In Pursuit of a Tidy Home

Over the years, I have found the best way to keep our home tidy is with a system.  While this is nothing new to many people, I wanted to share my current system that I have had in place since last summer and has been working very well for our family.

I used to try to cram all of the chores that needed to be done into a day or two.  The entire day would be spent doing laundry or cleaning.  These days were not fun and often I would get so over-whelmed with all that needed to be done that I would simply choose to not finish all of the chores.

I strongly encourage all of my readers to develop a system of your own to maintain your home.  Right now, I am a stay-at-home mom with two little ones.  My daughter is in preschool 4 days a week, and my son is home with me all day.  I do still teach piano lessons from our home 4 afternoons a week, as well.

MONDAYS

The best decision I could have made Fall 2015 was to leave Mondays wide open.  I no longer have students scheduled on Monday afternoons and my daughter's preschool program is only Tuesday-Friday.  Starting the week with an extra day to catch up has been nothing short of a luxury this past school year!  While I know our Mondays will not always be so free, I have been taking advantage of the extra time by using Mondays to prepare for our week ahead.

• Laundry
• lights/delicates
• darks/jeans 
• kids
• linens (either kitchen or bathroom)
  

As I mentioned above, laundry used to be one of the chores that I would save for once a week.  It would then take all day (and sometimes two or three!) to wash, dry, iron (when necessary) and put away.  While I've never truly despised laundry, I would definitely not look forward to laundry day.

• Meal-planning/Grocery Shopping

Many people do this on Sunday but for now, I use my Monday afternoons to plan the meals for the week and complete the bulk of our weekly shopping this day.  During the week we keep our meals very simple.  We generally eat the same things for breakfast and lunch everyday!  While some may get bored with this, I have found it is the easiest way to not have to worry about planning out these meals.  It also makes shopping easier since I know exactly what we need to purchase each week.  For dinner, we always have a protein and a vegetable.  The protein in normally baked and the veggies are either steamed or roasted.  There are so many different combinations for veggies and proteins, we have yet to get bored with this!  Occasionally, I will add a pasta or starch to this meal.  

• Budget balancing/ Bill paying

Finally, Mondays are the days I balance our budget and pay bills.  Expenses from the previous week that did not get recorded are recorded on this day.  I take our spending cash for the week and deposit any checks on this day.

TUESDAYS

 Tuesdays are technically our first day of the week.  Once a month, this is also the day of my monthly teacher meetings.  During those weeks, Tuesday chores are normally spread out through the rest of the week.

• Bathrooms
• Master
• Hall
• Studio
  

• Studio
• Tidy
• Dust
• Vacuum

WEDNESDAYS 

Wednesdays are a busy day as I have one early afternoon student before picking my daughter up from preschool.  

• Floors swept/vacuumed
• downstairs
• upstairs
  

In addition to vacuuming/sweeping the whole house on Wednesdays, the kitchen floor is also swept as needed.  I do the bathroom floors on Tuesdays.

THURSDAYS

Thursdays are my second laundry day, as well as a day to catch up on any other chores that were not completed on their normal day.  Because I do laundry two days a week, the loads are typically smaller which means less time is spent folding and putting away (yay!).  

• Laundry
• lights/delicates
• darks/jeans
• kids
• linens (kitchen or bathroom)
  

FRIDAYS

By Fridays, my house is generally clean and most of laundry is completed.  If it is not, I can use this day to complete it.  If we are having dinner guests over the weekend, I use this day to plan those meals, shop for them, and possibly clean the hall bathroom again.  

AS NEEDED

There may be a few who scoff at my "as needed" list... I know many do these chores weekly, and I think that is fabulous.  I used to strive to complete these chores weekly, and it drove me completely bonkers.  So I decided that for right now, these chores are completed quite literally, as needed.  Typically, these chores are needed in our household twice a month, sometimes more.  If I have a lot of time during a weekday, I will complete needed chores then.  Otherwise, they are saved for Saturdays.

• Floors mopped
• Sheets changed
• Dusting
• Tubs cleaned

I would love to know- do you have a system for staying on top of your household chores?  What does a tidy home look like for your family?  Are there chores that you don't get to as often as you would like?  Please comment below and let me know!

At Home with Madame Chic Book Review

Jennifer L. Scott's second book, At Home with Madame Chic: Becoming a Connoisseur of Daily Life delves into daily life rituals and the importance of living a passionate life.  While these two topics seem like they may have little in common, Jennifer examines the importance of seemingly mundane tasks and decides to see what life would look like performing her chores with patience and mindfulness.

At Home With Madame Chic is broken into two parts:
Part 1 "Chez Vous" ("At Your House") begins with  Jennifer giving insight into how to get your home in order through organizing and decluttering while simultaneously finding pleasure and peace in the process.  One of my favorite quotes from Part 1 appears in chapter one as Jennifer is describing the pride and pleasure many French people take in making a home: "... a passionately pleasant home life sets you up for a very happy life in the outside world."

Part 2 "Les Routines de la Journée" ("Routines of the Day") is subdivided into three sections: the pleasures of the morning, the pleasures of the afternoon, and the pleasures of the evening.  These pages are full of wisdom and ideas of how to "live in the moment" throughout each day.  Included are lists of candle scents and music albums that are specific to different times of the day.

A story that stuck with me from Part 2 can be found in the last chapter under a subheading entitled, "Trying to Change Other People Is So Not Chic."  Jennifer shares a story of her and her husband and their difference of opinions relating to dinner rituals.  I'm sure by now, all of my readers know my admiration for Jennifer and her books.  My admiration was taken to a new level when I read that she prepares a home-cooked meal nearly every night, serves it at a set table (complete with candles and music!) all the while knowing that her husband may not be eating the prepared meal.  I was convicted on several levels with this story (from being grateful for Chris always sitting down eat our family dinners to realizing that if I know it will only be the children and myself home for dinner, there will be no cooking, and finally, my own general nagging to try to persuade Chris that my way is the best way in every arena of home).  Rather than nagging family members to persuade them to do things your way or that your way is best, it is recommended to rather "be the change [you] want to see in [them]."

I would highly recommend At Home with Madame Chic for anyone looking to find pleasure and peace in everyday living.  Of Jennifer L. Scott's three books, I would definitely say this one is my favorite!  I especially love how she doesn't make the reader feel like her way is the only way to do things and offers different suggestion for people with different lifestyles to maintain their homes.  This book ends with a sweet story Jennifer shares about driving by her childhood home.  This book truly encourages one to cultivate a home-life that one can cherish and  look back on with found memories.

In Pursuit of Travel- Dallas 2015

When I was little, I decided I loved Texas and wanted to move there.  So, as I would do with any new fascination, I tried to learn everything I could about the Lone Star State.  I took out all of our "T" encyclopedias, had the "Texas" pages marked, and kept the glowing Fisher-Price globe and Discovery map nearby.  Remember these?

Fast-forward a few years... even though my fascination with Texas has worn off quite a bit, we still talk about "Someday" moving there.  Perhaps moving to Waco and finishing my Master's.  Letting Chip and Joanna Gaines have a go at finding us a "Fixer-Upper."  Or maybe just moving to Dallas to be close to family.  It's still just a thought.  In the meantime, we try to make it out there at least once  a year to visit my sister-in-law and her husband.

We normally head out there with no set plans.  Our normally short stay is spent visiting, catching up, and laughing until we cry.  This time around, we were able to accomplish all of those goals, plus were there long enough to fit in a few additional plans.

 Similar to the rest of America, Chris and I have fallen for Chip and Joanna Gaines.  We stumbled upon their show while at my brother's house and spend an entire Sunday watching episode after episode.  Our thoughts of moving to Texas quickly resurfaced and we knew the next time we headed out there, we would definitely need to keep a day-trip to Waco in the plans.  Our first stop in Waco was the Magnolia Market.  We went on a Thursday around noon and it felt packed!  We later learned from the staff (who was SO incredibly friendly!) that the day we were there was actually somewhat slow.

 Joanna was one step ahead of us in deciding where to go next, and had a map of her favorite Waco spots waiting for us on the check-out counter.  We were able to make it to Harp Design Studio (which happened to be RIGHT next door to Clint's very own Fixer-Upper... don't worry, as much as we wanted to, we did not walk over and pose for pictures on his porch), Schmaltz's Deli, and even got to check out the then-Future Home of the Magnolia Silos.  As you can imagine, it was so fun to explore this little town all while keeping our eyes peeled for the Gaines.

That evening we got about as rowdy as we [four adults who have to get up with a one-year-old who has no clue different time zones exist] could possibly get at Tacos and Tequila with an infused tequila shots flight, my favorite of which was the Puro Verde.  This is one of my sister-in-law's favorites out in Dallas and apparently there are locations in Georgia, too.  Definitely would like to try them out here and see how they compare.

The next day was a pretty chill day while both my sister-in-law and her husband worked.  The girls did manage to make it out to Scardello Artisan Cheese, a "cut-to-order" cheese shop that featured over a hundred American, Texas, and European cheeses.  We were able to  purchase a cheese plate and bottle of wine to enjoy in the store.  Of course, we also had to take an array of cheeses home to share with the men.  Our cheese plate consisted of Flory's Cheddar from Milton Creamery (Missouri), L'Amuse Gouda from Holland, and Delice de Bourgogne, a creamy Brie from France.  

My lovely sister-in-law, Marlene

One cheese that I just had to take home was a Camembert-style cheese called Mt. Alice from the von Trapp Farmstead in Vermont.  As soon as the cheese salesman said "von Trapp," I was sold!  He informed us that yes, in fact, it was the same von Trapps from the movie and that Werner von Trapp (known in the movie as "Kurt") had moved to this farmstead in Vermont in 1959 with his wife, Erika.

A von Trapp Farmstead Cow!

Saturday was spent shopping around town and visiting my sister-in-law and husband's new home for a final inspection.  It was a lovely home and we followed the visit with a dinner at Mia's Tex-Mex, which was quite delicious.  Sunday morning, Chris and I strolled over to the local wine bar-turned coffee shop for some heavenly brew and got a quick lesson on how the coffee was roasted and brewed to make it so delectable.  Check out State Street Coffee and definitely try to stop by next time you're in Dallas.  

Lessons From Madame Chic, Part 3

It is almost here!  Jennifer L. Scott's new book, Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic comes out tomorrow, October 27, 2015!  I have thoroughly enjoyed counting down the days to its release with a detailed review of her first book, Lessons from Madame Chic and am so looking forward to the arrival of my copy of her new book (as if you couldn't tell from the series of reviews and my May 26, 2015 pre-order date).  You can check out part 1 and 2 of this series by clicking here and here.

Part 3: How to Live Well

Chapter 10 "Always Use the Best Things You Have"

This chapter showed how Famille Chic's philosophy of always using the best they had didn't stop at clothing.  They applied this practice to every aspect of their lives.  Jennifer talks about the urge to keep your best items put away until a special occasion present itself.  She recommends using your best often as a way to make everyday special and luxurious.

A great reminder for me in this chapter was on always using my best manners.  While it may seem natural to be polite when in public or with guests, it is quite easy to let our manners slide with our immediate family members.  While we will all inevitably loose our patience from time to time, practicing our best manners with those closest to us can ensure that when we do go out in public, we will be modeling our authentic selves, and not come across as phony.  

Chapter 11 "Live Life as  Formal Affair"
In this chapter, Jennifer explains that living formally is about honoring traditions.  While the word "traditions" may conjure up such practices as attending Church on Christmas eve, or carving a Thanksgiving turkey, it is really about everyday rituals that we put into place.  Formalizing everyday rituals strengthens their importance and helps us to live richer lives.  In our home, rituals that we have put into place include breakfasts together at the children's table and weeknight dinners together at the dining room table,

One of my personal favorite rituals is waking up before the rest of the family and coming downstairs for my morning coffee- French-pressed with cream.  The stillness of morning mixed with the view of sunlight streaming through the trees in the back yard is a welcome scene.

Chapter 12 "Clutter Is So Not Chic"
This chapter gives me a slight anxiety every time I read it.  At this point, we all know clutter is not "chic," nor does it provide good "feng-shui."  Clutter itself can produce anxiety.  So why does tackling clutter cause me to feel anxious?  Because I have always struggled with it.  I've lived in cycles my whole life of letting clutter build up, then purging, then doing it all over again.  So when I read this chapter, I get anxiety about my coat closet, about our storage/playroom/TV room downstairs, and (most definitely) about the guest closet that acts as my holding place for the children's out-grown clothes to be consigned.  Jennifer recommends de-cluttering each area very slowly while putting into place systems to avoid future clutter.  Maybe I see a future blog post coming on, in which I share my experience with creating a good system for one of these clutter-prone areas!

Chapter 13 "Seek Out the Arts"
"The benefits of being a patron of the arts is perhaps one of the most important lessons I learned while living in Paris because it is an aspect of my life that brings me so much joy." This quote from Jennifer sums up this chapter on exploring your city and supporting its arts.  I know right here in North Fulton, Georgia, we have immense opportunities to do so, including

The Chopin Society of Atlanta

"The Chopin  Society of Atlanta is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting 

Fryderyk Chopin's music and advancing the understanding and appreciation of his legacy while engaging and inspiring youth from the Metro Atlanta area."

LeFont Theater Film Society

Founded in 2012, Lefont Film Society strives to program a diverse slate of specially selected classic, art, independent, and foreign language films for our loyal movie going audiences.

ACT1 Theater

ACT1 Theater is a community theater and an outreach of 

Alpharetta Presbyterian Church (APC) in Alpharetta, GA.  

Through the use of drama we strive to provide fellowship and entertainment to our community.

These three organizations are literally the ones I thought of off of the top of my head.  I know there are many more opportunities to support the arts in our community- seek them out!

Chapter 14 "Cultivate an Air of Mystery"

"French people, as a habit, do not reveal too much information about themselves."  We've all seen that person on social media who shares too much.  But have you ever been that person in a conversation?  Jennifer talks about her propensity to overshare details to avoid what she used to think were awkward silences in conversations.  I love how she explains the art of "long pauses," and becoming comfortable with silent moments, and how they can contribute to your air of mystery.  

Chapter 15 "Practice the Art of Entertaining"

Chris and I have always loved entertaining!  Before we were even married, we would throw large dinner parties with wine-tastings and multiple courses.  Since having children, our form of entertaining has evolved and  very often we will go the "cook-out" route over the multi-course dinners.  Both of these forms of entertaining are enjoyable and the key to a successful gathering, according to Jennifer, is practice.  While in France, Jennifer's host family entertained guests at least once a week.  With that consistent practice, anyone can master the art of entertaining!

Chapter 16 "Reject the New Materialism"

It is so easy to fall into the trap of materialism.  With new versions of technology, cars, and even fashion constantly blaring at us, I will fully admit to the inner struggles of "keeping up."  I find that the more I'm online or watching TV, the stronger this pull is.  Jennifer has many suggestions for combating these urges and the one I most like is, "Learn to appreciate what you already have."  

Chapter 17 "Cultivate Your Mind"

I have had many a conversations with others about intelligence being one of the most sought-after qualities in a partner.  Jennifer offers many suggestions on cultivating your mind including reading books (as many as you can!), reading newspapers, watching films (independent and foreign) following the arts, improving your vocabulary (try subscribing to a "word-of-the-day" blog), and, of course, watching less television.  Travel is also recommended as seeing and experiencing "other cultures is the best way to cultivate your mind and expand your horizons."

Chapter 18 "Find Simple Pleasures"

Jennifer observed that Famille Chic didn't have negative attitudes toward the repetitive details of their daily lives and as a result, they got along very harmoniously.  While it may be our default to be ho-hum about everyday chores that need to be done, wouldn't it be more fun to extract pleasure from simple things? 

 I wrote in detail about this in the post "In Pursuit of Simple Pleasures".  Since writing that post, I have been in pursuit of even more ways to make everyday mundane tasks more enjoyable and one that I have grown to look forward to is (drum-roll, please!) IRONING!  I can hardly believe I typed that.  But I do look forward to it.  I've created a routine that actually makes this once daunting task enjoyable.  I save this chore for late morning when Eliot is napping or early afternoon during Fiona's nap, so that there are no interruptions.  I then make a cup of hot tea, light a candle, turn on a podcast (click here for my favorite), and get started.  I discovered a while ago that harsh over-head lighting can put me in a bad mood, so I keep the over-head light off and use a bed lamp for a soft glow.  This routine may sound crazy, but it has helped me find simple pleasure in an once-mundane task.

Chapter 19 "Value Quality Above All"

Jennifer advocates the commitment to living a life of quality and, once you do so,  quality will permeate every aspect of your life.  She references quality food and clothing, and investing wisely in those items.  She also talks about quality attitudes, which I loved.  She writes about going on a "Negativity Diet" and eliminating negative people from your friendship roster.  While we all will go through difficult times (and you will no doubt be there for your friends and family during those times) she cautions to be wary of people who are chronically going through a difficult time. 

Chapter 20 "Live A Passionate Life"

"Every detail of life can become exceptional if you allow it to be so," is a great quote from Jennifer that sums up this book.  Her hope for the book is for the reader to be inspired to lead a passionate life that one can reflect back on and say that every moment was well-lived and not a single moment was wasted.  

I truly hope you enjoyed this in-depth look at Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris and that this 3-Part Series has encouraged you to live life well.  Hopefully it has also whet your appetite for Jennifer's new book, Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic, which will be released tomorrow, October 27, 2015!  Be sure to check back with a review of the new book!

Lessons from Madame Chic, Part 2

I want to start this post by thanking all of my readers for reading and sharing this blog!  I've had so much traffic since the last post and am truly amazed at how many people my humble little blog is reaching.  It's been my heart for several years now for my blog to inspire people to find pleasure in everyday living.  I'm excited to continue the three-part review of Lessons from Madame Chic as part of a countdown to Jennifer L. Scott's new book, Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance, which comes out October 27, 2015.  You can check out Part 1: Diet and Exercise here.

Part 2: Style and Beauty

Chapter 4 "Liberate Yourself with the Ten-Item Wardrobe"

In this chapter, Jennifer describes her discovery of Famille Chic's approach to clothing- they each had about ten items of really nice clothing that they would wear in rotation, again and again.  If you've read many other French style books, you know that this is not a new or even unique concept for Famille Chic.  I had read about the concept of a "Capsule Wardrobe" many times before, but it really hit home the first time I read Jennifer's take on it.  She talks about really loving each of the core items in your closet and it made me realize that while I may have had a lot of clothes, I really only ever wore the same things over and over.  Why was I holding on to a closet full of clothes that I never wore?  While I didn't immediately get rid of every item I didn't wear, I did begin a several year process of only keeping articles I loved and last winter had my very first authentic ten-item wardrobe.   It was very refreshing to know each morning whatever I picked out to wear would be something I loved.  And honestly, just being able to see all of my articles of clothing helped clear my mind and provided a great start to my mornings.

Chapter 5 "Find Your True Style"

Continuing in the wardrobe department, defining your style and understanding why you wear what you wear are the topics of this chapter.  Jennifer has the reader complete an exercise to help define one's style.  After completing the exercise, I decided my two words to define my style are "Elegant and Chic."  Elegant because I lean towards long silhouettes and classic blacks and Chic because I definitely like to incorporate feminine touches and prefer a "polished" look.

Chapter 6 "Perfect the Le No-Makeup Look"
This chapter was a great refresher on looking polished but not over-made up.  Jennifer gives make up tips and suggestions for daily application as well as special occasions.   I tend to keep my make up very minimal on a daily basis but do agree that the right amount (applied correctly) can help me feel put-together, polished, and presentable.

Chapter 7 "Take Care of Your Skin"
Delving below the surface of make up to the foundation of great skin, this chapter takes an in-depth look at the habits of those with flawless skin.  Many wonderful suggestions are given, including drinking plenty of water, avoiding over-cleansing your skin, and (my personal favorite), managing stress levels with regular massages.

Chapter 8 "Look Presentable Always"
This is a chapter I need to re-read every few month.  Since I stay home with our children, it is very easy to fall into a rut of wearing workout clothes, not applying make-up, and schlepping around in tennis shoes.  In this chapter, Jennifer tells a story of all of the members of Famille Chic always looking presentable, whether hanging out in the living room or going out for a night on the town.  While "looking presentable" means different things for different people, I really enjoyed her mention of "honoring ourselves and those we come in contact with during the day by putting some thought and effort into our appearance."

A word on travel: dress beautifully when you travel.  I can remember when I used to buy trashy celeb magazines and there were always pictures of the current "It" girl traveling in over-sized t-shirts, yoga pants, and frumpy Uggs.  I thought that was THE way to travel!  They looked so comfortable and effortless! I decided that I never really liked arriving at my destination that way, however.  Whether it was going to visit friends, arriving at a cruise port, or (even worse) arriving at an exotic travel destination, I always felt uncomfortably sloppy and un-presentable upon arrival.  Now when I travel (whether solo or with my family), I am dressed up!  I much prefer feeling presentable and put-together and have found a great pieces that look polished and are still comfortable for travel.

Chapter 9 "Practice the Art of Femininity"

While the word "Femininity" may conjure up images of frilly dresses and ballet tutus, Jennifer explains in this chapter it is so much more- excellent posture, self-assurance, and great confidence.  Basically, femininity can be enhanced by anything that makes a woman feel beautiful and empowered.  She brought up the idea that good posture is contagious and how it is possible to get a confidence boost just by standing up a bit straighter!

I'd love to know if you're reading (or re-reading) Lessons from Madame Chic, and any thoughts you may have you the above topics!  For more inspiration, visit Jennifer L. Scott's blog, The Daily Connoisseur.  Next week, I'll complete part three, "How to Live Well," as  I continue the countdown to the release of Polish Your Poise.

Lessons from Madame Chic, Part 1

This week, I start a "Book Club/Review/Countdown" to Jennifer L. Scott's new book, Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic, schedule to be released on October 27, 2015.  The first book on my Countdown list is Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris. 

I first discovered Lessons from Madame Chic in the Fall of 2012.  I already had an extensive library of Francophile books and was admittedly hesitant to read a book on French style by an American author.  Jennifer did not disappoint.  Her book was well organized with pages and pages of inspiration. She flawlessly intersperses her stories of living in Paris while telling the secrets that give the Parisians their much coveted "Je ne sais quoi."

Lessons from Madame Chic is broken into three sections:

Part 1: Diet and Exercise

Part 2: Style and Beauty

Part 3: How to Live Well



 In "Book Club" style, I will post on my takeaways from each 'Part' that speaks to my current life situations.

Chapter 1" Snacking Is So Not Chic"

While I kicked the habit of snacking quite a while ago (thanks, Mireille Guiliano with French Women Don't Get Fat), I admit that there are still vices that loom over my eating habits.  The two biggest I struggle go somewhat hand in hand: "Never eat on the go," and "Make dining well a priority."  While it is easy to blame eating on the go on living in America, there is still a certain amount of responsibility I need to assume on planning better in order to avoid the drive-throughs. 

As stated above, I believe "Make dining well a priority" goes hand-in-hand with not eating on the go.  While there are certainly times when a home-cooked meal is unable to happen, there is still something to be said about sitting down at a set table to enjoy your food.  There have been plenty a night when our pizza arrived and my husband and I devoured it while standing over the island.  The routine of sitting down and eating on real dishes can nourishes our souls as well as our bodies.  Slowing down to make this a priority can also cause you to eat fewer slices of that pizza as it gives you a chance to feel full as well.

Chapter 2 "Deprive Yourself Not"

Continuing on from bad habits of quickly scarfing down food, Jennifer introduces "The delicacy technique," and encourages readers to eat everything as if it were a delicacy: taking the time to appreciate the presentation, allowing the anticipation to build, savoring small bites, and reflecting on the taste are all ways one would enjoy a great delicacy.  She suggests employing this technique when you find yourself forgetting to pay attention or eating too quickly.

In this chapter, Jennifer also tells the story of how she learned the importance of presentation through making a strawberry tart.  After being corrected by  "Madame Chic" to not simply dump the bowl of strawberries on top of the tart but to rather artfully arrange them, Jennifer learned that "No occasions too small to live well."  What really spoke to me was "That perfect little strawberry tart wasn't made for a party or to impress guests.  It was made for her family on a weeknight." 

This chapter concluded with a reminder about the importance of a breakfast ritual.  While I've got the ritual of my morning coffee down, I sometimes neglect the importance of nutritious food along side it.  What chapters 1 & 2 really got me thinking about was, "What am I teaching my children?"  I know what needs to be done and what our priorities should be, so why do I let these important habits and rituals slide by?  Why do I let busyness and activities take these things away from me?  I am determined to take them back!

Chapter 3 "Exercise Is a Part of Life, Not a Chore"

I remember the first time I read this chapter several years ago and Madame Chic's phrase "One mustn't be lazy" stuck with me.  This response was to Jennifer questioning the need to walk in the freezing weather during Madame Chic's daily market shopping.  When I read that response, I was quite taken aback- it's not like she was referencing sitting on the sofa and ordering take out as lazy (which is what comes to my mind at the word).  She was saying that it could actually be considered  laziness to want to avoid walking in the cold.  Her attitude about exercise was to embrace it in daily activities rather than dreading it.

I hope you've enjoyed this detailed glimpse into Part 1 of Lessons from Madame Chic.  Have you read the book?  I'd love to know if you are reading it along with me and your thoughts on these chapters!  Please comment below :)

In Pursuit of Inspiration to Live Well

The start of a new season always energizes me to examine myself and evaluate goals I have set.   The start of a new school semester is no different and like Kathleen Kelly in You've Got Mail, I find it so easy to romanticize this season.  The smell of Scotch Tape.  Bouquets of sharpened pencils...  Ahhhh!

 Several goals to which I commonly recommit at the start of each new season are as follows:

1. Wake up early for daily quiet time.
2. Develop a house cleaning schedule and stick to it.
3. Read more books!
4. Live in the moment.
5. Eliminate negativity in thoughts and words.

This summer, I started strong waking up early, going to bed early, and generally accomplishing more throughout the day.  I developed a schedule to get house work done and usually kept things under control each week.  I surprised myself by getting through four books this summer!  There were plenty of awesome moments to live in and for the most part, I steered clear of negativity.

As the summer wore on, I started sleeping later...  My cleaning schedule started falling behind, with necessary "catch-up" days, which, of course, took-over some of our weekends.  At night during my designated reading time, I started playing a phone-game.  The "moments" were starting to seem daunting and negativity definitely became the default in my thought processes.

Last week, the Fall Semester began in most of our activities (lessons, church, etc.), and I welcomed the structure with open arms.  I recommitted to my desired goals and must say that when I get that first one down (paired with adequate sleep), the next four generally fall in order.  Not always, but very often.

One author whom I love to gleam inspiration from is Jennifer L. Scott.  I discovered her in 2012 from her first book, Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris.  I devoured the book (along with all of the secrets) and started following her blog, "The Daily Connoisseur."  I was excited for her second book, At Home with Madame Chic: Becoming a Connoisseur of Daily Life, which came out last year and can hardly wait for her latest book, Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance to come out in October.

In honor of Jennifer's new book release and as a thank you to the inspiration she has provided me in my life, I will do a type of "Book-Review Countdown" over the next two months in anticipation of her new book, set to be released  on October 27, 2015.  August's book review will be Lessons From Madame Chic and September's review will be At Home with Madame Chic.

Click on any of the above links to purchase either of the books and join me in reading them this month and next.  Both of these books  provide great encouragement and inspiration in living well and living in the moment.  

I would love to know how you react to the start of a new semester.  Are you energized by all of the organization and schedules or deflated by deadlines and activities?  How do you find inspiration to keep a good attitude and live in the moment?  Please share your comments below!