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Slow Your Pace: A Free 30-Day Challenge

Slow Your Pace: A free, 30-day challenge to help you stop rushing through life and find more rest.

Slow Your Pace: A free, 30-day challenge to help you stop rushing through life and find more rest.

When I Knew It Was Time to Slow Down

A couple of years ago, I was always running, never resting—operating on empty.

I was serving in my church, volunteering at school, running a business, driving my kids to practice after practice, and more. I was being pulled in so many directions, and I thought that being more productive and powering through it were the only ways I’d ever “keep up.”

It wasn’t until I faced an eye-opening health crisis that I began to take a hard look at the pace I’d been moving through life and the effects it was having on my health and my family.

Being forced to slow down was both difficult and a blessing. The lessons I learned during that period made me pause and evaluate the choices I’d been making and sparked changes in my life that I never knew I always needed.

Why I Chose to Slow My Pace and Why You Should Too

For years that little voice inside my head was telling me I needed to slow down, and I wish I’d listened to it sooner. Maybe I would have avoided the screeching halt that my life came to when my health hit rock bottom.

But at the time, I allowed voices outside of myself to dictate where my attention was focused.

Does the burden of everything you have to get done feel heavy? Are you exhausted? Do you suffer from headaches, fatigue, mood swings? Are you tired of chaos and longing for calm?

Slow Your Pace: A free, 30-day challenge to help you stop rushing through life and find more rest.

It’s time to let go of what others say you should be doing and live at a pace that’s right for you.

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.

Slow Your Pace: A Free 30-Day Challenge

I know I’m not alone in feeling this need to slow down. I’ve spoken with so many women who are feeling overwhelmed, just like I was. They know that they can’t keep up their current pace, but having the desire to pull back and actually doing it are two different things.

Maybe you have been pumping the gas on your life for so long that you don’t know how to change. Maybe you can barely imagine it, even though it sounds incredible to just let go.

I began with one small adjustment at a time, and I recommend you do the same.

I said no to one or two things. I started to taking a yoga class. I learned more about deep breathing. Over time I began to develop new habits and was able to tune in to that inner voice that I know was guiding me all along, but I’d been too busy to listen to.

Click to Download –> Slow Your Pace 30-Day Challenge Printable Calendar

Slow Your Pace: A free, 30-day challenge to help you stop rushing through life and find more 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 calendar to help you! Thirty small, practical ways you can start your journey towards living at a more deliberate pace.

I promise you… these small changes will add up to big results in the areas of your life that really matter.

The challenge kicks off May 1st!

All you need to do to participate is download and print the challenge calendar. Then display it where you’ll see it daily.

If you’d like to join us in the private Motherhood Simplified facebook group, please do! We’ll keep each other accountable during the month.

I’ll be posting more of my thoughts on each of the daily calendar prompts throughout May, and I’d love to share in your progress.

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Slow Your Pace: A free, 30-day challenge to help you stop rushing through life and find more rest.

 

Join me for the 2019 More Than Mom Summit

I’m so excited to be speaking at the More Than Mom Summit

For the mom who’s tired of doing #allthethings…

This is for you.

You need rest… and I know you already know that.

Finding rest can feel like a mythical creature that everyone says exists but no one’s actually seen.

When you’re a mom, it feels like everyone around you always needs something.

The to-do list never stops, the schedule is always full.

But here’s the truth….

Rest is possible.

Living a simpler life is real.

Freedom from trying to do #allthethings can be your reality.

You just need to surround yourself with mom’s having a new conversation, and who have the tools and knowledge you’re desperately wanting.

The More than Mom Summit will give you all these things… And it’s FREE!

More than 20 experts will share with you tips like how to:

  • Keep a cleaner house with less time cleaning
  • Slow things down so you can be more present
  • Create exceptional relationships with your kids
  • Find rest & take care of yourself (oxygen mask first, am I right?)
  • Keep dreaming and pursuing your passion while still raising awesome kids
  • And so much more…

Grab your free virtual seat with us here!

PS- There is an option to get Exclusive Access to the More than Mom Summit too. It’s completely optional…

Exclusive Access

With the Exclusive Access, you don’t have to worry about missing a single interview because you’ll have lifetime access of the interview in video, downloadable audio files, and full transcripts for you note takers out there.

PLUS, you get 20+ interviews from the 2018 More than Mom Summit too!

I’m sharing this with you because, Exclusive Access is seriously only $20.

But it will go up as soon as the summit launches. So make sure to snag it up before May 1!

 

Why Time Moves So Quickly And How To Slow It Down

Living life at full speed only brought illness, stress and heartache. It was only when I opened the gift my daughter gave me – the gift to slow down time – that I began to be present and participate fully in my life.

Living life at full speed brought stress and heartache. I craved a slower, gentler pace – one where I could be present and participate fully in my life.

Last week, the baby of our family started school. And as I sat on the floor playing with her, after her first two days, I felt a simultaneous sense of loss and gratitude. Loss for the baby, who was no longer a baby. And gratitude for the gift that she’s given me over these last five years.

The gift of slowing down time.

If I rewind back 8 or 9 years my life looked vastly different. Time was my enemy and I was its slave. Full-time work, a master’s thesis and a toddler (our firstborn). It was no wonder that I was balancing perilously on the edge of burn out.

I learned the hard way, as many of us do, that living life at full speed all the time is a recipe for illness, stress, and heartache.

As I began to slowly make changes to go a little slower and be a little kinder to myself, I discovered that being in the present moment was my best tool for combating busy and overwhelm.

I’d spent years feeling as though I was just observing my life. Like I was floating above, an out body experience. Seeing and hearing what was happening but stuck, unable to do anything to change.

Being present was the lifeline that brought me back to my body. And now that I had children, I desperately wanted to participate in my life, not just observe. Fully and completely present for all the moments, good and bad.

Because I knew, deep down, that in 20 years I would look back at this time and whisper ‘it went too fast’. I knew that I would miss her and her sister’s littleness. I could feel the loss already.

Time through a child’s eyes

Have you ever had the feeling that as you age, time seems to pass quicker? Or wondered at how your children seem to go about their days unaffected by a sense of timeliness?

Well, this phenomenon is real. It turns out that our perception of time speeds up as we get older.

When we are children, almost everything is new to us. We are intrepid explorers and our only real job is to discover the world. But as adults, most of us, bound by certain responsibilities, have settled into routines, and no longer feel that innate childlike need to explore.

To slow time, we need a return to childhood.

How to slow down time

I get it. Life is busy, full, and often chaotic. And many days it feels impossible to go at any speed but breakneck. Mouths need feeding, bills need paying and the list of jobs seems endless.

But you have a choice. You can choose what speed to live at.

Eight years ago I chose to explore a slower, simpler pace of life. And I have to re-choose this almost every single day. This slower speed is countercultural so it’s a conscious movement away from the busy and rush that modern society is built on.

And after years of push-pull, going fast, and choosing slow again, I’m so happy to have received the gift of slowing down time.

It sounds impossible but I promise you, it’s not. All you need is a commitment to trying some of these tips (and perhaps a little belief in magic).

1. Be present in what you are doing

Children are often completely absorbed in whatever they are doing. I can tell you with almost absolute certainty that my daughter doesn’t sit on the floor, playing, wondering what she’ll be doing after dinner that night.

Children are experts at single-tasking. And it’s easy to think ‘well children don’t have a million and one things to do’, but that’s not helpful. Thinking about the million and one things that need doing, while doing the one thing is not beneficial.

Being fully present for one task at a time means we are more likely to perceive time passing slower.

Try: Cleaning like a Buddhist monk. Japanese Buddhist monks take cleaning very seriously and treat it as part of their spiritual journey. Meticulous cleaning is for them, a form of meditation, meant to encourage a ‘cleaning of the mind’ too.

2. Look at something as if you’ve never seen it before

Part of the reason why time stretches long as a child is because all of the experiences we are having are new. The universe and all its wonders are like a gift we get to unwrap day after day.

Think about when your children first tasted ice cream. Or when they saw an animal they’d never seen before. They probably asked questions (what does an elephant do with a trunk!) and were focussed on exploring and making some sense of this new thing.

When we encounter novel things, our brains work to lay strong foundations for memories of the event. It’s this processing that will help us recall the experience as a long slow one.

Try: Visiting a place in your hometown that you’ve never been too. It might be a corner of the beach you’ve never explored or a coffee shop you haven’t tried yet.

3. Be enchanted

When was the last time you were amazed at something?

My daughter is going through a ladybug phase. I like watching her as she searches for them. And when she finds one her whole demeanor changes. She’s completely enchanted by this tiny beautiful creature. And for her, time stands still as she ‘plays’ with her new found pet.

One morning recently, while walking the dog at the beach, I was treated to this sense of pure amazement. All it took was a flock of birds flying in a v formation, back and forth overhead, and being totally present in the moment. It was as if I’d never seen birds do this before!

There is a deep sense of joy and contentment available to us when we watch our natural world and be open to being enchanted by it.  

Try: Going for a walk in the forest or on the beach. If you are blessed to have a backyard, even just a few minutes out the door can lead to enchantment.

If you feeling stuck and overwhelmed, as I was (and still sometimes do) I want to tell you that its okay. You are allowed to feel this way. But you are also allowed to practice some things that will help you move out of this place.

Today, I wish for you to open this gift. I wish you a slower, gentler pace, one where you can be present and participate fully in your life.

I am with you.

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Backing Up Your Photos to the Cloud: A Guide to Getting Started

Cloud Storage Back Up Guide – We hear the term “the cloud” all the time.  But what actually IS it?  Why should you use it to back up your photos and videos?  How can you take full advantage of the features and automation? Here’s your complete guide to get started with cloud storage!

We hear the term “the cloud” all the time.  But what actually IS it?  Why should you use it to back up your photos and videos?  How can you take full advantage of the features and automation? Here’s your Get Started Guide!

What does it mean for my photos to be ‘backed up’?

My rule of thumb is you must have at least two copies of your photos (ideally three)!

            One should be on-site, a computer or an external hard drive.

One should be off-sitein the cloud.

Having that offsite backup is critical because if there were to be a fire or flood in your office, it would wipe out your computer and any external hard drives at the same time.

What is “The Cloud”?

The cloud refers to services that run on the internet, instead of locally on your computer.  Unlike the name implies, your files aren’t floating around in space, they’re saved on physical servers which are maintained by a cloud provider service (like Dropbox or Amazon).  When things are stored in ‘the cloud’ they’re accessible from any device that connects to the internet, without taking up storage space.  Pretty cool!

Which cloud provider company should you use?

There are many cloud service providers, but for the sake of keeping things simple, I’ve outlined the features of the four most popular ones:

We hear the term “the cloud” all the time.  But what actually IS it?  Why should you use it to back up your photos and videos?  How can you take full advantage of the features and automation? Here’s your Get Started Guide!

It may surprise you that iCloud isn’t included on this list.  Apple actually does not consider iCloud a backupservice- it is meant for syncing your photos across Apple devices (which it does quite well), but relying on iCloud for backup can make you vulnerable to data loss.  Lesson learned: make sure you’re using something in addition to iCloud!

My personal favorite cloud service is Amazon Cloud Drive (also called Amazon Photos).  Not only is it the most affordable (prime members get UNLIMITED photo storage free!), it offers amazing automation, and gives you multiple ways to view your photos (including searching with facial recognition)!

How can I use the cloud to make it easier to find the photo I need?

Most cloud services offer amazing search functionality!

Search by person:  facial recognition is so helpful!  The cloud will identify people across your photo collection and you can assign names to the faces.  Once they’ve been named, you can type that person’s name into the search bar to return photos of them. Very cool!

Search by location:  if you have location enabled on your phone, many of your photos will have location information embedded into the metadata.  You can type in a city and see all the photos taken there.  This is really helpful when trying to find a memory from a specific vacation if you can’t remember the date of the trip.

Search by keyword:  this is where it gets really cool.  Type in ‘beach’ or ‘birthday’ to see certain memories, even if the file names or metadata don’t contain anything related to those terms!  It is visually scanning your photos in the search! Technology is so cool!

How can I restore my files from the cloud, if my hard drive fails?

All four of the cloud services I mentioned above offer desktop programs to help you quickly upload + download your files from the cloud.  This means you don’t need to fear hard drive failure anymore!  If your hard drive crashes, you can restore all of your files from the cloud and you’re only limited by your internet speed. 

How do I get started uploading my files to the cloud?

It’s easier than you think! Download the phone application AND the desktop application for your chosen cloud service provider and follow the instructions!  That’s it!

What if my digital photos are a HOT MESS and I don’t know where to start?

Get detailed tutorials for organizing your digital photosin the Backup Bootcamp online course! Learn how to get your photos into ONE place, automatically remove duplicates from your photo collection, sort everything into chronological folders (automatically!), and watch step-by-step tutorials for each of the four cloud services mentioned in this post!

Backup Bootcamp Discount

Use the coupon code SIMPLE for $10 off Backup Bootcamp.  It expires 2/28 so take advantage of this offer (the course rarely gets discounted) while you can!

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We hear the term “the cloud” all the time.  But what actually IS it?  Why should you use it to back up your photos and videos?  How can you take full advantage of the features and automation? Here’s your Get Started Guide!

5 Important Ways to Keep Kids Safe Online

Years ago, when my kids’ internet use didn’t extend beyond a handful of reading and coloring apps, I couldn’t have imagined how complicated it would become to keep them safe online.

I imagined that I’d need to use internet filters to protect them from seeing unwanted images, and I figured I’d keep them away from social media for as long as possible.

But beyond that, I didn’t have a real grasp on the impact the internet can have on kids—if left unchecked.

Now that some of my four kids are into their teens, I know better.

I know that games are designed to keep kids online for far more hours than could ever be considered healthy. I know that if it’s up to them, many kids will gladly trade screen time for time spent with friends, family, and the great outdoors. {Trade Screen Time for Green Time} 

I know that it’s not just inappropriate images that can harm our kids; even relatively innocuous pictures and videos can cause our kids to draw unfavorable comparisons that eat away at their self-worth.

I see the harm the internet can do, but I also see the GOOD it brings to our family's life. It's a difficult line to walk, to keep kids safe online.

But I also see the good that the internet brings into their lives.

I love that because of the internet, we have answers at our fingertips. When we come home from a family hike and are wondering about the rock formations we saw earlier in the day, within moments we can be learning about geology and history at once.

When my children discover a role model they can look up to—whether it’s a talented sports figure or an actress who speaks up for a cause—we can dive in deep and learn from these people’s experiences.

And whenever we need a dose of spiritual inspiration, incredible resources are only a few clicks away.

It’s a balancing act—an important-but-difficult line to walk, as parents.

This is why I’m so on board with Google’s Be Internet Awesome campaign and am happy to join them in celebrating Safer Internet Day.

I see the harm the internet can do, but I also see the GOOD it brings to our family's life. It's a difficult line to walk, to keep kids safe online. #SaferInternetDay #BeInternetAwesome #Sponsored

5 Important Ways to Keep Our Kids Safe Online

1. Let’s encourage our kids to think not just about what they view online but how much time they’re giving away. 

The first thing my husband and I have always tried to do is to show our kids that there’s a big, beautiful world out there for them to experience. We’ve prioritized travel and adventure—from mountain biking to hiking to snowshoeing—to help them catch the vision for an amazing life outside of screen time.

2. Let’s lead by example and do our best to keep our own screen use in check. 

I’ve recently been setting screen time limits on my own phone, and I’m always conscious of how much eye contact I’m giving my phone versus my children. I want to make sure I’m giving so much more to the latter.

3. Let’s delay our kids’ ventures into social media, allowing their brains as much time as possible to develop before diving in. 

Research shows that the frontal lobe—the part of the brain responsible for impulse control—doesn’t fully develop until youth are out of the teens. My goal as a mom is to give my kids as much time as possible for their brains to develop before they start wading into the difficult waters of social media, which often cause teens to draw unfavorable comparisons in their minds and has been correlated with loneliness, anxiety, and depression in our youth.

{Related: Kindness Online: 3 Conversations to Have with Our Tweens & Teens}

4. Let’s teach them that privacy online is an illusion. 

I want my kids to know that nothing they write, share, or post online ever truly goes away. Even if a post is deleted, it can still be accessed by someone who knows how. On top of that, all it takes is a click or two for something you’ve shared to be forwarded on to someone else—a situation that too often leads to hurt feelings and loss of trust.

5. Let’s practice an open-door policy with family devices. 

Our kids know that family devices are just that—family devices. Our children may have the privilege of using them, but they don’t own them. And as such, we as their parents have the right to regularly read through texts, social media comments—anything. In our home, this openness has often led to great discussions about our kids’ friendships and their social presence online.

Come Together for a Better Internet with your family by visiting Be Internet Awesome. A great place to start is with the brand-new Family Guide. You can even challenge your kids to put their skills to the test with the Interland game at g.co/Interland. Enjoy!

I always learn so much from you guys and would love to hear—What else are you doing to stay open and transparent as a family and to keep your kids safe online? 

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I see the harm the internet can do, but I also see the GOOD it brings to our family's life. It's a difficult line to walk, to keep kids safe online. #SaferInternetDay #BeInternetAwesome #Sponsored

Meal Planning: How to Stop Overcomplicating it!

Here’s how to simplify meal planning so you can spend less time stressing about what’s for dinner and more time connecting with the people you love.

Here's how to simplify meal planning so you can spend less time stressing about what's for dinner and more time connecting with the people you love.

When it comes to simplifying, there are some things I’m good at and others I’m not. Meal planning would fall into the latter category. Choosing meals, grocery shopping, and actually getting dinner on the table feels overwhelming—but  I’m trying to change that! The whole point of having a meal together is to connect with each other, and I don’t want that opportunity to get lost in the chaos of making the meal in the first place!”

On weeks I’m diligent about menu planning, I save money and help eliminate dinnertime stress. It’s a game changer, and that’s why I’m determined to make it work for me and my family.

4 Strategies to Simplify Meal Planning

Here are some practices I’ve put into place to help make meal planning a simpler and more regular part of my routine…

1. Designate a certain day of the week to meal plan.

For me, Sunday works best. I sit down and choose my meals and make my grocery list for the week. Having a certain day designated for menu planning has helped make it a more regular habit.

2. Enlist help.

Get the whole family in on planning, shopping for, and preparing food. My kids are much more apt to eat a meal that they’ve had a hand in making, and they’re actually excited to be involved in the process! I’ve started assigning a night to each of my kids to help prepare meals, and it’s actually been a lot of fun and has been a great way to spend some one-on-one time with them.

3. Grocery pickup.

I’ve recently started ordering my groceries online, and it has been life changing! You may think I’m exaggerating, but ordering from home and having someone do my shopping and load my car has simplified this entire process for me in ways I couldn’t have dreamed. I don’t know why I didn’t start doing it sooner.

Here’s $10 to try Walmart’s free grocery pickup. You can thank me later!

4. A running list of favorite meals.

Scrolling through Pinterest to find recipes tends to overwhelm me and hamper my ability to menu plan. Keeping an ongoing list of favorite meals (ones I already know my family loves, plus a few new ones we’ve tried that were a hit) has made it easy to fill in our menu when I sit down to plan on Sundays. 

Keeping a master list of  favorite meals has really helped cut down on the time it takes me to menu plan. I can refer to this list and easily plug recipes into our weekly menu plan that I know my family will eat. To add some variety, I like to try one new recipe a week at the most—the rest of the meals included in our plan are tried and true favorites.

A few of our favorite meals:

4 Tools to Help You Stick With Meal Planning

There are a few tools that have really helped me stick with meal planning this time around. Be it kitchen gadgets, printable planners, or just a flexible mindset, I’ll take all the help I can get when it comes to planning and following through with our weekly meal plans.

1. A written plan.

Goals that are not written down are just wishes” –Fitzhugh Dodson

Recording my menu plan is essential. I use a combination of the reminders app on my phone, my cute 2019 calendar, and my meal plan/grocery list printable to record my plan for the week. The other thing that is helpful is having this plan displayed where I can see it throughout the week. Pinned to my fridge, inside my planner—it doesn’t matter where so long as it’s handy and I can refer to it often. Seeing it reminds me to pull meat out of the freezer on a given day or prepare a certain ingredient for an upcoming meal when I have a free minute. Seeing it often keeps me on track.

2. Kitchen gadgets that cut down on meal prep time.

There are two kitchen tools that have been key in cutting down on the time I spend in the kitchen preparing meals. My Instant Pot is one of them. It’s one of those appliances that I have sitting out on my counter because I use it almost daily. Not only has it cut down on meal prep time. but it has also helped eliminate the number of tools I store in my kitchen. My instant pot has replaced my rice cooker and my slow cooker and has definitely become a staple kitchen tool in my home.

The other tool is something I purchased recently, and I love how it cuts down on meal prep time as well. As our family is slowly moving towards a more whole foods-based diet, I find myself chopping and preparing more vegetables than ever. I use this 2-in-1 Alligator chopper regularly and I love that it helps me chop all kinds of veggies in a flash!

I shared a quick video of it in action if you want to check it out!


3. Utilize Leftovers.

Since I’ve been meal planning more consistently leftovers have become my new best friend. I actually create leftovers purposefully by making a bigger batch when I’m making a meal to be able to serve that meal again during the week or eat it myself for lunch. Leftovers are so useful when it comes to cutting down on your time in the kitchen.

I’ve actually set Wednesday nights aside as our official leftover night. It’s our busiest night with sports and church activities and it makes my life a whole lot easier to pull out a container of leftovers and reheat them for dinner.

Knowing that I will be utilizing leftovers regularly I’ve invested in some glass dishes that make reheating in the oven or microwave easy peasy. I love these glass dishes so much. I bought this set of glass divided containers that are my favorite color! I use them constantly.

4. A flexible mindset. Just because it’s written on my meal plan doesn’t mean things don’t shift around due to schedule conflicts or other things that may come up during the week. Be willing to move things around as needed. If you’ve already purchased all your groceries it’s easy enough to bump a planned meal to another day. Having a plan but not being so rigid that I have to stick to it at all times has helped take some of the pressure off when it comes to meal planning.

Finally, Focus on the Important Stuff

Without a clear plan, our intention to make healthy meals and enjoy dinner together as a family can quickly be derailed.

Having meals planned in advance and grocery shopping done means I can look forward to the time I have to focus on my family, help the kids with homework, and hear about their day instead of stressing about what meal to throw together at the last minute on busy weeknights. Meal planning starts out as a way to feed my family, but it really ends up being a way to feed relationships with the people who matter most to me.

If you have any tried-and-true tips to help simplify meal planning, I’d love to learn more! And if this is something you want to get a handle on, too, rest assured that we’re in it together, friend! Let’s do this!

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Does meal planning feel like just one more thing to add to your to-do list? Maybe that's because you're making it too complicated. (I know I was.) Here's how to simplify the process so it works in real life.

 

Self-Care for Moms: Why We Don’t Keep Ourselves on the Priority List

A couple of years ago, I was that mom so many of us know.

Always running, never resting—operating on empty.

I was serving in my church, volunteering at school, attending PTO meetings, running a business, driving my kids to practice after practice, and more.

I said yes to almost everything that was asked of me, and on top of that, I asked plenty of myself. Now, when I look back on pictures from that time, I can see it in my eyes; I can see how depleted I was—how hopeless I felt. I thought this level of performance was the only way to be. I was tired of it, but I couldn’t see an alternative at the time.

As women and mothers, every day we’re bombarded with outside voices telling us where our attention should be focused. Charity organizations, social media, work commitments, school fundraisers… The directions in which we’re pulled are endless. 

You deserve the same rest and care that you offer to everyone around you. But are you giving it to yourself? Self-care for moms who don't stop...
⁣
You Don’t Have to Keep Up

I’ve seen a lot of women online lately talking about pushing through the exhaustion to get all the things done and how full-coverage under-eye concealer is a girl’s best friend.⁣

Sometimes I look at these women and wonder how they do all the things they do. I can’t keep up the pace anymore. Migraines, body aches, exhaustion—and eventually, the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease—taught me that I’m not meant to live that way any longer. (I don’t think I ever was.)

If I could, I’d put an arm around any woman who’s running faster than she has strength and say, “I know your mental to-do list is a mile long but please, PLEASE make sure you are at the top of it.”⁣

Why We Don’t Prioritize Self-Care

As moms, we’re notorious for not valuing our own rest. My question today is—Why? Why don’t we keep ourselves on the priority list?

  • Do we feel pressure to keep up with the achievements of women we follow on Instagram or watch in real life?
  • Do we think that our value—our worth—is tied to how much we can get done in a day?
  • Do we believe that we’re somehow not as deserving of rest as our children, our spouse, and everyone around us?

I think it’s a combination of all of these, and I’m here to tell you—It’s hurting us, and no one can operate on empty forever.

Whether it’s our physical health, our mental health, our relationships, or something else altogether, eventually something will slide. You deserve the same rest and care that you offer to everyone around you. But are you giving it to yourself? Self-care for moms who don't stop...

How to Put Yourself Back the List

In the months since my health first took a turn, I’ve begun practicing the difficult but essential art of silencing the outer noise and tuning in to what I know in my heart is right for me. Through yoga, journaling, and prayer, I’m finding pockets of peace throughout my days instead of pushing through, like I used to. And I’m giving myself permission to sleep instead of telling myself I can do without.

Related: Prioritize Your Health! 5 Tips for a Healthier You

⁣It’s when I’m really listening to the voice inside of me that I find the peace and inner conviction I crave.

I love these words from Iain Thomas:

“And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, ‘This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!’ And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, ‘No, this is what’s important.'”

You deserve the same rest and care that you offer to everyone around you. But are you giving it to yourself? Self-care for moms who don't stop...

It isn’t easy to silence the voices that make me think I should do more and chase more. In fact, most days it feels like a constant tug of war.⁣

But the moments when I trust my instincts, ignore what the world outside tells me I SHOULD be doing, and instead follow what I know is right for me and my family (even if it means going against the grain), these are the times when I’ve felt most at peace.⁣

So friend, if the voices around you are so much louder than the voice inside of you, let me be the one today to encourage you to pull back your hand and insist that THIS is what’s important.

Commit right now to learning to hear your deepest voice and to waking up tomorrow and the next day and the day after that prepared to hold to that conviction.

You matter, friend. You deserve the same rest and care that you offer to everyone around you.

Now that I’ve shared some of my story, I’d love to hear yours! What keeps YOU from prioritizing your own physical and emotional needs? How are you making small steps toward physical and emotional wellness?

You deserve the same rest and care that you offer to everyone around you. But are you giving it to yourself? Self-care for moms who don't stop...

Capture Family Memories with 1 Second of Video Everyday

1 Second Everyday Video Project – Make everyday moments magical by recording 1 second of video everyday! It really is the little things that matter most.

1 Second Everyday Video Project – Capture magical, everyday family memories with 1 second of video everyday! It really is the little things that matter most.

**Click here and request to join the private CAPTURE LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP where we’ll be sharing our 1SE mashup videos each month in 2019.**

Our photos and videos shouldn’t just exist on our phones and hard drives. They should be shared, enjoyed and relived over and over with the ones we love.

One of my favorite ways to ensure that our precious moments live on is by creating slideshows for my family to enjoy. I’ve put together slideshows for birthdays, summer adventures or family vacations, and my kids watch them over and over.

Preserving memories from these bigger life events is fun, but when it comes to remembering the everyday details, I started a new project a couple of years ago that I’m loving so much! I use the 1-Second Everyday app on my phone to record 1-second video snippets from our daily lives, and at the end of the year, the app compiles them into a beautiful video montage.

Why I Love This Video-a-Day Project

I first started using the 1 Second Everyday app to record our family memories at the beginning of 2017, after watching another photographer’s year-end video, made with the app. I found myself tearing up while watching, and I didn’t even know this family!

A year later, on December 31st, 2017, I tucked myself into the couch with my family all around me and I listened to everyone’s reactions as we watched our own montage video. It was so special to watch together and to witness the abundance of memories we created together in only a year. My kids still pull up that video from time to time and watch it with smiling faces.

As a photographer, still photos are so important to me, but recording video footage of our family’s everyday life has added a layer of richness to the way we preserve our memories.  Video clips let us hear the sounds of our lives; they capture facial expressions and body movements and mannerisms that I know I’d otherwise forget.

And I want to remember these things.

Our 2018 1 Second Everyday Video

Song used in the video is Hand to Hold by JJ Heller. Isn’t it beautiful. You can license it for commercial use at Musicbed.com or download on iTunes here.

How the 1-Second Everyday App Works

One of the reasons I love this project so much is that using the 1 Second Everyday app makes it so easy! They’ve thought of everything in order to make the process as simple and user-friendly as possible.

Here’s a quick run-down of how the app works. As always, if you have any other questions please ask in the comments, and I’ll be happy to answer.

Step 1. Download the app.

Step 2. Shoot your video clip. I usually shoot my videos using my phone camera, just because it’s so accessible and I’m so familiar with it. But if you’d prefer to shoot from within the app, that’s an option as well. One tip I would share is to shoot your video for at least a few seconds so you have more footage to choose from when it comes time to trim your clip.

Step 3. Clip your video. Open the app and select the date you shot your video. This will pull up all photos and videos on your phone that were taken on that date. Select the clip you want, and using the trimming tool (the little scissors in the top right corner), choose exactly what second of video you want to include in your video diary.

*Note: You can choose the standard 1 second of video or if you would like to add 1.5 seconds of video from a particular clip press the plus button in the lower left corner of the trim tool.

It really is the little things that matter most. Capture magical, everyday family memories with 1 second of video everyday!

Step 4. Export your finished video. I love watching our video compilation as I’m putting it together throughout the year. To preview a mashup of all your video clips, press the play button in the lower right corner. You can then watch a mashup of all the videos you’ve recorded or set a custom date range to view.

My 1 Second Everyday Philosophy

For me, 1 Second Everyday isn’t about capturing a moment EVERY SINGLE day. It’s about collecting 365 moments throughout the year. I’ve chosen to let go of the idea of doing this project perfectly, and that has made all the difference. I’ll collect enough moments to put together a beautiful overall picture of our life, and I can do that without being too rigid with myself.

Letting go of the idea of doing this perfectly has kept this project fun and free from pressure. Sometimes I’ll take more than one video in a given day, and I can add both of those clips to my finished video. Some days I won’t take any. I think this is what has helped me stick with it.

This is also why when I put my final video montage together at the end of the year, I don’t use the mashup option within the app. I actually put my video together in iMovie and use video clips that are saved on my phone via the app without the date stamp that is typically in the lower lefthand corner. Watch our video from 2017, and you’ll see what I mean.

Our 1 Second Everyday Video from 2017

How to Remove Dates from Video Clips

I’ve put together a 4-minute video below that walks you through how to access your 1 Second Everyday video clips without the date stamp on them. I created my video last year in iMovie using these date-less clips, and I had a lot of people asking how I managed to do it. I’m finally getting around to sharing exactly how! Watch the video, and if you need any further clarification, let me know!

Tips for Your Taking Video Clips

I’m definitely not a professional videographer, but there are a few things that I’ve learned when it comes to taking my daily videos:

  1. Keep your phone in landscape orientation. This consistency will ensure all of your videos are the same size and direction and will make for a more cohesive finished video.
  2. Make sure you capture some sort of movement in your video. This adds to the visual interest.
  3. Use a portable tripod and get in the shot once in a while! You won’t regret getting in a few frames—I promise! If you need some motivation, read my thoughts on why it’s so important that we moms step out from behind the camera once in a while and into the recording of your family’s story!
  4. Avoid zooming in. If you need to get closer to your subject, use your feet. Zooming in on your phone drastically effects the video quality.
  5. It’s best that as the person taking the video, you remain still. Leave the movement to your subject. 1 second of video isn’t very long and if there’s too much movement on the part of the videographer, it’s hard to follow the action.

Don’t Be Afraid to Commit

If you’re feeling nervous about starting 1-second everyday—don’t be, friend! It’s a lot of fun, and as I said, I think the key to keeping it that way is not getting hung up on perfection. You’ll miss some days, and that’s okay! Catch up when you can. Insert a clip from a previous day. Whatever moments you’re able to capture will be so worth it, and with the hack I shared above, dates won’t matter anyway!

If you feel like easing into this project, maybe just choose a chunk of time to devote to it. Record 1-second every day for a month. For the summer. For a semester at school. See how it goes, and if you love it, keep on going!

One thing that helped me get into the habit of taking my (almost) daily videos was to set an alarm on my phone. It goes off daily at a specific time to remind me to capture my video that day. Over time taking these videos has become a habit.

Songs for your 1-Second Everyday Year End Video

I used this beautiful song, You Are Home Robert Kelly, in my video last year and as I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect song for 2018, I’ve come across some fun ones that are perfect for family movies! If you’d like me to share the list with you drop your email address below, and I’ll send it to you!

Troubleshooting with the 1 Second Everyday App

I plan to continue adding to this section of the blog post. If you have questions or issues as you work on your video throughout the year, let me know and I’ll share the solutions here with everyone!

What if I forget to take a video one day?

If you forget to take a video clip one day, it is possible to import video clips from a different date. I do it all the time! You also have the option to import photos as well. It’s also totally fine to just skip a day. In the final mashup of all of your clips only the dates where a clip was added will actually be included, and a missed day here or there won’t matter.

What if I shoot a video in the wrong direction?

The app does have a rotation feature. Try that. If you shot in portrait mode you can still use those clips; just crop them in iMovie or use them as is if that’s fine with you. The app will add black on either side of the clip to fill in the space.

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1 Second Everyday Video Project – Capture magical, everyday family memories with 1 second of video everyday! It really is the little things that matter most.

2018 Year in Review Printable for Kids

2018 Year in Review Printable for Kids – this free printable year in review sheet gives children a chance to reflect on their favorite memories from the past year and look ahead to new goals and adventures in 2019!

This free printable year in review sheet gives children a chance to reflect on their favorite memories from the past year and look ahead to new goals and adventures in 2019!

End of the Year Reflection

At the close of the year I enjoy thinking back on the experiences that have brought me joy and the ways that I’ve grown through my experiences. I want my kids to see the value in this end of the year reflection and so I put together this simple Year in Review sheet for them.

Kids grow and change so quickly, recording the details that make them unique at whatever age they are is important.

This fill in the blank printable is an easy way for them to do that. My kids especially loved that they could illustrate their yearly story with the boxes provided.  These are our favorite coloring pencils for creative projects just like this one!

This free printable year in review sheet gives children a chance to reflect on their favorite memories from the past year and look ahead to new goals and adventures in 2019!

2018 Year in Review Printable for Kids

Use this 2018 Year in Review Printable for Kids as a jumping off point for some family discussion. Take the opportunity to talk with your kids about the past year (the ups and the downs) and things they’d like to improve on or change in the coming year. What a great time to pull out some photos and look through them and reminisce together.

This has become a fun yearly tradition for us. It will be so special to look back on them as the kids grow! What kind of New Year traditions do you have in your family?

Download 2018 Year in Review Printable

Click to Download –> 2018 Year in Review Printable for Kids

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This free printable year in review sheet gives children a chance to reflect on their favorite memories from the past year and look ahead to new goals and adventures in 2019!

 

Free Printable 2019 Calendar

Kick off the year with a fresh start and a cute new calendar! This set of 12-month calendars are simple, stream-lined and the perfect planning tool to help you get organized in 2019. Click the link below to download for free.

Get organized in the new year with a brand new 2019 printable calendar!

As 2018 draws to a close I am excited by the prospects of the new year ahead of us. I love how this time of year presents the opportunity for a fresh start! The chance to get back into daily routines, recommit to staying organized and a fresh perspective.

How I Organize My Days

When it comes to organizing my days, there are a few things I use over and over again to keep me on top of things. As a wife, mother, and work-at-home creative, I know staying organized is essential. An organized day leads to an organized week, which leads to an organized life. These calendars, my printable planner pages and a few other essentials help me to stay on top of things!

My favorite pens to use

With a background in art, it’s no surprise I’m picky about my pens and paper. When I write on my calendar and jot down to-do notes I like to use a good set of pens.

When it comes to pens here are my favorites:

I write recurring appointments and commitments in pen, but the rest I record in pencil.  I especially love these stainless steel mechanical pencils. Dates and times can change frequently and I like being able to erase so that my calendar stays neat and tidy.

Get organized in the new year with a brand new 2019 printable calendar!

Download our FREE 2019 Printable Calendar

I created these calendars 3 years ago and I still love the vertical format of them so much! Not to mention the handy things to do list included at that bottom. You can print them in color or in black and white by simply changing your printer settings.

These calendar printables are just begging to help you get organized in 2019. Download, print and fill them up with all of your exciting plans for the year ahead!

Download our FREE 2019 Printable Calendar!

More Organizational Printables

Looking for more help to keep things simple and get organized throughout the year? These calendars co-ordinate with the Simple as That organizational printables. I’ve got everything you need – a meal planner, grocery list, and an AMAZING daily docket that is my secret weapon for staying on top of things!

We’ve also got a coordinating Fitness Planner that will help you on your journey to becoming a healthier you in the coming year! Our printable Goal Planner is another tool that will help you move from simply setting goals to actually achieving them. Like the rest of the set, these printables are all functional, concise, and printer friendly.

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Get organized in the new year with a brand new 2019 printable calendar!

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