Just a love letter to my local library. ❤️
My library has been holding all sorts of events for kids through the summer. It's one of my favorite things. My kid and I have gotten so much enjoyment out of the library. I've never felt the need to buy new books or movies when I could borrow them first. My kid gets free lunch after weekly storytime. It's the best.
I love seeing other kids have fun there too. Having a third place and being part of a local community has helped so much in curbing my past shopping problem. I didn't need material things to fill the void. What I really needed was human connection and more time for friends.
Toys for sure. Both my spouse and mother-in-law love to buy toys for my kid. I try to be understanding. They didn't grow up with much so to them, it's important. Thankfully, I've been able to declutter some and they're not excessive with gift giving.
Simple living doesn't always feel peaceful. 😅 I'm also a SAHM with what I would describe as quiet hobbies (reading, journaling, crochet, etc). My toddler provides plenty of chaos though lol.
With a 3mo and 2yr, you shouldn't be worrying about simple living right now honestly. You're in the thick of it. It's okay to just be in survival mode.
I imagine what you need is quiet time and a break. Do you have any family that can babysit sometimes so you two can go away for a while? Even a few hours is helpful. Does the toddler still nap? That is the time for one of you to also power nap, if possible.
The key is to simplify the house maintenance too. Some days the laundry and dishes will fall behind. That's okay! These days are gonna go by fast. I can go on and on about cleaning and organizing systems if that is something you wanna hear.
Two books:
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All Adults Here by Emma Straub. I appreciate the simple, contemporary language that's easy for me to read through after a short book break to play some games.
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The Advanced Day Planner's Guide - more of a niche interest, I also enjoy planning. This book has lots of helpful, practical tips to boost your productivity in a non-stressful way. Planning has enabled me to achieve things I never thought possible and has left me plenty of time to enjoy myself too.
Despite most of my favorite subreddits reopening, I can't in good conscience continue to use Reddit. The whole community might not totally move, but I hope this can be our own little happy corner.
In the spirit of simplicity, I've actually been enjoying the slow roll of new posts on my subscribed feed. I know this might not be forever, but I'm enjoying it for now. I realized I've been following too many subs that I don't care about anymore. So it's been nice to have a fresh start too!
I enjoy simple living and journaling. :) Just here to read through my favorite communities.