restful productivity to live deliberately & avoid overwhelm

Tips for Clarity when Juggling Multiple Roles

Tips for Clarity when Juggling Multiple Roles

This life is a complicated balancing act. We each have different roles we play, things we manage, and jobs we do. The more responsibilities you have the more complicated your life gets. So how do we move forward and not get stuck? How do we keep going? There are unfinished lists, unhappy people, and a…

Celebrating the End of the School Year

Celebrating the End of the School Year

What does Summer Break mean to you? How do you separate that time from the rest of the school year? As a homeschool mom, I have the added challenge of making that time feel different to the kids than the rest of the school year. Sure, we take a break from our school work, and…

Practical Meal Planning #2 (the How)

Practical Meal Planning #2 (the How)

I am often frustrated by the meal planning systems created by others. They often assume that everything is “just peachy”. Most meal planning that I have found is based on having lots of time, strange fresh ingredients, or chef-style cooking skills. I usually don’t have that kind of evening cooking environment. I am a mom…

Easy Family Routines: The Monday Meeting

Easy Family Routines: The Monday Meeting

It’s a Monday morning.  We are all moving slow.  The kids would rather play computer games and I would love to sit on the couch with a good book. The weekend was very busy with household tasks, catching up on laundry, activities with cousins, farm chores, shopping, and church. Now we must move into our…

Tackling Meal Planning #1 (the Why)

Tackling Meal Planning #1 (the Why)

This week I will make 15 meals for my family. Lunches, dinners, and a few fancy breakfasts. I will hand wash dishes at least 10 times and spend several hours in prep.  In a month, I will spend 68 hours on meal prep and feeding my household. How much time do you spend in the…

Life-Giving Routines – Printable Guide

Life-Giving Routines – Printable Guide

We all have areas in our lives where we want to get things done quickly or “get in the zone” faster. Routines are the effortless solution. When we automate pieces of our lives with routines we: remove decision fatigue, we become more efficient, and we can relax into the rhythm of the tasks ahead of…

My Weekly Review & Bullet Journal Lists

My Weekly Review & Bullet Journal Lists

This process keeps me focused on what needs to get done. My weekly review helps me see the white space areas of my week. (Or of lack space.) I am able to make margin or say no to things that are crowding me in.   Q: How do I organize my week so that it…

4 Practical Meal Ideas For Your Day of Rest

4 Practical Meal Ideas For Your Day of Rest

All the household things do not come to a halt just because I have decided to rest. I still have to feed my family (or someone does anyway). And unfortunately, the house does not get magically cleaned by forest creatures. It seems counterintuitive to have to prepare for rest. But, Sabbath prep is NOT about…

My Phone Has A Bedtime

My Phone Has A Bedtime

I’ve been nudged by my inner voice to have time away from my phone for years. But I’ve always brushed it off as being too extreme or too legalistic. Then I made the decision in the summer of 2020 to put my phone away each night. So, I took the leap and tried it.  It’s unbelievable…