Life Made Simple with CarlaRae

Right now we are nearing the end of summer. My son, Levi starts school in just over a week. We're done with all our summer trips and get-aways. Levi just finished his final summer camp. Summer break is almost over and for the first the first time in months, Levi has absolutely nothing to do.

Now, I have to say, my husband and I are blessed with an only child who is very good at entertaining himself. Levi is very creative and imaginative. But, yesterday, he came up to me while I was working in my office and said something to me that he rarely says, "Momma, I'm bored."

Later that night I was talking to a friend of mine with kids and when I told her about Levi's little dilemma earlier in the day she mentioned that her kids are always saying that their bored... she then asked what I did about it. I gave her my thoughts on the topic and decided I wanted to share them with you as well!

Links Mentioned in this Show:

Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode97

Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com

Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com

Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY

Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE

Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson

Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae

Download this Episode

#96: Dear "In A Minute" Mom 0

Aug 24, 2017

If you tuned in to our last episode you know that we just celebrated our son's 7th birthday. Now that he's getting older and about to start 1st grade, I've been a little over sentimental this past week.

Today, for our quick and brief 3 Minute Thursday episode, I read to you a blog article I came across recently. It's written by a well-know blogger by the name of Rachel Marie Martin.

Her blog is at FindingJoy.net. If you're a crazy busy mom like me, you should really check it out.

Links Mentioned in this Show:

Rachel's Blog: FindingJoy.net

Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode96

Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com

Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com

Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY

Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE

Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson

Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae

Download this Episode

#95: Take Time To Savor Your Little Ones 0

Aug 14, 2017

Today I am a mother of a 6 year old. Tomorrow, I will be the mother of a 7 year old. Yes... tomorrow my son, Levi, turns 7 and I feel like my little baby boy is growing up way too fast!

For last week's episode of Life Made Simple I shared with you how crazy busy my life has been this summer. And I have to be honest, my son's birthday tomorrow is becoming a real eye opener for me. I know it's a cliché, but life is short. And sometimes when life gets crazy busy it's easy to rush through it all forgetting about the little things in life that make it worth living.

As you know, I'm on a quest to simplify my life. Like I always say, I want to focus on what really matters and somehow let go of the rest. And for my husband and I, our son is what really matters. I want to soak up every little moment of these few precious years of his childhood. Because one day they will be gone and he'll be an adult... I am so desperate to wrap up every special moment and hang on to them forever!

On this episode of Life Made Simple, I go over a list with you that I stumbled across a few months ago on a blog written by Erica Layne. I love it so much and have read it many times to myself.

"32 Ways To Savor Your Children While You Have Them" (by Erica Layne)

Watch them when they sleep.
Inhale them after they bathe.
Steal some extra time brushing your child’s hair. She says (A wet brush is a must!) Keep on brushing it straight through the teen years.
Read the heartfelt things your kids write about you and let them sink in. (When our kids give us valentines or birthday cards, are we really taking their words in? It’s time to start.)
Break a personal parenting rule or two.
Be silly. Sing at the top of your lungs in the car, dance in the grocery store, pull a harmless prank.
Let them climb into bed with you (sometimes).
Don’t round UP on their ages. She says, even if your child turns 7 in two months, keep thinking of him as 6. There’s need to hurry childhood along, right?
Fill your home with photos of them.
Practice living simply so your mind is clearer, which—in my case—helps me experience more moments as they come.
See your children through a camera lens.
Capture not just their milestones but the scenes you see every single day.
Choose one thing you can accept, rather than tolerate. Letting go can alleviate so much agitation.
When they’re hurting, try to place yourself in a similar situation from your past and really remember what it felt like to be where they are.
Prop your phone camera up and use the time lapse feature to record a family meal or a homework session. Looking at it later will help you appreciate the beautiful chaos of raising children.
Watch them closely when their minds are fully engaged in something they love.
Do something for you. Often. “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Climb under some blankets and read to them. (And for those moments, choose not to let it bother you when you get sat on and accidentally elbowed a dozen times during your reading session.)
Get rid of guilt. It’s clouding your view.
Regularly take some time to remember your childhood. It’ll help you better appreciate theirs.
Claim for yourself and your family a distraction-free block of time. A morning with your laptop closed, an afternoon away from your phone… you get the idea.
Figure out and focus on what and who really matters to you.
Make it your goal for a day to double the amount of eye contact you have with your children.
When you pack away a size of clothing your child has outgrown, make a little ritual of remembering this last stage and how quickly it passed.
Take more video footage!
Build yourself a supportive village. Not a lot of “savoring” goes on when you’re parenting on an island (because Too much energy is going to survival).
Organize some one-on-one dates with your children.
If your child is old enough to text, take screen shots of cute text conversations you exchange.
If hurrying makes you agitated, try building more free space into your schedule so you don’t have to rush so much between activities.
Snuggle up with them for movie time. We do that a lot in our house.
Listen.
Experience something new with them—something they’ve never seen.

Links Mentioned in this Show:

Episode #63: You Need More Margin Time (CarlaRae Confesses)

Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode95

Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com

Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com

Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY

Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"

Download this Episode

#94: One-Year Anniversary! 0

Aug 10, 2017

One year ago we released the first 3 episodes of this podcast show. So, I'm excited to say this episode, marks our one-year anniversary!

Since then, we have managed to record, produce, and release 2 episodes every week. Well, almost every week. If you're a regular listener, you may have noticed that we did take a few days off a couple times throughout the year.

For this quick and brief "3 Minute Thursday" episode of Life Made Simple, I wanted to take a little time to say a sincere thank you from the bottom of heart to everyone who has made this show possible. Thank you to all our listeners for continually tuning in, thank you for your ongoing support, your encouragement, your reviews, your topic ideas and feedback. You honestly have no idea how much I've appreciated all of it!

It has been an amazing year... and I'm so excited to see what next year has in store for us!

Links Mentioned in this Show:

Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode94

Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com

Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com

Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY

Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE

Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson

Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae

Download this Episode

#93: It's Time To Refocus, Reassess, & Reset (CarlaRae Confesses) 0

Aug 8, 2017

During our last episode I told you about how crazy busy my summer has been. I told you that I work hard and play hard. But one thing I didn't go into detail about during that quick and brief 3 Minute Thursday episode is that throughout all the crazy business, my priorities and schedule over the past few weeks has become completely derailed.

Important things are falling through the cracks. And while I'm constantly getting stuff done, there's a lot that's not getting done.

So, I confess: right now, when it comes to managing my time, I have somehow gotten completely off track.

On today's episode I share with you exactly how I am going to regain control of my chaotic life. I tell you exactly how I'm going to refocus, reassess, and reset my schedule.

Links Mentioned in this Show:

FREE DOWNLOAD: Perfect Day Itinerary Worksheet

Or send a text to 44222 with the word PERFECTDAY

Episode #92: When You Work Hard And Play Hard

Episode #61: A Sneak Peak At What's In The Works

Episode #9: Why You Must Make Personal Development A Daily Habit

Episode #56: One Habit That Will Completely Change Your Life

Episode #8: How To Make A "Perfect Day Itinerary"

Episode #11: How Do You Make A Perfect Week Itinerary (Ask CarlaRae)

Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode93

Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com

Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com

Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY

Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"

Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE

Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson

Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae

Download this Episode

#92: When You Work Hard And Play Hard 0

Aug 3, 2017

We are officially in the middle of summer and for the Arneson Family that means we work hard and play hard. Summers are crazy busy for us!

The problem is, when life gets busy, it's so easy to feel overwhelmed. Everything feels like it's spinning out of control. And sometimes I lose confidence that I'm on the right track for getting everything done on time without something falling through the cracks.

On today's episode I give you my thoughts own how to handle life when it feels crazy busy.

Links Mentioned in this Show:

Episode #62: Is Your Life Crazy Busy?

Episode #70: A Few Thoughts On "Paralysis By Analysis"

Episode #89: How To Declutter Your Brain And Keep It Organized

Episode #90: My Favorite To-Do List Tool

Episode #63: You Need More Margin Time (CarlaRae Confesses)

Episode #40: Always Moving Onward & Upward

Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode92

Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com

Simplicity University: SimplicityU.com

Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"