It's no secret that I love my crockpots. When my kids were super young, it was really the only safe way to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour.

I've got great kids -- (my oldest turns 21 this week!!) -- but when they were little, they had a "witching hour" that sometimes would last from about 4pm to bedtime ---

and that was a crazy tricky time for me to chop onions or tend to the stove or oven because they wanted to be held by me and only me.

So I started plugging in the crockpots after breakfast when they were happy and content. It was such a no-brainer to me --

I could chop meat and veggies in the early morning when I was fully caffeinated and coherent and then in the late afternoon/early evening when they felt frustrated we could walk outside, go the park, etc.

Dinner essentially cooked itself and was hot and ready and I never needed to think about it again.

and to me, that is really what Slow Living is all about.

Figuring out what it is you really WANT --

and then going for it in a calm, peaceful, and tranquil way.

Sure, I COULD HAVE ignored them while they fussed and shoved a tablet in front of them and frantically tried to get dinner going --

or I COULD HAVE ordered take-out non-stop (which would have thrown our budget and our health goals way out of whack)

but instead, I took some time to plan out what it was I truly wanted

(happy, healthy, well-adjusted kids who got their needs met in a peaceful and calm way)

So. YES. maybe in the beginning taking the extra 5-15 minutes to plan and prepare seems super time-consuming when you are already stressed and think you can't add one more thing to an already over-filled day ---

but play the long game. 

I promise you will be happier and less stressed if you do.

The Simple Shortcuts to Peace course was built to help you meet your longterm vision, dreams, and goals. It's designed for you to slowly and thoughtfully plan out each component of your life so you really CAN live out the life of your dreams.

Find out more, here.

Consider yourself loved and hugged.

I think you are wonderful.

xoxo steph

⚪ episode #51 of the Slow Living Podcast is all about "Making & Keeping Adult Friendships."

If you need help, reach out. I am happy to hop on a call with you.

You can listen online, or in your favorite podcast app.