April is here and there are signs that spring weather is on its way. I fell behind with a few things last month, so my March 2024 roundup is a little lighter than usual. Even so, I made decent progress on my goals and found a couple of terrific posts to share with you. One is about niksen—the Dutch art of doing nothing—and the second is on why we need to slow down.
Decluttering challenge – Week 14 – Easter Decorations
I’m a big fan of seasonal decorations. It’s always fun to brighten up the house with a few holiday-themed items.
But, like everything else we own, these items can easily accumulate and turn into clutter. A good declutter of my seasonal treasures is long overdue.
This week’s task in the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge is decluttering Easter decorations.
How climate change in the Arctic affects all of us
The Climate Change Collective is an initiative where the blogging community unites behind a common goal. This month, I have the pleasure of writing the lead post. It’s about the Arctic—a part of the planet most people don’t give much thought to. Read on to learn how climate change in the Arctic affects us all.
The Sunday Spark – Seeking the pause that refreshes
Without googling, do you know which company made the slogan “the pause that refreshes” famous?
In this week’s edition of The Sunday Spark, I share my plans for a pause that refreshes. Plus: facts about EV fires, workplace transportation perks, Toronto’s new bylaw to reduce single-use cups, and decluttering living area table surfaces.
Decluttering challenge – Week 13 – Living area table surfaces
It’s week 13 of the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge. We’re one-quarter of the way through the challenge.
This week, we move on to our living areas. This includes some of the high-traffic areas of our homes like living rooms, dining rooms and family rooms. We’ll start with decluttering our living area table surfaces.
Clutter Tales – Don’t step on my blue suede bowling shoes!
When I decided to revisit my 52-Week Decluttering Challenge this year, I knew it was just a matter of time before I’d find something that would inspire me to reprise the Clutter Tales series. It took a few weeks into the year, but then I discovered my old blue suede bowling shoes. They brought back a lot of memories, but it was time to let them go.
The Sunday Spark – World Happiness Report shows big gap between young and old
Released this week, the 2024 World Happiness Report paints a worrisome picture of the mental state of young people in English-speaking countries, especially here in North America.
In addition to the World Happiness Report, this week’s edition of The Sunday Spark looks at the cost of loneliness, the 2023 Air Quality Index, the environmental promise of white paint, and decluttering accessories.
Decluttering challenge – Week 12 – Accessories & jewellery
In week 12 of the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge, we wrap up our closet clear-out by sorting and decluttering a few miscellaneous accessories that we often overlook when we do a closet purge. Today’s task involves decluttering scarves, belts and jewellery. There’s a pretty good chance you’ve got a lot of these items taking up space in your home.
Do you really need 10000 steps a day?
For many years, I’ve had a goal of 10,000 steps a day. I’d been slacking a bit with my daily walks this winter, so in February I added a step target to my fitness goals. When I fell short on steps despite keeping up with my daily workouts, I decided to do a little research into the science behind the magic number 10,000.
The Sunday Spark – A suitcase of memories
A few weeks ago, I bought a new carry-on suitcase to replace one I’d been travelling with for over 20 years. As I prepare to retire my old blue suitcase, I fondly remembered the places we travelled together.
In addition to my suitcase of memories, this week’s edition of The Sunday Spark, looks at Earth Overshoot Day, banning fossil fuel advertising, electric vehicle economics, and decluttering purses and bags.