Begin...

"Begin." is the last sentence in the book called Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne.

This book has affected my life in a number of ways. I first read it about a year ago, quite quickly...more or less devoured it! My husband and I were inspired to make some changes in our household as a result. The toys were sorted and trips were made to the second-hand shops, known here in Montréal as friperies. The biggest change we made at this time was to move our 42" flat-screen TV (that was given to us as a wedding present and on which we so cozily and casually loved to watch movies before the arrival of two babies in 20 months) into a corner of our master bedroom and hid it behind a curtain.

This past Fall, I attended a parent study group and read the book a second time and completed homework assignments consisting of creating and following through on a "small doable change" related to each chapter of the book. Then there were the discussions: laughter, tears and sharing among parents who are trying to figure this job out!

In a few weeks I take the next step as I begin a training program to become a parent study group leader. I have been on maternity leave since the summer of 2009 and I welcome this opportunity to use my creativity and skills to spread the word about this work of simplifying, while at the same time enlarging my network of like-minded folks.

So, let's begin!