Rural Simplicity

Let's talk about hormones today. I have been on a wild hormone journey for many years now, and have just recently found a way to cope with them in a way that I feel comfortable with. I am not a doctor and am in no way prescribing anything for you. I will be sharing my experience, and sharing links to websites that have helped me a great deal. My Story 7 years ago I started taking birth control pills. I was 22, and in good health - until I started the pill that is. After several months of taking them I quit because they were making me depressed, and very disagreeable to live with. (for myself and others) Two pregnancies and six years later, I was still struggling with hormone imbalance from the pills and life in general. Mood swings, extreme tiredness (I could sleep for 10+ hours every night and take naps), brain fog, depression, and weight gain. I felt awful, and it was increasingly harder to run my house and manage my children feeling this way.  Wellness Mama If you

Week 31 - Excitement  I can ask for any emotion and get it in a moment's notice from this girl. Week 32 - Musical  My oldest is excited to start piano lessons this fall. My youngest is excited about his big sister! Week 33 - Animal  This is one of many pictures I took back in 2015 when we were looking at the property we were going to buy. It had been unkept for 10+ years and the wildlife was and still is so fun to watch! Week 34 - Senses  Kneading bread with Mommy. I'll list the previous weeks in case you want to look back. Weeks 1-5 Weeks 6-9 Weeks 10-13 Weeks 14-18 Weeks 19-22 Weeks 23-26 Weeks 27-30 Sarah 

Consistency. Here is the hardest part of the whole plan. Once you have worked for hours upon hours creating the welcoming space you desire, the last thing you want to see is for it to all fall apart. This is the sixth and final post in our Organizing series. You can find the first five posts here. 1) Habit and Routine -  Read it here . 2) Finding Your Personal Space -  Read it here . 3) Taking Inventory  -  Read it here. 4) Questions to Ask When Purging -  Read it here. 5) It's Time to Organize - Read it here. Here are few keys to keeping a clean space - clean. Decide That You Will Keep it Clean. Sometimes you do all the work, but never mentally come to the decision to not let yourself do it again. Be severe with yourself, even if you are exhausted from doing all of the cleaning, make yourself decide to keep it clean.  2 Minute Rule If something takes 2 minutes or less do it right now. This rule alone will evaporate clutter. It takes less than 2 minutes to par

I'm three books away from reading 50 books this year, which is wonderful and a bit dissappointing because my goal was 100 before the end of the year. I've read a ton of JV books since last posting about books and here are the good ones (Because some of the ones I read aren't worth mentioning.) Poppy - AVI Good book for adults or children. Illustrated by the same man who wrote and illustrated "Locomotive" This is a story about bravery and extreme odds. The books falls under the secular realm, and has boyfriend/girlfriend and opposition to parents. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - AVI Written by the same author as "Poppy" This book will keep you on your toes, wondering who did what and why. The Trumpet of the Swan - E.B. White I don't like this book as well as "Charlotte's Web" but it's still a great book. I love the many details of natural history that this book explains. Homer Price - Robert McCloskey Robe

Step 5 to getting your house in order. Are you just joining us? Take a moment to look back over the previous steps. 1) Habit and Routine -  Read it here . 2) Finding Your Personal Space -  Read it here . 3) Taking Inventory  -  Read it here. 4) Questions to Ask When Purging - Read it here. You've worked so hard to get to this point. Don't stop now! Getting the stuff you don't use out of the house is the biggest battle. But, it won't feel very helpful if you don't take the time to organize what you are left with. Storage You should have made a list of ways this particular room is going to be used. Find it and refresh your memory. Now you need to think about storage options, and  possibly furniture rearranging (or many times in my case, furnitures stealing - from other rooms). Honestly many people have everything they need in their house to organize properly. Try shopping in your own house before purchasing anything new. Forever Homes If you were at