simplify. part 4. {a blogging break}

I've talked about different parts of my life--from online life to quotes to other forms of media-- that I'm simplifying over the last week or so; and now its time to talk about this blog and the other blog I created to track my journey to living healthy (Jen Lives Healthy). 

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The first time I wrote this post, it was something along the lines of the fact that I was just going to get 'back to the basics', and talk about list updates here and basic updates on where my weight loss is over at the other blog.  Maybe just a few posts total each week.

But as the past week went on, and I found myself busy with life--good life moments--I decided that it might be time for a break from blogging here.

For those of you that know me in a space other than this blogging space, and want to stay caught up on our world, I am going to be updating our family blog more {I promise!  And I don't break promises}.  And that is actually one of the reasons I want to take this break.

I want to make sure that I am capturing all of the beautiful, once in a lifetime moments that we are experiencing right now for my children, my husband and myself.

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Last Wednesday was one of those moments days.  A soul filling, beautiful, random afternoon and evening in Edinburgh.  We played at Edinburgh Castle--which is usually full of tourists--on a sunny and mild day, and felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Which is something we don't mind in the least.

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And yes, I have a little idea in mind of something else I'll be working on at the computer, if time allows and my brain cooperates.  {wink}

During the months of March and April, if something real exciting comes up, I may pop back in--so don't go away! Keep me in your reader or however you happen to read these posts.  Once those two months roll on by, I'll check back in and see how life is going. See if I'm feeling a pull to write here or if something else is pulling me somewhere.

Also, (at least for now) I'll still be over at Instagram, so feel free to follow me there (jenlives). I will write monthly updates over at Jen Lives Healthy, so I can keep a good record of the 'action'.

AND if you want to still follow along with our family, and haven't gotten our family blog URL, please comment, email me or comment on Facebook, and I'll get you the URL.  I'm keeping it a bit on the private side, as I use all of our real names and such, but I'm willing to share it with my friends here in the blog world.  {smile}

So until May... may your spring be bright, beautiful and full of joy.

Ciao for now.

simplify. part 3. {about media}

I'm on a mission to simplify.  To focus on completing what needs to be done, I need to focus less on items that don't need or shouldn't require my attention. I'm going to take a few posts to talk about the steps I'm taking to simplify; and then move on to the task of doing. 

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Covered so far:  quotes and online media

Today?  Other kinds of media.  

1. television:  I've already severely cut this back just by not watching it during nap/quiet time.  I watch a bit after the kids go to bed, so its pretty limited.  This has been working brilliantly. 
2. game playing on my phone/iPad: Much like Facebook, this is a way for me to stay in touch with people.  I mostly only play games like Words with Friends, Dice with Buddies or Ruzzle that are played against/with people.  And those people are just about always with family or friends. So I won't change much of anything here.  I've tried to cut down the number of times I play throughout the day; but a lot of that just depends on what the day brings us.  Sometimes  its a nice time filler when I'm watching the kiddos play happily without me.  
3. reading:  through Lent I've committed myself to reading some 'self-help'-ish type books.  Once Lent is over?  That's done.  Its back to the list of 100 books recommended by the BBC I want to read (its on my bucket list).  Or any other fantastic book I've heard about from someone else. If a must read self-help book falls on the list, so be it.  But along the lines of my post about quotes; I'm darn good enough already.  I need to take a break from 'self helping' myself.  

Just one more post about my plans for this blog and Jen Lives Healthy, and then I'll be done.  Whew. Who knew simplifying could take so much time?  

Monday Missions {Week 7}

So, uh, yeah. Didn't finish last week's mission, to get our family blog updated. But I did get a good start...I got all the way through November!

Might not sound like much, but we had a ten day trip to Minnesota in November, and it included Thanksgiving, a first haircut for J#4 and a first dentist appointment for J#3' among other things.

But that just means this week's Monday Mission is easy to figure out...hopefully I can get all the way caught up with the family blog.

With it taking so long to get caught up with that, it's really helping me make some decisions as I 've been simplifying. So you can probably expect a sort of 'announcement' of sorts later this week.

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So tell me..how have you been doing on you Monday Missions?

simplify. part 2. {about online life}

I'm on a mission to simplify.  To focus on completing what needs to be done, I need to focus less on items that don't need or shouldn't require my attention. I'm going to take a few posts to talk about the steps I'm taking to simplify; and then move on to the task of doing. 

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Alright. Imagine this.  You sat down at the computer and caught up on high school and college friends on Facebook.  You checked email, returned a note back to your Mom or best friend, maybe checked out movie times.  

Simple? Yes.  A time in the past?  Yes.  Probably about four years ago. 

Now a sit down at the computer takes upwards of a few hours at times.  I can literally sit down at 1:15, when I get J#3 off to nursery school and J#4 down for her nap, and keep myself busy until 3:15 when its time for me to wake up J#4 and go pick J#3 up.  TWO solid hours on the internet.  

And you know what?  A good solid hour or more of that time is taken up reading about people I don't even know.  Through their blogs or on Instagram.  People I've never met and likely will never have a chance of meeting.  

I LOVE blogging and the community of it, don't get me wrong.  There are some fabulous ladies that I communicate with pretty regularly here and on Instagram. And I plan on continuing to do that.  

BUT there are folks that I'm not even sure why I started following; and there are some that constantly make me feel like I should be comparing myself to them {not their fault, of course...just the way my mind works}, which doesn't lead to anything good.  

So, here is my plan. 

1. Instagram: I've limited the people I follow to {keep in mind this is still a large group, but feels a bit more manageable}:
• people I know personally, 
• bloggers and other online friends that I communicate with quite a bit, 
• of course a few celebrities, {because I MUST know what color nail polish Kim Kardashian is wearing. bahaha.}
• and some of my favorite 'popular' bloggers like Kelle Hampton.
2. Blogs: I got a bit more cutthroat on the blogs.  I've subscribed via email to some of my favorite favorites.  {Note to any blogger reading: please add this as an option to your blog!} And the few that don't have the option that I want to keep up with will still be available in my reader.  BUT I except my blog reading to be cut down by 50% at least.  Maybe even more.  
3. Twitter: I've deleted twitter from my phone and iPad, so if I want to check it I have to do it on my desktop computer.  Which means-it won't happen often and I'll likely just check in with the few people that I really want to keep up with {again mostly people that I have met}.  Honestly, I've never caught on very well with Twitter.  I'm sort of 'on and off' with it, so there is a good chance it'll find its way back, but for now its just on the computer. 
4. Facebook:  Ah, Facebook.  I'm trying to cut down the number of times I go on it.  That's all I can do there.  That IS mostly people I know, and have known for quite a while. Its my link to 'home' for now.  

What is this really all about?  Limiting my time with media.  Increasing time focusing on my family and my passions, like writing.  And writing more than just a status update.