Simplicity & simple living (family life) blogs

[mamaUK]

Which are your favourite?

[tinybutterfly]

Hands down, this one. If I could only read one, this would be the one. 

http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/

[*bejeweled*]

[Simplelivingfam]

I hope this isn't too vain to say, but my own.

It is Simple Living Family - if you have a chance please check it out!

Thanks,

Karla

[MiniMum]

I blog about simple living and minimalist lifestyle with a family at Cat's Meow

I'm also interested in more minimalist family living blogs.

[accountclosed3]

i love your blog, minimom. :D

[MiniMum]

Thanks zoebird! I've struggled sometimes with the thought of whether to keep writing it.. But then if I don't post after a while someone will e-mail me and ask "Have you stopped blogging?? I miss your posts!!!" And that has kept me going...

[Tangled Hill]

Ooh, these are great!  I read Soulemama.com and lovelovelove it.  :o)

[mkksmom]

Originally Posted by zoebird 

i love your blog, minimom. :D

Me too!

[Simplelivingfam]

I love Soule Mama too, especially since we're both from Maine! :)

[accountclosed3]

i struggle with soule mama because i can't "measure up." i know it's in my head. 

i have her book, too, which i love -- but i don't do *anything* in it. I don't sew (and don't really care to), or knit, or crocet, or do any sorts of art projects, or take photos, or anything. seriously, it's just not my deal. and, i don't like the "stuffness" of it all -- having the supplies, having to store them, having them in use sometimes and not others. but then, i think about "but it would be so good for DS! and DS should have these opportunities!" so, i go out and i find some supplies, and a place to store them, and then i let DS loose on it, and it creates a huge mess, and I get stressed, and it's just not peaceful or fun for either of is, so i remove those items, give them away to friends, and let it go from there. Seriously, the kid doesn't even have play dough! So, i feel like a "bad mom."

i love her blog, but i just feel like -- when i'm reading it -- that i'm not a good mom at all! so, i have to be careful.

btw, I can't read Yoga Journal either. or a lot of things because i internalize it and set it up as a standard to live up to, and like, i get frustrated. 

[Logan]

Zoebird don't worry- you're a great mama! :) Just pick and choose what works for you and leave the rest.

We haven't had playdough for the last 8 or 9 months because it gets left out and dries in one day if I am not really on top of it. And we have had way too much going on (moving overseas, international trips, amongst other things) for me to be on top of anything much. I feel like a bad mama for never getting around to making it again too even though I know they don't NEED playdough. I do have a really simple recipe though if anyone is interested. It works every time even for the cooking challenged kitchen-avoiders like myself. There is no way you can mess it up (says the girl who can manage to burn just about anything ;))

Where is the soule mama link? I haven't read it and am curious now :) Isnt she a member here? I thought I recognized it as a user name?? Or is that someone else LOL

[accountclosed3]

thanks logan. you know how it is -- there's what you know to be true -- everything is ok and you are awesome, and then there's what you feel when you compare yourself to someone else -- someone with totally different talents and skills and ways of being. . .kwim?

i'd love the recipe, btw

[Simplelivingfam]

I agree with Logan. We all do the very best that we can for our own families and we need to stop comparing ourselves to each other. No Mom is perfect (even if their blog might make them seem like they are.) Let's stop beating ourselves up for what we don't do, and celebrate more all of the amazing things that we have done!

The link to Soule Mama is here. I just love all of her images; they're so beautiful.

[accountclosed3]

mostly, the comparison happens unconsciously. it's easy enough to stop once you are conscious of it, but it's not easy when you're in the middle of it. :)

and I don't think anyone is "perfect" but that people do have different temperaments and "genius." I think soulemama has totally tapped into her genius, and it's lovely. :)

[MiniMum]

DD has never done play dough., There was some at her niece's and I rolled her some balls. She gets fussy about touching "weird" things and getting messy... So I just figured there is time to do that later. We just broke out a new set of water colors, real artist ones with great pigments. She is quite neat and doesn't get them in her mouth so I let her use them while I'm there too.

I know how to sew and crochet and knit. I only sew to mend these days pretty much.. And I only buy yarn for one project at a time and not for "stash". I had to get rid of my stash because it was making me anxious LOL!

If DD is going to be a big crafter I'll keep a plastic bin with craft stuff and let her go to town with it. But only one tub, not piles and bits and pieces everywhere... (More challenging is the question of where to store to products of the crafty children...)

I'll check out soulemama too.

[Caneel]

I like Chez Larson.  She is in Sweden (I think) and I drool over her beautiful simple house.  While she does talk about her son, the blog is more focused on creating and maintaining a peaceful family home.  She does some really neat stuff as it relates to organizing.

Another one I like is Sweet Juniper.  It is written by a stay at home dad.  The family lives in Detriot and he does the most amazing things with his kids, like building a covered wagon out of a repurposed baby jogger and various parts found in the trash,  (the family dog pulls the wagon) starting a community garden, making Robo Cop costumes for his son and then taking his son on a walk around town.  There are a lot of parts to the blog.  His wife has a section about her knitting and crafts.

[hopefulfaith]

Originally Posted by zoebird 

i love your blog, minimom. :D

I do, too.  :)  I just checked it out, and bookmarked it.  Keep writing, please!

[green_momma2007]

Originally Posted by zoebird 

i struggle with soule mama because i can't "measure up." i know it's in my head. 

i have her book, too, which i love -- but i don't do *anything* in it. I don't sew (and don't really care to), or knit, or crocet, or do any sorts of art projects, or take photos, or anything. seriously, it's just not my deal. and, i don't like the "stuffness" of it all -- having the supplies, having to store them, having them in use sometimes and not others. but then, i think about "but it would be so good for DS! and DS should have these opportunities!" so, i go out and i find some supplies, and a place to store them, and then i let DS loose on it, and it creates a huge mess, and I get stressed, and it's just not peaceful or fun for either of is, so i remove those items, give them away to friends, and let it go from there. Seriously, the kid doesn't even have play dough! So, i feel like a "bad mom."

i love her blog, but i just feel like -- when i'm reading it -- that i'm not a good mom at all! so, i have to be careful.

btw, I can't read Yoga Journal either. or a lot of things because i internalize it and set it up as a standard to live up to, and like, i get frustrated. 

LOL, I'm the same way. I can't read most natural parenting blogs because I love all the ideas and then I'll turn around and my kids will be sitting on the couch watching Spongebob and eating oreo cookies or something like that.

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by green_momma2007 

LOL, I'm the same way. I can't read most natural parenting blogs because I love all the ideas and then I'll turn around and my kids will be sitting on the couch watching Spongebob and eating oreo cookies or something like that.

I can relate.  I read about all these awesome activities and it is all I can do to get a bowl of cereal in front of DS, let alone make homemade suet cakes.