The Simple Home

Links From This Episode

• Simple Home Reset Mentorship Program

If you're anything like me, you've gotten stuck on the hampster wheel of decluttering, organizing, decluttering, and organizing again.

I spent years wondering why I couldn't seem to get a handle on my clutter. Why I couldn't fnd a way to stay organized. And why my house kept filling up with different size storage containers. It wasn't until I finally figured out the underlying cause of all that clutter (over buying!) and a system for dealing with it, that I was able to find a life I loved under all that stuff.

Are you covered in clutter? Can't seem to stay organized?

What do you think? Have you tried a million different times to organize and haven’t quite landed on what works best for you? Just like everything else, it takes time, systems, and some motivation!

In this episode of The Simple Home Podcast, Hillary Zama from Spruce Up LLC teaches us how to Spruce up our space.

Hillary has simple steps she walks through with her clients as a professional organizer and she shares her secrets with us! Her heart is in helping woman get a handle on their space so they can simplify their homes, bodies, and minds. She works with each individual person, knowing that everyone has a unique home and lifestyle. You're going to love this interview!

This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something through my link, I will receive a small commission. I'll never recommend something I do not use and love.

Links From This Episode

• Spruce Up LLC Website
• Spruce Up: A Professional Organizer's Guide to Your Home, Your Body, your Life 
• Free Bonus Guide
• The Simple Home Reset

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

Can I tell you a secret?

I’ve bought way too many toys for my kids. Creating a clutter free toy space has been a challenge for me at times. I’ve purchased toys for them that have never been played with. I’ve had a hard time getting rid of things because I wanted so badly for my kids to love and play with, but never really did.

If toy clutter is taking over your house, you’ve probably done the same thing.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed quickly with toy clutter, even at the earliest stages of your child’s life. As your child grows, has new interests, receives gifts, and so on, your toy clutter will grow exponentially. However, much of this toy clutter is meaningless to your child and can actually be a detriment to enjoyable, purposeful play.

In this episode you’ll learn how to create a clutter free toy space and set up a system to make it more manageable in the future. 

Key takeaways

• The essential first step when tackling toy clutter.
• How to get started with determining your beliefs about toys and play.
• How to declutter, organize, and create systems around the toys in your house.
• The negative affect toy clutter has on your kids.
• What this process will teach your children and stay with them throughout their life.
• Mom guilt and toy clutter- why they go together.

You and your kids are likely feeling stress from your toy clutter, whether you realize it or not. Creating a space with the right toys will encourage creativity, communication, innovation, and emotional growth. Getting rid of toy clutter is time well spent.  

Links from this episode

• How To Curate Your Toys And Create The Perfect Play Space
• Clutter Free With Kids- Why Family Minimalism Is So Important (Interview With Joshua Becker)
• The Simple Home Decluttering Challenge
• Everyday Routines For Moms That Will Simplify Your Life
• Morning Routines, Nightly Routines, And Daily Resets For Families

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

Have you ever been in the never ending cycle of organizing and reorganizing and putting things in new containers, and moving things to a new room and organizing again? It feels like it never stops, doesn’t it? I know this all too well from my own experience.

Decluttering and organization can be never ending.

The terms, organization and decluttering, often get confused. Or the decluttering phase gets overlooked completely. 

Organization looks different for everyone. Being organized is about creating spaces and systems that make your life easier, not just prettier. There are a few steps to put into place to ensure your organization systems work so you can get out of that never ending cycle we talked about above. 

In this episode of The Simple Home Podcast, we’ll talk about the difference between organization and decluttering and help you set up a system that works for you.

Key Takeaways

• What happens when you organize and what doesn’t happen.
• The 1st step you must take for successful organization (that often gets skipped).
• How to start with small, attainable steps. 
• My 6 phase approach to make decluttering possible and much simpler.

Links From This Episode

• The Simple Home Declutter Challenge
• Create And Maintain A Clutter Free Toy Space
• How To Create A Capsule Wardrobe For Motherhood
• Clutter Free With Kids- The Importance Of Family Minimalism
• Morning Routines, Nightly Routines, And Daily Resets For Families

Find this episode of The Simple Home Podcast and others you’ll love on your favorite podcast player, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and TuneIn! Remember to subscribe on your favorite podcast player so you don’t miss an episode.

Do you ever get to 5:00 and have no idea what to make for dinner? I do this all the time! I imagine it's similar to how someone feels when they're writing a book and staring at a blank white screen. I look in the refrigerator and whether I've just been to the grocery store or not, it looks empty.

The only way I've found to mitigate this is to have some sort of a plan. However, meal planning can feel complicated and stressful. What do you think? Have you tried a million different methods and haven't quite landed on what works best for you? Just like everything else, simple is best when it comes to getting meals on the table. Simple recipes, simple meal planning, and less time wondering what to cook!

In this episode of The Simple Home Podcast, Christine from Cook This Story, teaches us her method for meal planning. I love what she says about getting started because it'll take zero effort and give you so much time back!
 
You're going to love this episode and all of Christine's tips on meal planning. She also shares with us some of her favorite simple recipes to make getting started that much easier.

Links From This Episode
Cookthestory.com- Loads of great tips and recipes!
Cookthestory.com/newsetter- Get weekly meal plans and recipes sent to your inbox!
TMI with Christine- Podcast about food, time management, and more.
@cookthestory all over social media
Thecookful.com- Recipes and more with other contributors.

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

"Busy isn't a lifestyle, it's a choice." The Minimalists

Do you ever find yourself repeating the same thing over and over when someone asks how you're doing? "It's been busy." "We've just been busy." "It's been a busy few weeks."

It's become a badge of honor to be busy and still act like we've got it altogether. I want to give you permission to choose a different way. To trade busy for intentional. Take things off your plate and organize the things that remain. 

This week on The Simple Home Podcast I talk to Laura from The Mama System to help us do just that. As a mother of 10, she's had to systematize her daily routines and set her priorities. She teaches us how to create the right systems and routines that fit our lifestyles and our families right now. 

You're going to love her life hacks for moms that will get you on the road to feeling less busy! 

Links from this episode

• Mamasystem.net
• The Mama System Master Course
• Ticket System Course- Laura's system to manage chores and other tasks around the house!
• The Bucket System– I use and love this says a way to keep my kids and myself responsible for what we need and want to get done each day. This system keeps me from reminding and nagging my kids all day long which helps build our relationship and fosters independence.

Other episodes you might enjoy 

• Master Your Productivity Without the Overwhelm
• Time Management, Slow Living, and Motherhood with Nancy Ray
• Decluttering Your Motherhood

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

Find this episode of The Simple Home Podcast and others you’ll love on your favorite podcast player, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and TuneIn or anywhere else you listen to podcasts! Remember to subscribe on your favorite podcast player so you don’t miss an episode.

Simplifying your fitness and health routines can make a huge impact on your well being.

Not only will it have profound benefits for your physical health, but also your mental health, stress level, and overall capacity for motherhood. 

I know I've struggled to make health a priority since having kids. I know how important it is, but finding time for one more thing feels impossible at times. 

That's why I brought on Lauren Jones from The Simple Life Project Podcast to talk about fitness and health routines.

She breaks it down for us so fitness and health feels doable again. She gives you small steps you can put into action today, no matter how much time you have to your current fitness level.

I'm sure you hear about making time for 'self-care' a lot. In my opinion, the best self care you can do for yourself is adding one thing into your life that will make health and fitness a habit. Lauren teaches us how to do this in the little open time slots we have and then build on the momentum. 

Links from this episode:

• The Simple Life Project Podcast
• Laurennicolejones.com
• Lauren Nicole Jones- You Tube

Other episodes and resources you might enjoy:

• 20 Things I No Longer Buy
• Living Clutter Free With Kids
• Practical Holistic Health for Busy Moms
• FREE Resources to help you simplify where you need it most!

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

Find this episode of The Simple Home Podcast and others you’ll love on your favorite podcast player, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and TuneIn or anywhere else you listen to podcasts! Remember to subscribe on your favorite podcast player so you don’t miss an episode.

-Cara Harvey, A Purpose Driven Mom

One of the greatest challenges we face is how we will spend our time.

How we can get it all done and still have time for the things that are important to us. How we can slow it down and enjoy the time as it passes. Time may be our most valuable asset, yet we often don’t ‘choose’ how we spend it, but rather wish we had more of it. 

In this episode of The Simple Home Podcast, Cara Harvey from a Purpose driven mom teaches us that mastering your productivity does not mean doing everything. 

Learning how to manage your time in a way that honors you and your season of motherhood is the only way to start living without the overwhelm. 

Takeaways from this episode

• The how and why of time blocking and how you can use it to create space and purpose in your day.
• How to use routines to build habits and rhythms in your day.
• How to help your kids develop routines and buy into the process.
• Figure out where your trouble spots are, what your vision is, and how to bridge the gap.

Links from this episode 

• Curate and Cherish- Declutter and organize your photos once and for all!
• A Purpose Driven Mom on IG
• A Purpose Driven Mom Podcast
• Free Workshop with Cara
• A Purpose Driven Mom Website

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy

• Time Management, Slow Living, and Motherhood with Nancy Ray
• What Minimalism Really Looks Like with a Family (Interview with Rachel Crawford)
• 10 Things You Can Do Every Night for Easier Mornings
• Becoming an Intentional Mom: Grace filled Days, Contentment, and Having Less Stuff (Interview with Desirae Endres)

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

If you’ve been listening to The Simple Home Podcast for a while now, then you know that organization is not my strong suit. In fact, I’ve always struggled to stay organized. My idea of good organization was buying new tubs of varying sizes to house all my junk (by category). I had tubs everywhere and so much junk stuffed inside, there wasn’t any way to get anything out. Can you relate?

It wasn’t until I figured out that my lack of organization was really caused by the amount of stuff I had in my house. The clutter couldn’t be organized because there was too much of it.

If you’ve struggled with decluttering and organization in the past, this episode of The Simple Home Podcast is for you. 

I chat with Rose Lounsbury about the trick to organizing your home for good. She tells us how she became a clutter expert, why she doesn’t focus on the organization, and what you can do to create your own organized home.

Links from this episode 

• Curate and Cherish- Declutter and organize your digital and printed photos once and for all!
• Roselounsbury.com
• Rose on IG

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy

• Create a simpler kitchen- episode 89
• Make it easy to put things away- episode 83
• Living with less stuff- making permanent change- episode 60
• Living clutter free with kids- episode 73
• Organization comes down to one thing- episode 41
• Staying organized as your seasons change- episode 49

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

Find this episode of The Simple Home Podcast and others you’ll love on your favorite podcast player, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and TuneIn or anywhere else you listen to podcasts! Remember to subscribe on your favorite podcast player so you don’t miss an episode.

Simplicity is more about what we decide to edit from our lives than anything else.  

We live in a world that encourages us to do more, be more, buy more, think bigger, etc. But what if instead, you did less, bought less, and ultimately pruned down your life to only the essentials? Finding simplicity takes intention, patience, and a little trial and error. Because everybody's "simple" is different, it will take some time to create the right balance for yourself. That's why I know you're going to love this list of things I no longer buy.

In this episode of The Simple Home Podcast, I talk with Bridget from Simple, Clean, Bridget. She tells us why and how she first embarked in this journey with Simple, Clean, Bridget and how it has lead her down a path of simplifying, even with 3 young kids. She also gives us a list of 20 things she no longer buys, which saves her time, money, and sanity as she leans into the challenges and joys of motherhood. 

Links from this episode

• Clean+Simple Bridget on IG
• Clean+Simple Bridget on FB
• Oil Sprayer
• Mentraul Cup

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy

• Real Motherhood, Saving Money, and Living Intentionally with Amber from The Unhurried Homestead
• Minimalist Motherhood with Diane Boden
• Small Steps to Lasting Change- Organize Your Day
• Small Steps to Lasting Change- Declutter Your Life

If you’d like to hang out more and stay motivated in between episodes, come join my free Facebook community. It’s full of like minded people who are working hard to simplify their lives too! This work is easier done in community than by yourself so come over and join us!

If this episode inspired you in some way, please take a minute to leave a rating and review on itunes. Use this link, click the 5 starts, and write a short review of the show! 

Find this episode of The Simple Home Podcast and others you’ll love on your favorite podcast player, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, and TuneIn or anywhere else you listen to podcasts! Remember to subscribe on your favorite podcast player so you don’t miss an episode.