Before We Begin-Our Intentions

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. "

~Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993

First a disclaimer....In no way am I an expert on simplifying your life nor do I want to impose any of my personal values on you.   This journey has to come within yourself, and take or leave what you want.  This is a great opportunity for those of you who are pregnant and nesting like crazy, have kiddos at home constantly undoing the house behind you, and those of us who haven't done our "spring cleaning" in a while.  If you have just had a baby within the last 6 weeks, please don't do this right now.  The beauty of these posts are that you can start it whenever you like, at the pace you want, and pick and choose what you want to do.

As we begin this journey toward decluttering our homes together, we're going to start with our main rooms- front living room, kitchen, & dining room.  These are the spaces we use the most and are most visible to us.  Once we tackle these rooms, we'll already feel a lot better about what we're doing.

 I'm constantly being told by family and strangers to enjoy the time with my kids and not worry about keeping the house tidy.  I understand the intention and believe it's important to spend quality time with my kids. 

There are a few reasons I'm advocating decluttering and organizing your/my home:

1. I think much clearer when I'm organized.  A clear head means I'm able to be "present" to my kids when I'm spending time with them.

2. I want to know what I have in my house to use with my kiddos, rather than miss an opportunity of fun because I didn't know I had it.  (Quick story to illustrate my point-I recently discovered a bunch of arts and crafts materials I bought Rita Clare for Christmas.  All this time, it was hidden under junk I haven't moved since Tyler was born.) Goal: I'd like to have an organized craft area that is accessible to use when Rita Clare wants to do something fun.  It's a waste of time rummaging around a mess and I'm not as likely to want to take the effort to do it when it's unorganized.

3.  Other people could actually benefit from your unused possessions. Whether you sell it, donate it to a thrift store, or post on freecycle, it's time to let things go.

4.  It's better for the environment.  Your house is using extra energy when there are more things inside.  How many things do you have plugged in that you haven't used in a long time?  I can think of a few things of mine off the top of my head.

Can you think of other reasons? Are you ready to begin??? 





Jen Starks, Owner www.ecologicalbabies.com ecologicalbabies@gmail.com 850.284.5887

CONTEST: Submit Your Best --Beans & Rice/Legumes & Grain Recipe

One of the best ways to start our journey of simplicity is to embrace a simpler and healthy way of eating. I'll admit that I used to despise beans. But over time, I've experimented with different types of beans/legumes and recipes. Now, I really enjoy them and particularly embrace them during the cooler months.

This month, I want to start eating a legume & grain meal once a week. It's a great way to start eating healthier, is a simple meal, saves money, helps us be in solidarity with those in poorer countries, and better for the environment. (I'll go into more detail about the last statement in another blog post.)

Join us in pledging to eat a meal like this once a week. I know many of you have a great recipe or two you already use with your family. Let's put our favorite recipes together, so we have a great central location to try new recipes.

Contest Requirements:

For the next week, submit some of your favorite beans & rice (or legumes & grain) recipe. At the end of the week (9/9 5 pm), I'll draw a name for the winner. Our lucky winner will receive a set of 4 plates from Kidishes. ($17.99 value)!!

To Qualify: 
1. Post the recipe in our Discussion Board section under "Great Simple Meals".
2. Every time you submit a new recipe, you are entered into the contest. (PLEASE don't just submit a random recipe from the web you've never tried. I want these recipes to be GREAT...and the simpler, the better!)
3. You have to be a "follower" of our blog.


We look forward to trying some of your fabulous recipes!

Peace,

Jen


Jen Starks, Owner www.ecologicalbabies.com ecologicalbabies@gmail.com 850.284.5887

September's Theme: Simplicity

This month, we're going to be focusing on simplifying our lives. There's something about the beginning of the school year that feels like a new beginning (much like New Year's). This is the first year our oldest daughter started school (preschool) and I've been "nesting" again like crazy trying to become organized in our house.

As you know, both simplifying your life and becoming organized is a process. It's almost like detoxifying both our physical homes AND our inner "home". It's a spiritual experience. Initial questions such as, "Do I NEED this?", "Am I ready to part with that?" "Am I ever going to look at my house and feel like it's not cluttered?"

Once you clear the physical clutter, it's time to work on embracing a simpler lifestyle. Instead of having to regularly remove the clutter in your life, you'll be preventing the clutter from occurring. In the long run, you'll be saving money and time spent on figuring what to do with everything. The Earth will also thank you :o)

So join me this month. First we'll go through your home, car, office. Then we'll work on organizing everything you have so that you actually USE what you're keeping. Then we'll focus inward, understanding why we consume, how we can embrace a simpler, yet deeper life. Are you ready? I know I am!!!


Jen Starks, Owner www.ecologicalbabies.com ecologicalbabies@gmail.com 850.284.5887