Towards the end of the year I was feeling a great pull to live a simpler life.  I realized that the happiest times that year were with my husband and children.  None of those times included the toys or games or gadgets, the times were having bedroom picnics, reading books, or just enjoying each others company doing whatever.  Realizing this help me understand that the material things in my life mean very little to how happy I am and can be.

That leads me to one of my main goals this year, Simplifying my life in 2013.  For me that means less “stuff”, and focusing more on the family and what is really important.  I mean who really needs 10 sweatshirts or 10 pj sets?  Who needs 5 crockpots if you only use 2 at most at a time?  Learning to live with less and appreciate what we have.

My children are young enough that we will be able to instill in them the power of living on less.  We will be able to teach them how to be grateful for what they have and give to those who don’t have it as well.

With less “stuff” there will be less to clean, less to take care of, less to fix, overall less to worry about.  That equals more time with my family and doing the things that I love!

Ashley