Join the Mommy Fest Blog Party from May 12-16 and meet other moms. I plan on hopping around to other mom blogs and would love you to join me! Click on the Mommy Fest link to see how to participate:

Mommy Fest Blog Party

As an introduction to the Mommy Fest participants, My name is Beth and I am a 37 year old work at home mom of two teens – a 15 year old young man (when he isn’t acting two) and a 13 year old young lady (don’t even think about calling her a kid).

I blog about simplifying, decluttering , finances and discovering what’s important. I started my first web page in 1997 when my kids were little. I have loved interacting with online friends, some whom I’ve had for 10 years.

I’ve been a SAHM, full time working Mom, part time working mom and love working at home right now.

I’m on a spending fast right now, so visiting all these blogs will give me something to do instead of buying things 🙂

For fun, I write, scrapbook, hike, go to the beach, play the piano, get together with friends and take pictures. I have more hobbies than that but they change and shift with time. I also adore reading and am usually reading 3 or 4 books. Do you have any good book recommendations – non fiction or fiction?

Don’t forget to pick up a free declutter calendar in the side bar.

Also, I am giving away 5 Get Things Done Procrastination eCourses. Post in the comments of this post and I will pick 1 a day at random from comments between May 12th and May 16th.

10 Things about Me

1. I am a published writer
2. I didn’t pass my driving test until I was 27
3. I’ve been to all but 5 states in the US
4. My house is not perfectly organized
5. I am only 4 ft 11 (well almost 4 ft 11)
6. I laugh a lot
7. I have weekly beach days in July and August with the kids
8. I did plays in high school and college
9. I love playing with new technology and my husband knows I would rather have a new tech gizmo than jewelry
10. I am blessed with having both sets of grandparents whom I learn a lot from

Looking forward to getting to know you.

I am working on a comprehensive program that will help people simplify many aspects of their lives. It should be unwrapped this month. Is there anything you want to make sure I include?

Do you make sure you can’t win? I was discussing this with a client today.

We sometimes think only huge activities can move our goals forward, but they are so difficult to achieve we will feel like failures if we don’t make it.

But, the small actions don’t seem like enough. Whoppee if we succeed. It was because it wasn’t worth anything.

Do you see how this is setting ourselves up for failure?

If you feel you need to spend an hour in the gym every day to achieve your health goal and miss a day, you feel awful. But, those 6 glasses of water you drank achieving your tiny goal, didn’t seem to do anything. So even though you succeeded you feel like a failure.

I think it is time to celebrate all the little successes that will let us reach our bigger goal.

This past weekend I was discussing with my family things we might do this coming season – autumn for us. I’ve noted lately that some of my goals have been really dry. I thought instead of thinking goals I would think of things I wanted and my family wanted.

So here is what we came up with:

• Reread the Thursday Next series
• Have sparkling apple juice
• Get cider
• Play with life skills with the kids
• Read the newest Harry Potter
• Celebrate my Dad’s, Father-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, Aunt and my birthdays
• Go biking
• Go hiking
• The Declutter Club
• Finish the 2008 calendar – still playing with the theme, declutter or something else?
• Play checkers and Sorry
• Feel healthy and energetic
• Learn more about prayer to go along with the series at church
• Make soup, stew and chilli
• Go to a craft show

We’ve already made caramel apples, bought HoneyCrisp apples at the Farmer’s Market, made soup, went to a craft show and had candy corn.

What do you want to do?

After years of obscurity, coaching is finally getting media attention.

CBS wrote an article on how people are using coaches as outside help in all areas of life. Including a fellow Family Manager Coach, Phoebe Coles.

With so many demands on our time, people are looking for help getting where they want to go, faster. And the personal attention helps people move forward on their goals.

Article: Life Coaches are for Everyone

Video: CBS News

If you are interested in coaching yourself you can find Coaching FAQ and a Coaching quiz at EncouragingCoach.

If you are in the West Michigan area and are looking for a Family Manager Makeover you can visit:

Family Manager Makeover

One of my favorite clients, Holly, has really been spreading her wings. She is part of a blogging community that wants to make connections with people.

Holly interviewed me for the site, and you can read the interview here:

Interview

And here are the seven themes of Create a Connection

Is Clutter Overwhelming You?

Quit waiting for your home to get decluttered on its own. Get a handle on the clutter in your house by working together, breaking it down and following a simple guide.

Join Certified Family Manager Coach, Beth Dargis of My Simpler Life as she coaches you to enjoy a more serene home.

LIMITED SPACES – Starts Oct 1,2007

http://www.enc ouragingcoach.com/programs-decluttergroup.htm

1. Make a list of things to think about before you commit to them.

2. Turn off the cell phone some evenings.

3. Keep negative media off – you can be informed without being mired in negativity.

4. Declutter old newspapers and magazines – newspapers stay no longer than a week, magazines go the day the new one arrives.

5. Keep umbrellas in all your vehicles and by the front & back door.

6. Outsource, delegate or trade one disliked task.

7. What hobby sounds fun to try?

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Simplicity Coaching

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I am setting up my spring list of clients. If you would like one-on-one coaching in simplifying your life read Getting Started with Coaching:

http://www.encouragingcoach.com/coaching-started.htm

If that sounds good than you can set up a free exploratory session to see if we fit well together here:

http://www.encouragingcoach.com/coaching-free-session.htm

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Get your Weekly Tips and Declutter Calendar here:

http://www.encouragingcoach.com/resources-newsletter.htm

“Simplicity is the examined life richly lived. It is asking ourselves what’s important, what matters. We all think that someday we’ll start living. But few of us feel fully alive.” -Cecile Andrews

If your idea of a good day is just making it through it, it may be time to ask yourself some questions. What’s important to you? What matters in your life? Who do you love? Where is your passion? What will make you feel fully alive?

Take some time this week to write/draw/paint some answers to these questions.