Hi friends. Whenever I write or talk about slow living, so many of you respond with your likes, shares, comments. I can see that it hits a nerve with all of us (myself included). I am always working to be more mindful and conscious when it comes to our daily lives. Slow living is not something that comes natural to me. I think most of us have been conditioned by the hurried nature of our world today and it does take a whole lot of mindfulness to stop and slow your pace. After having kids, I became better at this. Their world moves a whole lot slower and being with them, observing them, getting down on the floor with them… I took note of this, I sank into it, and yes, I really enjoyed it. But the gentle and natural flow to your day can very easily be interrupted. Mainstream parenting says to sign them up for classes, activities, get them involved in sports early, etc. It says to hurry them up or they will fall behind. I don’t buy it. Fall behind who? One of my favorite Charlotte Mason quotes says this:
““In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mother’s first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air.”
I know it seems idyllic and not everyone has the luxury to be home with their children or homeschool. I know there are a lot of moving parts to this and I am not here to pass judgment. It’s just something to think about. The tips on the list below are not going to pertain to everyone (because again, it entirely depends on your unique situation), but I hope you can take something from it. I am very fortunate to be able to be home with my children. It has not come without sacrifice and budgeting, but still, I do not take this opportunity for granted. Being home with my kids has allowed us all to slow down and feel more content. It has brought a lot of beauty and peace to our lives. Here are some ways that you can live calmer in a world where “frantic” feels normal and “more” is considered better than “less.” Spoiler alert: less is more.
#1: Wake up slow. Stay in your pajamas a bit longer. Make pancakes during the week instead of a weekend novelty. When we welcome the day more gently, our days always go smoother. Opting out of traditional school has helped make this a reality for us and it is one of the many perks.
#2: Get outside as much as you can. Preferably first thing after your slow morning! Or maybe your slow morning includes spent eating breakfast outside or sipping tea on the deck/patio. But I always find that during the warm weather months, getting outside first thing in the morning does a world of good for all of us (and getting out in the light of day when you first wake up is also a great way to set your own circadian clock). The cold weather months make this difficult for us but even just 20 minutes a day outside and bundled up is a step in the right direction. In the spring/summer/fall, forget about it. We are in and out all day long. It is so good for all of us.
#3: Keep less toys. We de-cluttered probably 60% of the toys we had in our home and to be honest, my kids hardly noticed half of it. We got rid of an entire cubed shelving unit and they didn’t comment on it or bat an eye at the loss of the toys OR the piece of furniture suddenly not there. We kept favorites (lots of plush), art materials, and open-ended toys and got rid of most plastic (save for a few well-loved) and it has not only reduced visual clutter, but I find that my kids are more creative and actually play better. Too many toys in the home creates a lot of noise and distraction for kids, and half the time, they can’t even decide what to play with because it is so overwhelming. Less is more when it comes to toys. To be honest, they mostly just wanna do whatever you are doing! Or play with laundry baskets and couch cushions (at least in our house!)
#4: Play calm music. A quick search for “relaxing music” on Spotify will come up with hundreds of playlists, from Garden Classical to Zen Garden to Meditations, etc. The same goes for YouTube. I always find that the day feels a bit more magical and romantic when we have calm instrumental music playing softly in the background. My kids love it and always ask for me to “put on the relaxing music.”
#5: Let your kids help you. I know it takes more time and can be messier, but your kids want to be involved in your daily life. Really. They want to fold the hand towels or help empty the dishwasher or chop the vegetables or bake the muffins. My oldest always begs me to let her mop the floor. And yeah, it may not get done exactly how I envision but I do my best to say yes as often as I can. This is how they learn life skills and build habits for a healthy home/environment. Plus, this forces you to slow down, too. Sink into it and soak up this quality time with your babies because it won’t be like this forever.
#6: Minimize your commitments. This may be easier for me now because my kids are so young, but even as your kids age… try to protect your time and keep your calendar clear. I live by the saying “if it isn’t a hell yes, it’s a no” when it comes to plans and/or activities that come up. This may change as my kids get older, but for now, we like to spend a lot of time at home or with close friends. Less activities outside of the home means you aren’t rushing around from one place to the next and feeling overwhelmed. My kids have more time to play, be outside, and just take the day as it is. Lots of white space in our lives means we can say YES to the things that truly ignite us and excite us!
#7: Enjoy simple things together. One of the most important pieces of this is to let your kids see YOU enjoying simple things. Comment on the birds or point out a bee sipping nectar from a flower. Marvel at the sunset and ask them to come join you. When they see you enjoying and noticing the small things as big things, they will follow suit. One simple thing that has become a bedtime ritual in the warm months is to open their bedroom window and sit still and watch and listen to the world quieting down. We say goodnight to the birds, trees, bunnies, whatever they see. It calms everyone down and brings awareness to the awesomeness that is the natural world around us. Some other simple things to enjoy: swinging, playing with or in water, baking, walking on the beach or on a trail, coloring, painting, nature walks, making soup, having a dance party, simple tea party, reading books, molding clay or dough, bubbles, bird watching…
#8: Homeschool. I am adding to the list because I feel like a lot of what we do and what is listed is possible because we chose to homeschool. I know it is not for everyone, but if you have ever considered homeschooling or are on the fence, I say do it. It has been one of the best decisions my husband and I have ever made together. We get to live life on our terms and timetable. We can prioritize what we want and have a whole new sense of freedom from the “normal grind.”
#9: Read lots of books. If you have been here a while, it is no secret that we read a lot of books together and it absolutely is a gateway for slowing down. Sitting down with your children to read forces you to stop what you are doing, sit down, and become immersed in a story together… just for the sake of enjoyment. It is wonderful. If you need book ideas to get you started, I have an entire year of picture books to flow with the seasons.
#10: Make screen time a point of connection. I’m sure you didn’t envision screen time on this list, but here we are! I include this because I like to use screens to connect with my kids. My husband and I are both very into cooking shows, learning new recipes, techniques, etc. This has led to us relaxing and watching cooking show together. Some of our favorites to watch as a family: Pick Up Limes, The Barefoot Contessa, The Great British Baking Show, cookie and/or cake decorating videos (my girls especially love these!) If cooking isn’t your thing, maybe it is nature or history documentaries. Sharing your interests with your kids is beautiful. It’s even more beautiful when you can snuggle up on a rainy day with blankets and pillows.
