Hi everybody! My sincere apologies for not posting over the last few months…Plumblossom stopped napping, and somehow my 7 hours of “free time” each week while she’s in preschool became filled with the errands, chores, and other to-do’s that are much easier to accomplish without a little one underfoot. But even though I haven’t had much time for writing, I enjoy and appreciate all your comments, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping this little community going in my absence.
So what’s new? Plumblossom just turned 3 (where has the time gone?!), and is a sweet, inquisitive, precocious little girl. She started reading at age 2.5; she’d always been fascinated with letters and words and books, but suddenly the concept of phonics just clicked and it was like she cracked some secret code. In the beginning, she’d sit in her car seat and sound out words on buildings, signs, and the sides of trucks. Since then, she’s read through the whole series of Bob Books, Tug the Pup, and Biscuit phonics readers, and has now started on longer, more complex books. It’s very cool to see her becoming a more confident reader each day; she gets such a kick out of learning and recognizing new words. (And please note that I’m no tiger mom—her learning is self-motivated, I just provide the support and materials). She’s smart, but also spirited and strong-willed—a combination that makes for interesting (but sometimes exhausting) days, and partly explains why her mother has been less than prolific lately. ;-)
That said, I’m trying to work on another book (a new exploration of minimalist living), but it’s slow-going. It’s very different from writing The Joy of Less, when I could sit uninterrupted at my laptop all day. My new workflow is a build-up of thoughts during the day, followed by a brain dump into Word before I fall into bed. I’m very excited about it though, and hope to publish it by the end of next year. So please be patient with me; I may not be blogging regularly, but I’m still very much living, breathing, and thinking minimalism, and hope to have something new and wonderful to share with you in the future.
I hope you’re all having a beautiful holiday season. I’m grateful to my daughter for making the holidays so magical; she doesn’t yet know who Santa is, and doesn’t care much about gifts, but desperately wants it to snow and danced with excitement when we put up Christmas lights and hung a wreath on our door. And she’s been counting the days until we can go to Nana’s house for a big family dinner—a great reminder that it’s not presents, but the presence (of our loved ones) that makes this time of year so special. In case you’re curious re. gifts, we’re giving PB just one, and have asked her doting grandparents and relatives to do the same; this strategy limits the inflow of stuff, keeps her from becoming overwhelmed, and seems to satisfy everyone. We also involved her in a toy drive for a local charity; we want her to understand that not all children are as privileged as she, and that giving is infinitely more satisfying than receiving.
So that’s my little update; it’s time to go to bed (while visions of sugarplums dance in my head?). I just wanted you all to know that I think of you often, miss you dearly, and wish you a very happy holiday and New Year!
So needed to read this tonight. I was just thinking to myself, “Maybe I didn’t get enough gifts for her. Maybe she’ll be disappointed.” And this blog post is such a good reminder that I should be worried about the other – that I have got her too much and she will be overwhelmed. I am thankful that we are doing Christmas with the other side of the family a week from now, so she will be able to enjoy what she gets tomorrow before being given a bunch of other stuff. I tried to get her useful items or things she would really love to play with instead of things that would get set aside immediately. We’ll see if I hit or miss…
Love your posts, especially when they are about your daughter. Former hoarder here – minimalist in the making. I’ve been cutting back on the number of gifts each year since I started (starting 4th year beginning of January) my 10-year-old is getting ten thought out gifts this year. My free has never looked so empty but here’s hoping! Love to hear a new book is in the works. Joy of less changed my life. Minimalist living has allowed me to move to become a respite parent with my husband. We have up to 7 kids in our home. I never could have done it without you
It’s lovely to catch-up with you Francine and read your upbeat writing once more. Also, thank you for keeping this site going despite the demands of your daughter. Good luck with your new book and all the best for Christmas and 2015!
Happy Christmas to you and your family, cannot believe she is 3 already! Looking forward to the new book
Merry Christmas Francine. I miss your always inspiring writing, but I’m glad your site hasn’t just disappeared. Looking forward to a new book! All the best in 2015.
Thank you for your personal update :). I look forward to your new book, and am glad you are present to this season of your life and are taking it on slowly. Thank you as well for the Monday contributions from others; I look for them and enjoy them, and appreciate you sharing them. Happy New Year!
So nice to hear from you, thanks for the update!
Glad to hear you’re working on another book. I’ve been recommending “The Joy of Less” to many friends and it’s safe to say this book inspired all of them and turned a few lifes around!
Happy holiday season!
I admire anyone who manages to keep the holidays from becoming a “big deal”, because once that train has taken off with children and/or extended family on board, it’s a giant pain in the hindquarters to reign it back in.
Example: You can’t control their actions, but they don’t respect your family’s wishes, but you don’t want to start a holiday-season fight over something so silly as stuff, yet you hate seeing the waste of money and rampant materialism and everything that represents be the focus of the holiday season, but you can’t just refuse to participate in the materialism without certain adults throwing frightening temper tantrums showcasing their sense of entitlement, and you’d love to compromise by giving experiences or baked goods or something simple like that but your own family has declared the latter cheap and unacceptable and the in-laws have declared anything non-material, up to and including gift cards, to be utterly unacceptable…
Bless you for not raising your child with the same set of impossible expectations, and for not screaming like a deranged woman when you don’t get everything you wanted, including from your child while she is still a young child.
In fact, bless ANY adult who manages to keep their head on straight while tip-toeing around crazy family during the holidays!
Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year to you Francine and to your family. Thanks so much for the update on Plumblossom and it’s wonderful to hear that you are working on another book. I have The Joy of Less on my Kindle and often dip into it for extra inspiration.
OH, this brings tears to my eyes–as grandma to two precious little ones that would be fine without the incredible, overwhelming amount of toys mama seems to think are necessary–oh, how I wish my daughter-in-law had the same values as you do! They had to leave on Christmas eve to finish wrapping their children’s presents (they had already wrapped over 60–aaaahhhh!!!) ONE gift….how wonderful! My grandsons got their gift from grandma and grandpa and were completely happy to play contentedly with that. Thanks for the update, can’t wait for your next book!!
So glad you made this post!
I personally can’t wait for your newest book–PLEASE update the website as soon as it will be available. I’m very, very excited about it and I think me reading this today is very ironic.
I was buying replacement jeans and the clerk mentioned she’s struggled with money. I gave the gal your website and told her it’s been nearly 4 years since I’ve started our minimalist journey and we have downsized 80% and are financially free!
Hugs to you, Plumblossom and your husband :)
Hello Francine! Wishing you a Happy New Year! I enjoy your blog and come visit it from time to time. Right now, it’s that time again, when clutter due to the holidays have made me long for simple things and less of stuff! I am glad that you gave an update, because your posts are always more enjoyable than the weekly minimalist stories, at least to me.
Today I was looking at a carry on style bag at Target and dreamed of having everything I owned in that bag, and by the way I only own a hiking pack full of stuff, a handbag full of things and an extra bag with a pair of boots, but it feels too much still. It is a dream, to be able to go from place to place with only a purse sized bag! And when I dream of minimalism, I come to this blog. I hope to see more new posts from your life. Have a great 2015!
Marianna
Yay! Thanks for the update! I love reading about Plumblossom and your journey into motherhood. It’s an adventure, to be sure. Santa is funny, because my Jelly Bean didn’t really get into that part of Christmas until this year (she’s 7). Now she’s totally into it, which is kind of fun too, making the sound of reindeer thumping on the deck and ringing bells after she goes to bed. ;-) I’m curious to see how successful you were in keeping the influx of gifts down–that always is a challenge with family. And keep us posted on that new book!
Thank You Francine for the update! I always love your posts so much. I hope you had a happy holiday with your family. I am SO EXCITED that you are working on a new book. You are a continual inspiration to me!
Small related minimalist note: I always love to travel as minimally as possible and just returned from a week-long cruise in the Caribbean with extended family. I brought one tiny bag and marveled at families who needed a large rolling cart to hold their multiple gigantic suitcases. Getting on and off the ship was a breeze because I could just walk carrying my little bag. But the best was at the airport: flight cancelled and re-routed through a different city overnight. No problem. I had my little bag with me. Easily walked to a different gate, got on the new flight, rode the shuttle to the hotel, slept, back to the airport in the morning, and home. Yay minimalism!!
Happy New Year to you and our family! I too am looking forward to your new book. The Joy of Less helped me detach myself to so many things because they once belonged to my mother or grandmothers, etc. It helped me realise that I don’t need to keep everything they ever gave me to remember them — they are in my heart forever.
I like small simple gifts, or just one gift at birthday time. Other grandma gives museum memberships so there’s no craziness. We’ve talked about grandparents competing. I don’t understand it myself as we are all so different. My grandchildren are very polite and respectful, it makes me happy.
When I visit my mom in the nursing home, I bring her favorite romances or other books I think she’ll enjoy. I keep books at my house for my grandsons. I am still giving away craft supplies and more art materials. I would like to get rid of some furniture.
I am troubled by middle class families who can ‘ t seem to live on their income. One car problem seems to be insurmountable.