keeping things simple.

We've embraced the life of minimalists.

For so long I've been plagued with stress and anxiety over the clutter and overall feeling of living in an overstuffed can of sardines that has been our life since getting married and I didn't know what to do about it. Then my friend Bethie introduced me to the world of minimalism.

Minimalism looks different for everyone, but it's about learning what you can live without, and then living without it. We're still in the process of purging things and figuring out exactly what our minimalism is, but it's already making me feel better. It's no longer holding on to small things just in case, or having a full storage bin full of sentimental things that are never even looked at. It's not having every book and toy under the sun. It's not having tons of furniture. It's not attaching ourselves to things that are ultimately temporary, while only filling our home with truly beautiful things that we love. It's a balance we're still trying to find, but just the process of getting rid of really unnecessary and useless things is helping me feel more centered and clear headed. I don't want my little forest boys to grow up in a high-consumerism type of home.

This is one of the changes I have been so desperately wanting to make in our life, and now that we've started it's kind of addicting. Getting rid of things is like a weight suddenly lifted. Sorting and organizing is a joy, and I've found that even though the process is slow it's making adapting to the changes a lot smoother. As much as I hate the acute consumerism we seem to live in, it's hard to go from putting huge value on things and having stuff to taking on the mind set that ultimately all the things and all the stuff will deteriorate and what should really be the focus is the people in your life, rather than the things.

By most minimalist standards, we still have a lot of stuff. But I maintain that minimalism looks and is different for everyone. Some people can live with just one pair of shoes year round, while others need several pairs. Some families embrace co sleeping, others feel they benefit most from having a crib. It changes based on your needs, and those are in a constant state of motion and change.

Having less is most definitely freeing and I've actually even lost the feeling of satisfaction in buying new things. Except for a few select things, I don't get excited about buying things new (though I still love getting things from the thrift store, but those aren't really 'new') and I dread having to to the point where I avoid it whenever I can. It's been so great, and it helps to keep things in our life as simple as we can.