SIMPLE LIVING // SIMPLE LIVING. Living a simple yet fulfilling life.

Filed Under: ADVICE AND INFO, Daily, SIMPLE LIVING

SHOPPING RULES 102

It’s been a while since I shared a bit about how I shop, and some of the rules that have formed along the way. Rules that really help me evaluate each purchases, steer away from excess, and keep monthly bills in check.

Following up on Shopping Rules 101 where I talked about how my shopping perspective has changed, a golden rule for living comfortably and my two major shopping rules. Let’s talk sales, who doesn’t love a good sale? Every one. The only problem with most sales is that you walk in and buy things just because they are on sale, and then you are stuck with all these “things”. And who needs more things? No one.

Filed Under: Daily, FAVORITE THINGS, SIMPLE LIVING

FAVORITE THINGS / 8

ALL WRAPPED UP – We got our very first taste of real winter cold today, not that semi cold/wussy stuff I talked about yesterday – thankfully we were prepared. Patting myself on the back for following through with The Perfect Kids Cold Weather Wears, you know cause sometimes it’s hard to take your own good advice. Our most favorite thing (hands down) that we added to the little winter outfits (that we previously hadn’t used) are the mini mioche snoods – so comfy and so warm. No more bare skin sticking out (usually there is a peak of skin on a neck, little ear or chin), anywhere. Really, I could pull it up over the back of their heads like a turtle hood or heck right over those cute faces.

MASCARA – I decided to branch from my usual mascara, it’s a huge stretch for me to try something new in the world of makeup. I’m an old dog who doesn’t like to learn new tricks when it comes to what I put on my face. I still have heart eyes for the They’re Real! mascara, but I think my favorite mascara might now be more of a toss-up between that and buxom mascara. I really love that you can choose the wand you want with Buxom, it’s a pretty way to get old dogs like me to try something new.

IRON ON LABELS – Kids lose everything, all the time. We can hope and pray that we just might find those lost things again one day, or we can put labels in everything and usually things turn up again. We were gifted this Epson label works label maker, which comes with iron on label tape. It’s just as awesome, handy and fun as it sounds. Now you can label, everything (literally, everything) in your home even clothes. So the kids have a better chance of not losing things, especially all that winter gear. Or just throw labels on everything, for the fun of it – yes, I’m 10 years old.

OVERSIZED TEE – New favorite tee, when it comes to the oversized variety (every different fit of tee requires a favorite). It’s big, like much bigger in fit then the rest and everything just falls on your body, juuuust right. It’s thick and durable so it’s perfect for my Mom brain. I cannot explain how many times I threw something in the dryer when I wasn’t supposed to and totally ruined it, but nope not with this tee.

SHOP THE POST (if you’re into that)

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Filed Under: ADVICE AND INFO, Daily, SIMPLE LIVING

HOW TO MAKE MORNINGS WITH KIDS RUN SMOOTHLY

Mornings, now that my kids are both in school mornings can the most stressful time of the day. Getting everyone ready, plus yourself and then to where everyone needs to be, on time – that is no small feat! In an effort to try to make our own mornings go way better than they did last school year, I added a few things to our routine. So far our mornings are way smoother and happier. We still have some hiccups, late slips and maybe some tears but they are pretty few and far between. Here are a few things we do to make mornings easier with two kids.

GET UP BEFORE THE REST OF THE HOUSE

Wake up before the kids, get some you time in for yourself. Maybe enjoy a coffee before the morning rush, enjoy a leisurely look at Pinterest, work-out or practice some yoga. I love to wake up extra early and practice yoga, it just starts my day out on the best foot. But maybe you aren’t morning person (you could try for a week and see, maybe you like the morning and don’t even know it!), and then if that’s the case – ignore this tip and sleep in till the very last second!READ MORE

Filed Under: Daily, REAL LIFE, SIMPLE LIVING

5 MUST WATCH TV SHOWS

Totally taboo to talk about tv, I mean it’s a true time waste and it rots your brain right? Whatever. And I hate to sound all hippie and millennial but we are one of those annoying families that lives without cable, but don’t worry we are not born again tv haters. We still watch the boob tube, but just in a less expensive, more intentional (who knew you could even be intentional with your time wasters) and maybe even sometimes non actual television watching way. I thought about it a lot and then talked with Chris about it some more, there are 5 shows that we are constantly suggesting to people. And it seems that these same 5 shows were the ones that changed the way we wasted out time watching tv. So if you haven’t seen these (none of them are new so probably have), you totally should…

THE WIRE – It was the 2nd (maybe 3rd) deep all-encompassing drama series that Chris and I got hooked on. Like series that you watch, back to back to back. It is easily one of our top favorites and probably the one show we tell everyone they NEED to watch, it is just all around fantastic. The fictional story premise is based around drug trade and crime in Baltimore. The first season is super confusing, but it’s very worth it to power through as the second season is when it all starts to make sense. HIGHLY recommend.

BREAKING BAD – I know, you’ve totally seen it but if you haven’t? Man you better jump to it! Probably the best tv series we have ever seen, the writing the character arch’s, the whole shebang is truly amazing. The first season is totally depressing, but it does get less melancholy. I’m not gonna talk much more about it, because I’m sure you already know what it is about. Not the same but also check out: True Detective, the first season was primo and totally worth all the hype.

THE SOPRANOS – Between this and Six Feet Under, I couldn’t decide. Both were the very first “movie” style shows (is that what you call them?) we got hooked on. Like we didn’t leave our couch for days, cause we could.not.stop (obv before kids) watching, sorta hooked. It’s great, and literally changes the way you look at regular tv shows. Also totally worth watching: The Walking Dead (not just about zombies), Game of Thrones (get past the first season, it gets better) and Hannibal (this one was a huge shocker, but it’s really awesome – gruesome but awesome).

BAND OF BROTHERS – The first show that made me realize watching history could be super interesting and entertaining. It’s sad, exciting and totally heartbreaking. Out of anything that is WWII based, this is my ultimate favorite. It’s a 10 part mini series, so it’s okay to get hooked cause it doesn’t last forever. I haven’t seen another show based on actually historic events done this well. More shows that are based on history (these a little more loosely): The Tudors and Vikings (so far, we really love Vikings).

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT – Umm, I don’t think I have ever seen a show I have loved so much that made me laugh so hard. Like, in all honestly most of my jokes I probably stole from here. Chris has probably seen the whole series at least 10 times, the last (new) season that aired on Netflix was pretty meh but the rest? MUST WATCH. Also tops our must watch comedy list: 30 Rock. And because so far it’s pretty great even though it’s more of a Dramadey then a comedy: Silicon Valley

There are a few others we really like but these are the ones that made us look at other shows differently. Ones that made us want to get rid of most of the fluff (most). So tell me, what are your favorite tv time wasters? The ones you were really deeply sad about when they ended or the ones you talk to your friends about with tons of excitement?

Since we are talking intentional time wasters: 12 Favorite Documentaries and 12 More Favorite Documentaries.

Filed Under: ADVICE AND INFO, Daily, HAIR AND FACES, SIMPLE LIVING

THE BEST MOISTURIZER FOR YOUR FACE

THE Best Moisturizer for Your Face I’m a pretty simple gal when it comes to the care and prep of my mug. I hate to admit, but for most of my life I mostly used regular old hand lotion on my face. But in my defense, I lived in really dry Alberta and nothing else seemed to fight the extreme dryness that was my skin everyday. Since then I’ve tried many a cream, but not the really pricey ones – I’m too cheap for that. I’ve used plain ol’ coconut oil for ages now, but found that sometimes it was a bit heavy for my skin and often clogged my pores. A few months ago I switched to using straight up Jojoba Oil and it’s like my skin is naturally soft and never clogged all the time. It’s the best.

THE Best Moisturizer for Your Face I just pour a tiny bit on my finger tip (or onto a cotton ball) and then rub it into my face at night-time, as I would a regular cream – or I spot apply to the dry areas only in the morning (but usually I don’t need to apply anything in the morning). There are a bunch of different oils that work really well for different reasons, but Jojoba Oil is my favorite for everyday use because it matches so closely to the oil our skin naturally produces. So basically, when we are talking about-face moisturizer, it’s OIL > CREAM over here. I really like this brand. Do you use oil on your face?

OH, AND: It also works great for dry lips in the winter (but let’s not even talk about that season) and looking for an awesome face scrub? Drea just posted a great and super simple one.

*test/try on a small spot before applying all over face, even though it is a natural product you could have a ‘surprise’ allergic reaction.

Filed Under: Daily, FAVORITE THINGS, REAL LIFE, SIMPLE LIVING

FAVORITE THINGS / 6

food_huggers FOOD HUGGERS – These things are grand! Instead of wrapping all my half onions, avocados and what nots, up with plastic wrap; they now fit neatly inside one of these silicone food huggers. Also they are pretty cute and colorful and save space in the fridge. My favorite is the avocado one, rub a little lemon juice on the unused side and then pop on a food hugger – no wasting a perfectly ripe avocado (which I’m allergic too anyways, but that’s not the point).

flutterbye FLYING TOYS – I googled this toy, to find out what it was called so I could tell you about it. Turns out it was the top toy for 2013, so trend setters we are not. My Mom got Harlow this “flutterbye” (I can’t say it with a straight face without the quotes) her birthday, I literally had no idea what it was. Then we turned it on, it’s basically a helicopter toy but dressed up like a fairy. Obviously both kids hated it, just look at that grumpy face.

xylitol_mints FRESH BREATH AND CLEAN TEETH – My best buddy told me about this natural sweetener, Xylitol and that it is supposed to help reduce plaque formation. Having a mint (gum or lollipop) with Xylitol in it, after you eat can be really helpful for keeping teeth in tip-top shape. I’m no dentist, but I’m down for anything that can save on dental bills and keep my breath smelling nice (you can also read more about it on numerous sites). We like these mints and so far so good (teeth feel clean and not sugary like after regular mints, so there that) it’s def a ‘try for yourself’ and tell me what you think sorta thing.

H&M_ripped_black_jeans EVERYTHING IS JUST PERFECT, JEANS – My favorite jeans right now, also happen to only cost $49. It’s surely a fluke, but I’ll take it. These faded black, ripped skinny jeans just seem to fit perfectly in all the right places and have that skill of being super flattering every single time I wear them. I couldn’t find them on the website, but they are from H&M maybe you can stumble upon them in the store – they surprisingly have pretty great denim there, if you pick and choose.

magic_carpet_yoga_mat THE PRETTIEST YOGA MAT – Yes I talked about this mat yesterday. For a home practice, this mat is my new go to, it makes practice a little more fun and it’s perfect for a non hot and sweaty practice. I still have all the heart eyes and stand true to my Jade for a flow/vinyasa or hot yoga class (one is not a replacement for the other), but when I’m home and not doing a lot of sweating, this magic carpet is great.

IT’S KITCHEN MAGIC – One of my favorite books, it’s fun and so flipping clever. Basically you can grow anything from kitchen scraps and the best part, for someone who doesn’t have a yard – it’s all windowsill friendly. And just look how well this book goes with the food huggers, use the left overs of those leftovers to grow something totally new.

Heart and Habit

SHOPPING RULES 102

FAVORITE THINGS / 8

HOW TO MAKE MORNINGS WITH KIDS RUN SMOOTHLY

GET UP BEFORE THE REST OF THE HOUSE

5 MUST WATCH TV SHOWS

THE BEST MOISTURIZER FOR YOUR FACE

FAVORITE THINGS / 6

DAMN, THESE POSTS ARE GOOD!

CULTIVATING YOUR
SIMPLE, STYLISH AND
CONTENT EVERY DAY.

GET UP BEFORE THE REST OF THE HOUSE

DAMN, THESE POSTS ARE GOOD!

CULTIVATING YOUR SIMPLE, STYLISH AND CONTENT EVERY DAY.

CULTIVATING YOUR
SIMPLE, STYLISH AND
CONTENT EVERY DAY.