Answering "So, who takes their shoes off these days??"

A big, big thank-you to those of you who commented on my prior blog post, "So, who takes their shoes off these days??". I am still trying to convince my family that they need to be more interactive with my blog, instead of just reading it. They are all internet-savvy, I'm just not sure they feel compelled to make comments on my silly posts. :-) I'm sure they will rally around one day.

Growing up, we were required to take our shoes off when entering the house - it was one of the ten commandments (ok, I exaggerate), and discipline was strict if you were caught with dirty soles in contact with clean interior flooring. But children always find a creative way around any household rule, so my method was to get down on all fours and crawl through the house to get what I needed, feet high in the air. Needless to say, this method didn't fly with my parents, and discipline was still meted out....

Today, here in the Kansas countryside, with two inside Australian Shepherds and one part-time inside chocolate lab, we don't take our shoes off. In fact, we have old, crappy carpet thoughout most of the house, and for the first time in my life, I don't feel this urge to replace it. WHY? Because then I would have to take my shoes off, and wipe my dogs' feet everytime they come in if it's wet or muddy outside. No, I think I will keep my old, crappy carpet for the time being. It works! Even though it's old and crappy, I do still keep it clean. Frequent vacuuming is a must with two large hairy girls in the house.

I believe in keeping life simple and happy these days. No hard and fast rules to abide by. No list of "things" that must be done by a certain day or time, or at least keeping that list very minimal. For those interested in keeping life simple, there is a great book I re-read time and again. The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs. Check it out if you've ever been interested in streamlining your life and getting back to basics.