inspired by a friend's post and her efforts to "keep it real." I am going to share a few things about myself that you may not know...although I doubt many are that surprising.
So here are some things about me...
-I am a total food snob- I like REAL food and good food.
-But I will eat pretty much anything once.
-I am overwhelmingly outnumbered by boys in my house.
-I am jealous of mom's of daughters.
-I never wanted to get married or have children.
-I was either going to be a famous singer or a business woman in a big city.
-Neither of those dreams matter anymore at all.
-I was a "goody two shoes" in high school.
-...Not so much in college
- I straightened up when I met my husband.
- I love sweettea (like at McDonalds) more than is healthy.
-My body does not like when I drink it...between the caffeine and sugar I am awake all night.
- "Sweetened tea" does not count and I won't drink it except in an emergency.
-I love to travel...but am too cheap to really go far anymore.
-There are days that I want to chase the big yellow school bus down the road and put my kids on it...
-Most days I try not to be out of bed to see the big yellow school bus go by and therefore resist the temptation.
-I do not like it when random people comment on my size.
-I only volunteer for things I really want to do.
-I would love to have a self sustaining little farm.
-I really like to sew and bake and be a "little Suzy Homemaker" except
-I HATE to clean.
-I still enjoy singing and do it as much as I can.
-I wish I could play ONE instrument well. I can "kinda" play the piano and the drums but neither well enough to be useful.
-I am a yeller. When I am angry, I yell.
-Then I feel bad and I eat.
-My house is never all clean at once. I wish I could make that happen.
-I jump into a pool all at once. I never go slowly down the stairs if I can avoid it.
-I do the same thing with projects.
-Sometimes I regret that.
-I may be a little crazy but in this house, if I didn't start that way I would have probably gotten there anyway. :)
Ok, that is about all I can think of right now. And really probably more than you ever wanted to know. :)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Simple Bathroom!
Yesterday I had two extra children so I took advantage of the fact that my kids were entertained to do some more simplifying! I worked in my bedroom and bathroom.
My bedroom really needed picked up all together so I did that. Not much simplifying going on there. :( Had to get it clean enough to get to simplifying.
But in my bathroom (which I started by cleaning) I got to simplify! You know the bathroom drawer (or closet shelf or whatever) where all those little samples that you "steal" from hotels collects. GET RID OF THEM! I went through the drawer and saved ONE shampoo and ONE conditioner, and only because I have a trip in the next couple months where I will be sharing a hotel room with a couple other women...so I will need my own toiletries. The rest of the shampoo I put in my shower (after I cleaned it). It is still good shampoo and now I won't have to buy shampoo for a while. FLylady suggest putting a little old shampoo in the "cup" that your toilet brush sits in and "swishing" your toilet once a day so it never gets totally icky...I should probably do that. Anyway, throw out the toothbrushes that are in the travel cases and you can't remember whose they are.
Has your hairstyle changed recently (or not so recently) and you still have the stuff that went with the old hairstyle? For example, I have short hair but I still had several big wide headbands from when it was longer. GET RID OF THEM! I didn't even like mine when my hair was longer. WHY were they in the drawer? Old make-up, old nail polish, old hair products- Throw them out.
Don't forget while the drawers are empty to use some spray cleaner and wipe them out really well.
Go through the towels and get rid of the old ones. Put them in a bag to stick in your garage for "rags." I picked out the ones that match my bathroom and hung them up for use (instead of using missmatched whichever is on top of the pile towels). I also put matching ones up for each of the boys in their bathroom. I got out the matching handtowels and sorted through washcloths. Now we can find what we need.
I still have a little closet to go through but it will have to wait for another day.
For now my master bathroom is a place that I can get ready and be relaxed. It isn't a mess of junk all over a counter where there is no room to "work." The counter can be easily wiped down and kept clean. It will be great if f I can just keep it that way!
Oh, and my Motivated Moms calendar is GREAT! I just love it. It is easy to get the daily chores done and it keeps me on task. Gonna go start checking things off my list for today!!! :)
My bedroom really needed picked up all together so I did that. Not much simplifying going on there. :( Had to get it clean enough to get to simplifying.
But in my bathroom (which I started by cleaning) I got to simplify! You know the bathroom drawer (or closet shelf or whatever) where all those little samples that you "steal" from hotels collects. GET RID OF THEM! I went through the drawer and saved ONE shampoo and ONE conditioner, and only because I have a trip in the next couple months where I will be sharing a hotel room with a couple other women...so I will need my own toiletries. The rest of the shampoo I put in my shower (after I cleaned it). It is still good shampoo and now I won't have to buy shampoo for a while. FLylady suggest putting a little old shampoo in the "cup" that your toilet brush sits in and "swishing" your toilet once a day so it never gets totally icky...I should probably do that. Anyway, throw out the toothbrushes that are in the travel cases and you can't remember whose they are.
Has your hairstyle changed recently (or not so recently) and you still have the stuff that went with the old hairstyle? For example, I have short hair but I still had several big wide headbands from when it was longer. GET RID OF THEM! I didn't even like mine when my hair was longer. WHY were they in the drawer? Old make-up, old nail polish, old hair products- Throw them out.
Don't forget while the drawers are empty to use some spray cleaner and wipe them out really well.
Go through the towels and get rid of the old ones. Put them in a bag to stick in your garage for "rags." I picked out the ones that match my bathroom and hung them up for use (instead of using missmatched whichever is on top of the pile towels). I also put matching ones up for each of the boys in their bathroom. I got out the matching handtowels and sorted through washcloths. Now we can find what we need.
I still have a little closet to go through but it will have to wait for another day.
For now my master bathroom is a place that I can get ready and be relaxed. It isn't a mess of junk all over a counter where there is no room to "work." The counter can be easily wiped down and kept clean. It will be great if f I can just keep it that way!
Oh, and my Motivated Moms calendar is GREAT! I just love it. It is easy to get the daily chores done and it keeps me on task. Gonna go start checking things off my list for today!!! :)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Complicated Computer!
I am simplifying online. It takes forever to get through emails. Flylady has already gone. Step one is completed. Now you know all that junk mail that you have to delete everyday. Mine was excessive. So right now, instead of deleting it, I am finding the link to unsubscribe. I unsubscribed from several today...I'm sure there will be more tomorrow. It will take a little extra time for a few days here but in the end, will save me loads of screen time (I would think). If they aren't there, I don't have to worry about them or take the time to delete them. The important emails from real people will be easier to find and enjoy. I also set my facebook account that I get NO emails about ANYTHING! NONE! I get tired of reading everything twice. And it wastes time.
That was my step for today. I could do that much on a busy busy Sunday! Feels good to clean out that inbox!!!
That was my step for today. I could do that much on a busy busy Sunday! Feels good to clean out that inbox!!!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Simplify 2011
I am posting this on both blogs so if you read one, you've already read this.
This is my theme for the year. Starting now....I am getting rid of stuff. I've cleaned off my desk area. And cleaned out kitchen cabinets. And started on bookshelves (this one is hard since I am mildly addicted to books). Things of sentimental value are safe Things we use regularly are safe. Things that I have to dust and that is the only time I notice them are GONE!!! I am boxing things up to have a big yard sale this spring.
I was inspired by this post I read on the Happy Housewife's website. Her theme for the year is also to simplify. The same day, the boys broke the second of their Christmas gifts (they lasted less than a month) and I decided to put ALL the toys up. Then Shane sent me this link on "minimalistic toys." The boys have had only a couple toys out for almost a week and we have no tv (only movies). School has gone better, we've had less fighting, and the toys they have are being taken care of. All the other toys are still in a closet for rotation...but they aren't necessarily going to last long...I am going to be doing some careful weeding.
I have been trying to use Flylady to keep my house clean. But she is not working for me. I like many of her principles. "You are not behind. Do not try to catch up." "Do a little bit every day" and "You can not organize clutter...you have to get rid of it" (These are paraphrased). So I am taking her advice and unsubscribing from her emails. The "inbox clutter" her millions of emails every day creates is not worth it. I can not organize them...I do not read them...not even the reminder ones...so they are going. Sorry Flylady.
In her post, The Happy Housewife mentioned the Motivated Mom's Planner. I am going to get this. It is $8 and it is a chore planner. (If you follow the link above you can use the $1 off coupon code). You can get it on a weekly or daily basis (daily has a little agenda spot) in a full size or half size. You can even get one with daily Bible readings to read through the Bible in a year. Unlike Flylady, you download the ebook and then print each week/day page and then you have a checklist. I like this. It is not computer based and I won't be inundated with emails each day. Bible time is something I really need to work on and I have something to check off when I do it that day. Plus, I LOVE LISTS! I love checking things off. Sometimes I am making a list to get ready for something and I put things on it that are already done just to cross them off. I hope this will work for me.
Part of my goal is to make/save some money. We would like to build a substantial savings account in the next few months...I'm hopeful that living simply will help contribute to that savings.
As I think about simplifying our life, it is a daunting task. We are so connected to our stuff and our habits. Since it is such a HUGE thing to do, I am breaking it up into "baby steps " (stolen from Flylady who I really do like except for the emails). I am setting many small personal goals. As I get them figured out and into place in my mind, I will share. Right now, I am just purging...if it isn't nailed down it is under scrutiny. And it feels great!!!
This is my theme for the year. Starting now....I am getting rid of stuff. I've cleaned off my desk area. And cleaned out kitchen cabinets. And started on bookshelves (this one is hard since I am mildly addicted to books). Things of sentimental value are safe Things we use regularly are safe. Things that I have to dust and that is the only time I notice them are GONE!!! I am boxing things up to have a big yard sale this spring.
I was inspired by this post I read on the Happy Housewife's website. Her theme for the year is also to simplify. The same day, the boys broke the second of their Christmas gifts (they lasted less than a month) and I decided to put ALL the toys up. Then Shane sent me this link on "minimalistic toys." The boys have had only a couple toys out for almost a week and we have no tv (only movies). School has gone better, we've had less fighting, and the toys they have are being taken care of. All the other toys are still in a closet for rotation...but they aren't necessarily going to last long...I am going to be doing some careful weeding.
I have been trying to use Flylady to keep my house clean. But she is not working for me. I like many of her principles. "You are not behind. Do not try to catch up." "Do a little bit every day" and "You can not organize clutter...you have to get rid of it" (These are paraphrased). So I am taking her advice and unsubscribing from her emails. The "inbox clutter" her millions of emails every day creates is not worth it. I can not organize them...I do not read them...not even the reminder ones...so they are going. Sorry Flylady.
In her post, The Happy Housewife mentioned the Motivated Mom's Planner. I am going to get this. It is $8 and it is a chore planner. (If you follow the link above you can use the $1 off coupon code). You can get it on a weekly or daily basis (daily has a little agenda spot) in a full size or half size. You can even get one with daily Bible readings to read through the Bible in a year. Unlike Flylady, you download the ebook and then print each week/day page and then you have a checklist. I like this. It is not computer based and I won't be inundated with emails each day. Bible time is something I really need to work on and I have something to check off when I do it that day. Plus, I LOVE LISTS! I love checking things off. Sometimes I am making a list to get ready for something and I put things on it that are already done just to cross them off. I hope this will work for me.
Part of my goal is to make/save some money. We would like to build a substantial savings account in the next few months...I'm hopeful that living simply will help contribute to that savings.
As I think about simplifying our life, it is a daunting task. We are so connected to our stuff and our habits. Since it is such a HUGE thing to do, I am breaking it up into "baby steps " (stolen from Flylady who I really do like except for the emails). I am setting many small personal goals. As I get them figured out and into place in my mind, I will share. Right now, I am just purging...if it isn't nailed down it is under scrutiny. And it feels great!!!
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