Hubby said the sexiest thing to me this past Saturday. He took my hand as I was about to head out of our bedroom, smiled at me and said, "How about on Sunday, we stay home from church, and..."
Showing posts with label Journey of Hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journey of Hope. Show all posts
Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Wednesday, 8 June 2016
My Journey of Hope: The Room of DOOM - Before and After
That's right, you heard me.
Doom.
DOOM!
Tertius and Quarta's room has been the bane of my existence since they could pull thing off of the shelves (which coincidentally, preceded walking by a few months). It's messy, it's overcrowded. and it's not being used to its fullest potential in any way, shape, or form. It was less-than-helpful that our cat, Saffron, viewed Quarta as her main competition, and decided to exert her dominance by urinating on Quarta's clothes and belongings, stinking up the joint like nobody's business!
Hubby and I have been systematically chipping away at the mess; reminders throughout the day to "pick up 20 things" are met alternately with excitement, or with eye rolls and groans, but they've been making headway. Very, very slow headway. And as often as not, for all the progress they made, they'd reward themselves by pulling out half again as many toys to play with. So, I was just sick of it; the mess, the smell, the constant roller coaster ride of cleanliness, and I needed to step in. The end result is that I spent the better part of 5 or 6 hours in there over the last two days, trying to not only tame the overwhelming mess, but also to find the source of the cat urine problem.
In the process of cleaning, I located three sources of the urine stench - in front of Tertius' dresser, under the bunk beds, and in the closet. The room reeked, and I don't know how they could stand the smell. And there I was, without baking soda to neutralize the odour! That red bag you see in the photo above? That's most of the garbage I pulled out of their room. Not just garbage, but anything that had been peed on and was not salvageable. I soaked an untold number of Lego pieces and Hot Wheels cars to get rid of the stench overnight. Given the number of Pokemon cards I had to toss, I think the kids both learned a valuable lesson.
I had each child help me individually, which I feel worked very well, and together, we got everything off the floor, and even from under the bed. We left it last night like this:
The next step is finishing up the closet, then taking the Bissel Little Green Machine to the carpet and try to get rid of the smell.
I'll keep you posted!
Doom.
DOOM!
Tertius and Quarta's room has been the bane of my existence since they could pull thing off of the shelves (which coincidentally, preceded walking by a few months). It's messy, it's overcrowded. and it's not being used to its fullest potential in any way, shape, or form. It was less-than-helpful that our cat, Saffron, viewed Quarta as her main competition, and decided to exert her dominance by urinating on Quarta's clothes and belongings, stinking up the joint like nobody's business!
Hubby and I have been systematically chipping away at the mess; reminders throughout the day to "pick up 20 things" are met alternately with excitement, or with eye rolls and groans, but they've been making headway. Very, very slow headway. And as often as not, for all the progress they made, they'd reward themselves by pulling out half again as many toys to play with. So, I was just sick of it; the mess, the smell, the constant roller coaster ride of cleanliness, and I needed to step in. The end result is that I spent the better part of 5 or 6 hours in there over the last two days, trying to not only tame the overwhelming mess, but also to find the source of the cat urine problem.
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| This was taken about two hours into cleaning, so it already looks miles better than before |
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| This is what I found when I pulled out the rolling cart that Tertius stores some of his toys in |
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| Quarta's dresser is to the left, with her rolling cart toy storage; the dresser in the center has extra sheets, and costumes stashed away. |
I had each child help me individually, which I feel worked very well, and together, we got everything off the floor, and even from under the bed. We left it last night like this:
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| Hey, there's a carpet under there! |
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| you can't see the cat urine, but it's there... but at least the mess isn't! |
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| SOO much better! |
I'll keep you posted!
Monday, 30 May 2016
My Journey of Hope: Getting Buy-In
This weekend has been all about buy-in for me.
First up, my parents. They are both dealing with myriad health issues, and the biggest thing they're facing right now is my father's newly discovered kidney disease. It is causing a great deal of fatigue for him, to the point that walking from the living room to the bathroom makes him winded. And forget about stairs! So, adjustments have been made in the house to accommodate their current needs, but their food storage was still an issue, as was making healthy meals. They have been relying more heavily on canned and packaged foods of late, which isn't as good as whole foods, but with limited ability to access the freezer in the basement, that complicated things.
My brother, sis-in-law and nephew were visiting this weekend, so we took the opportunity to bring a luncheon feast to them all. We even invited BioDad's father over, because after all, he's family. I made a rather spectacular creamy baked potato soup, and we had salads, chips and deli buns to enjoy. Mumsy went out to the store and picked up dessert, too!
While there, Bro, Hubby, and I had a chance to talk about some solutions for the food issue, and we presented the following idea: they have two ancient freezers (no really; one is something like 50 years old) in the basement, both full to the brim with food of unknown age and condition. Bro and I have volunteered to go through both of them, tossing anything outdated or freezer-burnt, and condensing what's left. We then suggested that they look at buying a new upright freezer that lives on the main floor, and we would batch-cook things like spaghetti sauce, chili, meat loaf, lasagna, etc. and freeze them in two portions. Then all they have to do is get a freezer bag or foil loaf pan out the night before, and cook up the side dishes while it cooks.
Thankfully, both of our parents were really on board with the idea! Of course, the moment I mentioned putting the old freezers out to pasture, he got this slightly panicked look on his face - we can't get rid of something useful, right? Baby steps - we'll start with de-cluttering the freezers, and see where it leads, but he did admit that neither appliance is very energy-conscious and would likely lower their power bill to have them shut off. It's so heartening to see progress being made.
Sunday saw me without a vehicle, so I was unable to attend church, though Primus got a ride from Hubby before he left for the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) event going on this weekend. (Side story: when Primus arrived at church, the man leading the worship team was disappointed that P was not on the platform, guitar in hand. He had jammed with them at the Thursday practice and got great response, and I think they all kind of expected that he would be playing. He had to let them know that he was in charge of media today, but nonetheless, they gave him copies of the music, complete with guitar chords, that he can now practice at home. What a great boost to his self-esteem! I'm so stinkin' proud of that kid.)
Because we were stuck at home, I decided to declare it Pajama Day, and Tertius, Quarta and I stayed in our jammie-jams all day long - you should have seen the confusion when Hubby and I told them to get their jammies on for bed tonight! We watched Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, followed by a show that Secunda requested, "Attacking the Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime", a documentary on Thalidomide babies, and the newspaper campaign of truth that blew the story open in the 1970s. Fascinating show. The little guys had some questions, so we talked about the birth defects, the improper testing, and the shoddy compensation offered to families. It also gave me the opportunity to talk to them about how such birth defects rarely affect cognitive ability, how these men and women overcame the limitations this medication placed upon them, and how they are able to function quite well in the world.
When we took a break for them to practice their breakdance routine that they're doing for the talent show at school, I went downstairs to the office, which had begun to get cluttered again. I spent a few minutes assessing what I can do (starting with putting a few items up on the 24 hour bidding site), and by the time Tertius and Quarta came inside, I had a bag at the ready. We quickly picked up about 20 pieces of garbage, and made it look much nicer in there! I had no whining, no cajoling, and no resistance to the task as presented to them. It put such a smile on my face!
So, not a lot of work got done around here because of my painful hands, but dishes got completely caught up again, progress was made in the office, and a big step has started for my parents' home.
Talk about a weekend of win!
First up, my parents. They are both dealing with myriad health issues, and the biggest thing they're facing right now is my father's newly discovered kidney disease. It is causing a great deal of fatigue for him, to the point that walking from the living room to the bathroom makes him winded. And forget about stairs! So, adjustments have been made in the house to accommodate their current needs, but their food storage was still an issue, as was making healthy meals. They have been relying more heavily on canned and packaged foods of late, which isn't as good as whole foods, but with limited ability to access the freezer in the basement, that complicated things.
My brother, sis-in-law and nephew were visiting this weekend, so we took the opportunity to bring a luncheon feast to them all. We even invited BioDad's father over, because after all, he's family. I made a rather spectacular creamy baked potato soup, and we had salads, chips and deli buns to enjoy. Mumsy went out to the store and picked up dessert, too!
While there, Bro, Hubby, and I had a chance to talk about some solutions for the food issue, and we presented the following idea: they have two ancient freezers (no really; one is something like 50 years old) in the basement, both full to the brim with food of unknown age and condition. Bro and I have volunteered to go through both of them, tossing anything outdated or freezer-burnt, and condensing what's left. We then suggested that they look at buying a new upright freezer that lives on the main floor, and we would batch-cook things like spaghetti sauce, chili, meat loaf, lasagna, etc. and freeze them in two portions. Then all they have to do is get a freezer bag or foil loaf pan out the night before, and cook up the side dishes while it cooks.
Thankfully, both of our parents were really on board with the idea! Of course, the moment I mentioned putting the old freezers out to pasture, he got this slightly panicked look on his face - we can't get rid of something useful, right? Baby steps - we'll start with de-cluttering the freezers, and see where it leads, but he did admit that neither appliance is very energy-conscious and would likely lower their power bill to have them shut off. It's so heartening to see progress being made.
Sunday saw me without a vehicle, so I was unable to attend church, though Primus got a ride from Hubby before he left for the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) event going on this weekend. (Side story: when Primus arrived at church, the man leading the worship team was disappointed that P was not on the platform, guitar in hand. He had jammed with them at the Thursday practice and got great response, and I think they all kind of expected that he would be playing. He had to let them know that he was in charge of media today, but nonetheless, they gave him copies of the music, complete with guitar chords, that he can now practice at home. What a great boost to his self-esteem! I'm so stinkin' proud of that kid.)
Because we were stuck at home, I decided to declare it Pajama Day, and Tertius, Quarta and I stayed in our jammie-jams all day long - you should have seen the confusion when Hubby and I told them to get their jammies on for bed tonight! We watched Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, followed by a show that Secunda requested, "Attacking the Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime", a documentary on Thalidomide babies, and the newspaper campaign of truth that blew the story open in the 1970s. Fascinating show. The little guys had some questions, so we talked about the birth defects, the improper testing, and the shoddy compensation offered to families. It also gave me the opportunity to talk to them about how such birth defects rarely affect cognitive ability, how these men and women overcame the limitations this medication placed upon them, and how they are able to function quite well in the world.
When we took a break for them to practice their breakdance routine that they're doing for the talent show at school, I went downstairs to the office, which had begun to get cluttered again. I spent a few minutes assessing what I can do (starting with putting a few items up on the 24 hour bidding site), and by the time Tertius and Quarta came inside, I had a bag at the ready. We quickly picked up about 20 pieces of garbage, and made it look much nicer in there! I had no whining, no cajoling, and no resistance to the task as presented to them. It put such a smile on my face!
So, not a lot of work got done around here because of my painful hands, but dishes got completely caught up again, progress was made in the office, and a big step has started for my parents' home.
Talk about a weekend of win!
Thursday, 19 May 2016
My Journey of Hope: The De-Cluttering Continues!
I was at the dollar store with Secunda today, picking up flower pots for a fairy garden workshop we were doing later in the evening. While there, I had the lovely idea of finding a method of better organizing the bathroom drawer that Tertius and Quarta share. Up until now, the only measure I'd taken to tame the chaos in the drawer was to put a narrow plastic tray in there to contain the toothbrushes and toothpaste, which had become woefully inadequate. It seemed that the toothbrushes were breeding (another area that my children hoard items), the most recent trip to the dentist had yielded two new mini-tubes of paste, and the whole drawer was well past due for an overhaul.
Wednesday, 18 May 2016
My Journey of Hope: Day 28 of 28 - Creating (and keeping!) An Oasis Of Calm, Part Two
Okay, you've been very patient with me, so here are the photos of the front deck at this stage of completeness. I just need to update my chair, the table, and the carpet, and perhaps add some lighting. Then it will be perfect for us!
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| My own little flower planter! Pansies and verbena |
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| Secunda's birthday cineraria (round pot), and Secunda's' planter full of pansies, heliotrope and verbena |
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| My tea roses from the hobbitses' school (round pot), and Tertius' planter of pansies, heliotrope and nemesia |
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| Our wee strawberry patch! |
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| Enjoying breakfast on a sunny day! Our herbs are planted in the green pots hanging from the railing: lemon balm, winter savoury, cilantro, basil and oregano |
Thursday, 12 May 2016
My Journey of Hope: Decluttering - It's the Little Things That Count
Tuesday, 3 May 2016
My Journey of Hope: Day 28 of 28 - Reflections
Well, here we are at the end of the 28 day journey, and while, admittedly, my surgery really derailed things at the end, I am still very pleased with the progress that has been made in my home, and how clean and de-cluttered the areas I've worked on are staying. This house is FAR from done, but I feel that my efforts were worth it, and it's worth it to keep at it, a little bit at a time.
I also think it's worth the time to address what worked, what didn't work, and what I'd like to try with my next phase of this.
What Worked:
1. Looking around and finding something that bugged me enough to change it was the single most motivating factor on this whole thing.
2. Getting buy-in from family members ahead of time. The big, shameful mess in front of our living room bookshelves had a lot of things that didn't belong to me, so I knew that I had to have Hubby on board with addressing his share of it beforehand, and he agreed to deal with his things. Now, his stuff still isn't put away into their proper places, but that's mostly because we just don't have those places yet. Yes, they now reside in the previously cleared part of the office, but they were not shoved back in behind the chairs, and that is progress. I am calling this a win.
3. Pre-writing portions of blog posts. Life gets very hectic very easily, and I found that the best way to stay on top of the blogging was to pre-select topics to write on, put a blurb in, and save them as drafts. The point-form notes reminded me of what I wanted to say, and I was better able to more faithfully blog about the process that way. I allowed life to carry me away, and I was not nearly as good about blogging my progress, so there are things that got done that will not be blogged about, but the important thing is, I can see that they got done, and my home looks better for it.
4. Awareness and mindfulness of our stuff, where it is, and where we leave it has increased dramatically. Both Hubby and I are being more intentional about our belongings and where they live.
What Didn't Work:
1. Getting anything done in Tertius and Quarta's room. I knew that was my biggest obstacle going into this, but I still had hope that they would come on board. And Tertius was pretty enthusiastic at the start. But when he realized that some actual work had to get done, his enthusiasm fizzled out very quickly. They would be asked to pick up in their room, but within minutes, they could be found either re-creating the mess they had just cleaned, or making an even bigger one. I think that this room is a week-long task unto itself, and one that I will have to undertake while they're at school.
2. Pre-selecting areas to work on. It's lovely to make a neat, tidy little list of places that need de-cluttering, but it's another thing entirely to actually work that list.
What I'd Do Differently:
1. More buy-in from family members. I think in order to not be fighting upstream, I need my family to not only buy into me de-cluttering, but I need them to opt in as well.
2. Work for a set time, and make that in the mornings. I'm finding that I am more effective if I just jump right into a task after dropping everyone off at school.
For those of you who jumped onto this crazy train with me, what are your reflections?
I also think it's worth the time to address what worked, what didn't work, and what I'd like to try with my next phase of this.
What Worked:
1. Looking around and finding something that bugged me enough to change it was the single most motivating factor on this whole thing.
2. Getting buy-in from family members ahead of time. The big, shameful mess in front of our living room bookshelves had a lot of things that didn't belong to me, so I knew that I had to have Hubby on board with addressing his share of it beforehand, and he agreed to deal with his things. Now, his stuff still isn't put away into their proper places, but that's mostly because we just don't have those places yet. Yes, they now reside in the previously cleared part of the office, but they were not shoved back in behind the chairs, and that is progress. I am calling this a win.
3. Pre-writing portions of blog posts. Life gets very hectic very easily, and I found that the best way to stay on top of the blogging was to pre-select topics to write on, put a blurb in, and save them as drafts. The point-form notes reminded me of what I wanted to say, and I was better able to more faithfully blog about the process that way. I allowed life to carry me away, and I was not nearly as good about blogging my progress, so there are things that got done that will not be blogged about, but the important thing is, I can see that they got done, and my home looks better for it.
4. Awareness and mindfulness of our stuff, where it is, and where we leave it has increased dramatically. Both Hubby and I are being more intentional about our belongings and where they live.
What Didn't Work:
1. Getting anything done in Tertius and Quarta's room. I knew that was my biggest obstacle going into this, but I still had hope that they would come on board. And Tertius was pretty enthusiastic at the start. But when he realized that some actual work had to get done, his enthusiasm fizzled out very quickly. They would be asked to pick up in their room, but within minutes, they could be found either re-creating the mess they had just cleaned, or making an even bigger one. I think that this room is a week-long task unto itself, and one that I will have to undertake while they're at school.
2. Pre-selecting areas to work on. It's lovely to make a neat, tidy little list of places that need de-cluttering, but it's another thing entirely to actually work that list.
What I'd Do Differently:
1. More buy-in from family members. I think in order to not be fighting upstream, I need my family to not only buy into me de-cluttering, but I need them to opt in as well.
2. Work for a set time, and make that in the mornings. I'm finding that I am more effective if I just jump right into a task after dropping everyone off at school.
For those of you who jumped onto this crazy train with me, what are your reflections?
Thursday, 28 April 2016
My Journey of Hope: Day 23 of 28 - Wherein Everything Comes To A Screeching Halt
I knew when I started this journey that things might have to take a break. I had minor surgery scheduled for April 26th, and as I expected, the recovery is taking a lot out of me. I'm pretty tired, and pretty achy. Th e day of the actual surgery, it ate up most of the day, and I had a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. The meds the hospital gave me were still working pretty well, so I was able to socialize when a friend dropped by, and we had a lovely supper together.
I woke this morning , my stomach a bloated, achy mess. I spent the bulk of the day on the couch, binge-watching Firefly, and plotting cross stitch patterns - first up is a little stitchy of Wash on cloudy sky linen. I did wash a rack of hand dishes, and got the rest of the dishes organized for Primus and Secunda. And then I had to rest. I made myself a sandwich for lunch, and then I had to rest again. I feel like a wimp, but I know that overdoing it now will mean I pay for it for days. So I take it easy.
All this said, I will be back at it tomorrow, working on a small job, and hoping to keep the momentum up for this last push.
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
I woke this morning , my stomach a bloated, achy mess. I spent the bulk of the day on the couch, binge-watching Firefly, and plotting cross stitch patterns - first up is a little stitchy of Wash on cloudy sky linen. I did wash a rack of hand dishes, and got the rest of the dishes organized for Primus and Secunda. And then I had to rest. I made myself a sandwich for lunch, and then I had to rest again. I feel like a wimp, but I know that overdoing it now will mean I pay for it for days. So I take it easy.
All this said, I will be back at it tomorrow, working on a small job, and hoping to keep the momentum up for this last push.
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Keep On Keepin' On
I've been finding that this whole journey is having new and seemingly lasting benefits. Despite slow days, setbacks and times when I just don't feel like doing a thing around my home, I am noticing that the tendency to do little pockets of de-cluttering have really settled in as a new habit. This daily striving to have a better home, this persistent de-cluttering, chipping away at the years of stuff - it is becoming an ingrained habit for me to look at an object, analyze it, and make a decisive choice about its worthiness to stay in my life and home. I like this new habit.
For those of you joining in on this journey, are you noticing any positive side-effects? Feel free to share!
For those of you joining in on this journey, are you noticing any positive side-effects? Feel free to share!
My Journey of Hope: Day 18 of 28 - The Day Nothing Got Done
I seriously got nothing done today. Not at home.
I spent the first 15 minutes of the school day reading aloud with Quarta's Kindergarten class, touched base with Tertius briefly (who had spent much of the morning trying to convince me of how sick he was), and attended Secunda's Entrepreneur Fair, wherein she sold every last monster journal and monster pencil she had made, plus a handful of woven bracelets, PLUS 9 orders for more items!
I found out at the last minute that I wasn't working today, so thought that I had a little wiggle room in my schedule. In reality, there was enough time to run home, scramble to find the ball of yarn Secunda needed so I could deliver it before lunch, only to have my search interrupted by the school secretary calling to inform me that Tertius just wasn't going to make it through the day after all, and could I please come and pick him up? Okay; race to school with the wrong yarn, pick up the sickie - who seemed very bright and perky for someone who "just couldn't make it through the day" - race home, make lunch, and race to church to prep for my community outreach gig. I've brought Quarta with me before she was in Kindy, but Tertius had never been before, and was a hit with the other ladies present. I worked until the last minute, knowing that I'd likely have to store the supplies at home until Sunday, and race back to the school via the church, only to find a car in the parking lot, so I raced to get the stuff inside and put away properly. Continued my frantic trip to the school to pick up the girls, started the paper route, picked Primus up, followed by Hubby, then home to drop off backpacks, have Primus and Secunda pack for their weekend with BD, then finish up the paper route.
So, while the day was ridiculously busy, not a single bit of de-cluttering got done
Such is life sometimes.
I spent the first 15 minutes of the school day reading aloud with Quarta's Kindergarten class, touched base with Tertius briefly (who had spent much of the morning trying to convince me of how sick he was), and attended Secunda's Entrepreneur Fair, wherein she sold every last monster journal and monster pencil she had made, plus a handful of woven bracelets, PLUS 9 orders for more items!
I found out at the last minute that I wasn't working today, so thought that I had a little wiggle room in my schedule. In reality, there was enough time to run home, scramble to find the ball of yarn Secunda needed so I could deliver it before lunch, only to have my search interrupted by the school secretary calling to inform me that Tertius just wasn't going to make it through the day after all, and could I please come and pick him up? Okay; race to school with the wrong yarn, pick up the sickie - who seemed very bright and perky for someone who "just couldn't make it through the day" - race home, make lunch, and race to church to prep for my community outreach gig. I've brought Quarta with me before she was in Kindy, but Tertius had never been before, and was a hit with the other ladies present. I worked until the last minute, knowing that I'd likely have to store the supplies at home until Sunday, and race back to the school via the church, only to find a car in the parking lot, so I raced to get the stuff inside and put away properly. Continued my frantic trip to the school to pick up the girls, started the paper route, picked Primus up, followed by Hubby, then home to drop off backpacks, have Primus and Secunda pack for their weekend with BD, then finish up the paper route.
So, while the day was ridiculously busy, not a single bit of de-cluttering got done
Such is life sometimes.
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
My Journey of Hope: Day 14 of 28 - Before and After
Here is one of the shameful corners of my house. The really silly thing is, it's not even hidden from anyone. It's out in plain sight, but my Lazy Vision sees right past it, multiple times a day. And if I can't see it, it doesn't exist, right?
But today I am faced with an uncomfortable reality. EVERYONE can see it, and it's the first thing people see upon entering my living room. And it's gross. It makes us look like hoarders, or at the very least, crappy housekeepers. We love doing crafts, and sometimes need to pull a lot of items out to do them, but we're really bad about putting it away again. I mean REALLY bad.
But today I am faced with an uncomfortable reality. EVERYONE can see it, and it's the first thing people see upon entering my living room. And it's gross. It makes us look like hoarders, or at the very least, crappy housekeepers. We love doing crafts, and sometimes need to pull a lot of items out to do them, but we're really bad about putting it away again. I mean REALLY bad.
Monday, 18 April 2016
My Journey of Hope: Day 14 Retrospective
Hello, friends!
Well, here we are, at the halfway point of my 28 day journey, and I think it's time for some reflection on the first half of things.
The Good:
- I am noticing improvement every time I de-clutter
- I am feeling happier with my home
- I am feeling less stress
- Most members of my family have done one de-cluttering session
- I look to time spent de-cluttering as time spent on me
- I now have the number of a repair man to see to the washing machine (UPDAY: even called and left a message!)
- I like having before, during, and after photos, to show me my progress
- If I have a plan by the morning, I am much more likely to get it done
- I am doing far more on-the-fly de-cluttering; one item here and there throughout the day begins to add up, and I can see that it is becoming easier for me to do it without thinking (or taking photos of it!)
The Bad:
- My family is largely not on board with this; nobody else is de-cluttering with any regularity. This makes the process difficult, as I can't/am not allowed to cull anyone else's stuff
- Being the only one actively doing this, it is very easy to fall into a state of sloth.
- Regular tasks, such as folding laundry aren't getting done. I think this is because I've chosen to de-clutter, and others aren't helping with laundry, which they would normally do
- Having a broken dishwasher and washing machine has been an enormous obstacle, as I never feel like I'm making headway in the house, but rather, struggling to just catch up
- It is report card time, which means that Hubby is less interested/inclined/motivated to help de-clutter his own stuff
- I am less inclined to de-clutter on rainy days
- a lack of a plan for the day often results in no de-cluttering
- unless I do a significant amount of de-cluttering, I feel that it's not enough to bother taking a photo of
The Ugly:
- I am noticing new things being deposited in the areas I have de-cluttered, and not always by me
- The kids' daily chores aren't being done, compounding the feeling of not being able to just catch up
- I am still struggling to shed my feelings of frustration and resentment about the lack of support and buy-in from my family
- having a sick family member saps my desire to de-clutter
So, from this list, I see that my mental game still has a long way to go. I can knuckle down and just get it done (or at least, as much as I can do without opposition from a family member), but the mindset is taking longer to adjust.
I'm not giving up, though, because I'm worth it, and so is my home.
Well, here we are, at the halfway point of my 28 day journey, and I think it's time for some reflection on the first half of things.
The Good:
- I am noticing improvement every time I de-clutter
- I am feeling happier with my home
- I am feeling less stress
- Most members of my family have done one de-cluttering session
- I look to time spent de-cluttering as time spent on me
- I now have the number of a repair man to see to the washing machine (UPDAY: even called and left a message!)
- I like having before, during, and after photos, to show me my progress
- If I have a plan by the morning, I am much more likely to get it done
- I am doing far more on-the-fly de-cluttering; one item here and there throughout the day begins to add up, and I can see that it is becoming easier for me to do it without thinking (or taking photos of it!)
The Bad:
- My family is largely not on board with this; nobody else is de-cluttering with any regularity. This makes the process difficult, as I can't/am not allowed to cull anyone else's stuff
- Being the only one actively doing this, it is very easy to fall into a state of sloth.
- Regular tasks, such as folding laundry aren't getting done. I think this is because I've chosen to de-clutter, and others aren't helping with laundry, which they would normally do
- Having a broken dishwasher and washing machine has been an enormous obstacle, as I never feel like I'm making headway in the house, but rather, struggling to just catch up
- It is report card time, which means that Hubby is less interested/inclined/motivated to help de-clutter his own stuff
- I am less inclined to de-clutter on rainy days
- a lack of a plan for the day often results in no de-cluttering
- unless I do a significant amount of de-cluttering, I feel that it's not enough to bother taking a photo of
The Ugly:
- I am noticing new things being deposited in the areas I have de-cluttered, and not always by me
- The kids' daily chores aren't being done, compounding the feeling of not being able to just catch up
- I am still struggling to shed my feelings of frustration and resentment about the lack of support and buy-in from my family
- having a sick family member saps my desire to de-clutter
So, from this list, I see that my mental game still has a long way to go. I can knuckle down and just get it done (or at least, as much as I can do without opposition from a family member), but the mindset is taking longer to adjust.
I'm not giving up, though, because I'm worth it, and so is my home.
Thursday, 14 April 2016
My Journey to Hope: The Chip On My Shoulder
Thanks to the world of clip art, I have a picture of me that I'd like to share.
Yep, that's me all over. There I am, carrying the weight of my home on my shoulders, feeling like I'm doing it all by myself. And to a large extent, I am. I'm the one who works very part-time out of the home, so I'm the one who can be here to maintain the home. I understand and accept that the bulk of the housework falls to me. Well, I'm working on it. Okay, sometimes, I'm downright resentful that the entire family leaves their stuff laying around, because it communicates an assumption that I'll clean it all up for them.
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| Me, if I were a brunette man in a business suit |
Yep, that's me all over. There I am, carrying the weight of my home on my shoulders, feeling like I'm doing it all by myself. And to a large extent, I am. I'm the one who works very part-time out of the home, so I'm the one who can be here to maintain the home. I understand and accept that the bulk of the housework falls to me. Well, I'm working on it. Okay, sometimes, I'm downright resentful that the entire family leaves their stuff laying around, because it communicates an assumption that I'll clean it all up for them.
For several years now, I've tried very hard to follow FlyLady's approach to housework: that we need to let go of any resentment, bitterness and anger at our family's unwillingness to clean up after themselves, and to lovingly and joyfully do everything without any expectation that they will lift a finger to do any of it. I tried. I did. And this was the one thing I Just. Couldn't. Get. Over.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
My Journey of Hope: Day 8 of 28 - Before and After
Thank you, dear readers, for coming along on this journey with me! I hope you've enjoyed reading some of my reflections on this process, and to thank you, here is my latest "Before & After"!
Today's cluttered area was around the master bedroom door:
I knew that a great deal of it was mine, from the aforementioned longbow, to the bins of photographs for scrapbooking. But a respectable amount was also just garbage, and the same again was stuff that only Hubby could make decisions about, so guess what he has ahead of him? And to be fair, he asked me to de-clutter this particular spot, so this really is for him.
This photo was taken about 5 minutes into the job. Really, sweeping the dust bunnies took about as long as going through my own papers!
While there are still three things hanging around outside my bedroom, it's more manageable, cleaner, and more likely to reduce my feelings of stress. And it all got done in about 20 minutes, while listening to a TV show. See? Easy!!!
Today's cluttered area was around the master bedroom door:
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| To be fair, the baby gate just showed up there today, as we had a guest and her toddler visiting. But I haven't used my longbow (on the left) in years. YEARS. |
I knew that a great deal of it was mine, from the aforementioned longbow, to the bins of photographs for scrapbooking. But a respectable amount was also just garbage, and the same again was stuff that only Hubby could make decisions about, so guess what he has ahead of him? And to be fair, he asked me to de-clutter this particular spot, so this really is for him.
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| Down to a box of felt for crafts, and a bunch of paperwork for Hubby to wade through |
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| Ahhhhh... |
While there are still three things hanging around outside my bedroom, it's more manageable, cleaner, and more likely to reduce my feelings of stress. And it all got done in about 20 minutes, while listening to a TV show. See? Easy!!!
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
My Journey of Hope: Lazy Vision
No, that's not a typo.
I bet the first thing that popped into your head was something like this:
But you'd be wrong. So, so wrong.
I bet the first thing that popped into your head was something like this:
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| Image from Young Justice |
Monday, 11 April 2016
My Journey of Hope: In Praise of Mirepoix
A couple of years ago, my beloved friend Panda said to me one day, "Do you want to have a day where we make mirepoix?"
Now, you may be asking yourself what exactly mirepoix is. I certainly did! Basically, it's a bunch of finely chopped vegetables.
Now, you may be asking yourself what exactly mirepoix is. I certainly did! Basically, it's a bunch of finely chopped vegetables.
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| The standard seems to be 2 cups onion, and 1 cup each carrot and celery, but we find 1:1:1 ratio fits best into the bags |
My Journey of Hope: Day 6 of 28 - Back to Common Drudgery
Day 6 was kind of a bust, with a few bright spots.
I didn't tackle a specific de-cluttering job, but I found myself doing small amounts of de-cluttering as I went through each room, nonetheless. So, no real progress to show for my efforts, but a cumulative improvement overall. I did, however, make up a list of spaces in the house that I'd like to de-clutter, even sorting them into small, medium, and large jobs. I think I've got at least 20 things on it (and there's probably at least 20 more I haven't even thought of yet!), so I have a good idea of what to do for the rest of my 28 day focus. I did wash some hand dishes, so while it's technically a daily task and not de-cluttering per se, it did serve to clear my kitchen counter some.
Church was good; our friend A was preaching, which is always a positive experience, and his two most recent sermons have been convicting and made me really stop and think about who I am, not just to God, but to me, and how my words and actions appear to those around me. Striving to be better every day.
I didn't tackle a specific de-cluttering job, but I found myself doing small amounts of de-cluttering as I went through each room, nonetheless. So, no real progress to show for my efforts, but a cumulative improvement overall. I did, however, make up a list of spaces in the house that I'd like to de-clutter, even sorting them into small, medium, and large jobs. I think I've got at least 20 things on it (and there's probably at least 20 more I haven't even thought of yet!), so I have a good idea of what to do for the rest of my 28 day focus. I did wash some hand dishes, so while it's technically a daily task and not de-cluttering per se, it did serve to clear my kitchen counter some.
Church was good; our friend A was preaching, which is always a positive experience, and his two most recent sermons have been convicting and made me really stop and think about who I am, not just to God, but to me, and how my words and actions appear to those around me. Striving to be better every day.
Sunday, 10 April 2016
My Journey of Hope: Day 5 of 28 - Before and After
Here's something short and sweet...
As mentioned in my previous post, it took me until around 9 PM to figure out what to de-clutter, but once I decided, it took virtually no time at all!
Here's what I started with:
and in less than 5 minutes, I ended up with:
Making my house calmer feels good!
As mentioned in my previous post, it took me until around 9 PM to figure out what to de-clutter, but once I decided, it took virtually no time at all!
Here's what I started with:
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| Messy and outdated. That's a schedule for a school Hubby hasn't taught at for three years... |
and in less than 5 minutes, I ended up with:
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| Much better! Note how my handy-dandy label maker is at the center of all this ;) |
Making my house calmer feels good!
My Journey of Hope: Day 5 of 28
Yesterday was a wash.
The school day was swallowed up in doing laundry, waiting at the medical clinic for almost two hours (at least I got some knitting done!), and dropping prescriptions at the drug store. Adding to that, it was also early dismissal and student-directed conferences at Secunda, Tertius, and Quarta's school (very impressive report cards all around, by the way). The weather was turning from glorious sunshine to increasingly grey clouds, so by the time laundry was switched, Hubby picked up from work and papers picked up for Primus and Secunda's route, I was done. The turn in the weather always brings with it a headache of varying intensity, and yesterday's was a doozy.
Hubby was, as usual, a stellar spouse, and offered to take Secunda on the route (Primus was off on a school thing for the weekend) so that I could let my migraine meds start working. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to settle in on the couch and post about how I wasn't going to be getting any de-cluttering done (turns out I actually did de-clutter something when I first got home - my bedroom door - but that's another blog entry), and the next thing I knew, I was waking up and it was 10:30 pm! I had slept for four hours on the couch! Fell asleep with the laptop resting on my stomach, even.
Which brings us to today.
The headache was mostly gone when I woke up today, and we had beautiful sunshine again. Of course, it didn't last, and by the time we were running errands in advance of our trip to see Star Wars Episode VII at the second-run theatre (Tertius and Quarta had not yet seen it, and we promised we'd take them to the cinema for it, never mind the fact that my parents just bought it on Blu-Ray), it was in full force again, along with nausea. I took something to deal with it, and hoped I could make it through a noisy film. It was mostly gone by the time the show started, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing it again. Then it was doing laundry, making dinner and getting the kids to bed before I could even begin to consider what I was going to de-clutter. I was washing dishes and glanced over to admire Day 3's handiwork, my kitchen counter, which has stayed surprisingly tidy. A quick look to the left showed me the next target - the side of the fridge. Since the counter area looked so nice, the stuff stuck all over the fridge stuck out like a sore thumb.
So I took care of it, and it feels even better to walk into my kitchen. I'm really liking how my home is beginning to look, and even more, I love how tidy spaces lift my mood!
So, what do you do for your house that makes you happy?
Which brings us to today.
The headache was mostly gone when I woke up today, and we had beautiful sunshine again. Of course, it didn't last, and by the time we were running errands in advance of our trip to see Star Wars Episode VII at the second-run theatre (Tertius and Quarta had not yet seen it, and we promised we'd take them to the cinema for it, never mind the fact that my parents just bought it on Blu-Ray), it was in full force again, along with nausea. I took something to deal with it, and hoped I could make it through a noisy film. It was mostly gone by the time the show started, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing it again. Then it was doing laundry, making dinner and getting the kids to bed before I could even begin to consider what I was going to de-clutter. I was washing dishes and glanced over to admire Day 3's handiwork, my kitchen counter, which has stayed surprisingly tidy. A quick look to the left showed me the next target - the side of the fridge. Since the counter area looked so nice, the stuff stuck all over the fridge stuck out like a sore thumb.
So I took care of it, and it feels even better to walk into my kitchen. I'm really liking how my home is beginning to look, and even more, I love how tidy spaces lift my mood!
So, what do you do for your house that makes you happy?
My Journey of Hope: Day 4 of 28 - Latent De-Cluttering
It's a pretty cool thing to realize in retrospect that you have begun to de-clutter without having to think about it.
Even with a horrid migraine, I still managed to de-clutter something, AND institute a new policy about school papers and homemade artwork that come into our home.
When we finally got home just after 5 PM, one of the first things I did was take down the months-old artwork that had been lovingly (excessively?) taped to my bedroom door. Now, here's the thing: I forgot to take a photo before starting because it didn't occur to me that I was actually de-cluttering! How cool is that? So, since I don't have the before photo, I can at least share the after photo with you. Here it is:
It's beginning to feel like these small steps are starting to take hold, and I have to say, it feels good.
Even with a horrid migraine, I still managed to de-clutter something, AND institute a new policy about school papers and homemade artwork that come into our home.
When we finally got home just after 5 PM, one of the first things I did was take down the months-old artwork that had been lovingly (excessively?) taped to my bedroom door. Now, here's the thing: I forgot to take a photo before starting because it didn't occur to me that I was actually de-cluttering! How cool is that? So, since I don't have the before photo, I can at least share the after photo with you. Here it is:
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| De-cluttered, but not yet cleaned. |
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