avatar by on July 20, 2011   •   34 Comments Self-Care You

Don’t borrow trouble

There are many troublesome things in life: the economy, poverty, crime, and disease, just to name a few. And if these issues aren’t enough, there’s also the worry associated with everything that’s just beyond our control.

Worry can dominate your life.

So can fear.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:34, the Bible

It’s easy to fall victim to worry and fear.

Did you realize that the Bible mentions some version of the phrase “Do not worry” or “Do not fear” over 200 times?

What can we conclude from this? — We are going to worry. It’s a natural, human experience.

I think the goal is not to eliminate worry and fear, because it can serve a good purpose.

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avatar by on July 18, 2011   •   229 Comments Shopping Well Spending Wisely Your Family

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry

I love the response this post got when I first published it in summer 2009 — it really show the vast diversity of all our living spaces and cultures.

I‘m not a luddite — I love technology. I love the ways it enhances our home life in so many ways, from storing our food at adequate temperatures, to washing our clothes so that we don’t have to work our hands raw with a hand-cranked wringer. We have much to be thankful for in our generation.

But there’s something rather soothing about line-dried clothes, I find. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but during these warm summer months, I enjoy hanging our laundry out to dry daily, watching it flap in the breeze and shine whitely in the sun’s reflection.

Here are some of my favorite reasons for line-drying clothes during warm weather.

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avatar by on July 15, 2011   •   113 Comments Productivity You

Perfection: the thief of “good enough”

We move into our new home tomorrow, so I’ve been reminded yet again about that nasty little idol called ‘perfectionism,’ and how it just loves to rob our peace. I wrote this post at this time last year, when I was cuddling newborn Finn. Different home, same message still rings true.

If you suffer from perfectionism, like me, then you’ll know what I’m talking about here.

I’ve been staring at this chest of drawers that serves as our family’s craft cabinet for about three weeks. It’s totally disheveled — scrapbook paper rests under a baggie of googly eyes; Christmas ornaments are somehow tucked in amongst the stickers and glitter pens. It honestly hasn’t been organized since we moved here four months ago.

I need to go through it and put things in order. A few hours of shuffling and sorting, and the craft supplies would be organized and easy to find.

But I haven’t started the project because the ideal craft cabinet in my head would take an entire afternoon, and a constantly nursing newborn and two preschoolers in the house means I barely get five minutes to focus on anything.

I’ve put it off because if I can’t do it perfectly, I think it’s better not to touch it at all.

It’s ridiculous, really. When I write it out right now, I realize how childish this thinking is. But there it is… perfectionism freezing me from doing anything at all.

I’m sure none of you can relate, eh?

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avatar by on July 13, 2011   •   25 Comments Family Bonding Your Family

Fun and Frugal Ideas to Make the Most Of School Break

Written by green & frugal contributor Maya Bisineer of Memetales

Summer break is exciting for kids but always mildly stressful for me as a working parent with a flexible schedule. I worry that I cannot manage the schedule change and the kids will spend too much time doing nothing. I worry that by the time we start making the most of it, the summer break will be over.

Growing up, the best memories I have from my summers are from when I did something completely new and different, immersed myself in an activity, learned something completely new and spent quality time with friends and family.

First off, I sat down and forced myself to articulate the “good” things about summer break, and then came up with plenty of ways to make the most of summer break with just a few small changes.

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avatar by on July 11, 2011   •   74 Comments Work You

The secret of success for work-at-home moms

Written by organizing contributor Mandi Ehman of Life…Your Way.

What if I told you that there was one principle that would have the biggest impact on whether or not you’re successful as a work-at-home mom?

Hint: It’s not the industry or niche you choose. It’s not the structure of your business or what trade organizations you join. It’s not even the people you network with or your customer service.

All of those things are important, of course, but the number one reason many work-at-home moms give up is not because their businesses aren’t doing well, but because they’re not doing well. They’re tired, stressed and frazzled, pulled in a million directions and feeling like they’re not giving their best to their families or to their businesses.

So what’s the key to success? Simply put: Get it done early.

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