it was a simple start for me to be headed in the right direction. To get cleaned up. To simplify. To make life feel more in order somehow.

Time to Evaluate!

I just wrote this post a few weeks ago, less than a month, but I feel a need to evaluate where I am with my efficiency. Why? Because I need to inspire myself. Inspire myself to evaluate why I chose this word for my year and how I am doing with living by it.
I am trying to live by this word in all areas of my life. There are various areas of my life that are easier to evaluate than others. Ultimately, though, I feel I am falling short thus far. Again, this is not for pity, not necessarily for encouragement, but really to inspire myself back to why I chose the word and create more change.
I think I have fallen short mainly because I make excuses.
I am pregnant.
I am tired.
I'll do it tomorrow.
I don't want to wake my son from his nap.
I'll get to it.
I'll do it on my day off.
And on, and on, and on...
Today is a good example of falling short.
I did run a few errands, get some grocery shopping done, spend time with my son, make a soup for my son to stock the freezer with...and this seems good. But I also spend time, way too much time, being lazy around the house for no good reason...
There is stuff sitting in my upstairs hallway that needs to be stored in the attic...
There are dishes that need to be done...
There are things to work on for prepping to have baby #2 soon...
There are three books that I have started but read none of today...
There is an exercise bike begging to be used...
There is clutter...lots and lots of clutter...
There is dust on the furniture, dirt on the floor, grime in the bathroom...you name it, we have it...and yet, I sat, surfing the internet and watching TV and being lazy...
I do not look back on today proud of my efficiency. Instead I look back on today and realize that I am not living up to my word. I realize that I need evaluation today, and I will probably need it again tomorrow, and next week, and next month...I realize that I need to post this word in more places in my house so that I am reminded of my goal more often...I realize that I need to be an example in my house...I realize that if I don't learn to live by this word with one kid I am never gonna make it with two...
And so, here goes...as I once again hold up my glass of sparkling apple cider and say "Here's to being more efficient in the new year!"

My Word for 2010!

I was recently reading one of my favorite blogs. Why is it one of my faves? She has a big family (and I think that is fun), she is very creative, she is very real, I love her photography, etc...

So I was reading this post of hers, and I was inspired...the premise is to not make a bunch of (or even a few) New Year's resolutions, but instead to choose one word that would sink into every part of my life, becoming my focus for 2010.

I started thinking about this on my own and came up with what I thought I wanted my word to be. But on a longer drive today, I brought the idea up to my husband and asked him what word he would choose. As he was contemplating, I began rethinking my word, wanting to possibly change it to another...

When he was done thinking he asked what my word was and I explained my original word and why I wanted it, but also explained my new word and why I was thinking of changing it...and he laughed. Not because of my words, but because through his thought process he had come up with those very two words, but then ultimately decided on a third word that he felt encompassed the first two words more fully. I laughed too. And I was very excited that we were on the same page with what we want 2010 to look like, and excited that we could have a "family word" and spur each other on.

Sorry if you are in utter suspense now and overly excited to know our "word."

Our first two that we separately came up with were 'simplicity' and 'discipline'. How could we live with more simplicity, how could we simplify our lives, our home, our everyday occurrences and daily routines? How could we be more disciplined in the things we do, in eating better and exercising more regularly, in our relationship with God, in keeping our home in order?

These are all good things, but the third and final word that we decided upon we believe will encompass all of this and more: efficiency. How can we be more efficient with our time, our resources, our bodies? Can we become more efficient because we are simplifying, and can we become more efficient as we learn to be more disciplined? I think so. We think so. So this is our word for 2010, and I feel the need to write it here so that it is in writing somewhere for sure!

Efficiency. Achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort.