Simplifying Life, Step 1

     In my last post, I said I was going to blog some ideas I have for simplifying my life and helping my kids to be more selfless instead of selfish.  The first thing that we are going to do at our house is an extension of something that I did over Lent.  I saw this idea on a blog called 40 bags in 40 days and since another friend invited a bunch of us to do it on Facebook with her, I was in.  The point was to get rid of 40 bags of stuff over the 40 days of Lent.  Sounds like a wonderful idea, right?  It was an incredible idea, and since I love to make lists and have contests, I also got my mom and aunt involved and we had a contest to see who could get rid of the most stuff.  I won (I normally do, I am insanely competitive), but I did not get 40 bags.  Not that I don't have 40 bags of stuff to get rid of, I just got really busy and then had pneumonia.  The object is not to just throw away 40 bags of stuff, but to really look at what you have and decide what you need versus what could bless someone else and get rid of things to charity, consignment, or trash. 
     I really loved this idea, and I am going to make a game of it over the summer with the kids.  I am going to call it "A Summer of Simplifying" and the object is to find one thing each day to bless someone else with and one thing each day that goes in the trash or recycling.  I think the kids will really like it, and I am going to get some boxes from my grandfather's grocery store that we can pack things in and then take them at the end of each week.  I think this will be a great way to not only get rid of some of the massive amounts of stuff we have in the house, but also help them think more about what they really need versus the extra stuff.  It will also help in preparation for their birthday in August since nothing else is coming in until some stuff goes out.  I am really looking forward to sharing the idea with Mr. B and the kiddos.  We will do a box for giveaways and a box for recycling, with trash just going in the regular can.  Any ideas for ways to decorate the boxes?
     In other updates, Alyssa has started playing softball, and for the few weeks that dance, softball, church activities, and school are all overlapping, it is kinda crazy around here.  B is having a blast, just being normal B.  That kid is crazy and inquisitive and it really fills my heart to watch him knowing how sick he was when he was little.  Mr. B has been working a lot, as have I and we are just trying to muddle through getting things paid off.  Lots of medical bills are still calling, but hopefully once we get them all paid off, things will be better.  We have a new addition to our family.  Her name is Daisy Mae and she is a lab/weimaraner mix (we think) and is about 16 weeks old.  She is lots of fun and the kids are absolutely in love with her.