More boxing...

Today I wasn't feeling so hot (allergies and a climate change will do that), so I didn't get all that much finished. I did get one box of baby stuff out the door and I managed to keep the kitchen clean after cooking dinner. Go me!
Tomorrrow's goal: 1 box, clean kitchen, trip to the dollar store and JoAnn's, and broccoli soup (turns out I didn't have enough broccoli to make it today, so tomorrow it is!).

A Very Productive Day

I am really proud of my family today. We accomplished so much.
I cleaned the kitchen this morning, we went to JoAnn's for some supplies for next year's Christmas presents (I'm starting early so I can get them all done), we boxed up a ton of clothes that no longer fit W, I made dinner for Friday ahead of time, we tidied up the office a bit (accidentally while looking for something), and we just had a great day together! I am exhausted, but pleased.
Tomorrow I plan on boxing up some more clothes and trying a new recipe. I'm going to try the Broccoli Soup recipe from my new cookbook "Apples for Jam" I hope it turns out ok. I'm really excited about it. I even bought some nice, crusty bread to go along with it.

We also made our own laundry soap today! We probably have about 2 gallons of the stuff, it's supposed to do over 200 loads of laundry and it cost less than a dollar to make. It was fun and it made the house smell good. Good thing we made it because the laundry has been piling up!

Here's hoping that tomorrow is just as productive!

Flowerchild

Back home and back to work!

I'm finally back in my own home and I'm ready to get things done! I'm going to get this house clean and uncluttered.
I have a schedule set up to keep me on track and I'm trying to keep my expectations low so I don't get worn out.

I want to pay attention to all aspects of my life:
relationships
emotional health
mental strength
physical fitness

So I have fit these things into my day, every day.
During W's naptime I will work out for at least 20 minutes with Wii Fit, DDR, or a video. After I work out I'll spend time meditating and trying to center myself. That takes care of physical fitness and emotional health.
Before bed, I'm going to read something of substance, no brain candy! That takes care of mental strength.
As for relationships, we are going to sit down in the dining room and eat dinner together and after we eat we'll spend some time playing together in the living room. Of course, this is an area where we can fit things in at any time, but if we at least eat dinner together and have a bit of time together after dinner it will help keep us close and happy.


I also have set up a schedule for cleaning and simplifying the house. This week I'm focusing on the utility room. It was our "catch all" and it's pretty bad. There are piles and piles of clothes that W grew out of, maternity clothes, and other things that need to be packed away. Today I'm going to start doing just that. I'm hoping to have the room cleaned, even swept and mopped by Saturday afternoon.

Then my goals are as follows:

Week 2: The living room. Get rid of clutter.

Week 3: The bedroom. Go through clothes and get rid of what isn't worn. Get rid of clutter.

Week 4: The kitchen. Go through all drawers and cabinets. Get rid of anything that isn't being used anymore. Go through food and get rid of anything that is expired and donate things that won't be used to food bank.

Week 5: The dining room. Go through buffet and desk, get rid of anything that isn't used.

Week 6: The bathroom and linen closet. Get rid of clutter and things that aren't used.

Week 7: The office. Now this will be a real tough one. It will probably take me two weeks. It's a mess and will take a lot of organizing.

When my husband is available to help: When he can help, we'll go into the garage and totally clean it out. It will probably take a weekend or two. We really need to cut down on the things we have in there.

We'll probably have a garage sale to sell some things after we're done cleaning. We have a lot of furniture to sell too. We're really scaling back and we're hoping to make enough money to assist with our move.

Thanks for reading!
Flowerchild

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!

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!

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

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.