Last month I left my phone in a hotel safe. For a week. I'll admit, I mostly did this because I didn't have data in the country we were visiting (I didn't want to come home to a post-vacation 4-digit phone bill), but I was also intrigued by the...
I first published this post on Dayton Moms Blog this past Fall, but I think the ideas are best suited to cold, wintry days. This is the time of year to slow down, snuggle up, and seek the simpler pleasures. I'm reposting here for your snuggly winter...
It's a New Year and if you're like many folks, "Get Organized!" is written at the top of your resolution list in big bold letters. If you truly want to accomplish this goal, I'd like to let you in on a dirty little secret: those pretty...
A friend recently lent me a book called Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill McKibben. I’ll admit, the title did not thrill me. “Hundred dollar holiday?” I thought. “How could I spend just $100 on Christmas? And really, why would I want to?” Sure, I’m a minimalist, but the...
It's December 12 and that means it's the final day of my 12 Days to Less Minimalism Challenge! If you've been following along, you should have at least 78 less items in your home right now. This is a great feeling as you head into the...
If you are following my 12 Days to Less Minimalism Challenge, you should be feeling a bit lighter (and perhaps a bit frustrated) right now. The last few days of this challenge are the hardest, as you have to work harder to find enough items to donate....
We can all agree that the holidays are a time to give. And what better way to give than to find items in your home that are no longer useful to you and give them to others who could use them? Please join me as I...
If you've listened to the radio or watched TV or been on any social media lately, you've seen them: Black Friday ads, urging us to bust out of our turkey comas during the wee hours of Friday morning (or even Thursday night, before the pumpkin...
Usually picking favorites is bad. In the realm of parenting, for example, it can result in years of awkward holiday gatherings and large therapy bills (except for, you know, that one kid). In the world of education, being the teacher’s pet is like holding a...
"Take it to Goodwill. They accept everything." This is always my advice to clients who are looking to unload donation items. Yet despite encouraging clients to donate to Goodwill (and regularly donating there myself), I didn't know much about this organization until recently, when I toured their Dayton...
