Simplify, Simplify, Simplify.
By simplifying various areas of your life, you may find that your stress level is reduced. Let’s talk about two areas where you can simplify your life:
• Entertaining
• Gardening
Simplify your Holiday or Event!
Every year we have a July 4th party to celebrate Independence Day with our family and friends. Our house is a perfect location to view the fireworks in our town and many neighbors and friends stop by to view the fireworks and celebrate.
Over the years, we changed from having a sit down dinner (even though it was a potluck) to offering appetizers and desserts. We encourage our guests to bring a lawn chair, their favorite beverage and an appetizer or dessert to share. Although we may get duplicates of a dessert or appetizer, it works out just fine. We make sure that we provide a couple of hearty and healthy appetizers, snacks and desserts and everyone fills in the menu. Making this change reduced the workload on my family. In the past, we grilled for several hours to provide a sit-down meal for our guests. This casual approach works for our picnic style event. Yes, it is different from our first July 4th celebration but it is much easier on everyone.
Simplify Your Party!
Try some of these suggestions to simplify family parties, celebrations and events.
• Consider altering your time honored traditions to reduce your work load and stress levels. Do you have to make that complicated dessert?
• Modify your expectations – so many times it is our expectations that make us over-do our preparations. Rethink what you’ve always done and consider new alternatives.
• Ask for help if you need it – your family and friends will pitch in to help get things ready.
• Don’t be afraid to purchase ready-to-eat food items or baked goods.
• Rethink your beverages – make large pitchers of iced tea, flavored water and lemonade instead of soda for your guests.
You will save money and reduce your environmental impact (fewer cans or plastic bottles to recycle) and you will be able to offer a healthier beverage option.
Simplify your Garden!
I love flowers and herbs. Every spring I am so excited that winter is over and I want to purchase new plants. My flowerbeds are full and I need to consider ways to garden smarter.
What can you do to simplify your garden?
• Use mulch to help hold moisture in and to reduce weeds.
• Downsize your flowerbeds. Look at the areas in your yard or garden, and make a plan. Can you move some of your plants and fill in one or two flowerbeds?
• Consider planting perennials – these plants will return year after year and planting perennials will eliminate the need to purchase and plant annuals every year.
• Consider planting ground cover that will spread. You will have fewer weeds by planting a ground cover that fills in your garden space. This gardening tip will save you time pulling weeds.
• Plant herbs in containers – select the herbs that you want to plant and put them in a container. This year I planted several basil plants in my basil bowl. Easy to do and less weeding than planting in my herb bed.
What can you do to simplify your life?
