About

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” -William Morris

Hey there.

These are my adorable handfuls children, who are 3 years old and 6 months old at the time of this writing. In the blogosphere, my name is Toblerone, which I know is a bit corny - but we live overseas at the moment, and it’s best for our family’s security. My children’s nicknames are Chickpea and Garbanzo, and my husband’s is Kabob - so really, I think I saved the best one for me.

Because I juggle all my jobs as a stay-at-home mom, language student, and part-time graphic designer, I am officially busy.

Is this just another “mom blog”?

Well, even if this was just a “mom blog,” I wouldn’t be too insulted, because mom blogs are my favorite. But from my perspective, this is a cross between a mom blog and a productivity blog. Lifehacker wears an apron, in other words.

I want to - no, I have to - keep things simple. Otherwise, nothing would get done, and I’d miss out on the things that are most important to me. Chances are, the same is true for you.

There are plenty of great mom blogs out there with ideas on educational activities, funny anecdotes about the crazy things kids do, and inspirational motivation about why it’s good to be a stay-at-home mom. My focus here is for the mom who needs that extra nudge of motivation to manage her home in a productive and balanced way. I am passionate about simplicity and balanced living, and am convinced that when Mom is doing well, the whole family thrives.

I am also a follower of Jesus, and while this isn’t a blog about theology, my motivation, perspective, and joy come from knowing and loving Him. So naturally, some of that will come out in my writing.

What topics do you cover?

I’m on the hunt for ways to simplify my job as Mom. When I find solutions for cutting everyday life clutter, I’m taking care of my family , my home, and myself. It’s about doing what’s important (and I’m using a broad definition of “important”) and eliminating the rest. Then I’ll have time for the most rewarding blessings in life - my relationship with God, my relationship with my husband, my relationship with my children, and my relationship with others.

I’ll use this place to document my finds, share stories of what works (and what doesn’t), and verbalize the process of simplifying my tasks without cutting corners.

I love exploring the practical side of simplicity, particularly with these topics:

• managing the day-to-day goings on of our household
• budgeting well, and keeping charge of the family’s finances
• cooking and eating well
• filling our minds with the quality books, music, and movies out there
• learning and cultivating those dying arts for the benefit of our family - sewing, gardening, and the like
• keeping paperwork to a minimum, and organizing well the paperwork that is necessary
• finding ways to go greener without needing a PhD in eco-consciousness
• and in general, organizing our lives so we don’t waste time with the unnecessary

Since this is SIMPLE Mom, after all, I want to keep this blog clutter-free and easy to use. Moms are busy, and we don’t have time for heavy-duty blog reading. My hope is that you’ll find a nugget of encouragement or the tool you’ve been looking for, apply it to your life, and then roll up your sleeves and get to work.

After all, your most precious commodities need mothering.

Find Me

• Questions, ideas, or personal comments? Please contact me.
• Here’s my other blog, which I still regularly update.
• You can also follow me on Twitter.
• And explore my Delicious bookmarks.
• And see what I’ve Stumbled Upon.
• And (shameless plug warning) here’s my little etsy shop, for all your photo card needs.