So what did I simplify in 2019? Here's a concise summary of what worked for me and how I used the concept of "SIMPLE" to influence almost every facet of my life
Holidays and Vacations
After a 2018 trip to Orlando that was fun for the kids and stressful for me, I resolved that I would not board any airplane with the kids in 2019. Instead our summer vacation was a 5 day trip to Canmore/Banff, a one hour drive from Calgary. Simple and we all still enjoyed ourselves. For springbreak, it was a staycation for the girls and I. We made the time more special by trying out a couple of new restaurants for lunch. We did travel for Christmas though.Home Organization
Kids Clothes: Instead of buying clothes ahead and out of season as I've done previously, I started buying clothes only when needed. This eliminated having create space to store a lot of the unworn, bigger sized clothes and shoes.Groceries and Meals: Like I mentioned in this post, I chose the more convenient ways of doing things with online grocery shopping, buying some pre-made meal items and simplified meal planning.
School Lunches: I finally figured out a short list of school lunches that we rotate through and I can prep on Sunday for the whole week. The list is
- hot dogs
- burgers
- sandwiches
- white rice and sauce (dinner leftovers)
- pasta (dinner leftovers)
Out of School Activities
Normally I book the girls' for random classes on the weekends - swimming, skating, art etc. However when the winter of 2019 rolled in, I decided I wanted to keep our weekends activity free. No jumping out of bed on Saturdays to scarf down some breakfast and head out for a class. NO. NOPE. NON. Didn't do any of that and it was awesome. I will definitely be implementing that again this winter. Weekends will be pure rest days.
Everything I've listed above worked so well for me in 2019 that I will be continuing them into 2020 with the exception of the travel.
