When you are feeling overwhelmed, sometimes the best thing you can do is spend quiet time alone reflecting. Snuggle into your favorite chair in your home, take a leisurely drive to your happy place, or walk to a nearby park to give yourself the space for introspection. Here are 10 journaling prompts for joy and clarity. Focus on one prompt a day or make time to ponder all ten. Write down what comes to mind to shift your overwhelm into insight. 1. I am fascinated by: Curiosity keeps you growing. Childlike curiosity. 2. I provide value to others by: We all have gifts and talents. What are yours ..read more

When you are feeling overwhelmed, sometimes the best thing you can do is spend quiet time alone reflecting. Snuggle into your favorite chair in your home, take a leisurely drive to your happy place, or walk to a nearby park to give yourself the space for introspection. Here are 10 prompts for joy and clarity. Focus on one prompt a day or make time to ponder all ten. Write down what comes to mind to turn your overwhelm into insight. 1. I am fascinated by: Curiosity keeps you growing. Childlike curiosity. 2. I provide value to others by: We all have gifts and talents. What are yours? 3. I am in ..read more

As we move forward into the new year, it’s important to remember that each day provides an opportunity for a fresh start. If you’re disappointed with how you’ve fared on your New Year’s resolutions or intention, give yourself grace. Instead of being frustrated and thinking about what you haven’t accomplished, focus on love. Think about how you can BE, GIVE, and RECEIVE love. We each have our own ways of giving, being, and receiving love so spend time reflecting on the ways you do these things. Then practice sharing it with others. Here are a few ideas: Define love – Have a conversation with ..read more

A new year is before us, one that many have eagerly anticipated for several months. And while I understand that 2020 was a year like no other, but I can’t help but think that all years are years like no other. Do we ever really know what lies ahead when the calendar flips to January 1st? Do all our plans work out as we hope as a new year unfolds? The events that filled 2020 were undoubtedly different. They impacted everyone on the planet, they happened quickly, and they are leaving significant loss and challenges in their wake. Yet here we are, waking up to another year, reflecting on all tha ..read more

Over the years we’ve worked hard to simplify all areas of our lives. As a family of 5 (sometimes 6 or 7 with exchange students and adult children home), we’ve focused on clearing our clutter, carefully choosing what we allow into our home, and being intentional with spending our time and money in alignment with our core values. This time of year, it’s all too easy to get sucked into the web of trying to “do it all” and give the perfect gifts-all in the interest of celebrating a joyful holiday season. Instead, I find joy in knowing how much we’ve simplified the holidays-and I know you can, too ..read more

It’s the time of year when the “joy” of the holiday season becomes focused on finding the “perfect” gifts for everyone on your list. In the spirit of finding true joy this time of year (and any other time of year), I invite you to tune out the noise and to resist the urge to spend money on things you (and your loved ones) probably don’t need. You’re not going to find true joy in a store or on a website. Instead of spending time browsing online or rushing from store to store in search of the best deal and this year’s latest trend, consider the underlying intent of the gift you want to give. Wh ..read more

When I first visited Maine, nearly 20 years ago, I knew it was a special place. From its rugged shoreline and peaceful ocean to its hardworking, nature-loving people, it felt simple. Having spent my entire life at that point living in Illinois, first on a rural farm, then in the bustling Chicago suburbs, Maine felt more like a foreign country than a fellow US state. I’ve been proud to call Maine home for several years now and am grateful we took the leap to simplify our lives and move our family here. As I reflect on my experience visiting, and now living in Maine, I’ve realized there are sev ..read more

In 2012, we chose to drastically simplify our lives. We let go of nearly 75% of our belongings, sold our home in the Midwest, and moved to Maine. We made this decision and did the tedious work of simplifying our possessions and activities, all in the interest of creating a life focused on experiences over things. As part of this, we set a goal to visit all 50 of the United States with our children before our oldest left for college. I’ve shared details of our travels over the years and received many questions from others who wish to accomplish the same goal. The question I’m asked most often ..read more

Sometimes you just have to take the leap and trust everything will work out. This is the point we reached as discussed ideas for our second family RV trip.  We had so much fun during our first RV trip through the Northern USA that we wanted to continue our quest to visit all 50 states with our children.  As summer break approached, my husband and I knew we wanted to hit the road again. After transitioning out of our jobs and moving from Illinois to Maine, we found ourselves at a place in life to have the time to be able to make this a longer trip.  With a minimal budget in plac ..read more

You’ve explored national parks, visited long-lost friends, and made memories traveling with your family. Then it’s time to return home… It’s hard to return home from any trip, and it can be even harder to return home from a long family RV trip. But with a little advance planning, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Here are 9 ways you can simplify your arrival home from your family RV trips: Plan a recovery day – It might be tempting to squeeze one more day onto your trip but think about the benefits of having a day at home to adjust before diving back into your usual routine. Savor that vac ..read more