This was originally posted on My Super-Charged Life on January 28, 2009.by Joy Harkins When I started Just Plain Joy, I wanted to create an outlet for exploring and defining a simple life. I decided I wanted to pursue a simpler life for several reasons – I wanted to save more money to invest in [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Most Useful Posts category.
25 Tips for a Green Pregnancy
This was originally posted on Green Baby Guide on January 13, 2009.by Joy Harkins During pregnancy, turning “green” may be another way to describe an oncoming bout of morning sickness. But “going green” has become another way of saying you are committed to a way of living that improves or sustains the quality of the [...]
Getting It All Done
This was originally posted on Honest Baby on November 9, 2008.by Joy Harkins The past twelve months have been extremely busy. At the height of it all, I was working full time, preparing for a baby, writing my dissertation, serving as a committee chair for the local United Way, and running a side business. How [...]
10 Ways I Protect Myself in Winter
This time of year requires some extra precautions. Germs are making their way around offices, grocery stores, and more. I just recovered from a stomach bug that has been going around, and I hope to avoid any more sicknesses for awhile.Here are 10 ways I plan to protect myself: 1. Reduce exposure to the elements. [...]
Making Your Home a Haven: 15 Ways to Organize Your Home for a New Baby
One of my favorite parts of pregnancy was preparing for the arrival of a new baby in our home – painting the nursery, registering for gifts, and washing baby clothes. They say the urge to clean can even be a sign that a pregnant woman is about to go into labor. While these are common [...]
20 Tips for Simple Parenting
I have only been a parent for seven months (sixteen months if you count pregnancy), but I know that I want to carry my philosophy of simple living into my parenting style. I know that kids grow up fast, and time is precious. I know many parents feel like there aren’t enough hours in the [...]
9 Ways to Invest in Your Child’s Future
When my daughter was born, I asked my mom for her financial advice. My mom has always invested for my future and taught me to manage my finances. I hope to teach my daughter the same lessons. Even though my mom has taken the lead in my financial future, my dad has taught me several [...]
Seven Tips for Recycling Clutter
This post is part of the Saturday’s Seven series. A common approach to sorting through clutter is to create three boxes – keep, toss, and recycle. The first two categories are obvious…here are some options for those items you want to recycle: 1. Re-gift it. Many household items can make great gifts if they are [...]
Nine Tasks to Delegate in ’09
Wouldn’t you like a personal assistant? Don’t you deserve one? Here are nine tasks you can delegate in ’09, even if you don’t have a personal assistant: 1. Sorting email. If you have not switched to Gmail, I would like to hear one good reason why! Save time filing email by use Gmail filters to [...]
Generosity: Part 4 – Random Acts of Kindness
This is the final post in a series on giving, check out week one, week two, and week three. Today, I want to reflect on random acts of kindness. When I was 38 weeks pregnant, I went to get a pedicure. While I was sitting in the chair, a woman came up to me and [...]
