practicing simplicity

I'll start with a quick aside about parenting philosophy. I don't know about you, but my philosophy can be a moving target. Occasionally, I like to take time to ponder thoughtfully the mom I want to be. I keep a leather notebook (Yes, I know, in the days of smart phones and iPads and crackberries, I still keep a pad and pen) where I write down thoughts that pop into my head. It's how I make sense out of the apparent randomness in my stream-of-conscience life. Lately I am honing in on some words that make me smile and that I want to incorporate into our lives. Here are a few of the scribbled notes from my pad:

Simplify. 
Minimize. 
Do more with less. 
Slow down. 
Start as you mean to go on. 
 Savor. 
Enjoy the little things. 
Don't sweat the small stuff. 
Achieve peace and quiet, happiness and relaxation.

Before I had kids, I thought it would be easy to keep things simple. It seemed to me that the only way clutter could get into your home is if you allow it there, so as long as I kept it out, I'd be fine, right?