Around Here

you two by ali edwards

Around here things are busy as usual. 

Around here Simon is doing awesome at getting up and getting out the door on time and in a decent mood. He likes his new teacher and has loved having my Mom staying here with us recently. 

Around here Anna is working really hard at trying to figure out how she can get moving beyond sitting in the same spot all the time. She is reaching and bouncing and working all those muscles and ready to launch. 

Around here I am loving watching the dynamics between brother and sister and between father and daughter. 

Around here Chris is working on all sorts of work-related projects and getting ready to go fishing with his Grandpa and then embark on a trade mission to China with some other legislators. 

Around here I am dealing with some completely annoying computer issues related to Apple's new operating system (Snow Leopard) and Adobe CS4 products crashing repeatedly. Beyond being a major pain and impacting my workflow, it is making me grumpy (that's a nice word for how I feel). If you have sent me an email recently and I have not responded yet I hope to soon. It's especially challenging as I am knee-deep in Yesterday & Today content. 

Around here I have an appointment with my dermatologist today for a regular 3-month check-in to see if there are any more moles that need to be removed. 

Around here I am welcoming all the signs of fall and getting excited for the upcoming season. I have gotten a few emails asking about when I am going to start my December Daily project - I hope to do it soon. I ordered a few new holiday items yesterday to get myself in gear. Look for something more on December Daily in the coming weeks. I definitely encourage you to get going on your own if you are interested in participating. It is such a fun project and made manageable by getting it all ready in advance. 

Dottedline












I was excited to see that Leo Babauta has a new ebook out called The Simple Guide to Minimalist Life. As many of you know, I am a fan of Leo's philosophies on his popular blog zen habits and in his books. 


Here's  how Leo addresses a common misconception about minimalism: 


Q: Isn’t minimalism boring or too sparse, with nothing in your life?



A: This is a misconception about minimalism — that it’s necessarily monk-like, empty, boring, sterile. Not at all. Well, it can be, if you go in that direction, but I don’t advocate that flavor of minimalism. Instead, we are clearing away all but the most essential things — to make room for that which gives us the most joy. Clear away the distractions so we can create something incredible. Clear away all the obligations so we can spend time with loved ones. Clear away the noise so we can concentrate on inner peace, on spirituality (if we wish), on our thinking. As a result, there is more happiness, peace, and joy, because we’ve made room for these things.



I absolutely love the idea of clearing away the non-essential to make room for that which gives us much joy. 


In reading his new ebook last night I was also excited to see that he included a section on finding simplicity with kids. I have read other books on the topic and was interested in his perspective since he is the Dad of six kids. He's got a nice list of strategies in there that I am going to print out as a reminder to myself about the way in which I would like to be living/raising our kids. 


Some of the ideas are extreme, but as with most things there is a continuum on which I can strive for certain things and let others go. 


He also has launched a new blog called mmlist where he is concentrating all his posts about minimalism. You can read more about the new blog here

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37 thoughts

  1. Ali says…
    09/16/2009

    I am not a fan of throwing things in the garbage either ~M~. In most of the reading I have done of Leo's I have seen him suggesting donating, selling, sharing, re-using, etc. Maybe he has changed his ways from the very beginning of his postings and learned some things along the way (my guess is that this is the case).

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  2. MACHELLE ANDERSON says…
    09/16/2009

    Ali,
    What is the paint color on the wall with the A. I swear I have looked at hundreds of beiges and I want one with a warmer undertone like that one.
    Thanks,
    Machelle

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  3. Tracy says…
    09/16/2009

    :-)

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  4. Ali Edwards says…
    09/16/2009

    Hi Machelle - it's actually more yellow/dark tan in person. You can see some more views of it here: /2009/01/around-the-room.html

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  5. Linn says…
    09/16/2009

    I love Leo's posts, too, and have been devouring his new mnmlist site! With my oldest just starting kindergarten and the littlest enjoying ruling the roost while he's gone, I've had some time to purge the unnecessary even more. It's so funny that the very quote you chose I had already printed out to post on my inspiration board. Reading his new blog always lights a fire under my organizing/minimalizing side!

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  6. Heidi Bell says…
    09/16/2009

    Anyone who can achieve simplicity with six kids has my admiration. I have enough trouble with three. Does he ever have days when he wishes he could "clear them away?" Thanks for the link Ali, I'm off to read what this guy has to say. Maybe I'll be able to find find some balance in my household!

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  7. Karen S says…
    09/17/2009

    I love that quote. I need the reminder of why it is worth spending the time decluttering my life...to get the life I really want!

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  8. Monika Wright says…
    09/17/2009

    Daily December? I have most of my pages laid out and love most of them, but am not happy with a few. I guess that I might wait to see what awesome new ideas you come up with. I have also checked out what Molly Irwin did last year for some inspiration.
    Snow Leopard? Ours was running slow (but we don't have CS4) and my husband backed up the hard drive and then uninstalled (???) and then reinstalled all the software, e-mail...and it is so much faster without all the old OS's running on it. I'm not the techie, but obviously you are, so this is my version of what he did.

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  9. christine velazco-villacarlos says…
    09/17/2009

    what a wonderful photo! thanks for sharing :)
    thanks for the link to the mmlist! hope i can de-clutter one of these days!

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  10. Vicky says…
    09/17/2009

    Ali:
    I love the matching shirts and the photo of Chris & Anna. The baby carrier was a lifesaver for me and my husband. We were able to get so much done carrying the baby around. Thanks for sharing your life and family with us. It's wonderful to watch Simon and Anna grow. BTW what will she be for Halloween? Have a great weekend.
    Cathy: Counting Crows rule!

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    09/22/2009

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  12. Jill Shivers says…
    09/24/2009

    The story is "Church Candy", and I've been dying to do a layout for a long time about this.

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