So my first go at following a master list didn't go to well. As promised I'm not beating myself up about it. Timing is everything. Last week was a very atypical week. My husband took off work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for his birthday.
I didn't get things done on the master list, but I'm not upset about it. We got a couple other big projects finished. It was so much easier working together. We emptied the garage, caulked around the bottom and put things back into the garage in a neat organized fashion. My van is now parked in the garage. We got rid of many boxes, a lot of stuff that didn't need to be in the garage and a box spring. Now we just have to find a new home for our old dryer. Until that's out of there, Adam's car wont fit in the garage.
I also got the majority of the tomato plants cleared out of the garden. I did leave one plant as it hasn't started to wither. I figure I'll let those tomatoes vine ripen. I can easily throw one blanket over it to protect it from frost. While cleaning out the garage, my husband found some old screens. I was going to sell them online, but I found a wonderful use for them. Prop them up on some buckets or bricks and I've got racks for all of my green tomatoes to ripen.
So back at it today. Now if only I can find it!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Hug Your Children
Hug your children just a little longer.
Squeeze them just a little tighter.
Love them just a little stronger.
Why?
Because one day you could be like N. I've known N most of my life. She's a part of my family that I'm not related to, they're just family.
N was just a little older than me. When her little sister and I were in upper elementary, she was in high school and oh so cool. We wanted to be like N.
N lost her battle with cancer earlier this week.
N has young children. She won't get to see them on their first day of high school or college. She won't see them married or their first apartments and homes. She won't hold her grandchildren. She won't even see them trick or treat at Halloween or open Christmas presents this year.
So because N cannot hug her children any longer;
Hug your children just a little longer.
Squeeze them just a little tighter.
And love them just a little stronger.
Squeeze them just a little tighter.
Love them just a little stronger.
Why?
Because one day you could be like N. I've known N most of my life. She's a part of my family that I'm not related to, they're just family.
N was just a little older than me. When her little sister and I were in upper elementary, she was in high school and oh so cool. We wanted to be like N.
N lost her battle with cancer earlier this week.
N has young children. She won't get to see them on their first day of high school or college. She won't see them married or their first apartments and homes. She won't hold her grandchildren. She won't even see them trick or treat at Halloween or open Christmas presents this year.
So because N cannot hug her children any longer;
Hug your children just a little longer.
Squeeze them just a little tighter.
And love them just a little stronger.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Change #1: The Master List
An innocent comment from a friend on Facebook lead to on an internet search. She wanted to know if anyone used a master cleaning list. I went searching and found hundreds of choices. I found one that I thought had potential for me.
I don't want house cleaning to continue to be this thing I do when people are coming over. I am going to stop having anxiety about people seeing my mess. Because I AM going to work towards reducing my mess. Right now getting everything done on my master list seems completely overwhelming. But if I keep chipping away at areas that need a lot of help, they will eventually become manageable.
I want to be clear that the originals came from Lovelaughterandlipstick.com. Hailey did the creating and posted downloads, which can be found here. I don't want anyone to think that I am trying to steal, pirate or copy her work.
I simplified and personalized this to my home and needs. I'll be honest, Hailey seems to be a much neater person than I am. I don't know if I could stay sane if I tried to follow her schedule to a tee.
Today was Day 2. I started on week 2, because I accidentally saved my Week 2 over Week 1 and then I ran out of black ink for my printer. Can you tell that my house is in severe need of a tighter reign?
Yesterday, I didn't do too bad of a job. Today, sinus pain and pressure hit. I brushed my teeth this morning and kept my child fed. That's an accomplishment enough for me today. Tomorrow is another day and I can try again.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to live up to some standard that I haven't articulated. All that I know is that I just don't measure up. I constantly see myself falling short. I realize that by having this list, I could very well be setting myself up for failure. I can look at the list and and berate myself for not getting every thing done. I'm sure I will have nights or weeks where I will try to go down that path.
However, as I start this I'm giving myself the following permissions:
I am not perfect, I will not complete this list perfectly.
I am a wife and mother first, it is not my job to be the quintessential maid.
I can take my time, change happens gradually for everyone; including myself.
I don't want house cleaning to continue to be this thing I do when people are coming over. I am going to stop having anxiety about people seeing my mess. Because I AM going to work towards reducing my mess. Right now getting everything done on my master list seems completely overwhelming. But if I keep chipping away at areas that need a lot of help, they will eventually become manageable.
I want to be clear that the originals came from Lovelaughterandlipstick.com. Hailey did the creating and posted downloads, which can be found here. I don't want anyone to think that I am trying to steal, pirate or copy her work.
I simplified and personalized this to my home and needs. I'll be honest, Hailey seems to be a much neater person than I am. I don't know if I could stay sane if I tried to follow her schedule to a tee.
Today was Day 2. I started on week 2, because I accidentally saved my Week 2 over Week 1 and then I ran out of black ink for my printer. Can you tell that my house is in severe need of a tighter reign?
Yesterday, I didn't do too bad of a job. Today, sinus pain and pressure hit. I brushed my teeth this morning and kept my child fed. That's an accomplishment enough for me today. Tomorrow is another day and I can try again.
I put a lot of pressure on myself to live up to some standard that I haven't articulated. All that I know is that I just don't measure up. I constantly see myself falling short. I realize that by having this list, I could very well be setting myself up for failure. I can look at the list and and berate myself for not getting every thing done. I'm sure I will have nights or weeks where I will try to go down that path.
However, as I start this I'm giving myself the following permissions:
I am not perfect, I will not complete this list perfectly.
I am a wife and mother first, it is not my job to be the quintessential maid.
I can take my time, change happens gradually for everyone; including myself.
Welcome to Harborview
Welcome to Harborview.
Sounds like a nice neighborhood, doesn't it?
Don't get too many pictures in your head. There are no big fancy houses here. My husband and I recently bought our first home. I think with most people, we didn't know the name of our neighborhood until we saw it listed on our documents for purchasing the house. I like the name; Harborview.
Harborview is a working class neighborhood. Most of the houses are owner occupied, but there are several rentals. Most of the houses are single family residents with a couple duplexes thrown in. Most of the houses were built in the early 50s. Mine was built in 1953. Harborview is nestled between Lake Michigan and a Union Pacific Railway line. We also hear sirens frequently, because there is an assisted living center one block over.
My son, who will be two in less than a month, loves hearing the trains rumble by multiple times a day. He also loves when we walk down to the lake to play in the sand.
In May we went from a two bedroom apartment with a dining room to a four bedroom house with a full basement, two bathrooms and an eat-in kitchen. I still haven't unpacked a majority of our boxes. I feel like I'm floundering while trying to keep up with housework, laundry and parenting a toddler. I'm trying to climb out of a bad slump of depression. There are days when I want to lock myself in the bathroom and hide. There are days I want to ignore all of my responsibilities. There are days when I just want to stay under the covers and not get out of bed.
But none of that is going to make the kind of changes that are required to turn my life into the life I want. I have to be willing to work. I have to be willing to do the things I don't really want to do.
I'm tired of having to scramble to get my house presentable for company.
I'm tired of hiding mess and clutter behind closed doors.
I'm tired of feeling like I'm drowning under laundry and housework.
I want to love welcoming people to my house at any time!
I want to love my house!
I want to do fun things with my toddler!
I want to have enough funds to paint some walls!
I want to have a home and family life that I can be proud to call my own!
So welcome to my journey living Life in Harborview.
Sounds like a nice neighborhood, doesn't it?
Don't get too many pictures in your head. There are no big fancy houses here. My husband and I recently bought our first home. I think with most people, we didn't know the name of our neighborhood until we saw it listed on our documents for purchasing the house. I like the name; Harborview.
Harborview is a working class neighborhood. Most of the houses are owner occupied, but there are several rentals. Most of the houses are single family residents with a couple duplexes thrown in. Most of the houses were built in the early 50s. Mine was built in 1953. Harborview is nestled between Lake Michigan and a Union Pacific Railway line. We also hear sirens frequently, because there is an assisted living center one block over.
My son, who will be two in less than a month, loves hearing the trains rumble by multiple times a day. He also loves when we walk down to the lake to play in the sand.
In May we went from a two bedroom apartment with a dining room to a four bedroom house with a full basement, two bathrooms and an eat-in kitchen. I still haven't unpacked a majority of our boxes. I feel like I'm floundering while trying to keep up with housework, laundry and parenting a toddler. I'm trying to climb out of a bad slump of depression. There are days when I want to lock myself in the bathroom and hide. There are days I want to ignore all of my responsibilities. There are days when I just want to stay under the covers and not get out of bed.
But none of that is going to make the kind of changes that are required to turn my life into the life I want. I have to be willing to work. I have to be willing to do the things I don't really want to do.
I'm tired of having to scramble to get my house presentable for company.
I'm tired of hiding mess and clutter behind closed doors.
I'm tired of feeling like I'm drowning under laundry and housework.
I want to love welcoming people to my house at any time!
I want to love my house!
I want to do fun things with my toddler!
I want to have enough funds to paint some walls!
I want to have a home and family life that I can be proud to call my own!
So welcome to my journey living Life in Harborview.
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