Away from it all

For this year's vacation, we went to the middle of nowhere. Literally. On the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. And we drove straight up the gravel road to get here. And there we stayed. We didn't go anywhere. There wasn't anywhere to go. And even if there was, I wasn't going down that driveway again until absolutely necessary. As in, the day we left. 

It was nice to do nothing all week, especially since last year we did Disney and did EVERYTHING. And were surrounded by So. Many. People.  This year, it's just us. The five of us. Lots of food, books and a pool!  We would just sleep, swim and eat. It was one of the best vacations ever. Nothing to do but just BE. Which is something I really need to practice. 

I packed for this trip for a couple weeks. Yes. There was a list. Multiple lists. So that I could relax on the trip. There were a few things that we should have brought with us. And a couple things I thought I brought but apparently forgot. But we had what we had. So we had to make it work. For example: Bread. I thought I had the bread in the car (we brought our groceries). But at lunchtime, alas, there was no bread. So peanut butter sandwiches with graham crackers instead - which I had remembered. (Because s'mores are more important than sandwiches!) 

It's interesting that my thoughts recently have been focused on having less stuff. Seeing how well it worked this past week - when you have just what you need - nothing more. And you use what you have!  It inspires and encourages me to do that here at home. Use and enjoy what we have. And not bring much new stuff in. This two part less stuff plan will be interesting to see how it plays out in real life.  

Being up on the mountain made things seem so simple. Normal daily routines of life aren't so simple (and lazy!) but I am inspired to seek a new way to find creative ways to add simple to our daily life. I seem to make things too complicated. Much of that comes from fear. Fear that I will fail. Fear that I won't have enough time. Fear that if we get rid of a bunch of stuff, we will need that ONE thing that I just threw out. Just this undercurrent of fear. That fear is one thing I DO want to throw out! 

One way I do want to change the way I live is to purposely fit in leisure time. Playing with the kids - and just leisure time for me. I guess I just put it off until everything else is done (which is never going to happen) or I just think that it takes too much time. But really, sitting down to read a magazine or a chapter in a book - do a puzzle or even just stare out the window a bit - these things don't take very long.  I take just about as long thinking that I don't have the time or being upset that I never do anything fun. I just need to take the time. And what great results I will have!  Take back a little of my day for me.  This week I got to see what I was missing out on. And now I want to change that.  

The joy of what?

Of minimalism?  Probably not.  But I do want to maybe get closer to essentialism.  The things that pile up around me are those "just in case" items.  The "I might need it (again) one day" things.  And I have piles of them.  I try to organize them.  But most of the time, it's a bin that I don't even know what's in it.  So if I do need it, I don't know I have it and replace it anyway.  I have a closet full of clothes.  But half of them are things I don't like - I wanted to like them.  Or I wanted to have the style to wear them.  But wanting to and actually doing are two different things.

So let another purge commence.  And let this one be the BIG one.  I'm tired of stepping around stuff I don't need for things that I do.  I want to see what I have.  So that the stuff becomes less important.  The focus here is... you guessed it.... making moments matter.

After reading the "Moments" book, I am almost finished reading another book.  Similar theme, but hitting more specifically on places that I need rejuvenation.  The book Living Well, Spending Less by Ruth Soukup.  And it's an interesting combination of finding and cherishing the important things in life (e.g. moments, friends, family) and spending less money and less time on STUFF.

So after a couple of weeks of summer - that is the goal.  A ruthless clearing out.  Only keeping the useful stuff - the stuff that brings joy.  To make room for the PEOPLE!  To make room for JOY!

Some moments of the past few weeks:
The first weeks of summer - relaxing and very busy!
Haircuts - middle little's first one!  Seeing those baby curls fall on the ground.
Lots of games, water fun, cuddling!

Hit by moments...

Yikes.  So my once a week blog... not so much.  But I have been trying to keep up with moments.  But these past few weeks I have not had to look very far for moments.  Moments have been thrown at me.  Maybe I shouldn't have tried to really make the most of moments at the end of a school year.  

There has been lots of crazy at our house.  Girls beach trip - child to the ER - end of school for all three kids.  And that's just the big ones.  And that's probably why I didn't make it to the computer to blog...  

We kicked off the week with a late night trip to the ER.  And really these are moments of blessings in a crazy and weird situation:

• Watching my two ride off with family friends, while me and middle little headed to the ER on a late Sunday night.  And the pity that the Nurse Practitioner took on us in the wee hours of the morning because we had been there so long.
• Carrying my sweet heavy little one to the car after a long night
• Kindness of family and friends (and the billing department) about my wallet sitting on my bed - and NOT at the hospital with me...
• Blessings of wakefulness to drive home in the early early morning from the ER
• Kindness from a friend to bring joy to my sicky middle little when I was just too exhausted

And with that "fun" trip to the ER (an infection that passed) I was so tired that I missed moments.  But I realized that I was missing them.  Guess that counted.  But I was Worn. Out.   Daddy was out of town all week - so ER trip and following week was solo mommy time.  Me vs 3 - on 3 hours of sleep...  Not a good combination.  But we made it through.  Just barely!

But after that week, it got crazier with the end of school - first for the 2 littles, then for my oldest.  Finishing Kindergarten.  How is that possible?

• Realizing just how much of our oldest's past that I missed out on.  And sitting in the floor crying for a while.
• Sitting in the floor playing cars with little little, even though I needed to pack for my trip
• The sweaty tired happy face of middle little at her jumpy house birthday party!
• Kisses from little little all morning of Mother's day!
• Running a 5K - a tough one - and so proud of my time that I didn't think that I would get close to!  But the best was seeing my family along the route.  Little hands.  Little waves.  Little voices cheering!
• Hugs from teachers and friends as we left the hallways for the last time.
• Lasts of Kindergarten.  Last lunch.  Last carpool.  Last drop off.   I was unexpectedly sad.


So my moments that I have had these past few weeks - they were huge.  I didn't really have the time to see the little moments day to day - the ones that I'm searching for.  Those big ones knocked the wind of out of me.  But back to a calmer existence - I think.  I hope.  For a while at least.  Getting into the summer groove.  And I hope to make these days fun and memorable for all of us.

Life in the Messy

The Messy
Could be defined as having kids.  Or just having a home.  Or just LIFE.  Life is in the messy.  And life happens in the messy.  But messy is real.  Messy is sometimes FUN!

Here are a few moments:
• Having the kids dig in the dirt to "help" me clear the weeds out to get the garden ready
• Then having the kids back in the garden to help me plant all the plants
• Realizing that the little little can eat by himself with a spoon, with very LITTLE mess (when did this happen?)
• Wearing my shirt inside-out for half the day, then when a kind friend told me, I just shrugged and kept going...  (a couple of years ago, I would have run to the bathroom in horror)

But there were some not so great moments.  I think I still need to learn how to have peace in the messy.  For example, when we were outside, I was so hot & tired and could barely move.  And being outside was making my kids WILD.  So when they resorted to throwing dirt and "helping" too much, we just had to stop.

It's interesting to try to find the balance between doing what needs to be done & being the mom AND then also enjoying the life that we have together and having fun in the moment.  Being very organized in mind and environment does not lend itself to being messy.  And living in the moment really does sometimes equal messy.  To let your kids help you bake - more kitchen to clean later.  To sit down and play a game - the dishes, laundry, etc... to be done later.  There is a lot of later when living in the moment.  And at this point I'm not sure when later comes?  It's a balance of some kind - a balance that will fit me and our lives - but I have yet to find it.  It's there sometimes.  That's why choosing to make those moments are important to me.  It has to be a conscious choice for me - or I will just miss them.  Moments for me usually don't just happen, but if I am watching for them...  I can catch them!

Week Two: Choosing Moments

Last week was week two in my Making Moments Matter challenge for myself.  I didn't say "hurry up" one time!  I could not believe it!  And so my "slowing down" continues.  I see it more as a new pace of life.  Not being in a rush to get out the door or to get things done has actually led to me having MORE time and getting more things done.  Including fun stuff, for the kids AND myself!  Amazing.  Who knew?

So this past week's goal was to CHOOSE.  I wanted to make good choices in the moments that I had.  Choosing the option that I usually didn't, because of fear, laziness, agenda, etc - you name it.  So this week, as I was going slower, I was able to see the other options in moments, instead of the eyes to the ground and petal to the metal way of life I usually live.  

Some Moments from this past week - where I made the OTHER choice:

•  Choosing to make muffins with the girls, for no other reason (besides eating them) than just spending time with them.  (Three ingredient Chocolate peanut butter chip muffins*!! YUM!)

• Choosing moments for me - going for a run, when I could have done a thousand other things - and writing my blog (which obviously I haven't chosen much in the past!)

• Chose to go to get shave ice with the kids - even though it is messy...and a crazy location...and just really an insane thing to do with my three kids
 
• Choosing to talk to a friend running beside me on the treadmill, instead of just saying "hi" and putting in my headphones.  And I had a great run - and had a blast!

• Looking out my car window and being able to see my little little in his class through the church window - instead of looking down at a screen - while I waited in carpool

• Choosing to just be ok with being rained on as I left Costco - and as we left the school building after picking up all three kids.  We were completely soaked, but it was kind of fun!  (only one of us had a raincoat - and my umbrella was, um, "not helpful")

• Choosing an outdoor run on the local track - instead of just the gym treadmill.  And choosing to go those extra 2 laps, and then just ONE more!  Being my own coach and challenging myself!


I look back at last week and marvel at all the amazing things I could have missed if I did not choose to be in the moment.  How have I been living my life so far?  Just sprinting through with my eyes closed tight?  It feels like this when I see what all I experienced.  Just living my life.  Doing my normal activities.  Nothing huge.  Nothing monumental.  But oh so magical!  



* Muffins:  1 box Devil's Food cake mix.  1 can pure pumpkin.  Peanut Butter chips  :)

Week One of Moments

One of my goals for making moments matter is to pay attention to the small details and moments of life.  Simple, but very difficult to actually do.

So my first step to do this is to  S L O W.  D O W N.   Which is so hard for me.  I always go...go...go... Until I stop - usually for bedtime - or from sheer, utter exhaustion and my brain just shuts off.  I go go go because I feel more accomplished if I have marked everything (or at least most things) off my list.  And I feel more worthy of "fun" time if I have been productive.

So this week, I started my #100DayProject challenge, I am doing the opposite of my nature.  I am shutting that "hurry up" button off.  Really trying to remove that personal setting altogether.  This new pace that I am going to try, I want to keep going.  And it's the pace that life needs to be.  Rushing really doesn't speed things up, it just causes stress and yuck.  Hurrying NEVER helps.

To see - really see - life around me:  the people I love, what makes them tick, what their needs are, what makes their hearts sing.  Those are some of my goals.  Yes, I still have a to-do list - but it is not ruling me.  And I still have to be a mom, so it's not all fun and games.  But for all those moments I've been missing because I have been too busy - that's what I'm chasing!!

So week one - Here is a look at a few captured moments when I slowed down:

• Staying on the couch just a little longer to cuddle my girls.
• Running just a little behind one day, but I didn't try to rush - which helped match up my timing with a friend - who was getting in her car as I was arriving...  Perfect God timing.
• More cuddles, when the middle little woke up too early, and instead of being frustrated, I just enjoyed a few quiet, still moments with her.
• Getting to see the little little bobbing his head to the music, when he didn't think I was looking
• Yet another timing thing, ended up somewhere later than I planned, but got to talk to a friend (and took the time to do it) and got encouragement that I didn't even know I needed.
• Waiting for an appointment with the little little - MUCH longer than expected.  I didn't get agitated.  I just watched as he cheerfully ate his snack, smiled up at me and looked out the window at all the cars going by.
• Choosing to go play outside with my family, instead of just staying inside to check things off the list.
• Dropping everything to take the girls to chase the ice cream truck down the street!

Putting aside my agenda for errands and chores and just paying attention to the people around me has given me such encouragement and hugs from the Father this week.  Sometimes I just rush by life - to get to the next thing: to get home - to get things checked off - to feed kids, etc.  But this week (and weeks continuing) I am keeping my eyes open.  Who do I need to stop and talk to, instead of rushing off?  To whom do I need to say a happy hello - that I might not even know?  How can I really pay attention to the picture my child drew and is now showing me and telling me all about... in GREAT detail?  I long to be in the moment - really BE there - and enjoy them and make them matter. Because that moment will be gone.  And I want to no longer wonder what I might have been missing.

This week my eyes HAVE been opened.  It's not just about the moments.  It's about who I want to be.  For my kids, my husband, my friends - myself!  There is going to be much learning along the way.  Where am I going to falter?  Where is it going to be easier?  And learning how to balance all of that with what really does have to get done.  It's just a matter of HOW it gets done.

This is definitely a work in progress - and it's just beginning.

Making Moments

• I wanted to make a "stay at home" spring break fun for the kids.  And for me.  Something out of the ordinary.  Not just hanging around the house, waiting for school to be back in session.  Something that we could look forward to each day.  So I planned things – little things, but big impact.  And hopefully great memories!  And fun!  One day we went to the zoo.  Another day we baked and decorated cookies.  We spent time playing with friends.  We went to the mall and rode the carousel (and, well, stopped in for some new summer shoes too…)  But besides the shoes, we didn’t DO anything.  Chores were on hold (ok, except the laundry, but you have to wear clothes…)  The agenda for the week was to have fun and spend time together.  To make good choices – relationship choices.   It was fun to put the to do list aside.  And it got me thinking…

• I have been reading a book* about being “hands free.”  It’s not just about putting devices down, it’s about ALL the distractions that are in daily life.  The ones that take over.  And I have been amazed of how many have seeped into my life.  I’ve always been under the mindset of “clean, then have fun.”  When I was a kid, I would clean my room before doing my homework.  Procrastination?  Maybe - but I needed a clean room to focus – and I liked having a clean room.   And now I find that I’m doing the same thing as a mom.  I will read you a book after I do the dishes.  I will look at your picture, after I finish making your lunch.  All of those things are important and need to be done, but in what order?  What priority am I giving to the REAL, relational stuff?   The other stuff is getting in the way. 

• One of my friends is doing a challenge she found on Instagram.  #The100DayProject - 100 days of making!  This is more geared to some type of creativity.  What could you make in 100 days?  It sounded intriguing.  So I wanted to start it as well.  So I thought, what could I make…  Organizing stuff?  Hair bows for the girls?  Knitting?  Blogging?  Writing?  All of this stuff sounded fun, but it just wasn’t feeling right.  I would love to do all of these things, but I just was feeling burdened, not excited about the 100 days of this challenge.  What could I make?? 

And then it occurred to me – Put all three of these things together.  Spring break + my current book + 100 days making challenge.

My 100 day challenge is Making Moments Matter! 

Each day, I’m going to choose to catch those moments that usually slide by.  I’m going to find gifts in seemingly frustrating moments.  I’m going to savor sights of nature.  Memorize sweet tiny faces that are in my home.  Embrace the ones I love.  Find time to be ME and enjoy my passions!

I will forget.  I will fail.  But I will not give up.  Because this is life – memories made in the everyday. 

*Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford

The organized AND kid-filled car

Yet another comment this morning to me about how clean my car is.  Well, I guess it is, but I guess it’s just normal to me to have it that way.  Yes, I did take all the seats out a few weeks ago and vacuumed to make room for field trip goers that I was driving to and from.  But really, it usually is just that neat. 

It’s interesting that I DON’T have a no eating rule in my car.  We do eat in there.  Maybe not super messy stuff – like Cheetos or powdered donuts!  But we have nuggets, goldfish, and the standard toddler snacking fare in the car many days.  So, how does it stay so neat, with three kids under 6 years old?  I’m not THAT neat? 

Here are some of my tips that I have implemented over the past few years: 

1.  Have a place for trash to go. 

If you accumulate LOTS of trash during a single day, think about getting a small bath trashcan and just putting it in the floor of your car.  Throw a plastic shopping bag in there (from Target or the grocery store… we all have those!) and then take the bag out every few days.  I have a small bag in my console that collects tissues, gum and wrappers.  I actually made it out of a few paper lunch bags (to give it a little heft).   You could use a bag, a plastic bin – they even sell vinyl bags for trash collecting specifically for the car. 

2.  What comes TO the car goes back OUT of the car. 

I have a rule when we get home from school.  You take your own backpack up to the kitchen – so that mommy can unpack lunchboxes and get folders unpacked and organized.  And anything else come out of the car, what you TAKE to the car, you have to carry back in the house.  It’s kind of like hiking in the forest – Carry out what you carry in. 

3.  Stock supplies in the car. 

I have small children – that always seem to get covered in stuff.  Or get stuff on ME!   So I have wipes in the car – not in a diaper bag – just accessible for any kind of wiping or cleaning needs.  I have used them for EVERYTHING!  First aid, muddy shoes, spilled coffee (oops mommy) and well, for the traditional use for wipes!  Also have pen and paper – just throw a notebook in the glove compartment with a pen clipped to it.  Also, a first aid kit:  this could be store bought it or just a baggie of band-aids.  Our family is, well, challenged with walking sometimes, so I have LOTS of band-aids, Neosporin, antibacterial spray and a few other things.   Also, think of specific needs your family might have – things that seem to always be needed when you are in the car.  We have a few books and toys for when we are waiting at various places.  Also, think of specific needs for each season such as bug spray & sunscreen for summer; maybe gloves or an ice scraper for winter.  And make sure they are all gathered in something.  Find nooks and crannies to store these things in your car.  Or get a caddy or a seat organizer.   Nothing is on the floor – nothing is flying around the car!  I have a couple of spot in my van where things can be stored – then I have a “kid kit” in a backseat organizer. 

4.  Eating in the car.

Establish what rules you want for your car.  These will vary greatly depending on how much time you spend in the car and the eating habits & ages of your kids.  I mentioned our eating rules for our car.  We do sometimes eat lunches in the car.  I have divided lunch containers that I use if packing from home.  And I have emergency plastic cups and bowls that I use to divvy out chicken nuggets or some kind of food from a drive-thru when we are on the road.  This helps to decrease trash explosions and reduces spillage! 

5.  Emergencies.

Things will happen.  And a few things you can plan ahead – for those just in case moments.  Things like jumper cables.  Or extra clothes for your kids.  Or for YOU!  Most of these “emergency” supplies don’t come to the car until after you have the emergency and DON’T have the supply you need.  When you end up carrying home a pants-less child because of an accident.  I have extra clothes for my kids in the car (you can guess my emergency that I didn’t have supplies for).  Just think about who you guys are and where you go – and if there’s room, stick a few things in there.  You will hopefully never have to be glad you did.  But if you do, whew!! 

Keeping things off the floor – while having what you need – is the trick to have a neat and highly functioning vehicle.  But that IS the trick, right?  Easier said than done?  Some days, it’s just not going to happen, but one rainy Saturday, clean out that car!  And you will be amazed how much space there is.  And you might even find that lost soccer sock or the missing chicken nugget…  Gross. 

The To-Do List

Now the big clean-out seems to be looming in the future – at least at my house.  It hasn’t happened yet.  I hope that it will soon.  But admitting that it needs to happen is the first step, right?  I have identified the problem.  And I know what I want it to look like.  But finding the time to get it started, let alone get it done – with all the other daily stuff that the house and people IN the house need – is a task in itself!

So I’m going to talk about another organizing tool – or torture devise – depending on how you see it!  The To Do list!  Some people love writing out lists and checking things off – and some people just keep the list in their head.  But however you do it, you’ve got a list.  Somewhere.  And as for me, I have a ton lists.  A daily list.  A long term list.  A weekly list.  Lots of lists!   

So to those that do not like the list, here are some benefits to making to do lists – about anything, really - long term projects, daily tasks, things to get, things to do.  And some ways to use the list, once you have made it!

The Good:

Visualize - You get to see what needs to be done.  Sometimes the task seems so big, that when you write a list, it doesn’t seem so bad.  Or the flip side of that – the task seems simple, but when broken down, it is revealed to be more involved. 

Prioritize – Having the tasks written out helps you see what needs to be done first, get you on the right track and keep you on the track!

Sorting and Grouping – The list will also help you sort and group items together – making things a little easier…

Delegate – This is a great way to get through the list faster.  Get some helper!

Remember – And yes, the list will help you remember what needs to be done. 

However, there are some bad things to making lists.  Yes, I know, I just said that.  Unbelievable, right?  But this is where I am most of the time. 

The Pitfalls: 

Lose the list - Where did it go?  Now what?  I wrote it down to remember. 

      • Go digital with backups.  Or store lists in a notebook or journal. 

No action – You get caught in just making lists and nothing ever gets done.  Then the list keeps growing and overwhelms you.

Dreaming too big – Sometimes you add too much to the list or start getting too deep – instead of focusing on “first things”

     • For these two, start small and keep things focused on one topic or area

Making vague lists – Not being specific enough about what needs to be done can be immobilizing. 

     • Instead of saying “clean room” say “fold clothes, make bed, etc” 

So with those ideas in mind, let’s make some lists!! 

What’s next?

After doing a few trouble spots of organizing in the house, what is next?  (see last week’s blog for details) 

My spots were the pantry and a kitchen cabinet.  And I feel better already! 

You can keep going and hit a few more small spots.  It’s an easy way to feel a sense of progress and success.  Also, you will be learning your style of organizing.  This is important when you get to the bigger stuff.  To know how you clean out and how throwing things out and moving things around affect you will be important when you get to emotionally charged things. 

So, what about organizing style?  It may seem, by watching home improvement shows or reading magazine articles, that there is a right way to get organized.  But there are SO many different styles of getting through all the stuff and finding a system that works for you. 

The most important thing is to find an organizing system that works for you is that it is easily maintained.  But here are a few basic principles to keep in mind: 

•  Find a spot/home for everything – nothing lands and stays randomly

•  Keep surfaces mostly clear

•  Pair down enough so that things can “breathe” - aka you can see everything!

•  Group like-items together

You might not be a labeling person – and that’s ok!  You might love storage boxes or baskets.  You might like to hang things on the wall (going vertical is a great way to use space).  I love to label, and I like to contain things.  But you might like open shelving and easy access to items.   What you want to find…is all your stuff!   

You want to find a system for you that you can maintain.  There will probably be an initial purge.  But after that, there needs to be a plan for things that enter the house.  And this can be for each area as you get to work on them – different plans for different areas of the house.  The plan will change over time.  And the plan will be forgotten.  And cleaning out will happen again.  But getting to know how this system works for you in YOUR house will help in the future.  It’s best to not just throw everything out (even though, some days, I just want to do that) – it’s going to be a slow-going and sometimes frustrating process.  Yikes!  Who want to start now?!  Yay?  But it’s like a diet – you need something that will work long term.  A crash diet will work short term, but it’s hard to maintain and there is major burn out quickly.  To be organized in the home is to find a “stuff diet” that works – and can keep working. 

The goal should be that you are using your home and storage areas to have the things you need and know where it all is and have easy access to it when you need it.  I am going to be on this organizing journey too.  I like to do it – but sometimes it just NEEDS to get done!  Organizing is an ongoing project.  Things are always coming in the house and need a home.  And if the stuff that’s already here doesn’t have a home, where is the new stuff going to go? 

So I am going to be tackling some big areas in the near future…  There’s a room in my house that has been catching stuff all summer (and for the past 4 years) – and there are so many things that I need in that room, that I think are in that room, and I have no clue where they are.  Or I have to move stuff out of the way to access them.  And it’s driving me crazy.  It wastes my time.  It results in duplicate stuff.   And the time is now… or at least very soon!  

Let’s get started

So the weekend is almost here, fall routines are finally kicking in and the house still seems to be disorganized.  The relaxed and haphazard days of summer are long gone, but now the fall stuff is sitting on TOP of all the summer stuff in the house.  Those “summer” projects are still sitting there – that room, those shelves – that were going to get to before school started are still there.  And now things that have come in the house for school, for fall, for later - are now piled on top of those undone projects.  So how do you dig out of that?  How do you get motivated?  How do you get started, if NOW is the time to get organized?

Start Small. 

Pick something small to start with – I suggest a drawer.  Now, which one?  Find a drawer (or even a small cabinet) that is just bugging you.  It could be a desk drawer, or one in your bedside table.  Maybe even a kitchen drawer, like the utensil drawer.  Here are my criteria on what to pick for that first “get you going” project:

1.     Pick a small area that can be started and completed within 30 minutes or less. 

2.     Pick an area that is used often and would benefit from a quick emptying, purge and cleaning. 

3.     Pick a spot that will give you high impact after it is done – this is good encouragement for your brain to continue the process and pick the next spot! 

4.     Pick a place that is “neutral” – meaning no emotional items or hard choices need to be made.  

One place you may have that you might want to start would be a “junk” drawer in the kitchen (or in my case, a junk spot).  My advice is save that one for a little later.  It could turn into an archeological dig that might stir up emotions and would probably take longer than you think.  This spot is usually the “save for later” spot.  There is a reason that so many things land here.  It’s where things go that have hard decisions with them.  Should I keep it or not?  Where should I keep it?   How about here for now…  Save this drawer for a little later in the process!! 

A good place to start in the kitchen, if that is where you are motivated to be, is the pantry OR fridge.  Most items are easy to make decisions on.  Has it gone bad?  Are we going to eat this?  It’s a great way to clear out and make a huge impact!   Another one is the utensil drawer.  It’s pretty easy to do and just a clean and straighten can make opening that drawer more pleasant! 

So once you decide your spot – and set aside your time to do it – get going.  Because this small accomplishment will get you motivated to attack that corner of your closet.  Or that junk drawer which might be next… 

What do you want to be?

What do you want to be when you grow up?
 I don’t know if I really ever had an answer for that.  When I was a kid, I guess I probably said something like a nurse or whatever came to mind at the time.  When I went to college, I was pretty sure I wanted to be a physical therapist – but things happened and my path was changed.  That’s a whole other story, but I ended up just where I was supposed to be – it didn’t make sense at the time, but what things like that DO make sense?   So I thought about what I wanted to do – what did I want to be now that I was pretty much grown up?  I was married, so I knew exactly what I wanted.  I wanted to be a mom.  Well, it wasn’t so easy for me.  Through many struggles, hopes, longings, heartaches and joys, I am now a mom!  What do I want to be?  A Mommy!
 And once again, I’m asking that question.  What do I want to be, now that my kids are growing up?  They are still so very little, but I want to put in practice now, doing something that I love.  So, what do I love?  I love organizing.  I like cleaning out, making systems and rediscovering stuff I thought I’d lost or space that I didn’t think I had!  It’s energizing to me!
I also love writing.  Journaling and blogging (when I make the time) really bring me joy, bringing out the creative parts in my brain.  The day-to-day life of moms with young kids can sometimes wear down those creative juices, so I’m working on bringing them back!
 I want to be doing something with organizing – helping people, helping myself!  So I’m starting a blog about organizing!  Instead of waiting for something to happen in the future, I’m jumping in the way I can right now!  I’m going to work on cleaning out and organizing spaces and stuff in my house.  I’m going to share tips, goals, ideas, fun ways to get organized and successes that I have at my own house!
 

Wacky days are here to stay

Last week, my Wednesday was weird.  And it seems that the weird stuff always happens on Wednesdays...  But last week, it was really awesome stuff.  (wait... or maybe that was two weeks ago - either way, it was pretty cool)
God was moving in my life in a very simple, but clear and obvious way.  I found out some great news from some friends - God was blessing their family in an amazing way!!  And answered prayer too.  And the things that happen that are totally bizarre or even somewhat inconvenient at the time, but then completely make sense later that day - seem to always happen on Wednesdays to me.
The other wacky thing is the draft of this blog that was not published somehow published itself.  Um, it wasn't really sentences yet.  Not that what I write is ever in a complete sentence...

And then last week, I just had a wacky week - the WHOLE week.  It was just crazy enough to not fit all in one day.  Among them were a closed road due to a gas leak (thankfully we didn't have to evacuate our house like last time.)  And I think my favorite was the huge bumble bee in my shower stall at the gym - that one was just crazy and disconcerting (that buzzing noise...yikes.)
One night of storms kept me up a lot, so the next day I was tired.  I didn't know how tired until I stumbled in my bathroom into the drawer handles and got two HUGE bruises.  Seriously, I hit that hard?  Then the next day, I tripped on a little car that was left in my path.  I slid and rolled my ankle and smashed my toes.  I was sure that one of them was broken.  I couldn't walk for a while.  And my oldest remarked, "You have ANOTHER boo-boo" - yes, yes indeed.

Rainy Monday

I love rainy days.  And I really love them when they are on Monday.  I'm not sure why I love Monday.  Maybe it's because I'm not going into an office anymore.  I was SO not cut out for the Monday - Friday work week.  8am Monday and I were NOT friends.  It wasn't pretty, even with coffee.  But now my job is at home.  Still not pretty without coffee!  It's 7 days a week - more exhausting, but more fulfilling.

So Mondays to me are kind of refreshing.  A new start to the week.  Kind of a "reset" on everything that went a little off-kilter over the weekend.   And just add in the rain - Makes the morning a beautiful gray color that invigorates me!  But let me be clear - just RAIN.  Not storms.  Maybe 3 rumbles of thunder, but that's all for a nice rainy day for me.  Mondays are my fresh start - new lists, new goals, more "possible" chances to get the stuff done that I didn't get done last week.  More opportunities to maybe read a book?  Or even blog?  Monday is my day to hit the ground running after a restful Sunday.  

So a nice refreshing rain.  A nice run on the treadmill.  A nice Monday to start the week.  Let's go!  

Throwback Thursday

So I'm going to do a throwback series:  "This week in 2010."
Mostly instead of pictures, I'm going to take a look back at my old calendars, blogs and journals.  This is RIGHT before we got kids. And right in the beginning of when I became a new mom.  It should be an interesting journey!  It doesn't seem that long ago, but it really was!  I feel like a totally different person now.  It's weird that I've been a mom for less than four years, especially with having one starting kindergarten in the fall. But I wouldn't have it any other (crazy) way.  It was perfect!

-----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----   -----

So today, we find ourselves in the first half of April 2010...

It was already Easter - it came early that year.  And it was already really warm outside.
A silly thing that I did - I was working outside trying to cut weeds and vine growth away from our outdoor AC unit.  I really was trying to be careful, cutting back and pulling out.  I was even trying to watch out for poison ivy.  There was one stubborn weed that wouldn't pull loose.  It was going up under the unit.  And of course, I didn't want it to get caught in the fan and cause a problem.  That really was my thought process.  It looked like a thorny branch - like one of those brown ones that's more like a root.  So I cut it and then tried pulling it.  Oops.  It was actually a wire going into the AC unit.  My bad.  The thermostat wire.  It could have been really bad.  So I had to have someone come out and replace it.  The guy said, "It looks cut.  On purpose?"  Yep.

I had joined a Bible Study at church and started my first year volunteering at VBS as a director for preschool children.  I had done both of those sooner than I really wanted to.  I really wanted to have kids so that I could be a "mom" in Bible study.  I thought it would be really hard being with other ladies that were mothers, while I was still waiting and longing.  God was really faithful to be to give me courage to just jump in anyway - before I thought I was ready.  He placed some wonderful godly women in my life at just the time that I needed them.  What a blessing!

And I thought I was crazy volunteering to work with KIDS when I didn't have any yet.  But when I was asked to be a part of it, I prayed and the answer was clear.  I did wonder why, but I just blindly followed and began a journey into the children's ministry at my church.

And oh how things were just put in place, paving the path, marking the way for the years to come.
And oh how I didn't know it at the time - not that would ever.  But I wasn't even looking at it that way.
And oh how God was waiting for this perfect moment in time, to change my life forever.
Little did I know...

Frenzied Friday

So Friday is a day that I seem to always be frantic and frenzied.  I was thinking about the differences of the meanings of these words...  So I looked it up!
Frantic: desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain, etc.; frenzied
Frenzied: wildly excited or enthusiastic. also, violently agitated; frantic

So they are kind of interchangeable - but also sort have a different feel to them.  Such is my day on Friday.  I am usually frantic with trying to get done the things that I didn't do over the past week.  And then getting things ready for the weekend.  This Friday, indeed was that way.  I was trying to get a few things that were straggling from Monday through Thursday.  Plus prepping for a trip out of town - so that included packing and getting the kids stuff ready for the sitters that were coming to stay with them for the weekend.  Mommy and daddy got a little vacation!!  So indeed frenzied with excitement and frantic with prepping...

And some of my frantic catching up... here are the themes for the missing days this week:

Wacky Wednesday and Throwback Thursday
coming next week!

Thinking Tuesday

So each day this week, I'm trying to think about where my head is each day.  And Tuesday seems to be my thinking day.  Thinking about how - and where - the week is going.  And thinking about the future and all the things I need to do.  Tuesday is also when most of my blog ideas come to me, but never get written down.*  I'm not exhausted from the week yet and it's not as crazy as Monday.  Tuesday is the perfect day for sitting down with a cup of coffee for an hour to just think and ponder.  YEAH RIGHT.  Maybe I will get to drink my coffee before having to reheat it in the microwave, then forget that it's in there and then reheat the reheat...

I am sometimes even thinking about bigger things.  Projects to be done.  Summer plans.  Deeper things too, like what fall is going to look like here with the oldest starting school.  What kind of parent I want to be.  Forget New Years resolutions.  Give me a Tuesday for retrospection!

Today I was thinking about all the milestones of life - mainly of kids.  All the ones that you really pay attention to - and then the ones that happen and you didn't really even realize that you were missing them.  Like the last bottle.  Or the last sippy cup.  The last night with the pacifier (oh, wait, I remember that one...)

Today I had a kid milestone.  A very minor one, but it got me thinking.  Am I going to remember all of these?  Well, the answer is no.  I don't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so there is no way I'm going to remember what happened this spring, but I will remember the feeling.  The feeling that my tiny ones are getting so big.  That they don't need me as much as they did, even 6 months ago.  And maybe the fact that I need them more now...  And need them more every day.

So for my thinking Tuesday... It's time to make the coffee!



*(seeing as how I've done two blogs this week, I'm currently trying something new and it seems to be working.)

Mobilize Mondays

Coming off the weekend, Monday is just a long and crazy day.  And it's a day to gear back up for the week.  The week before on Friday, I'm putting stuff off to do for Saturday.  Then Saturday comes and I don't want to do anything!  But I force myself to get the things done that are on my list so that I don't have to do them on Sunday.  Because I'm NOT going to do them on Sunday.  I am trying to keep Sunday basically work-free - keeping it the Sabbath.  Only doing things that are live-giving.  I do basic stuff like making meals, etc.  But no chores or other work that isn't fun for me.  Organizing is fun for me, and life-giving, so sometimes I do that...  But other than that I'm working hard on Sunday to not do work!

So on Monday, I end up trying to figure out where I am on the stuff that needs to be done - and the stuff that I want to do.  And really it's about what I want to do.  Basic needs are always taken care of - it's the daily, weekly and monthly projects that need to be done.   Things that I like to keep up with so that they don't catch up with me!  But sometimes those things that I need to do, steal time from the things that I want to do.  So Mobilize Monday is the day that I like to figure out how I can fit it all in - ALL of it.  Wanting to do the things I need to do and needing to do the things that I want to do!

Mondays are when I regroup for the week.  Where are we going?  What needs to be done? What do I want to get done?  Who needs to be where, when?  Review my calendar(s).  Make my lists.  Make plans.  And then the most important part:  be prepared for all of that to be thrown into chaos.  Because who am I kidding.  I can plan stuff, but life happens in the unexpected and the unknown - the adventure and the challenge.

So I'm mobilized for the week - for whatever may come!!

Three kids and a milkshake

This evening, after a fun trip to the zoo, I was sitting on the couch finishing up a milkshake and all three kids came over to me.  And Daniel said, "Nothing like sitting on the couch with three kids trying to steal your milkshake."  And I said kiddingly, "Nope, there really is nothing like this.  This is the dream!"  But this really IS the dream.  To be enjoying a nice day, a trip to the zoo, a dinner with my family, and surrounded by my kids - that is my dream.  But I never thought that my dream would be so fulfilled.  That I would have THREE kids surrounding me on a Sunday afternoon.  Oh, how God has blessed our family.  Oh how I am so glad that my "plans" were nothing near how God has shaped my life.  My dream pales in comparison to the miracle that I see each morning - that I tuck in each evening.

It's amazing - sometimes I just can't believe that I'm a mom.  It's weird.  You'd think that I was reminded of it every minute of the day - hearing noises, wiping noses, "mommy mommy" all day long.  But sometimes, in a rare moment of quiet, I have to realize again that I am a mom.  I know that I am a "mommy" - tending to the needs of my little ones.  But being a "mother" just seems crazy still.  That I am going to be a mother forever.  That I am going to travel through life with these wonderful children that God has brought into my life. Being in the little years, I sometimes get trapped in thinking this is how it's going to be forever.  That there will always be toys on the floor and diapers and tears and fits.  Ok, so maybe I won't see the end of all of that...  Ok, well maybe just the end to the diapers.  But still.  It will be different.  Soon they will all be in school.  And then they will all be teenagers...  yikes.  Maybe because it happened so fast, that I guess I'm still just catching up sometimes.  It still is amazing to me that I am a mom of three.

So today, I was glad to have my little ones - all grabbing for the straw.  Reminding me how blessed I am.  Reminding me to remember to take the time to sit on the floor with them and brush a doll's hair, or play ball in their room, or look intently at each drawing (even if I don't really see Rapunzel sitting on a cactus).

The Sound of Silence

What is that noise that I hear? Oh, silence. Uh oh.

It's interesting become a parent. As babies, kids pretty much stay where you leave them. You watch them sleep, giggle, and eat. And you see their little eyes look back at you. Then they start moving... And moving fast. I always thought that you have to always WATCH your kids. Watch to make sure that they are doing what they should and not doing what they shouldn't. But what I have learned over the past few years is that is more of what you hear than really what you see. And more importantly, what you don't hear!

When the kids are making noise, I can pretty much tell what they are doing and how they are playing. I can even tell what's on a child's mind as they are walking down the hallway, by the way they are walking. Like on the way to the fridge for a drink. Or purposefully headed to the potty. Or meandering down holding a princess dress. Even before I look that way, I can predict the "traffic" patterns of the kids. I can tell the girls are playing together and if they are in the mood to include their brother by the noises made.

And it's not the screams or the thuds that are the scariest. Those are not good noises, but usually they are made in "fun" times. Still freaking mommy out a little, but with no harm and no tears. It's the silence that is the scariest. If the kids are making NO noise, that is when investigation is necessary. Usually I will find the oldest just coloring and drawing, concentrating on her latest artwork. And the youngest will be found in the silence just pushing little buttons on a toy - although sometimes sitting somewhere he really shouldn't be, complete with a "what is it mommy..." coy smile. It's the middle one - she is the one that I search out and find adventure. Sitting on our bed having gone through my purse, on her FOURTH piece of gum. Happy as a clam. Or all of the clothes out of a drawer neatly strewn across the room. There was a plan - a quiet plan.   And since writing this blog a week ago (before posting), the baby is now "up to something" as soon as I hear silence.  Now there are two silent adventurers in trouble...

Toilet paper and tissues strewn about silently.  Sprinkles poured in the lap and being eaten silently (don't ask).  Towers built.  Plans laid.  Danger brews.

Play is loud. Discovery is quiet.









- Carrie

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