Whats New
This Month?
New content is released each week and will be updated below. But don't worry, all of the info still lives in the Vault section for you to refer back to anytime! Release schedule:
Simplify - First week of the month
Nourish - Second week of the month
Enjoy - Third week of the month
Celebrate - Fourth week of the month
Simplify
Clear it out
April inside the membership and we’re talking about clearing out all the things!
What better opportunity to do a little decluttering, than when we are needing to keep ourselves at home!?
To take a Small Steps approach - choose one small area at a time, finish that and move on to the next. There’s nothing worse than when you’ve pulled an entire room apart, then realise you need to cook dinner and the next day you still have piles upon piles everywhere…
So do one drawer at a time for example, or a shelf within a cupboard. Then move onto the next.
We’ve put together a list of suggestions for you here. You don’t have to do them all! But this should give you some inspiration of area’s you could do.
And bonus points if you can think of ways to get the kids involved - can they pair things up (ummmm odd sock pile anyone!?), sort by colour/size, count etc.
Let us know in the Facebook group which area’s you do.
Lisa x
Nourish
Pantry Clearout!
We’re continuing with the declutter/clearout theme this week, and taking stock of what is in our pantry! You might have already done this, as trips to the shops are limited.
It’s amazing what can get pushed to the back of our shelves and forgotten. So this week, go through your pantry and toss out anything that is out of date, and take stock of what you actually have. Then create a meal plan based around the ingredients you have on hand to use up.
The fabulous Katherine did a tour of her pantry here.
Here are some recipe links to get you started:
Jars of grains? --> Lemon & Herb Quinoa, Pumpkin & Parmesan Polenta
Noodles?--> Chow Mein, Chicken & Corn Soup
Pasta or Barley? --> Minestrone
Nuts or seeds? --> Pesto, Muesli Bars, Granola
Still need some inspo, or found some random ingredients that you don’t quite know what to do with!? Tag the ‘Small Steps Team’ profile in the Facebook group with what you have, and we’ll help find some recipes for you!
Lisa and the Small Steps Team x
Enjoy
enjoy your schedule
As we continue our declutter theme for this month, we’re putting the spotlight on our schedules. I don’t know about you, but it’s never been more obvious just how much we had crammed into our weeks. As things were progressively closed down, I noticed the amount of empty space opening in our week.
While we might all be home for now, we can still consider our activities for when things improve (and they will!). And what an opportunity to choose what we add back in.
So what are the things that you want to do more of? That you are really missing now, or that you’ve realised you have taken for granted in the past. It could be simple things like going to a cafe or park. Or maybe you’d like to have more family dinners, BBQ’s, a yoga class.
And then what do you want to do LESS of? What has been filling up your schedule and not allowing time for the things you do want to be doing. Are there too many commitments?
Get out a piece of paper and have a big brainstorm. Get the family involved too. What a wonderful list to have, for once we are able to venture out again.
Not discounting the trying times this has brought for a lot of people, it has given us all the opportunity to pause (whether we like it or not!). And inside that, we can find some gifts.
Consider your schedule while at home too - what is essential for your day to day, and what do you REALLY need to keep up with? Especially if you are working from home, and/or now home-schooling.
We’d love to see your lists! Share in our Facebook group.
Lisa x
Celebrate
April Outstanding Member - Wendy Tabart
Well, I bet that wasn’t the April any of us thought we’d have. Am I right!?
I wanted to honour you in how you have handled it. Whether you think you have done it ‘well’ or not - doesn’t matter.
Look at what you have coped with, look at how you have shown up - it was all perfect in its messiness. I am so proud of what I’ve seen in our Facebook group - honestly it’s inspired me!
Let’s be honest, none of us thought we’d be in this position. So it’s a big celebration of every single one of us this month!
But, of course, we pick out a star member and this month - it’s Wendy Tabart. Wendy has been a member on and off for a number of years and we particularly loved this month when she shared that she is getting back into baking bread during this time. #isobaking
Wendy is always quick to give words of encouragement to those posting in the FB so we want to thank you Wendy for all your thoughtful comments and shares.
Now, as a special surprise, you may have seen that I’ve released the Back to You program back out into the world. If you weren’t around in 2017-18 then you may have missed this program. It’s a beautiful collection of exercises that help you reconnect back in with yourselves, ditch overwhelm and mental clutter and gives you clarity on your direction and purpose.
Many Members have already completed the program but I revisit this stuff all the time and we thought it would be a beautiful focus for all Small Steppers this May.
So get ready to delve into YOU - what you want and need, what kind of life you want to create post-lockdown. It’ll be awesome!