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Simple as That

Making Everyday Beautiful

Erica Layne

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  • Big tears streamed down her plump cheeks, and her small frame shook with each sob.⁣ ⁣ My daughter's friend had just realized—right as her dad pulled out of the school parking lot—that she'd left her lunch and backpack in his car.⁣ ⁣ I watched as my daughter linked arms with her friend and gently guided her toward the school. Up until the moment they were out of my sight, I could still see her rubbing her friend's arm in support.⁣ ⁣ I was touched by the solidarity my daughter had offered her friend, and I couldn't help but pray that she never loses that innate compassion for others.⁣ ⁣ It also reminded me of all the people I know who haven't been this lucky in their moment of need. 😥⁣ ⁣ It's the smallest moments, like the one I witnessed that day in front of the school, that become the oh-so-important building blocks of kindness and compassion that we need our children to take with them through the teen years and into adulthood.⁣ ⁣ For five things you can do to nurture a child's inherent instinct for kindness—before the world tells them that it's cooler to be unkind. Swipe up in my stories or follow the link in my profile PLUS join the simple yet impactful #ItsCoolToBeKind challenge I’ve issued! ⁣Let’s all join together and spread kindness online and IRL one small act of kindness at a time. Are you up for the challenge @thelifeonpurposemovement @becomingunbusy @emilycooper_19 ? 💜 ⁣ #ItsCoolToBeKind #BeInternetAwesome #Sponsored @google
  • I don’t know about you but how I WANT to be using my phone and how I’m ACTUALLY using can sometimes be at odds. It’s a never-ending, imperfect process of searching for a reasonable balance.⁣ ⁣ Phones are such an invaluable tool, but they can be an incessant distraction – one that instantly take us out of the moment we’re in. ⁣ ⁣ When we glance down to see if anyone has commented on an Instagram post… When we refresh our email just because… Each of those motions yanks us away from whatever is happening right around us. ⁣ ⁣ Taking intentional periods of time (whether it’s in the middle of my day, my week or my month) to unplug has been essential in helping me to focus on what truly matters.⁣ ⁣ Chatting with friends and sharing pretty pictures on instagram is fun but time spent digitally connected could be better spent developing connections with the ones I love. ⁣ ⁣ I’d rather connect with my friends, my family, a good book, and the great outdoors than the brightly-lit screen in my hand.⁣ It never feels “convenient” to disconnect for a time but sometimes it’s just the nudge we need – reminding us to soak in the beauty around us and be all there with the ones we love. ⁣ ⁣ Who’s up for doing a MORE MINDFUL SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE with me?⁣ ⁣ A few friends and I are all planning on taking our own version of a break next week, and we’d love for you to join us!⁣ ⁣ We can all benefit from breaks from this space every now and again, but sometimes we need a little encouragement and support to take the plunge. ⁣ ⁣ The goal here is just to remember that there’s so much more to our lives than our Instagram feeds, and to prioritize being present with the people in front of us.⁣ ⁣ So I’d love to hear! What helps you work these periods of digital disconnection into your routine? I’ve been setting some daily screen-time limits for myself and it’s been amazing for me! ⁣
  • The Slow Your Pace Challenge (don’t know what the challenge is? Link is in my profile!) kicked off May 1st! So many of you are joining me in deliberately slowing down the pace at which we move throughout our days and it’s been amazing so far! ⁣ ⁣ Today’s challenge prompt is: ⁣ Instead of writing a to-do list, jot down a NOT to-do list today.⁣ ⁣ I’m no stranger to lengthy to-do lists. The kind that have left me feeling over-extended and overwhelmed. ⁣ ⁣ We all have a determined number of hours each day. The race to try and cram as many things into those hours as possible with the hopes of crossing just one more thing off my to-do list isn’t how I want to do things anymore.⁣ ⁣ I am learning that what I don’t do is just as important as what I’m able to do. ⁣ ⁣ Enter the NOT to-do list.⁣ ⁣ A small, very well thought out list of not-to-do’s will help you to focus better on what matters most than a lengthy to-do list ever will my friend. ⁣ ⁣ I’m chatting more about what exactly a NOT to-do list is in my stories today and sharing my NOT to-do list for this lovely Thursday.⁣ So tell me...what’s going on your NOT to-do list today? #slowyourpacechallenge #lessismore #minimalism #simplify #slowliving
  • I used to spend the better part of my days putting out fires, racing from one thing to the next, always trying to cross one more thing off my to-do list. I was moving through life so quickly that I was missing out on life’s smallest joys—the very things that mattered most to me. ⁣ ⁣ It started slowly at first. The changes I needed to make didn’t happen overnight—and it still takes renewed daily commitment. But the little ways I’ve decided to intentionally slow my life down have made such a difference.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I’m finding pockets of peace throughout my days instead of pushing through, like I used to. And I’m prioritizing peace and rest.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you’re struggling with wanting to slow down but don’t quite know where to begin, I’ve put together a 30-day challenge to help you! Thirty small, practical ways you can start your journey towards living at a more deliberate tempo.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I’m sharing more about when the challenge will kick off and how it works in my stories! It’s free…there’s absolutely no obligation. I’m simply offering you these simple suggestions and my support in taking the first steps towards living life at a gentler pace.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I’d sure love to have you join me! ⁣⁣ #simplify #slowliving #selfcare #minimalism #slowyourpacechallenge #lessismore
  • #AD Building lasting connections as a family is harder than ever in this digital age. Work, school commitments, and extracurriculars have us headed in separate directions on any given weekday. Factor in the distractions of technology and it’s so easy to allow disconnection to take center stage in our family relationships. ⁣ ⁣ Finding screen-free ways to bring our family together is a priority for me as a mom. I know that setting aside time where we put our screens away and make an intentional effort to talk together, play, have fun & give each other our undivided attention is so needed.⁣ ⁣ Getting away from the pressure to respond to a text or check a status update allows us to foster stronger family bonds. One simple yet effective way we've found to disconnect from our screens and reconnect as a family is to play games together. We’re big fans of simple games without many pieces so card games are our go-to! Playing a quick card game always get the kids laughing and the conversation flowing.⁣ ⁣ If you love UNO as much as we do then you’ll love this latest version of the classic card game – UNO Flip™! We’ve had so much fun together playing it – even the teenagers think it’s a blast! The double-sided deck featuring the new light and dark sides are so dang cool...but that’s all I’m going to say about that! You’ll have to check out the game for yourselves to see how fun the creative “flip” in this game really is! @Target -> http://bit.ly/2UNvn5p⁣ ⁣ #UNOFlip @uno @mattel
  • Watching my children catch the spirit of family history is a bittersweet blessing that’s come since the passing of my sweet Grannie. She poured so much time and effort into knowing her ancestors and preserving their stories and now it’s our turn.⁣ ⁣ I’m talking about the experience my girls and I had helping my Mom go through my Grannie’s things in the days following her funeral in my stories today. Scanning precious photos, sorting boxes full of letters and finding precious notes left in her beautiful cursive handwriting. It was a tender time for all of us.⁣ ⁣ I came home from Canada with a plastic bin full of genealogy research that my Grannie had done throughout her life. I’m at a loss of where to begin sorting, organizing and documenting everything but I am honored to carry on the work that she started.⁣ #familyhistory #ancestors #familysearch I shot this short video thanks to all of the helpful advice I got from my friend @heathercluffvideo and it was so much fun you guys! You all know how much I love preserving memories through photos…but video…video just brings all of those memories to life in a way photos can’t.⁣ ⁣ I’m determined to get better at documenting our family stories through video and am excited to play some more! You should check out some of the videos Heather has shared in her feed all capturing the everyday stuff that makes up our lives…they’re magical! ⁣