Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas and the beginning of a new year

We had a fabulous Christmas!
It was so wonderful to see everyone and to see W open his gifts this year.

I am extremely excited to start the new year. I have so many plans!

I plan to resume simplifying our lives. I'm going room by room beginning in January. I'm going to do a new room each week. In each room I plan on going through everything and getting rid of what is no longer used or needed. Hopefully I can finally get our belongings down to a manageable size. We just have so much stuff! We're going to be moving into my parent's house this upcoming summer and living out of two bedrooms (one acting as a living room) so we really need to scale back.

I also plan on starting (slowly) to start cooking healthier meals from scratch using local food. I'm super excited about that. I also plan on making the majority of holiday gifts for next year as well as some of the things our family uses (laundry detergent, etc).

Our family as a whole is going even greener (and hopefully saving money)! We're planning on purchasing electric razors, rechargeable batteries, and a few external harddrives (for music because we plan on moving all of our music to the HD and getting rid of the discs and we plan on purchasing music in it's digital form from now on.

Bring on the new year, I am ready!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Update on "Greening Up the Shower"

I posted earlier about Greening up the Shower. Well, I overused the baking soda and dried out my hair. Then I tried to condition it with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and that was a mess. I used too much and it took days, and some regular old shampoo to get it out.
My hair has been a mess! I went "no-poo" for over a month and my hair was just a rat's nest. So, I'm back to using shampoo and being extremely unhappy with my hair.

I have also stopped using the oil cleansing method for my face. This is really due to sheer laziness. I think I'll start back up again at home. Since stopping my face has broken out like crazy! There were a few hectic weeks where I barely got a shower in, so my poor face was left untended as well. I started washing with a warm washcloth and applying lime juice to my face once at night and it is beginning to clear up. I might start using the OCM only once a week and use the lime juice daily. It's yummy, refreshing, and it smells good!

Friday, December 18, 2009

On being a "perfect mama"

Being a mama is hard. It uses up the majority of your brain power and fills most of your day. As a mama you are constantly criticized, not only by other people, including strangers, but by yourself. I know that I can be my harshest critic. I am constantly worrying about the choices I am making for my family. I spend hours doing research, planning, and worrying. It's never ending.
Oftentimes I turn to other mamas, usually through the internet. I subscribe to mama blogs and I belong to a mama message board. Sometimes that makes me feel better and sometimes it makes me feel worse.
It's great to hear that there are other mamas out there who make the same mistakes I do. Some days I don't get the house cleaned, sometimes I sit my child in front of the television, and sometimes we eat McDonald's for dinner. Sometimes mama just needs a break.
And then I see the model mama blogs. As inspirational as they can be, sometimes they just end up bringing me down. I see mamas who craft and cook healthy food from scratch, mamas who seem to spend so much quality time with their perfectly behaved children. When I try and do those things I end up feeling like a failure.
I think that most likely, those mamas aren't posting about the messy house, the TV time, or the fast food. And that's ok. But I need to remember that.
I think that I try too much to become a different mama when instead I need to learn what kind of mama I am and spend time nurturing my natural abilities. But I need to remember that.
I think that I have the potential to be a great mama and make great choices. There is no such thing as a "perfect mama." But I need to remember that.



My reminders for today:
Dear Me,
Remember to be mindful.
Remember to enjoy what you have.
Remember that you are the best mother for your children.
Remember to focus on the fleeting, the internet will be there later, but your children are growing.
Remember to live in the moment and be happy, for you are truly blessed.

Love,
Me

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

I really stink at this blogging thing

I've been a little preoccupied at my parents' house. I'm staying here so my mother doesn't have to worry about my father while she is at work. DS and I are essentially living here until January. I haven't had much time for crafting. I've done a bit of knitting for a precious baby girl due in February (pictures coming soon) and a little knitting for hubby (I hope it fits him!). I'll be sure to post some pictures and updates soon.