Blog - Simple Joy

14 Tips to Simplify your Meal Planning

These days we usually are so busy, we are not able to prepare the right foods. So what do we do? We end up eating unhealthy fast/frozen food. In many cases, people who are trying to lose weight go on complicated diets that have too many requirements to remember, let alone keep up with! However, you can eliminate stress and be healthier at the same time by ensuring that we stick to nutritious meals and stay away from the pre-packed items. But how? It all comes down to preparation! But it doesn't have to be complicated. Have you tried planning your meals in adv[...]

Blog, Intentional Living

The Gift my Mother gave me

Mother’s Day is a tough day for me – a mixture of happiness and sorrow. It’s a constant battle and I never know which will win. Don’t get me wrong every day I think of my mam, but Mothering Sunday seems to be one of the most difficult. I am never a girl for these types of public celebrations (especially Valentines!) but seeing others publishing comments/photos and wonderful days out with their mother only pulls at my heartstrings and I feel a strong sense of envy. If only I could be doing that…. I was 13 when my mother died. It didn’t come as a total s[...]

Blog, Intentional Living

Where will you leave your fingerprint?

If we look at our life and our most meaningful relationships, we are often pulled by forces not in line with our true values. The external and internal clutter makes us become reactionary. We then generally behave in a way that soothes the emotions of the moment and detract us from following our true path. When we start simplifying the 'toxic' elements of our life, we can begin to see our true passions and drivers. Some would describe this as 'your calling' or passion. However, I personally don't believe you can ever have one - why not multiple? As humans we are[...]

Blog, Declutter Your Life

How to create a morning routine to kick start your day!

Hey there! Do you enjoy mornings? Like it or not, every day has a morning and every morning we need to get out of bed. I was never a fan of forcing myself out of my cosy, warm cocoon and would try to delay it as much as possible. I was only delaying the inevitable. My morning would then consist of running around like a headless chicken, quickly brushing my hair and teeth and running out of the house feeling drained, exhausted and grumpy. Not a great start to the day I think you will agree! However it may sound familiar, as this is a very common practice! I[...]

Blog, Declutter Your Home

5 tips on how to start living with less

Look around your home now. No matter where you are sitting, just take a look. Looking? Good. Now try and find 1 item that you forgot was there, is broken or you haven't used in a long time. Go on. Take a glance. Did you find one? I bet you did and i bet it didn't take you long to find it! If you did, you are not alone. The majority of UK households have an excess of 'stuff' that has accumulated over the years, causing the owners to feel overwhelmed with the storage, cleaning and general upkeep in their homes. Most people continue to live like this as they don't kn[...]

Blog, Declutter Your Home

6 tips to help you contain the chaos!

I don’t know about you, I can just turn my back for a moment and my spotless kitchen can suddenly turn into a bomb site! But I suppose that is part of the contract when you sign up for kids isn’t it? I am sure you know how it feels, you look around and your space is overcome by clutter and mess and you feel like you spend your day cleaning up after your family. Feel familiar? FEAR NOT It is possible for you to reclaim your home back and save yourself from the chaos. Here are some very simple ways for you to start decluttering and get the ‘natural’ chaos un[...]

Blog, Intentional Living

So… what does it really mean to be an Essentialist?

You may have heard of the term Essentialism, but in a different context right? If you go to our old friend Google, it states: Essentialism is the view that for any specific entity there is a set of attributes, which are necessary to its identity and function. This is the philosophical view that most people are aware of. However, recently it has been banded around in a lifestyle context. So what does it mean? Let me try to explain by first asking you some questions: Do You Feel: as though you are always jumping from one activity to the next? you are always worki[...]