Simple Living (part 2)- Purpose statement

Lately it seems that you can buy art that says "live, laugh, love" or "Dance like no one is watching" just about anywhere. I like to think of these as the modern-day, "Welcome Friends" country-blue art that my mother so loved in the 80's and 90's. But there can be significance in placing the words that resonate with you in your home. Chapter 3 of Organized Simplicity helps you identify your family's purpose statement for Living Holistically within your Family's Purpose

..."We're all given a finite amount of time, resources, and talents, which makes it rather impossible to achieve that noble, yet impossible ambition of doing everything well that you want to do. It's simply not possible, and it's a poor use of energy and devotion. One of the characteristics of a responsible adult is to recognize the difference between the important and the urgent. If your desire is to live simply, it's essential to know what's the most important stuff in life and what's urgency disguised as important. Within a busy world and a culture with an infinite list of demands, your soul needs some constant, a foundation that helps you determine what you can do and what you just can't or won't, and what can wait until later. This unshakable rock needs to be something that makes sense, that's clearly defined, and that is consistent with your priorities. This is when a purpose statement proves invaluably handy. I'm talking about a real, definitive, no-holds-barred statement that says what you are about. And if you're sharing a roof with other family members, it's a statement that says what all of you are about.
A purpose statement with an end goal to simplify your life should be simple in itself. It should be timeless. It should be general, but not too general (Live, laugh, love. HAHA) If it's too vague, it won't really help in your day-to-day decision making. If it's too specific, it may needlessly paint you into a corner you never intended.
Here is my family's purpose statement: As a family, we want to glorify God. We will: Put each other first, Cultivate deep relationships with one another, Extend love to those around us, LIve simply, Be true to who God made us, Take care of our health, Be good stewards of creation, Be lifelong learners. MaryJo Wieland, writer at TurnItUpMom.com and wife and mom in New Jersey, has shared her family's purpose statement as:
Kindness: Generosity of Spirit.We show people that we care. We are sympathetic and understanding, and we act with a warm heart. Responsibility: We have a responsibility to ourselves, our community, and the environment. Faith: We believe in God and in each other. We are loyal to each other, trusting that each person has something special to offer the world. Fun: We remember to approach life with a light-hearted playfulness, to laugh a lot, and the make memories together.
Pick these questions below that resonate most with you and jot down some thoughts. Write the first answer that comes into your mind, or simply write down some words that percolate as you mull over the topic.
1) What are a few strengths of each member of your family?
2) Collectively, we are at our best when we are...
3) Collectively we are at our worst when we are...
4) If we had a completely few day together as a family how would we spend it?
5) What are practical ways we can serve each other?
6) What are practical ways we can serve others outside our family?
7) Name three things we think we could do better as a family.
8) What would people say today about our family as a whole?
9) What would we like people to say about our family as a whole in thirty years?
10) If our home could be filled with one emotion, what emotion would it be?
11) Name three adjectives we would like people to describe our home environment.
12) What are the tope four priorities we want our family to value?
13) What is the main purpose of our home?
14) What is the secondary purpose of our home?
15) what is the individual purpose of each member of our family?
16) Describe the status of our family in ten years...financially, intellectually, emotionally, relationally, communally with our environment, physically, spiritually
19) What does your family/home look like in ten years?

Start drafting your purpose statement by way of your answers. There is no right or wrong way to write this, but remember to keep it simple and timeless. Consider displaying your statement somewhere for all family members to see. It is a powerful tool. It is a major instrument in your quest to live against the grain of modern-day culture. When you second-guess your decisions of your priorities, you can read your purpose statement and be encouraged that simple living is worth it.


The next blog will share her advice on time and money! Stay tuned.

simple living- what is it?

Have you ever observed the way someone manages their life and home and thought, man, I could learn a thing or two or twelve from them. There are three people in my life that have inspired me with their simple living; and fortunately I worked with all of them (Stacey Bloodworth, Lacy Deese and Ann Hendrick). I observed healthy boundaries that Stacey and Lacy set for themselves; boundaries in how they spent their time, money and relationships- with great intention. I revered the way Ann cooks, invests in her own garden and local markets, and the adventurous-memory-making holidays and vacations with her family.
I have longed for the season of life where being "domestic" was important and appreciated; where investing in my home means more than upgrading to stainless steel appliances. I am in that season now.
When Daniel and I were writing our wedding vows, we sat snuggled up on a sofa and wrote down what was important to our home, family and relationship. I later read in a book that what we were doing was establishing our family's purpose statement.
Well, wouldn't you know....Lacy Deese recently mailed me this book for my birthday, Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider (yes, that is the correct spelling).

It's an easy read, but I am not going to be that friend who insists you read every book I read. Instead, I am going dedicate the next few blogs to the concepts in the book that resonate with me. Hopefully, making it more SIMPLE for you. I will not give my opinion; just some really helpful nuggets (i love using the word nugget).

from the book..."Our culture progresses toward more busyness, more options, more opportunites to make money and my heart runs the other way. One hundred years ago, a housewife didn't have an endless selection of toothpastes. Are we any happier today that we have twenty different toothpaste brands and thirty different flavors to choose from? We're stressed. It's those endless options that make us feel like we might miss something.
From 1950 to 2004, the average American home has DOUBLED in size- what was once 983 square feet is now 2,349 sq. ft. Today, we live in homes that provide almost the same amount of room per person that an average 1950s-sized house would have provided for an entire family. And the storage business is a lucrative business, to help us buy more, clutter more and hold onto all of our so-called valuable "stuff."
Simple Living is a buzzword in our postmodern culture, and concepts like frugality and going green are trendy. But 80 percent of American households are two-income families and do not have the time or desire to transport their families around on bikes, grow all of their produce or sew all of their clothes. Simplifying your life does not mean going to extremes or creating more work. Simplifying your life is about making life better. It's about choices to say NO to the things that don't matter so you are free to say YES to the things you truly want. The definition of simple living is "LIVING HOLISTICALLY WITH YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE."

Four extra benefits of simplfying and decluttering:
More time for people: being free to invite someone over at the last minute for dinner and a card game without the fear of the mountain of laundry or food stuck to the kitchen counter. Improved Health: Our mental, emotional, and physical health is taking a serious toll because of our cluttered lives. We're stressed, easily overwhelmed, and we are not sleeping well because our minds, checkbooks and homes are too crowded with our "stuff." All of the hard work to maintain it means less time in the place meant to be your haven. Financial well-being: We never feel like we have enough money while buying things with our money that we don't really need. De-cluttering our homes and shopping carts also creates emotional freedom which directly effects financial wellbeing.An ecological step in the right direction:You'll probably use less electricity, less gas, and less water to keep your place running.

You can't do it all, but you can control what you bring into your home and what you do with your resources. Simple living means that all the parts of your life are pointed in the same direction, one that has purpose and vibrancy.

I will continue this synopsis in later blogs. it gets good!....
Heather

a former dental hygienist's lament

I am often amazed that people know very little about oral health. I was just watching a segment on the Today show about Heart Disease and the hostess was shocked that daily flossing could prevent plaque build up in the arterial walls.
The mouth is the dirtiest place on/in your body. THE DIRTIEST. And it has access to the same blood stream that goes straight to the heart.
If your gums bleed, you have unhealthy gums. Period. You should get to a point where the gums do not bleed when you floss. If your ears bled every time you used a q-tip, wouldn't you see a doctor?

If your idea of oral hygiene is quickly swabbing your toothbrush over your front teeth or popping a piece of gum to fight bad breath, the rest of us really wish you would learn a few things.

So, please, allow me:
There are two different concerns in the mouth dealing with your hygiene habits:
1- dental decay and 2-gum/periodontal disease.
Dental decay ("cavities")of the tooth often results from sugar/food that is not cleaned from the tooth and turns into maturing plaque. The "sugar" doesn't necessarily come only from candy, but also comes from carbohydrates especially all the refined sugars in our boxed foods. Most often cavities form between the teeth and in the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the tooth. The way to fight cavities in between your teeth- FLOSS DAILY. This interrupts the plaque maturing process or what I like to call the "breaks up the bacteria party." Thorough brushing the chewing surfaces of your teeth will help with cavities there.

Gum/Periodontal disease typically can be smelled by others right when you start talking. For trained noses in the dental profession, we typically can smell periodontal disease across the room. FLOSS. FLOSS. FLOSS. What happens if you don't floss? The plaque or "gunk" around your teeth matures and calcifies if not removed. This calcified plaque or "tartar" will first create inflamed gums. Fire red and bleeding. Then the calcified plaque works it's way down the roots of the teeth, eroding the bone that holds your teeth in place. If not treated, this can result in painful and expensive gum surgery. Periodontal disease is the cause of tooth loss. This is why generations before us lost their teeth at an early age.

If you have bad breath, more than likely it is NOT "halitosis," more than likely it is plaque, lots of plaque in your mouth. Talk about this with your spouses and make them a dentist appointment. (if you are in Jackson, call Belle Meade Family Dental).

Oral hygiene tips/tricks:
1- Floss and then smell your floss! If it smells like bacteria (moth balls) you have mature bacteria in that pocket around that tooth. You need to increase flossing frequency. If it doesn't go away, you need a dental exam.
2- If you brush too hard and are wearing the gums away, brush with a fingertip grasp instead of full-handed grip. The harder your you press your toothbrush down on your teeth, the less effective the bristles.
3- If you have a recurrent problem with cavities, ask your dentist for a flouride prescription.
4- do not store your toothbrush near your toilet. The air is filled with micro-sized mist from the toilet everytime you flush. Gross. I know.

I hope you learned something.
I am a nerd, I know.