keep it simple – Page 4 – Holistic Living

13Feb 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF

keep it simple

It comes down to; if you don't use it, lose it. If you can't store it in an organized way, toss it. When my husband + I went on our honeymoon we stayed in a suite that had a very small living room, fold out table for a dining space, + a minuscule kitchen; 2 element stove top, bar fridge, microwave, single bowl sink, + an 18" dishwasher. Small. I thought we were going to go crazy trying to make do with such a small place. It was our honeymoon - I didn't want to feel like we were compromising on comfort. But it was enough. With some planning it was a cozy, romantic home for us. We didn't feel cramped or that we were missing anything. In fact, it…

13Feb 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

MAKE SPACE FOR YOU

grow heal love, keep it simple, live with intention, live your purpose

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2015 ON focusonsimple.co 2015 is all about simplifying. Life got a lot overwhelming in 2014. Overwhelming to the point where you're holding on to your gratitude for your health, having food to eat, + the well-being of those you love, wondering what the next challenge is going to be, + not sure how much more capacity to deal you have. So by the end of the year I found myself yearning for some simplicity, some zen, some space to recharge + process the entirety of the previous year. + in simplifying, I'm focusing on the commitments I make. I tend to take on too many things - make too many commitments. I think that's an affliction most of us have. As a result I find that I do nothing really well. + I'm feeling…

08Feb 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

VALUING FAMILY

family, live with intention

ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2012 ON focusonsimple.co I wouldn't class myself as a feminist, per se. However. There are some accepted imbalances that really piss me off. One of them, as previously posted, is the expectation that women give up their own name to take on their husband's. There is no logic for this choice at this point in history. really, there's none. Another is how difficult it is for women to become really + truly successful in the workplace + in their careers. A friend sent me a link to an interesting article, on why women can't have it all. It made so much sense to me, + validated a lot of what I feel is wrong with workplace culture + culture in general, + with society's placement of value on workplace vs. home +…

19Jan 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

OBSERVATIONS

grow heal love, live with intention, live your purpose

ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 2012 ON focusonsimple.co Last week, I came across a whole slew of articles on finding your passion, + what to do with it once you've found it. Which seemed lucky, as they were providing answers I was looking for + information I wanted to share, record, think about, process. But at the end of the week, that was it, + I wasn't sure where to go from there. Well, it's Monday morning, + I have about four or five tabs open with articles, blogs + sites that I want to delve into...all very uplifting, with messages of growth, inner-peace, + hopefulness. So I'm going to try a new thing - we'll see how it goes. When it seems that themes are starting to appear in a week's…

19Jan 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

THE INVITATION BY ORIAH MOUNTAIN DREAMER

be the change, grow heal love, live with intention

The first time I read this it sank into my being, + when things start to go south it always comes back up to the surface - particularly the line about spending a night with grief + despair, + still being able to get up in the morning + feed the children. It's been a great reminder to be real, authentic, not to deny ones feelings, but not to let them keep you down. It doesn't interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.It doesn't interest me how old you are I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dreams for the adventure…

19Jan 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER AGAIN

family, grow heal love, live with intention, live your purpose

By Erma Bombeck, 'If I had my life to live over again'... "I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the good living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have sat on the lawn with my…

12Jan 2019 by Mackenzie 1 Comment

WHY CREATING TRADITIONS FOR YOUR FAMILY IS IMPORTANT

family, live with intention

Traditions are the stories from our family that are passed from one generation to the next. They are our history and provide the knowledge of who we are, where we come from, and the values we hold. This is how you experience your family time together + how you relate to others, + you can either create them with intention, or they'll be formed by default. It helps to define your family's identity + culture, + is a way of demonstrating how each of us belong. Belonging to a community, or a group with a defined identity, is crucial to our experience as human beings. We thrive when we feel that we belong, that we're part of a bigger story. Creating + establishing traditions help provide the definition of who…

12Jan 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

AN INTENTIONAL CHRISTMAS

family, keep it simple, live with intention

Are you already all wrapped up in the Christmas season? Who's already stressed feeling the stress? I've been working on making our Christmas as stress-less as possible over the past few years. + where I've found our stress really originates from is expectation + consumerism. Expectation of what the season should be, + the draw to buy #allthethings for our home, for others, for ourselves... Even as we've tried to simplify how we do Christmas, the draw is still there – who doesn't get sucked in by the sparkle + warmth + texture of all the Christmas things in all the stores + advertisements?? - but so is the realization that it's all there every single year. It doesn't end or go away. + I don't feel better with more…

12Jan 2019 by Mackenzie No Comments

A SIMPLE SCHOOL START

family, keep it simple

Are you ready for the new school year? Are we? Uh, that's a hard nope. Full disclosure : this is our first “back to school” experience...last year was our first start of school. So we're really just getting started. *big gulp* I like low fuss when it comes to kid stuff which comes in handy for this time of year. So we don't, + likely won't ever, go crazy for “back to school”. For example : We'll be using the same back pack + lunch bag as we purchased last year, even though one of the lids is missing from his container set. We'll just swap it out for a different container.We might get a new outfit?...maybe? But likely won't if it means a trip to a store we're not…

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