No Set Definition / Step away from the screen

As I transition myself into a minimalist lifestyle, I continue to research/seek advice/find inspiration in many other minimalism blogs. In doing so, I've noticed that there is a real struggle for minimalists to know whether or not they're doing it right. There are some who hold themselves to the word minimalist so strictly that see any others not doing the same as not being minimalists. Does that make sense? I was drawn to this lifestyle for so many reasons but one of them was the simplicity of it. But just like anything else in life, if you let others define something for you, it's bound to get complicated, there are bound to be differences in opinion, and there are bound to be judgements made. The simple fact is, there are varying degrees of minimalism and that's exactly how it should be. For minimalist with children in particular, there's definitely some wiggle room allowed. I found Francine's post here to be extremely helpful as she shares her experience being a minimalist first and now having a growing family, how she is adjusting, and her own struggle in having to alter her extreme minimalist lifestyle. 

I'm really finding my own balance in all of this and my family is too. I've been absent from Internet and social media lately and that has been deliberate. The current step I'm working on is stepping away from screens (TVs, laptops, phones, etc). As of right now, I do not know where my phone is, I haven't seen it in a couple of days, and I know it's been dead all the while. I am perfectly ok with that. I have not missed it and moreover, I have not missed out. The phone is the first screen I really need to evaluate. Why do I need it glued to my hand and if I'm really getting as much out of it as I think I am? Leo from mnmlist.com put up an article that every slave to the Iphone really needs to read. Check it out here and let me know what you think.

 Stepping away from the laptop hasn't been so difficult because I'm currently on break from school. Once I go back, well let's face it I'm a graphic design and digital media major, I'll be in front of a screen for almost every one of my classes and then have freelance jobs to work on from home. It's inevitable for my school and work. But the addiction to browsing websites for a couple hours, needing to pin things, needing to check in on twitter, and even posting to this blog is not a daily necessity of mine any longer. If you were to keep a log of how much time you spend in front of screens, do you think you'd be happy about the results?

Slow it down

One of the goals with this whole minimalist transformation is to start to enjoy my days a little more. For a while, everyday was jam packed, insanely hectic, and super stressful. On the reg, I was putting pressure on myself to do more, be more, get more. Sounds like a weird motivational speaker slogan or something right? Well it was all for the wrong motivations and with my family going through so many changes, now is the perfect time to really start to appreciate our time together.

   So now, with spring quickly transitioning into summer, and having a short break from school, my days have slowed down, and my to do list that used to overwhelm me, is really now finished within the first hour of my early morning. It gives my family that much more time to pretty much do whatever we want with our days. We literally spent the entire weekend in the sun. It was one of the most relaxing and fun times I've had in a while. We found the perfect new park and even a little friend...

We brought him home...
We put him in a mason jar with a bunch of leaves to eat and the very next day he started making his cocoon. The little one's are so excited and I have to admit I am too. It's a lot of fun see them check the jar everyday to see the changes and I can't wait to set the butterfly free in a couple of weeks. The kids will go ape shit. That's the technical term I believe?

Today is our anniversary

You're what keeps me believing the world's not gone dead.

Strength in my bones put the words in my head.

When they pour out to paper, it's all for you.

Cause that's what you do. That's what you do

Love you sug!

Minimalism for youngins

My life is  constantly changing. In turn, my family life is constantly changing. Usually, we are evolving into something better. Sometimes, we are adjusting out of necessity. And now, with me making changes in myself, I'm always concerned with how my choices will affect my loved ones. This change is obviously for the better. At least it's obvious to me. But then, you get some emails or comments when you talk about minimalism and it becomes clear that some people think I'm like busting through the house and getting rid of everything. That I'm possibly not being considerate to my kids by going and getting rid of everything they have. It's not like that, and I would never want to be so insensitive to them.

  Honestly, depending on the age of a child, they can learn a lot from cleaning out things they no longer play with. Especially if you explain where it might be going. Like if it's going to Goodwill and you help them understand that this toy or stuffed animal that doesn't mean much to them may mean a lot more to another little boy or girl. That's something they really get. And as a parent, you get the warm and fuzzies when you see your little one understanding and showing compassion. I mean, that's an obvious plus right?
    When I really started wondering what minimalism would mean to my kids, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a post on Becoming Minimalist. Josh Becker blogged about how his transition effected his kids and basically how it ended up that his 5 year old adjusted much quicker than he had. And he gave a list of 5 reasons explaining that:

"1.he didn’t pay for the things that we’re discarding.

2. he’s still got more stuff than he could possibly use in one day.
3. his security is not found in his possessions.  his security is found in his stable family.

4. his memories are not wrapped up in his possessions but in the people he loves.

5. he doesn’t look for joy in his possessions.  he finds it in living life to the fullest."

3, 4, and 5 seriously made me sigh a breath of relief. THAT is exactly what I want for my kids. THAT is exactly what I want them to get out of this and it is exactly the kind of example I want to set for them.

Now, no, I don't think that minimalism is the only way to raise a non-materialistic kid. And I hope I don't come off as preaching that it's gotta be this way or your kid will be a spoiled little brat. Not at all. But that article and those 3 items in particular is why it's right for me and mine. It really feels natural to me, comes naturally to all of us, and feels so right. I don't know if it seems radical, but it's not. Not in the least. I honestly feel that my previous feelings on brands, money, and possessions were more radical. This is something organic, and I mean that in the least hippie way possible.

Hit the lights

Simplifying my wardrobe has also insanely simplified my morning routine. It is the best feeling in the world to not have to worry about which this or which that I'm going to wear because I no longer have mountains and mountains of clothes to dig into until I find something right. Through the whole process, I really kept the things that always feel right so there really is no hesitation other than, "is it raining today? boots it is.." I keep wondering what took me so long to do this? Why would I not think when I have a million things giving me headaches not to take one away? Ads has been crazy supportive of all of this, probably because me choosing something to wear is also a headache of his haha. But really, he's a huge fan of the simple life as well. Def not as open to simplifying everything, but still, I think we were simple before I chose to be simple. For instance, as a couple, we barely ever keep lights on in the house. Our family lives by candlelight most evenings and its one of the best ways we wind down at the end of our days. It's calming, it's beautiful, and it's less, I don't know what the right word is so I'll say distracting than having overhead lights or lamps on. Seriously, try it out yourselves and you'll see what I mean.

My Minimalist Wardrobe Transformation

I've never been very good with words, especially when it comes to explaining myself. Normally, what should be a simple statement turns into some complicated word vomit spewing from my mouth. I'm super awkward, not very confrontational, and have always found that when it comes to me and words...less is definitely more. So naturally, when people see me getting rid of nearly all of my wardrobe and ask me why, I do a phenomonally awful job answering. It really started here, just six days ago. I was overwhelmed by the past few months I spent spending money for no reason other than to have more. More clothes, more jewelry,more makeup, more this, more that, more everything. It wasn't even the spending part that bothered me either, it was not knowing why I wanted more. I have plenty, more than enough of everything I want. It was just too much for me. So I decided to change it. To help myself and to be an example for my kids of how to be truly happy, not obsessed with brands and keeping up with everyone else. To show them how to spend more time living than always wanting more to live with. Does that make sense? Maybe not, but it does to me, and the feeling of having less to worry about is such a refreshing feeling I can't even explain it. And it's not about depriving myself, not at all. I will always have what I need and keep it that way. Minimalism just seemed right.

So I started with the most overgrown part of my life, my wardrobe. So many clothes. Shirts I've had since I was a sophomore in highschool, jeans and dresses I haven't worn in years but kept just in case someday I decided to try them out again. Multiples of everything. I started with items that i just knew I wasn't going to wear. and just kept chugging , always asking why I needed one thing if I already had the other. Most went to goodwill, some went to friends and family, and the rest went up for sale (rest assured it will only go towards the rent, not replacing anything haha). Then I kept going back in and reasking the same questions and continued to purge. I started with a goal of only having 50 items, then I realized I needed even less so I changed that goal to 40. I now have 10 dresses/skirts, 5 pants, 6 shorts, and 16 tops. I also went from a ridiculous amount of shoes to now having 6 pairs . In the end, I think I got rid of roughly 120 items of clothing. I'm going to give it about a month, see what gets the most wear, and then do another purging probably cutting my new wardrobe in half.

DIY HOME - HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT

One of my goals in this minimalistic transformation, is to help my family become less dependent on store bought goods and more self-sufficient. One way to do this is to begin making as many homemade products as possible. One thing that my family could benefit from making ourselves is laundry detergent. Now, I haven't stepped into this lightly. I've researched a ton of different recipes and then a ton more. We have some sensitive skins walking around in this house and any random ingredients could send us all into a break-out fest. In my research and experimentation, I settled on what I feel is the best recipe. There may be a few tweaks here and there if I see fit as the weeks go on, but for now the best homemade recipe for sensitive skin is as follows:

1 cup arm and hammer super washing soda.
1 cup graded ivory soap
1/4 cup white vinegar


And here's how to put it all together.

1. Grate 1 bar of ivory soap into a bowl. (1 bar can make 2 batches!) There were two ways suggested to me to do this. The first, is to simply use a cheese grater. I was super happy with the consistency when I did this and how easy it was to do.


I decided to try the second way anyways just to see if it could get even simpler. The second suggestion was to heat the bar of soap up in the microwave for 2 mins and then it would crumble. Well mine did not do this and it just seemed to complicate an otherwise easy step. So take my advice and stick with just grating the cheese. You'll be much better off. Measure 1 cup of the grated soap (1 bar makes about 2 cups) and put it in a large mixing container. 2. After that, it gets even easier. Add 1 cup of the super washing soda to your soap. 3. Add your 1/4 cup of white vinegar to your mixture and stir for a good 5 mins. 4. Continue stirring until you get a flour-like consistency from your mixture. And congrats! You've just made your own laundry detergent.