The Simple Life

I love the Father of the Bride movies.  They're sweet and funny and the song "Give Me The Simple Life" by Ella Fitzgerald gets stuck in my head.  I love that song.  I love the images it invokes in my mind and I love the idea of showing my kids that the simple life is a pretty great life.  



To me summer is all about life's simple pleasures.  Enjoying the light, spending time with family, dipping our feet in the water... 


When all is said and done it's the simple things in life that you remember and have both meaning and value: Family, traditions, quiet moments together...



I don't believe in frettin' and grievin'
Why mess around with strife'
I never was cut out to step and strut out
Give me the simple life...

One of my goals when we first started homeschooling was to simplify our family life.  Even with kids in pre-k, k and 2nd grade we were seeing how quickly life can get hectic and how quickly other things pushed aside our family time.  I wanted to bring us closer together as a family and focus on the simple pleasures in life.  I think I may have actually succeeded these past three years and managed to surpass my expectations.  


Some find it pleasant dining on pheasant
Those things roll off my knife
Just serve me tomatoes and mashed potatoes
Give me the simple life

Here are some of the simple pleasures I've found us enjoying so far this season:

Strawberry picking


Playing in the pouring rain

Making forts to color in

Picking blueberries

Playing with friends

Exploring the seaside


Watching the birds

Swimming in the lake

Riding bikes

Feeding the ducks


Making s'mores

Climbing trees

Playing on the monkey bars

A cottage small is all I'm after
Not one that's spacious and wide
A house that rings with joy and laughter
And the ones you love inside

We try to focus on family fun and time together and teach our boys that experiences matter; not things.  I don't mind that my boys have grand dreams to become multi millionaires and dream of owning mansions, yachts and private jets but I always gently remind them that things aren't everything in life.  Making connections with family and friends matter more and there is joy to be found in all the little things.  


Some like the high road, 
I like the low road
Free from the care and strife
Sounds corny and seedy, 
but yes, indeedy
Give me the simple life




Comments

  1. Erin VincentAugust 17, 2015 at 5:48 AM

    Awe, lovely post! I try to remind my son of the same things. I'm hoping some day in some way it sticks. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3August 17, 2015 at 9:46 AM

      Thank you! I'm hoping that if I say it enough, model it for them, and remind them often of what's really important in life it might just sink in one day too!

      Delete
  2. MichelleJune 16, 2016 at 9:28 AM

    Do you know what I love about this post, it reminds me of childhood days when summer was waking up and exploring the neighborhood, parks and local places discovering something new each time. It's running all day in the fresh air until dinner time enjoying simple pleasures. This is what summer is all about! Enjoyed tremondously.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3June 16, 2016 at 9:55 AM

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it.... and it sure is what summer is all about.

      Delete
  3. Mrs. RJune 17, 2016 at 2:17 PM

    I so agree with you ... when I was raising my boys we took a lot of nature road trips, made fishing poles out of a stick, hook, line and sinker ... we'd hike and learn about the local vegetation and animals ... it was always the simple things they remembered the most. even today they'll say let's go on a journey today Mom like we used to do when we were kids ... they are 34 and 27 now so I think you're on to something ... my boys have never forget those times and we still continue to go on our journeys to discover new things .. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Simplify Wednesdays!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jessica PowellJune 17, 2016 at 3:56 PM

    I'm so with you on this - so often it feels like life is all about accumulating things, rather than taking time out to appreciate the people and places around us. x #simplifywednesdays

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mrs. RJune 20, 2016 at 12:14 PM

    Hey there, I just wanted to stop by to let you know that your will be featured in this week's #SimplifyWednesdays Link Up!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Charlotte ReesJune 21, 2016 at 8:36 AM

    So true, life is all about the simple things, they are what children remember and all that adults secretly want, deep down (: #twinklytuesday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3June 21, 2016 at 11:52 AM

      Yep. I'm hoping to make my boys more aware of that.

      Delete
  7. Sheila DelCharcoAugust 15, 2017 at 9:27 PM

    This post brought back memories of my homeschooling days when my kids were little. We did a lot of the same stuff! I have one left at home and she's a senior so those days are gone for me but I'm glad to see someone following in our footsteps! Visiting from the Blended Blog.
    ~Sheila @ Making the Most of Every Day

    ReplyDelete
  8. Moving MeditationJune 22, 2018 at 7:14 AM

    Sounds like you are having a wonderful summer so far! I used to take my boys strawberry picking with me when they were young. They tell me they still bear the emotional scars of forced child labor! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3June 23, 2018 at 8:11 AM

      Ha! My youngest son did grumble the whole time.

      Delete
  9. Jessica @ Overwhelmed to FulfilledJune 23, 2018 at 7:17 AM

    I love the Father of the Bride movies too and have a desire for the simple life. I love the experiences over things! Keeping all the requests of events, meet ups, and things to a minimum is hard to do! I try to say "no" often, but there's always another event coming up. Thanks for sharing with us at #LiveLifeWell

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3June 23, 2018 at 8:13 AM

      That's true there is often some sort of event happening but we've just become more intentional about saying no to those none of us want to do. We used to say yes a lot out of obligation or because of peer pressure but other than family events we don't do a lot of that anymore.

      Delete
  10. Amy BenhamJune 26, 2018 at 7:02 PM

    The other night my husband and I sat on the front porch, just relaxing while he played guitar. I felt like, this is what it is all about. I love the simple life! The peace-filled life. A life of love and laughter.

    Thank you so much for sharing this!

    Thank you for linking up @LiveLifeWell

    Blessings,

    Amy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mother of 3June 28, 2018 at 6:55 AM

      That sounds sound wonderful. We often sit on our back deck and just talk; enjoying the breeze off the lake. It's nice.

      Delete
  11. Jennifer GoodwinSeptember 11, 2023 at 6:37 PM

    Joanne, you should reshare this post someday, it's so beautiful! Thank you for sharing it with me!

    ReplyDelete

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