I have spent the last 5 years trying to live a simpler life. Years of succeeding at times and failing at times. What is important to note when you want to change your life for the better towards simplicity is that simple living is not necessarily just living with less. Simple living is actually living with more! Let me explain.

What is Simple Living?

Per Wikipedia, simple living is a voluntary lifestyle choice that focuses on being content and satisfied with what one has rather than constantly wanting. Simple living often holds components of minimalism, self-sufficiency, work-life balance, frugality, reducing stress and being more present in life.

In my own words, simple living is about reducing the excess in life so you can savor and enjoy the parts of life that truly matter. It is about reducing the noise so you can be in-tuned to what REALLY matters. Simplifying life is about getting your priorities in order, self care and true PRESENCE to increase your quality of life.

1. Organize your life. Organize can be as simple as clearing out the spam in your email to reduce time waste to literally making your entry way one you want to come home to. I have found getting my schedule in order, decluttering “time-sucks” from my day and making my literal environment less cluttered and more organized a great place to start.
2. Clean up. This can be a daunting task that everyone has an opinion on. I have found just STARTING ANYWHERE and focusing on just that area THEN moving to the next a simpler and less overwhelming process.
3. Declutter your life. We often think of decluttering our home which I have tips for ( here are 6 things to keep in mind before you declutter your home) but what about our MIND? Sometimes first we need to clear out the clutter we carry mentally day to day to feel we can take on the rest of life’s clutter. Once you clear you mind you can also take a wack at decluttering your schedule too.
4. Create a routine. I love time blocking. It helps give yourself the control you need over your time and what you want out of your life. For me too many varied tasks, even if time blocked in a day, create anxiety. I personally do better allotting different days to different tasks with a few repetitive ones at set times daily. i.e. Monday I have meeting in my business and do content scheduling, Tuesdays and Thursdays I am in my studio, morning I do self care, check my emails, evenings I read and drink wine (lol)…you see where I am going with this anyways.
5. Learn what to say YES to. Our YES should be aligned with our values and what we want to create our life to be. YES, I said we GET to CREATE the life we want! As a natural “pleaser” I have learned to think through things much longer before freely giving a YES for the wrong thing. A YES in error is inadvertently a NO to the things in life you want. Better yet-start with jotting down what you WANT in your life, business, motherhood ect – this will help direct your YES.
6. Learn what to say NO to. Saying NO is a beautiful thing. Really this is all about having BOUNDARIES. I will come back to this at a later date and share more on all the tips and tool and wisdom I have gained through years learning and developing this.
7. Create a budget. This is an area I am still learning SO please check out my good friends site at Family Finance Mom – she is an utter wiz in this area. FOLLOW HER AND DO WHAT SHE SAYS, That is all.
8. Set bills to autopay. I just started doing this this year. It saves a TON of time, prevents late payments and makes life easier.
9. Create an auto deposit for your savings. Anything is good but 10% of your income is a great start – heck even 5% then every time you get a raise put half of that in too (a wise financial advisor told me that one).
10. Create a meal plan. Meal planning takes the thinking out of the day to day, gives you a plan to follow and with that plan you can prepare for the week. Sundays work great for getting everything for the week.
11. Switch to grocery pick up. I love this! It saves time and money. I have done it at Fred Meyer and Walmart and they both were amazing. You can do it right from their app and even save your most used items for ordering next time.
12. Use Amazon Pantry for non-perishables. Did you know you can put some of your common monthly needs on auto pilot? Yes you can. Definitely look into it! Time saver for sure!
13. Delegate and outsource where it makes sense in your life. This may be help in your business, childcare, house cleaner- whatever will buy back some of your time and sanity can be a great investment. We just started getting childcare/housecleaning on Saturdays. We then use that day to spend quality time with each child doing something fun and end the day with a date night just my husband and I.
14. Reduce TV time. Less TV means more time for more valuable activities in your life. More rest, more quality time with loved ones, a more efficient schedule or more time to read and learn are just a few benefits to less time wasted watching TV.
15. Reduce social media time. This can be a time suck and a joy suck as you get caught up in all things not related to your life. Set a timer then move on to more meaningful things. BALANCE is key.
16. Prioritize. Often we get discouraged because we thing everything is important but in reality we must choose the top 3 things we want to achieve in a day then be OK if the rest gets done another day. With setting priorities you then feel accomplishment instead of overwhelm.
17. Simplify your time. Time block. Cut out distractions. Make time to do nothing and then also anything you want. Time is a precious commodity – treat it as such.
18. Get a planner. Whether you love paper or digital- get all this information down somewhere to keep you on track. I use paper for some things and google calendar for my business.
19. Slow down. Learn 10 way to slow down and enjoy life more. Take ME time. Take rest time. Take hobby time. Take NOTHING time. Take time to connect AND disconnect.
20. Meditate or pray. This can be in many forms but it is good for you. JUST DO IT…..or don’t. It is up to you – those that do generally feel better.
21. Change your mindset. The way we think and what we say to ourselves IS what we will ultimately do. We act out what we believe to be true. Find a coach, mentor, pastor, good friend and make a point to change and commit your mind towards the better.
22. Ask for help. This is a hard one for many. I like to think of asking for help as a way to bring value to others. We all want to have purpose and impact in others lives in one way or another so why deny someone that when you need it?
23. Reduce commitments. BUSY is not success. Overcommitment can actually reduce the value of the commitment in general. Take things back to a time when people gathered 1-1, had conversations uninterrupted by cell phone and NOISE.
24. Schedule self care. ME time needs to be a PRIORITY you SCHEDULE if need be. If your cup is not full you can’t be who you want to be for others.
25. Schedule slow down time. Whether it be a set time or day, pick a time to rest and stick to it. This may meaning turning off devices and wifi to achieve this. That is OK.
26. Simplify your wardrobe. Less is more. If you have not worn something in 2 years give it to someone in need.
27. Declutter your digital life. You can use services to un enroll you from spam emails, clean out your friends list, get out of groups you don’t utilize that add noise to the time you are on social media, reduce any negative accounts you might be following. Organize the apps on your phone.
28. Do what you love. Is it art, singing, dancing, gardening or??? Do it regularly and schedule it. This brings balance and more peace into ones life.
29. Be present.Being present means truly feeling the breeze as you go on a walk, noticing the new freckles on your child’s nose, the way your bed feels when you lay down at night. Connect in all the ways that help you experience life more richly.
30. Minimalism. This can be truly reducing things but it can also be reducing commitments, stresses and any excess that takes from your joy.
31. Live frugally. Live within your means. Most don’t do this but doing so simplifies life by reducing stress.
32. Find contentment. If you can find joy and contentment where you are then what more that comes is just gravy. Contentment often stems from gratitude.
33. Eat healthy. Fuel your body with foods your grandparents would have eaten. As a Registered Dietitian I could talk for ever on this but that thought is a simple one that truly will make a difference. They often ate less and more wholesome REAL food when they did eat. Start there and drink enough water.
34. Exercise. 30 minutes daily is what is recommended just to stay well and prevent disease.
35. Consider creating passive income. A course, digital product, a site that has ads, real estate – financial freedom does simplify life.
36. Leave space in your life to just BE. To do NOTHING is a beautiful thing. How do you want to just BE and how often do you need this?
37. Journal. This can be done in a notebook, through a blog or social platform. There are so many traditional and not traditional ways to journal and reflect on life. Bullet journaling is something I have been trying lately.

Well there you have it, 37 ways to Finally Simplify your Life. Dovidenia. XO

If you like this article you mat also enjoy my dear friends article that will help you get your house in order:

Best Tips to Keep Your Home Clean and Organized

The post Finally Simplify your Life with these 37 Amazing Tips appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

Spring brings a fresh new season, more sunshine and outdoor activities and the yearning to have a fresh start in a new season. After Winter with all its dirt brought in from snow days, germs from the cold season and accumulated stuff from the holidays I am left desperate to declutter, clean and minimize! This season can be a busy season so Spring cleaning tasks that can be done in less than an hour is crucial to quench the craving for a clean and less cluttered space. Let me share with you how!

Living on a farm with lots of acreage (dirt), animals and kids can make it a challenge to keep a clean home. One thing that is the cornerstone to making it feel more possible is to declutter and minimize your stuff so it feels less overwhelming to keep what you have organized and clean. Decluttering is coming soon in a series of blog posts but today I am so excited to share with you the simple ways YOU can clean your home in minimal time! 

Life is short and one topic we talk a lot about at Simple Acres is living a present life. A life with the time and ability to be present and engaged with your loved ones increases quality of life and shifts focus to the things that really matter. After years of feeling like all I do is try to pick up and clean after STUFF that never seems done or in minutes from the kids is undone I am really shifting towards minimalism in life. This article takes that aspect and interest focused around cleaning so you can feel less stressed and more accomplished in your home. I feel blessed to get to collaborate with Libman Company with this post. They are a family owned business with a passion for helping you keep a clean space. Right now you can snag a $3 off coupon as well when you sign up for their newsletter so don’t miss out on that great deal!

9 Spring Cleaning Tasks You Can Do in Less than an Hour

1. Vacuum furniture. A quick clean of the seats and backs with a spritze of furniture freshener will do the trick.
2. Dust hidden corners. Get your kids involved with the feather duster by Libman Company. While you are cleaning other spaces the kids will enjoy dusting with this handy tool!
3. Wipe down kitchen cabinets. Just use your favorite surface cleaner and a clean rag to clean this surface. This is another chore I find kids love to do.
4. Freshen up walls and trim work. I use the same thing I used for the cabinets for this job. Focus on your main rooms and gathering spaces at first.
5. Clean off ceiling fans. Tape the feather duster onto the end of the broom and dust those fans easily. If your dust looks more like a one inch layer of dirt you may need to use your vacuum with the soft brush piece on the end.
6. Shine up appliances. I do a quick swipe of these when the cabinets are being cleaned.
7. Clean floors. Use the Freedom Spray Mop by The Libman Company for this job. Once you fill the reservoir with water and cleaner it’s just a push of a trigger as you spray your hard wood floors, tile or linoleum and mop away!
8. Wash windows. This is another task to delegate to a child with a spray bottle of window cleaner and towel.
9. Declutter a junk drawer. Pick the smallest most simple space to clear out. Just doing a drawer here and there feels less overwhelming but gives you a quick sense of accomplishment as you slowly reduce the excess in your home!

There you have it friends, a simple list of Spring cleaning tasks you can do in under an hour! Have fun feeling accomplished in minimal time so you can devote more time to what really brings you joy in life!  Dovidenia. XO

The post 9 Spring Cleaning Tasks You Can Do in Less than an Hour appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

Do you ever feel like your schedule needs some decluttering? Are you overwhelmed and worn out? Let’s take a look at how to stop over scheduling and make room for margin in our lives.There are simple ways to declutter your schedule...let’s learn more!

There are 5 areas that can be a challenge when it comes to our schedules.

• multitasking
• overcommitting
• reprioritizing
• clarity
• rest and margin

Multitasking

We multitask and wonder why we keep forgetting things or aren’t getting as much accomplished as we’d planned. It turns out, multitasking isn’t actually effective. It is a myth to think we can do multiple things well simultaneously.

Our brains aren’t meant to handle doing various tasks at once. Singular focus is required for achieving optimal results. As women, we feel like we need to multitask often. Children always seem to be asking for or needing something from us. There are instances though where we are multitasking because we are overcommitted.

Overcommitting

Most of us are overscheduled. We are doing too many things and running ragged because of it. Our culture values and idealizes busy. Social media reinforces our desire to not miss out on all the things.

When we say yes to too many things, we are forcing ourselves to try and balance various roles at the same time. Once we’ve overcommitted we are likely to feel burned out, depleted, and sometimes even bitter or resentful for all that we are expected to do.

We also aren’t able to do our best work when we are spread too thin. It’s easy for things to slip through the cracks when there is so much going on. When we feel overwhelmed and like life is out of balance, it’s time to reassess priorities.

Reprioritizing

First, examine your values and priorities. Do you know what your why is? Is your current schedule reflecting your why and your goals? If it isn’t, it’s time to reassess your commitments.

It’s easy to say something is a priority, but if something is important it should be reflected in your schedule. For example, I can say family time is important, but if our schedule shows every person the family doing separate activities constantly, then our schedule isn’t reflecting our values.

We overcommit because we have skewed ideas about what is expected of us. People pleasers have a difficult time saying no. We can feel guilty or think we need to do things that we actually don’t. In order to regain control of our lives and our schedules, we need to practice saying no.

The goal is for your life to be in alignment with your why. See where you may need to cut back to create more space in your life.

Clarity

When you are clear on your priorities, it allows for a new sense of focus. It becomes more readily apparent what is a yes or a no when you’re faced with new opportunities. Does it fit with your priorities and values in your current life season? If it doesn’t, then the answer is a clear no. If it is aligned with your priorities and you have the capacity for it, then your yes becomes easier.

How we spend our time determines how we spend our lives. Don’t live a default life filled with things you never intended. Decluttering your schedule is an important part of living a life of purpose and intention.

“Let’s live lightly, freely, courageously, surrounded only by what brings joy, simplicity, and beauty.” ~Shauna Niequist

Rest & margin

Our culture doesn’t place a high value on rest or margin. While the concept of self-care has become more popular, it often thought of as an additional action item rather than rest or intentionally planning nothing.

If we don’t plan for margin, it is easy to fill in all the gaps on the calendar. When we do that, we lose the ability to say yes when something unexpected comes up. We may miss out on opportunities because we are already overcommitted.

It’s also in the margins that we get to enjoy an impromptu dance party with our kids or get the opportunity to talk with them about challenges they may be having at school. Planning margin in their lives is healthy for them too. Play, rest, and even boredom are actually good for us!

Looking for ways to create more margin?

From February 7-11, fill out the form on my affiliate link and you can get a FREE e-book called Make More Margin with over 75 tips on finding more time in your day!

The post Simple Ways to Declutter Your Schedule appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

So you’ve been binge-watching Tidying Up and have decided you are going to take on your house. Before you pull out all of your items and put them on your bed and floors, I beg you to slow your roll and think through your process first.

Easiest to most difficult

My recommendation is to start in a room that you know will not be too difficult for you. It depends on the individual what room that would be. If you are very attached to your clothes, don’t start there. If you know the bathroom will be easiest for you to let go of things, that’s your answer. If you are unsure, start with your bedroom to create a restful calming space first.

Make a list of the rooms in your home from easiest to most difficult. The most difficult is usually where the most sentimental items are located. 
The final space would be the garage. It is helpful to be able to use the garage as a staging area when working on the other rooms in your house. Items can be temporarily placed there until you are able to sell or donate them.

I’ve created a Declutter Plan of Attack Worksheet to help you make your plan. After you fill out the form on this page, the link will be sent to you.

Take into consideration:

• your personality
• time available
• space
• other people’s stuff

Personality

The speed at which you will work through your house depends on your personal bent. Some people are ready and decisive and can move through spaces quickly. Most people will experience challenges in at least some parts of the home. That’s ok. It is helpful to know yourself and have already thought through which areas will be more difficult so you aren’t surprised when you slow down.

If decluttering is extremely difficult for you, start with smaller spaces and work for shorter spans of time. It gets easier as you go, but creating a situation that doesn’t overwhelm you right from the beginning is important. Scope your projects smaller so you are able to complete them. Then you’ll feel good about moving on to the next one. Start with one shelf or drawer at a time.

Time available

It’s a terrible feeling to start a project, get halfway into it, and then have to leave things a disaster because you’ve run out of time. The mess does get worse before it gets better so leaving the project midway can feel deflating. There are some cases where you may not be able to get it all done in a day. Just make sure your schedule allows you to complete the project in the very near future. Otherwise, you’ll end up hating decluttering and your house simulatanously.

Wait to start bigger projects if you’re tight on time. If you are watching Tidying Up at 9pm, fight the urge to pull all of your clothes out of the closet and put them on your bed (unless you want to sleep somewhere else that night and don’t care that you won’t be able to find anything in the morning).

Space

Consider the space in your home before you begin. Mentally prepare yourself and your family for the room to be disheveled as you are working through decluttering it. I recommend working in only one room at a time.

Having multiple rooms be a mess is stressful. Most people don’t enjoy being surrounded by unfinished projects (and if there are people who do enjoy it, that’s weird). Think about how the decluttering process will impact the function of the room. For example, if you are planning to make a meal that day that requires a lot of prep work, it’s probably not the best day to declutter your entire kitchen.

Other people’s stuff

Have you ever started trying to declutter a room only to realize many of the things in there aren’t yours? You can work on your things, but don’t expect to complete the room on your own unless your family members have given you free rein to declutter whatever you want (this pretty much never happens ;)). Schedule these spaces when you and your family members have the time to work together.

You can set aside items that other family members need to look over. However, this can be frustrating if you are imagining all of these items leaving your house and the family member doesn’t want to get rid of any of them.

Keep in mind, you can only control your actions and your stuff. Be respectful of other’s things and feelings. Ideally, compromise and work together as peacefully as possible. People’s belongings are very personal and decluttering can bring up a lot of complicated emotions.

Here are a few other articles to help in your decluttering efforts:

Figuring out what clutter is in your home

Do this before you start decluttering

Ready to get going?

Now that you’ve printed out the Declutter Plan of Attack worksheet and thought through your plan, you’re ready to start the process! I’ll talk through that process in the next post. Cliffhanger 😮

The post 6 Things to Keep in Mind When You Start to Declutter appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

Cleaning can be a nagging task on an already full plate of a busy mom but I have found a way to make that task more fun and efficient!  I am excited to share some helpful ways to to clean for busy moms that will get your tasks done faster so you can have more fun while you are at it! There is also a contest you can enter to gain a chance at winning a grand prize along with much more!

We as moms need a way to get our “to-do” list done in less time so we can enjoy and savor our families more. I’m excited to share a few thoughts that will help solve this problem!

Do you ever find yourself turning on some music and getting your groove on while busting out some cleaning tasks? We partnered with Pine-Sol® because we relate to that “go-getter” attitude when it comes to getting things done!

Cleaning is a task everyone has to do and with this current contest all you have to do is capture a picture of yourself dancing and having fun as you clean with your favorite Pine-Sol® product! Then you can enter by posting that picture on Instagram with Pine-Sol®, using the hashtag #MyCleanMoves and #Contest, tagging the @PineSol brand, and following @Pinesol. The #MyCleanMoves contest ends on July 13th so definitely go enter to get a chance at winning awesome prizes!

Have you ever found yourself so busy the thought of cleaning your house can be overwhelming? That has definitely been me at times! #ad #mycleanmoves . . . . If you have been following along you will notice I am all about minimizing, decluttering and cleaning lately. When our home environment is tidy it ups the happy factor and decreases our stress, enabling more time for fun and quality time! . . . . I am excited to be partnering up with Pine-Sol® for this post! The multi-purpose cleaner that get the job done! . . . . Right now you can be entered to win awesome prizes such as cash to even blue tooth speakers! All you have to do to be entered for a chance to win is post a photo to instagram showing off your cleaning dance moves and tag #MyCleanMoves and #Contest . . . . Be a doer, roll up those sleeves and use these tips to create a clean environment you deserve in your home!

A post shared by Stefanie at Simple Acres (@simpleacresblog) on Jun 15, 2018 at 12:41am PDT

5 Best Ways to Cleaning with a busy life:

I love to give my house a daily pick-me-up. When I’m on my “A” game with cleaning I try to pick certain times every day I pick up the house in general. This helps reduce the overwhelm factor and then on Saturday mornings we clean as a family. Adding a daily time to spend 15-30 minutes picking up maintains a level state of tidyness and makes cleaning faster when we do it.

Doing a daily mini-clean always helps me feel on top of things better! If you can pick up for 15 min a day then give yourself 15 minutes a day to pick something small to clean. Here you can get a list of cleaning tasks you can accomplish in small fragments of time. 

Currently I am obsessed with minimalism and the power of minimize stuff! Do you ever feel like what free time you have is taken away by the task of picking up and piling up clutter? I have found the less I have the easier it is to keep a clean home. Join our Declutter and Cleaning Group for support from others just like you, tutorials and community. 

Using effective products is the key to success and getting your cleaning job done efficiently. When you use products that work you decrease your cleaning time. Pine-Sol® is a great multi-surface cleaner that gets the job done the first time around! It has 4 x the cleaning action for dirt, grime and grease and is safe on surfaces when used correctly.

The most important part of cleaning is having fun! Make cleaning fun again! Turn on music, get your family involved, make a game of it with your kids. I find I look forward to my cleaning day because of all these tips. Cleaning becomes simpler, fun and a time to spend quality time with my littles!

As busy moms we work hard and we need to find ways to do things in our homes that allows us to enjoy the precious moments of life more.

Be a doer, roll up those sleeves and use these tips to have the clean environment you deserve in your home!

That is all for now my friends, 5 Best Ways to Clean for Busy Moms! Don’t forget to follow us here on Instagram and enter the giveaway for the chance to win awesome prizes from cash to blue tooth speakers sponsored by Pine-Sol®. The details are in the Instagram post!

Dovidenia. XO

The post 5 Best Ways to Clean for Busy Moms appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

Everyone has their vice in life. For some it’s hoarding holiday decorations for others it may be that odd yarn collection you have yet to use or possibly you just can’t stop your nightly addiction to ice cream. I am sure I have many but one I must come out with is…I AM A STACKER. There I said it. Junk, papers, magazines, kids homework all tend to find random homes in our house. You will find many paper mountains in my house and once the weekend comes it just MAY cover my table. Today I am sharing 5 Tips for Keeping a Tidy Home. You may be surprised what I have to tell you!

I can say my house tidiness varies depending on my work load and to-do’s but I try to keep my house fairly picked up. I can remember as young as 3rd grade thinking in class, “If only my room was clean I could focus!” This holds true to me still today. When my home is picked up I feel less stressed and able to focus on my daily tasks better. So you can imagine how a messy out of order house could make one feel!

How do you feel when your house looks as though a hurricane hit it? I feel like a hurricane myself…CRAZY…haha!

Here is a busy mom’s secrets to a tidy house EVEN in the chaos!

5 Tips for Keeping a Tidy House

1. Use creative storage to hide toys in main areas. I love having toys throughout the house to encourage creativity and play but if you have ever stepped on a bunch of toys you may secretly pray for your own peaceful death! These things can be foot torture.

As the picture shows in an area my boys always play I used an old vintage suitcase to hold their toys. I used a metal basket with brass handles to hold the “snack rugs” I keep in the living room for when we have snacks with a movie as a family.

2. Make your your stacking look pretty. Seriously, there is so much paperwork that comes home from school and work not having some stacks is likely impossible.

I found some cute vintage drawers that I have been using as storage in my home. I threw a jar in this one to hold pens and scissors and got a wire organizer for all the incoming school papers. The succulent just makes me happy.

3. Contain your shoes to designated areas of the house. With a family of 5 it is easy to have at least 10 pairs of shoes strung all over the house. With having a set place shoes go it helps my kids to put them away and be able to find them when needed.

As the picture shoes, I used a vintage wood box that added character as it serves as my entry way shoe holder.

4. Utilize your mini employees (I mean children). My kids still semi-like chores. Often I make a game out of cleaning or offer a small monetary reward they can save for something in the future. On the few days I clean a week I delegate a chore or two out to each child. This makes keeping a tidy home SO MUCH EASIER! I love my babies…enough to make them help. Ha!

We had a girls day. Among all the stressful things life offers …being present takes intention and effort… At least that's what I tell myself. So this week I took my kids to the local donut store, we went to the farmers market one night and today I had a girls day with my mom and daughter. These moments are what matter to me…quality time matters to me. And I'm fighting and sometimes failing for more of it!???❤️ What are you doing lately to savor life more?

A post shared by Stefanie at Simple Acres (@simpleacresblog) on Oct 1, 2016 at 4:51pm PDT

5. Simplify basic cleaning tasks. I had been noticing my dust bunnies building up on my curtains up top for some time now. Often some creativity can be such a help in little chores. With a Scotch-Brite™ Lint Roller, a broom and some tape I was able to create a tool in minutes that removed my dust bunnies without sucking my curtains off their hooks.

All you need to do is attach the Lint Rollers handle to the end of the broom handle with some tape and you have yourself a dust bunny removing machine even your kids can do with you!

You can find yourself some Scotch-Brite™ Lint Rollers at Walmart in the cleaning section. They have three varieties: Lint Roller (lint, hair and fuzz), 50% Stickier Lint Roller (great for large debris such as crumbs) and the Printed Lint Roller ( creative with designs on each sheet).

Go here to find more great ideas and inspiration in cleaning and keeping your life tidy. Scotch-Brite Lint Rollers tears cleanly guaranteed. These rollers will clean more than lint and dust bunnies but also crumbs, craft mishaps such as spilled glitter and so much more!

I hope my 5 Tips for Keeping a Tidy Home have helped give you ideas to simplify your life. I am going to go put my stacks of stuff in cute containers now! Ha. Dovidenia my friends. XO

The post 5 Tips for Keeping a Tidy Home appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

This post contains affiliate links.

There have been many days that I would walk in the door only to be met with such clutter and mess I felt like just walking right back out of the front door! Can you relate?

With 3 small kids, the dirt of living on a farm and the demands of life, it is easy for your entry way to become the “catch all” to life. Unfortunately, this creates an unwelcoming entry most often.

It feels overwhelming, right?!

How much more peace and time would you have if you were less overwhelmed with stuff? With less stuff and more order you can have more time for what matters in your life!

If just cleaning is overwhelming to you before you can even consider decluttering check out these tasks you can get done in an hour or less!

Snag my free printable to using time blocking to simplify cleaning!

Before I share my after pictures that hopefully motivate you, here was my BEFORE! My entry had become such a catch all it wasn’t a greeting entry any more.

Now for my AFTER, that has left me much less overwhelmed! I can enter my home and feel peace.

Here are 15 Best Ways to Declutter Your Entry Way

1. Asses your space. Take in your space it’s limitation and space. Decide how you want your area to flow that offers visual appeal but is also functional.
2. Reduce duplicates. Pull all your shoes, hats and gloves (and whatever else you are storing in your space) out and inventory how much of each you really need (or at least need at your entry). I kept about 2 pairs of shoes for each family member in the entry in baskets for each person. The remaining shoes can be stored in a nice shoe storage unit in another area of the house.
3. Remove items that don’t belong. Car seats, bags and papers. What items are in your entry right now that need a new home? Identify this and move them out!
4. Find a home for other items. Shoe organizers, paper organizers, key hangers...there are so many things that can help you find a place for your stuff.
5. Organize. I found baskets on sale to organize shoes and to be a ” catch all” to organize things and keep the area tidy.
6. Create a simple “catch all”. I chose a basket but you can pick a cool vintage box or any container you like to make it easy to place excess that life brings through the weeks.
7. Organize your mail. I used a frame with clips to pin my incoming and outgoing mail.

8. Contain your shoes. My kids love having the very own basket for their shoes. These baskets with chalkboard tags are my favorite.

9. Contain your hats and gloves. Find a specific place for these. Organize like items together. We use our vintage hutch for this.

10. Back packs and school stuff. You can use over a over the door hanger, coat hanger or mountable hooks.

11. Hooks for keys and glasses.This not only gives a specific ‘home’ for your keys but you will gain so much time in your day that used to be wasted finding keys.

12. Keep it functional. Keep in mind the main things you need to be able to do in your entry. Often this includes, mail management, putting on your shoes and outer wear.

13. Create reflection. This tip isn’t decluttering but reinforces all you hard work decluttering as a wall mirror creates a sense of space with its reflection.

14. Clean it. You my tips above to keep you area clean.

15. Create routine to maintain. Set a goal to spend 5 minutes before bed picking up. This will make keeping the area tidy not overwhelming.

If you found this article helpful you may also find ways to label and organize helpful as well as mud room organization.

Here are a few other topics helpful to organizing and decluttering:

Get Organized at Home with These 5 Unique Organization Tips!

Decluttering with Kids – 25 Day Organizing challenge

9 Spring Cleaning Tasks You Can Do in Less than an Hour

How to Simplify Spring Clean Up

I hope you found these 15 Best Ways to Declutter Your Entry Way helpful as you work to decrease your stuff!

The post 15 Best Ways to Declutter Your Entry Way appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Do you ever find yourself so overwhelmed by your clutter and list of cleaning “to-do’s” that you procrastinate or avoid it all together? Maybe that is you but you feel stressed out ALL the time because of your environment. Do you feel like you are cleaning all the time yet it doesn’t look like you made a dent?

These Spring clean up tips are for you!

I am finding if I can time block cleaning it breaks up chores, makes them feel more doable and I find I am better at doing them regularly. My list below is a 1 hour cleaning time blocks FREE printable just for you! (Just click the text link.) Each category is a group of tasks that can be done in roughly one hour. This list may not deep clean and scrub you r entire house but it gives you a nice sense of clean simply.

You may also find these 9 cleaning tasks you can do under an hour helpful and there is a coupon included in that post for a really handy mop I love!

Here are a bunch of cleaning materials I really find helpful or just plain like using:

• Spray mopping. This makes cleaning floors so quick and easy. You can get a coupon for $3 off in this article.
• Tub and sink scrubber. I love this because it has a handle and it makes it easier to use than just a scrub sponge alone.
• Feather duster. This works so well and my kids find it so fun to use which gets them helping easier as well.
• Natural cleaners. I love Meyers brand cleaners because they are not toxic and smell so good!
• Carpet and furniture shampooer. With kids, pets and living on a farm there is NO way I could get by without ours!
• Vacuum robot. I want one of these so bad….on my wish list!

JOIN MY CLUTTER FREE LIVING Facebook group to stay motivated, encouraged and inspired to a life with LESS CLUTTER AND MORE CALM!

There you have it friends, several simple ways to improve your Spring clean up this time of year! Dovidenia. XO

The post How to Simplify Spring Clean Up appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

This post is sponsored by Vocalpoint and Dick’s Sporting Goods ®. All opinions are my own.

A checklist always seems to help me feel more organized. As a mom, it feels like we are juggling a million things most days! Aside from having a list that helps you document what clothing, backpack and lunch pail items you need finding locations to shop that provide nearly EVERYTHING on your list is a must! No mama I know wants to be running all around town to multiple stores to complete their check list…at least not this one!

Here is the list I made for myself to take inventory of what I needed and what I already had so I could be frugal and efficient in my shopping. This back to school checklist can be printed for your own use by clicking this back to school shopping checklist link.

So here is what we need to do!

1. Print the checklist off.
2. Fill it out with what you need and what you already have.
3. Find a store that has the majority of what you need and get busy grabbing those last items for your kids!

My store of choice was DICKS Sporting Goods ®. This was a new experience for me and I have to be really REALLY honest.

I was so impressed and SUPER excited when I entered. Here is why. They had everything I needed for the kids from socks and shoes to clothes, athletic wear and even backpacks and lunch pails! I scored Nike lunch pails for HALF OFF (only $10 each).

This store was a one stop shop for me that finished my back to school checklist AND I might have found a few awesome yoga pant “must own” items for myself (shhh).

Check out my little ones they were pumped with their new gear! My big boy was excited beyond infinity for a lunch pail with his favorite color.

My middle son was VERY interested in all the compartments in his lunch pail. He is certain this will be a perfect toy carrier.

The princess of the family got a touch spoiled with a few outfits and shoes as well so she can ROCK her first day of school! Pink everything is her thing now a days!

DICKS Sporting Goods ® had the brands kids really like but also there were a lot off sales which made me happy! I am feeling prepared and ready for the fun, routine, new adventure and rewarding busyness back to school brings!

Now that we snagged our last minute back to school necessities we are ready to have a fun school year!

Yes, sissy… you look amazing and its ALL pink! Check out a DICKS Sporting Goods ® near you for your back to school needs! Dovidenia. XO

PS- I love my readers so much and I am beyond grateful for you all! Enjoy this fun give away! Enter for a chance to win one of FIVE $50 gift cards so you can shop and experience the fun too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PS x 2- If you need more back to school ideas you may love these snack ideas and organization ideas below.

Get organization ideas here.

Get Yummy inspirations and recipes here.

The post Back to School Shopping Checklist appeared first on Simple Acres Blog.

Do all the things you have to do ever leave you feeling overwhelmed? The Spring cleaning bug has left me in a place of contemplation and procrastination due to excessive stuff. Thanks to this opportunity to work with AVEENO PURE RENEWAL® Shampoo and Conditioner and all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS®,  I’m inspired to start somewhere small to create organization with incorporating products into my family’s lives we value. Learn how I got motivated to feel a little more sane and a little less cluttered with my Bathroom Closet Organizing project.

I’ve been really saturating my thoughts with the theory of less is more, minimalism and simplicity as a means of heightened joy. There’s so much to taking care of oneself from the environment around us to what we even put on our bodies. This is my story of how removing some clutter and organizing myself better to find the things I need or want to use equips me to reach my goals. It really is the little things folks!

So with all this “finding joy in less” business I’ve found myself overwhelmed where to start. What has worked for me is finding a small space to start with. Revamping and organizing a smaller space seems more doable and less overwhelming.

I chose to organize my bathroom closet as a way to get my Spring clean mojo in motion. Living life healthy with less stress in my environment as well as picking more simple yet effective products to use in my home is an ongoing goal I strive for.

*Excuse my humor as my steps below are part what you need to do and part what I DID, in all honesty.

How to organize your bathroom closet using items you have in your home:

1. Take all your disorganized junk off of all the shelves and dump them in a bag. Set bag of bathroom junk in hallway for a few days.
2. Aside from the hall mess, relish in the simplicity of a bare bathroom closet. (This made me feel more organized already, despite the said hall mess.)
3. Paint inside of door and fronts of shelves. I used some white paint I had left over from my trim work a few years back. Allow to dry a few hours.
4. Gather baskets, glass jars, buckets and other containers you have around the house for storage.
5. Organize like items with like items in containers.

6.Use name tags as labels for baskets. I decorated the tags with watercolor and black ink and slipped them into their cover. Clip tags on to baskets.

7. I attached small chalkboards as a message board for my kids to urge self care and offer encouragement.

I used my name tags to create a tag for the sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS® basket I set on the top of my dryer as well. This will hopefully help my kids as they learn to do household chores.

So there is my story of simple ways to organize your space for sanity but to also be able to organize the products you want to use for your family. I am continually moving toward products that focus on being better for my family’s body and our environment.

Here is a little information about the products we are truly enjoying:

NEW sulfate free all® fresh clean ESSENTIALS® delivers a powerful clean without harshness. This product lifts difficult stains with proven ingredients. You can find it on the top shelf in your local Walmart in the in the laundry aisle. SAVE NOW with this coupon to save 50 cents on your next purchase while supplies last. Stay connected with all the products I mentioned here.

AVEENO PURE RENEWAL® Shampoo and Conditioner contains naturally derived cleansers and a sulfate free formula to gently cleanse your hair and scalp. I choose sulfate-free hair care products because it’s important to me what I put on my loved one’s bodies. SAVE NOW with this coupon to save $1 off one (1) AVEENO® product (excludes trial and travel sizes).

So, even if our homes look like a tornado hit in many areas at least we can feel organized in this small space. Sometimes a small bathroom closet organization is the perfect start to motivate you for more! Dovidenia.

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