7 Day Capsule Recap

My 7 day capsule wardrobe is complete.  I had fun getting dressed in clothes that made me feel good every day.  It did help my mood and helped me feel motivated to move forward with my summer.  I enjoyed wearing dresses and I think I will keep that in mind as I move forward with future capsule wardrobes.  In case you weren't following along on Instagram, here are my 7 days of outfits:

Happy Wednesday, friends!

20 Minute Challenge

With July drawing to a close, we only have one more month before school starts up again.  This summer has already been filled with ups (weddings, birthdays, graduations) and downs (our miscarriage).  With everything going on, I haven't touched any of my house projects that I have been wanting to tackle.  

I have decided to employ a 20 minute challenge to help me get going with my projects.  I plan to spend 20 minutes every day that we are home working on a cleaning/decluttering project in my home.  Those 20 minutes per day will really add up over the month of August.  I am excited to see what I can accomplish.

I will be posting my progress both here an on my Instagram (@peacefulsimplelifeblog).  I would love to see your progress, if you want to join in.  

Happy Monday!  Have a fabulous week!

5 Fun and Simple Ways to Enjoy Summer

Summer is short and fleeting.  Most of us want to make the most of it, but sometimes it can be a struggle.  The good news is that you don't need a ton of money, time or effort in order to enjoy your summer.  Today I am going to share with you 5 fun and simple ways to enjoy your summer.

1.  Grow Something  There is nothing quite like nurturing a plant and watching it grow before your very eyes.  I have many plants and I love it.  If you are just starting out a simple flower or herb may be a good way to start.  Try to choose something hardy that won't mind if you forget about it from time to time.

2. Backyard Pool or Sprinkler  Nothing fancy here.  Just a plastic pool with some water or a sprinkler for the kids (and adults!) to run through.  This screams summer to me.  Some of my favourite memories from my childhood summers involve running through the water with my brother.

3.  Enjoy a frozen treat  This also screams summer to me.  We like to eat pospicles, freezies and ice cream outside at the park or on the patio.  Nothing like a dripping treat in the hot sunshine.  (And the added plus of less clean up because you are outside.)  Bonus points if you make your own!

4.  Blow bubbles  I have a fascination with bubbles.  I think that they are beautiful to watch.  My kids love to chase them and attempt to catch them.  Summer time is bubble time.

5.  Nature Walks  I think that nature walks are important all year round.  Nature is calming and so gorgeous.  I really like bird watching with my kiddos in the summer.  There are so many birds in our yard that only come for spring and summer.  Animals in general are much more active in the summer and there is so much to see.

How do you like to spend your time in the summer?  Do you have any simple past times that you like to enjoy?  Have a great weekend, friends!

7 Day Dress-Up Capsule

I haven't felt like getting dressed properly over the last few weeks.  There were moments that called for it and I did pull myself together, but for the most part I have spent my time in my sweatpants.  I don't think that there is anything wrong with this.  I was hurting both physically and emotionally and staying in my sweats was comforting.  

In the last few days I have started to feel much more like myself.  I am physically feeling much better.  Sometimes, when facing something difficult, I need to make the effort into my appearance in order to buoy my mood and to help me function better.  Yesterday, I decided to create a dressier capsule for the next week.  I think it will help bring me out of this funk.  Honestly, I am ready for it.  I needed time and space to feel my feelings, but I also don't want to check out of life for too long. 

My dress-up capsule contains 7 articles of clothing that I would consider to be dressier than my normal fare (although not really that dressy).  I am trying to go the extra mile to feel good in my skin again.  I have included 3 dresses, 1 sweater, 1 skirt, 1 pair of dress shorts and a blue tank.

I will post my outfits next week and let you know if this experiment worked!  I will also be posting on Instagram.  Happy Wednesday, friends!

Walking Through Difficult Times

We all walk through difficult and stressful times in our lives.  No one makes it through unscathed.  Recently, my husband and I learned that our pregnancy was ending is miscarriage.  We are both heartbroken.  This will be our second miscarriage.  We were so excited for our new little one and the thought that we won't get to meet this sweet baby fills me with sadness.  Unfortunately, there is no way around grief.  You have to walk through it.  I have learned a few things that help me make it through painful times and I thought I would share them with you.

Share your pain with your support network.  Whenever I am going through something difficult, I feel a strange responsibility to shield those around me from my pain so that I don't make them feel uncomfortable.  I don't know why this is my knee-jerk response, but I so badly want everything to be okay, so I pretend that it is.  I try not to let my pain spill over into areas of my life that other people see.  It really isn't the healthiest response.  While I recognize that I don't feel comfortable (nor should I) sharing my pain with everyone around me, I do have a handful of people who are in my support network.  These people are more than willing to share the burden of my pain.  These are the people who love me no matter what and who are willing to sit with the discomfort in order to help me wade through my heartbreak.  So I share.  I call them when I can't carry on my brave face and I start to crumble.  They listen, give me love and slowly help me pick up the pieces.

Set boundaries.  Setting boundaries is a lifelong skill that I am quite certain I will never fully master.  It is challenging to set boundaries at the best of times, let alone when we are feeling raw and broken.  The unfortunate fact of life is that there are people who always seem to overstep, ask for too much or can't recognize when they need to give space.  When you are hurting you need to grant yourself the time and the space to walk through your grief.  This might mean taking some responsibilities off your plate for a while, stepping away from activities or people whom you find draining, or simply building protected time into your schedule so that you can process in the way that works best for you.

Ask for what you need.  This can be hard to do, especially when we are used to being able to meet our needs on our own.  When we are hurting, the people around us want to help.  Sometimes they don't know how to do that.  It is perfectly okay to ask for what you need, especially when someone offers to help.  It can be as simple as just having someone listen or give you a hug.  It can also be asking someone to watch your children for an hour while you take a moment to yourself.  Everyone deals with challenges in different ways so it can be beneficial to clearly state what you need when someone is trying to help. 

If you don't have a good support network in place, please seek help through your medical provider or through a support group.  You shouldn't have to walk through painful times alone.  We are built for community, especially during times of need.

Time Out For Mom

I have a difficult time leaving my children.  I always have.  My anxiety goes through the roof, even when they are in safe hands.  We struggled for years to get pregnant.  When we had our first daughter, she was in medical distress and had to be transferred to a different hospital in a city that was an hour and a half away.  That hospital had no room for me and being fresh off of an emergency c-section, I was not allowed to follow for 36 hours.  Those were the longest 36 hours of my life.  I think that once I finally got my baby in my arms, I simply never wanted to let go.  I had nightmares for months about being separated from her.

I think a lot of my anxiety has stemmed from the events following her birth.  I am also a worrier by nature, so I often have to step back and remind myself that worrying doesn't do anything productive.  At any rate, I struggle to feel safe being away from my kids.

This has been fine and well for a long time.  Our kids had fallen into a nice evening routine.  I was feeling like I was getting ample alone time during my nights.  Recently, our oldest daughter has been struggling with her sleep and our alone time in the evenings has been greatly diminished or non-existent.  Coupled with her being overtired and feeling defiant, my frustration grew quickly and I finally became overwhelmed.  Saturday night, I found myself losing my temper and having to hand bedtime duties over to my husband before my I completely boiled over.  When he finally got our daughter down to sleep, I tearfully told him that I needed a break.

I was tired of spending my days trying to help my kids sort through emotions, while feeling spent and overtired.  I was tired of spending my nights trying to calm my older daughter while feeling anything but calm.  He agreed and suggested I take the time to recharge.

The next afternoon I decided to go to a nearby city.  I almost chickened out.  I nearly turned around.  I phoned home and my husband assured me all was well.  I took a few deep breaths and kept driving.  I eventually made it to the city.  I looked at pretty decor, drank coffee and browsed through stores.  I bought my next planner (Eeek!  I love planners!).  My afternoon was quiet.  No one asked me for anything.  I didn't have to help anyone calm down or share or find a productive way to channel anger.  I relaxed and thought only of trivial things.  I enjoyed my coffee while it was hot.  Best of all, no one followed me into the bathroom.  (If this seems strange, I apologize.  My kids make it their personal mission to be in the bathroom with me at all times.  If I manage to close and lock the door, they sit outside and talk to me the whole time.)

It was a lovely break.  It was a needed break.  When I came home, I was refreshed.  My daughter had another difficult bedtime that night, but I didn't get frustrated.  I felt better able to help her through it because I was no longer depleted.

Take the time, Mama.  Everyone needs a break now and then.  It can be difficult to find a way to make it work, but it is vital.  Sometimes you only need an hour.  Other times you need a whole afternoon.  Take what you need to stay healthy.   As the old adage goes, 'you can't pour from an empty cup'.

Capsule Wardrobe- Trying a New Method

We have had an active Spring and our May is going to be filled with a bunch of fun events.  This means that we spend less time at home.  I strongly identify as an introvert, so spending time away from home is stressful for me.  I begin to feel overwhelmed by many aspects of my life.  This includes simple things, like my closet.

When I have a full schedule, the last thing I want to think about is clothes.  I have found capsule wardrobes to be extremely helpful for this, but it wasn't really working out for me this time.  I chose all my items and had them in my closet.  It wasn't a large capsule wardrobe, but it felt suffocating.  I toyed with the idea of a uniform but I am not sure I could make that work.

Like many people, I know what I like to wear.  If you have been following my wardrobes for a while you know that I often repeat the same items over and over.   Certain clothes make it into every single wardrobe.  I took those items out of my closet and separated them from the rest.  I am going to call this my core capsule.

My core capsule consists of 10 items.  3 pairs of pants and 7 tops.  I wear these items constantly and that isn't going to change any time soon.

Apparently I like to wear black and grey.

I have decided that instead of designing entire capsule wardrobes, I will simply choose pieces to add to my core capsule every month.  This will help me choose items that make sense depending on the weather and what my life is demanding of me that month.  It will also keep my capsule wardrobe feeling fresh and fun.  I will simply shop my closet every month.

I have added 13 items to my core capsule this month, for a total of 23 items.  2 of those items are not pictured, as I just ordered them from an ethical clothing company.  I will share my thoughts on those items after I have had a chance to wear them.  My May capsule will encompass Mother's Day, Playschool graduation, my daughter's birthday, my Grandma's 80th birthday and my cousin's wedding.  (Plus all the regular life in between!)  

My May capsule items include my coral blazer, my black jumpsuit, striped sundress, 2 Harry Potter t-shirts, floral off-the-shoulder top, black nursing top, raspberry nursing sweater, blue tank top, cropped jeans and pink jeans.  It is a nice amount of colour to go along with my neutral core wardrobe.

Happy Wednesday, friends!