Simply Saturday: So many voices........

Well we are ending the month of February, and ready to enter the month of March, marking the first quarter of year.  In January 2015, I wrote this as I ended the first week of the month,

"It's only the end of first week of the month, of a new year and I'm exhausted from  a week's of activity, and so many voices.  We all can forecast the month of January, by looking at magazine covers, store displays, and media blitz.  It's a new year so....( take a deep breath, this is a run-on thought) let's lose weight, eat healthy, simplify our lives, begin our business, focus our dreams, create a vision for life, purchase new clothes and socks for school, get the dryer fixed, eat healthy, so what's the cost of a bag of apples . Whew... that was tiresome.  Just writing it down, was exhausting."

Does that make you tired?  It made me exhausted just reading it again, and so here's the inspiration I drew from it for today's post.  Simplicity is not a language of the world.  The world says, do more, buy more, start this, stop that.  If you know me, you know that I create what I want to see in my life.  I'm able to do this because I'm always examining, how I can be better, feel better, and impact the lives of those around me. 

This week's challenge:

• Take an inventory of your first two months of the year.  Did you set some goals?  Are they visible in your everyday life? If they are, how does that change what's ahead in the months to come?  If not, what can you do to change it? 
• Did you write a vision statement for your year? Or create a vision board? Do you need help in creating a vision for your life, checkout franklincovey.com.
• If your life sounds like my entry from January, how can you slow down this week and take the control back?  What's one thing you can do to begin?  Do it now.
• BREATHE, deeply and often, today is a new day.

Simply Saturday

Simply Saturday: Reliving Your Childhood

Well it's Saturday morning and the work week has ended.  Today I'm in bed finishing up my Saturday morning routine.  I watch my quilt show on PBS, followed by a sewing show and painting with Yarnell.  PBS has been a staple in my life since childhood.  It's what we watched before their were nickJr, Disney, and all of the media outlets that children are watching these days.  

What's amazing is the relevance of PBS, 48 years later is still the same.  My children watched PBS and enjoyed the same shows that I did as a child.  In raising children, we often get caught up in the latest fads, and creating busyness that's unnecessary.  I often speak of reclaiming childhood, because it's in childhood that the true nature of a person is developed and most apparent.  

What did you spend time doing as a child? What drew your interest? How have you shared those childhood experiences with your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews?   

Here are a few childhood experiences that I enjoyed, and my children are experiencing them as well.

Playing board games:  Sorry, Trouble, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Checkers, Go,  Hi Ho Cherry O, Scrabble, Life, Monopoly and the list goes on..

Playing outside in the neighborhood

Pretend Play in the house with my sisters

Building tents and forts

Playing with legos

Reading, Reading, Reading all the time

Going to the park

Visiting the museum and exploratorium

Going to the Zoo

Taking a drive

Creating artwork masterpieces

Painting with watercolors

Playing with Playdoh

So here's the Simply Saturday challenge for the week:

1.  Spend time today reliving a childhood experience.  You can relive it by getting out and doing it.  Journaling about it. Sitting and just reminiscing on the experience.

2.  Share it with someone by telling of the experience and what it reawakened in you.  

3.  Write a post on Facebook or twitter with the hashtag#SimplySaturdayChildhood

Simply Saturday

#SimplySaturdayChildhood

Simply Saturday: Remembering Childhood

As a child, my richest experiences were when I was given time to explore, wonder, and create.  It's what I held onto into adulthood as an educator, parent, and woman creative.  When I explore I approach in the same way as I did as a child.  I watch and take in all of the environment, I circle back and look at details of what caught my eyes, the first time through, and then I make note of what stood out for me.  As an adult, I'm reflecting on why was it meaningful, what does it mean to me, and how it add value to my life.

Today as I write this, I'm at a birthday party with my 7 year old.  I'm sitting enjoying the reflection time, looking at the e,exhibits in the Museum of Osteology.  It's amazing!  Since my son doesn't need me to navigate  party etiquette, it's refreshing.

I watched as the kids navigated the Museum and explore on there on, I was reminded of the simplicity of new experiences.  As we experience new things, as children or adults our approaches are similar:

• We explore with our eyes, ears, mouth, touch, and smell- our innate ability to use our five senses to make sense of the world around us.
• We look for something familiar, building on prior knowledge or experience - this is our beginning of formulating knowledge and growing as life-long learners.
• We look for extensions of what we are learning - how can I take it and build on it further.  Do I share what I've learned or experienced with others.  If so, with who do I share this new knowledge.

When we apply these basic steps we are living and experiencing our world, not just bystanders or site seeing.  This is life in it's most simplest form.  Through the eyes of a child, we learn about ourselves.


Live Simply!

Simply Saturday: The Little things Matter

In the course of a week of work, we strive to get to the weekend and exhale from all of the days work.  This ritual of winding down, and relaxing has been at the core of my life from childhood.  I watched my parents work hard all week long, and then relax and unwind Saturday mornings, by reading the newspaper, cover to cover, enjoying a cup of coffee, watching mindless tv, or just hanging out around the house with the family.

We will be starting a weekly series, Simply Saturdays in February to highlight the ritual of slowing down, taking it easy, enjoying life, and exhaling.


The Simply Saturday series is about making time for the little things, and taking time to pause and reflect.  In our busy hustle and bustle, we often get overwhelmed by all the things that compete for our time and attention.

I have been fortunate to spend my days, with young children and families, who remind me that time moves fast, and that it's the moments that matter.  To capture moments we taken pictures, we tell stories, and we share our experiences.  In those stories what we are really talking about are simple things that make us smile, and treasure everyday life.  That's what Simply Saturday is about.

We will tell of simple stories, share pictures of moments, and share our experiences.  This month the focus is on acts of kindness, and displays of love.  So here we go......

February 7, 2015
This week I fulfilled a Pay it Forward challenge, by mailing a care package to a friend, Kali Schofell. As a mom, I remember the difference a day makes, and how knowing that others care and understand, got me through the day.  I had as much fun shopping for the items, and filling the custom box, as Kali had receiving it.
Simple Lesson:
Take time to share joy and honor friendships both near and far.

Live Simply, Live fully, Live Life

Kelly Ramsey