Take 2...(or 3 or 4, but who is really counting!)

So again life has gotten in the way I have gotten off track. What looked good on paper fell the practicality of life. While Cameron loved a strict schedule, Reagan is much more the free spirit, keeping me very busy learning how to be flexible and realizing what my priorities are.
But even in the midst of the chaos of raising two kids, adjusting to my husbands ever changing work schedule I crave simplicity. I long for my life to be more "Ina Garten in the Hampton's" and less like a three ring circus. Again, it comes down to balancing and finding a happy medium.
Two things have happened recently to renew my efforts in finding that medium. The first is that I finally picked up the book that my sister suggested I read quite awhile a go. It is "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. She comes to a point in her life where she realizes that she should be happier than she is with her life. She takes a year to change that. She breaks it down into monthly projects. I am still reading it, but it has really inspired me. I tend to try to do a HUGE overhaul, all at once, trying to change both my physical, spiritual, and mental habits. I tend to get discouraged when I fail, and throw up my hands and forget the whole thing. Her way is alot more manageable, and honestly sounds fun.
The other things that has renewed my efforts is the sudden passing of my grandmother. She passed away very suddenly and the family is left to sort through all sorts of "stuff". Going through her house has made me look around at my own house and realize that I could use some purging and organizing. While I don't have alot of clutter, there are things that I am holding onto just because I am used to seeing them. Things that don't have a sentimental value, and are just taking up space.
However, before I decide to go tearing thru my house on a gigantic cleaning spree, I am going to take a step back. With the new year coming quickly it is a perfect time to make some changes, one step at a time. Before I start on this overhaul of both my physical surroundings and mental habits I need to come up with my set of "commandments".
This might take awhile, but I think the results will be permanent and worth it. So stay tuned.......

Learning from a master......

I have really struggled on this journey, more than I ever thought I would. I was beating myself up about it, because I haven't gotten as far as I would have liked. I was making no real progress...and to tell you the truth, I procrastinated because I came to a brick wall.
However, this week my purpose is renewed. A friend of mine introduced me to "FLYlady.net." FLY stands for "Fully Loving Yourself." She provides more than a formula to keep a clean house, but a formula to start changing your life. She puts into practice all the things that I want to have in my life, but am either too scared to try, or put off because of what others may think. She breaks it down into babysteps, the first one is shine your sink.
Now that might seem kinda silly. Really, how much difference does a shiny sink make? Well, let me tell you, it took me two days to work up the courage to find this out. Last night I shined my sink, per her directions. It really made a difference. You see, through out the day you continue to wipe out your sink and keep it clean. So today, even though my husband had to work 11 hours, I had a 6 month old who is teething and wants to be attached to me 24/7, and to be blunt, I didn't even have any privacy in the bathroom all day.....however, in the middle of the chaos I could look at my sink, and have one thing that was cleaned and orderly. It kept my attitude where it needed to be.
So with FLYlady's help I hope to continue this quest to get back to the basics. To get rid of clutter and chaos that happens in both my house and my mind.

A Lesson in the Reality of Things

This week has not been the way I expected it to be. I had my plans laid down, and was looking forward to a very productive week of sorting through things, and getting things organized.
However, my son came down with bronchitis and I ended up spending all day Wednesday in the ER with him. My daughter didn't sleep well this week, and I have been feeling under the weather as well. Needless to say I was not as productive as I wanted to be.
I began to beat myself up over it, I was telling myself that I shouldn't have "lazy" this week, and that I should have been strong enough to keep going and do the things I wanted to do this week.
But then I realized, I have wanted to get back to the basics. As wives and mothers our job is to take care of our family. This week my children needed me to put aside "my plans" and spend time cuddling and nursing them, the basics of motherhood. So what if my laundry room is still a clutter castle or my kitchen floor didn't get mopped on the "right day" this week. Missing a few chores won't make the house fall down or end the world. (Those of you who know me well know how it pained me to type that last sentence!)
I tend to put alot of expectations on myself. I want my house to always be clean and organized, I want my children to always look put together and be well behaved, I want my husband to always come home to a smiling wife, a good dinner and a calm house. And while these are good things to strive for, in reality, it isn't going to always happen like that. Sometimes my husband comes home to a stressed, burnt out wife, sometimes my four year old wants to wear an outfit that clashes, and sometimes my house doesn't look like it belongs in a magazine. I am learning that getting back to basics involves getting my priorities in the proper order.
Is it more important that my four year old knows that his mommy loves him and spends time with him or that my house is immaculate? Is it more important for his outfits to look the best, or that he gets the joy of dressing himself? It is a struggle for me to let go of control and let things happen the way they happen.
Does this mean that I will stop my quest for going through and organizing my house? No, because that does still need to be done, it does mean that it might take a little longer than I would like, because I might have to take a break and play some LEGOS with a little boy.

One room down......

My dining room is done!!! WHOOHOO!!!! Insert champagne bottles popping and confetti being flown in the air!
Everything in my dining room works towards the function of that room. My function for the dining room: To promote togetherness between family and friends thru food and sharing time.
We have a desk in the dining room...the original plan was to use that desk as a desk. However, we have had it for at least 6 months and I can count on one hand how many times I have used it. So now we are using it to hold family pictures and doubling it as a buffet when we have company. We also have a small table being used to hold our box of family silverware as well as Andrew's cigar humidor.
I felt that keeping family pictures in the room was a nice reminder of the family that might not be here all the time to share meals with us, but are still an important part of the family.
In the middle of our dining room table is a centerpiece that Cameron and I made together. My goal is to make a centerpiece with him and eventually Reagan for each change of season. I believe that it is important to have touches of each family member in every room. We all live here, we all need to be a part of the house.
I still want to add things to the room, more decorative touches than anything else. I want to get some art on the wall, placemats for the table and things like that, but as for the functionality of the room....it is finished!

P.S. The picture of the drawer I included was the messy one that I included in the last post!

Thumbtacks and Paperclips

Well, I am not as far along in my quest to get back to the basics as I would like to be at this point of the week. Monday was great...got alot done...Tuesday I hit a wall..."The Attack of the Little Things".
The big messes, well they are just easier to deal with. The things that are out in the open, the things that everyone sees. The little things, that can be hidden away, are alot easier to put off dealing with. I mean really, do I need to find a place for the paperclips and thumbtacks? Can't they just land where they land, and really who would know if they are hiding in a drawer in the dining room instead of being put away correctly in my "office space"?
The answer, I would. I will know if I cut corners in the quest. I will know that no matter how beautiful things look on the outside, I would know the hidden things.
The same is true in our lives. The attitudes, the thoughts, the things that I keep in my heart. I need to deal with the "thumbtacks and paperclips" of my heart, as well as the ones residing in my dining room.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Ps 139:23
That is a scary prayer, now not only am I determined to search out my heart, but I am asking the Creator of my heart to do the same. I am asking the God of the universe to be my "accountability partner" in getting back to the basics of my heart, my desires my life. The truth is that I can rest in the fact that no matter how many "thumbtacks and paperclips" are uncovered, He will be there dealing with them with me, and His love for me doesn't change one little bit.

And so the journey begins......

One thing I have learned about myself is that I don't function well in chaos. I like things well defined and organized.
As I have been looking around my house I have realized that my rooms don't have a defined function, and that has led to piles of clutter with no where to go. I have found that I have a couple of "black holes" in my house where things get stashed when I have no idea where to put them to be functional.
So my goal this week is to define the function of each room and removing the items that do not serve that function. As things are removed from each room they will be placed in the room that is for that function. I am not going to work on organizing each room, that will come next week, but at least all items in the room will belong there.
Here is a list of the major spaces that I will be tackling this week.....

Dining Room: A place for family and friends to gather to share food.
Kitchen: A functional workspace where my "tools of the trade" are easily found and used.
Playroom: A space where the toys are easily found by small hands. All the toys in this area should be age appropriate for all ages. A space that is "kid friendly".
Living room: A place where adults can relax. Since this is also where the computer is kept, the space needs to double as a working environment in disguise. I want the focus for this space to be a gathering space rather than an office.
All Bedrooms: A space that is individual to each person. Where you walk in and get a sense of what that person is about. For mine and Andrew's bedroom I want it to be a space of retreat.

So let the journey back to the basics begins!