For many years on this blog I shared what homeschool curricula choices I’d made for the year. Then, in April 2017 I started a new business. My blog took a big backseat after that. Recently I decided to begin writing here again, mostly because I still have an audience. About once a week someone emails […]
How I’m Saving Money Lately
I used to talk a lot about frugality here. In the last couple of years, that changed. In my own life, I realized I hadn’t focused enough on earning more income. So I wrote about why frugality isn’t enough, I shared that I was reading 17 books in 2017 on personal finance. And I wrote […]
My year of Joy: how I’m doing
I recently shared that my word for the year in 2019 is JOY. I wanted to update and let you know how I did my first month with joy as a focus. The Aesthetics of Joy One thing I did was read this awesome book, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary […]
My 5 Favorite Makeup Products (for an everyday mom look!)
I mentioned here nearly two years ago that I became a distributor with a makeup, hair and skin care company. But I’ve never come back to talk to you, dear reader, about my products! That seems silly, since I enjoy using them so much. So in this post I’ll share my 5 favorite makeup products. […]
I KonMari’d my home (again!)
I first talked about Marie Kondo and the KonMari method (as explained in her best-selling book, The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up) back in 2015. At that time, I decluttered my entire house using her methods. And it stayed that way for the most part! I did, however, do the process again this week. […]
January 2019 No Spend Month
What better way to launch a new year than to do a no spend month? I love doing these occasionally. Why? Why Do a No Spend Challenge? Similar to a fast, a no spend month can reset your relationship with money. It can uncover bad spending habits (Starbucks and Target? I’m talkin’ to YOU). It […]
My Word for 2019
Last year was the first time I chose a “word of the year”. I’ve always liked the idea, but didn’t do it until 2018 because I was afraid my word would limit me. But that wasn’t true at all! As I’ve matured I realized that with limits, come freedom. (I owe that quote to Gretchen […]
2018: Year in Review
Hello there. My name is Carrie Willard, and I used to write a blog here. 😉 I only wrote 5 posts in all of 2018 (not including this one). Wow! My spot for sharing thoughts has mostly switched to Facebook live, so if you aren’t following me there, I’d love if you did! I do […]
Intermittent Fasting: my experience with 16:8 IF
Have you ever heard of intermittent fasting? There are a few ways to do it. I recently tried the 16:8 method of intermittent fasting and this was my experience. It surprised me! When I was a kid, my dad fasted periodically. He was really hard core about it! He would go 10 days without any […]
When frugality alone isn’t enough
Frugality is defined as the quality of being economical. I believe it’s a virtue. However, frugality alone often isn’t enough to meet our financial goals. Even though I’ve written about frugality for a long time on this blog, I’ve learned this lesson over and over in recent years. I’m a naturally frugal person. Even as a […]