A year ago, I wrote a blog post about the importance of remembering and encouraging. Why, as a society, since the beginning of time we have needed and even depended on those things. It was a very eye opening thought process for me.
Life happens quickly while we work work work, and fill our time packed full with whatever we're doing. Rare indeed is the person who takes the time, energy, thought and resources to spontaneously show another person how much they mean to them. Easy it is to put more effort into the everyday than the more important.
As a homeschool mom of (soon to be) 6, work at home, home keeper, and home steader, I have plenty to keep me occupied. I found that I was putting myself always last on the list of people to take care of. I love to serve other people, and will go far out of my way to do so. I forget to do the same for me.
For the past year or so, I've made an effort to do a little something special for myself on those calendar holidates. Without that date, I wouldn't ever make the effort. I'd "get to it later", or "not worry about it". I find that I really look forward to the day, almost as if I would if I were celebrating it in traditional, commercial style. For many reasons, it is a good thing for me.
I didn't take the time to have my little shopping excursion on my own time, so I didn't get around to my dangley earrings and little treat that I had my heart set on. I'll get to it later, I suppose.
Meanwhile, I will continue my little tradition on the next calendar holidate. :)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Status Update
I'm way slower to get my goals completed than I'd like to admit to! The weeks are flying by. Of course, it isn't helping that I'm only getting one, or sometimes two good energy days per week. The other days are spent in survival and nap mode.
Never the less, I'm plugging away.
Here's my desk before:
And after 5 hours of filing things exactly where they belong:
The only thing left is a small order that is ready to be shipped out.
Next up: the cubbies and shelves above the desk. Since those don't have a big pile called "I have no idea what to do with this, but need to keep it", they should hopefully be much easier to conquer.
It is an incredibly busy time. We are sowing seeds, cleaning up gardens, preparing new gardens, and we have the barn project and the well project going on as well. Yesterday we had groups planting onions, cleaning out the barn, weeding the garden, making cheese, cleaning the craft room, sewing, and preparing for a freeze.
What about my 2012 goals?
1. About half the time
2. January was a complete fail, but I did make the menu for Feb. I haven't been that great at following it, though....
3. A constant struggle, but still working
4. ditto
5. Exercising 1-2 days per week. Not as much as I'd like, but better than nothing.
Slow progress, but progress none-the-less.
Never the less, I'm plugging away.
Here's my desk before:
And after 5 hours of filing things exactly where they belong:
The only thing left is a small order that is ready to be shipped out.
Next up: the cubbies and shelves above the desk. Since those don't have a big pile called "I have no idea what to do with this, but need to keep it", they should hopefully be much easier to conquer.
It is an incredibly busy time. We are sowing seeds, cleaning up gardens, preparing new gardens, and we have the barn project and the well project going on as well. Yesterday we had groups planting onions, cleaning out the barn, weeding the garden, making cheese, cleaning the craft room, sewing, and preparing for a freeze.
What about my 2012 goals?
1. About half the time
2. January was a complete fail, but I did make the menu for Feb. I haven't been that great at following it, though....
3. A constant struggle, but still working
4. ditto
5. Exercising 1-2 days per week. Not as much as I'd like, but better than nothing.
Slow progress, but progress none-the-less.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The landscaping around here is looking different!
First, the huge hole in my front yard is gone.
Next, a barn is being built.
Also, the great clutter and clean-out is under way!
I met my goal of 5 more (small) bags of clutter and trash out the door- hooray! Husband and the children spent a hard 2 hours outside cleaning a huge amount of trash up from the area around the house. Our huge trash can is full, which never happens, so I'd say that was a job well done.
Husband brought some more storage shelves into the garage, so it looks like I'm ready for Round 2 in there.
Next, a barn is being built.
Also, the great clutter and clean-out is under way!
I met my goal of 5 more (small) bags of clutter and trash out the door- hooray! Husband and the children spent a hard 2 hours outside cleaning a huge amount of trash up from the area around the house. Our huge trash can is full, which never happens, so I'd say that was a job well done.
Husband brought some more storage shelves into the garage, so it looks like I'm ready for Round 2 in there.
Monday, January 16, 2012
January Goals- cut the clutter
My biggest goal for January is to cut out a good amount of clutter in the house. Also, I still working on catching up a bit from my 3 months of first trimester ick.
I had gone through the trouble of embarrassing myself and taking a picture of the mess, but it seems to have disappeared.
In short, every counter top was completely covered and piled high with stuff that needed to find a new home, or be put away.
Here's the after: (obviously I didn't stage it!)
Everything still on the laundry counter found it's way to it's proper drawer, so it is all clear now.
To be fair, my wonderful husband actually cleared and scrubbed the two white counter tops. I dealt with the clutter and cleaned the laundry area. There's quite a bit still to do in here. When the barn is built, a lot more of the "stuff" will have a new home, and at that time, I will clean out the cabinets and drawers a bit more ruthlessly. Meanwhile, I had 4 small trash bags full, and 2 Goodwill bags that all went out the door- Woot!
I would also like to do some decorating in this room.
In addition to the laundry room, one large trash bag was filled from the cabinets in the mudroom, and from under the kitchen sink. (What on earth do I keep that stuff for, anyway??)
Two huge arm-loads of clothing was taken to the consignment shop, and another large, but half-full trash bag full of clothes was taken to Goodwill. I already feel lighter!
In light of the de-cluttering, husband asked me to stay out of his office!
My office is also being attacked, slowly, though....the baby can undo as fast as I can clean!
The unfinished project list:
Huge burn piles by the road are slowly being cleaned up.
history planned and purchased
worked on cleaning/organizing craft room
Goal for the week: 5 more small trash bags out the door
Get caught up on make-ahead kitchen items
make mint and oatmeal soap
I had gone through the trouble of embarrassing myself and taking a picture of the mess, but it seems to have disappeared.
In short, every counter top was completely covered and piled high with stuff that needed to find a new home, or be put away.
Here's the after: (obviously I didn't stage it!)
Everything still on the laundry counter found it's way to it's proper drawer, so it is all clear now.
To be fair, my wonderful husband actually cleared and scrubbed the two white counter tops. I dealt with the clutter and cleaned the laundry area. There's quite a bit still to do in here. When the barn is built, a lot more of the "stuff" will have a new home, and at that time, I will clean out the cabinets and drawers a bit more ruthlessly. Meanwhile, I had 4 small trash bags full, and 2 Goodwill bags that all went out the door- Woot!
I would also like to do some decorating in this room.
In addition to the laundry room, one large trash bag was filled from the cabinets in the mudroom, and from under the kitchen sink. (What on earth do I keep that stuff for, anyway??)
Two huge arm-loads of clothing was taken to the consignment shop, and another large, but half-full trash bag full of clothes was taken to Goodwill. I already feel lighter!
In light of the de-cluttering, husband asked me to stay out of his office!
My office is also being attacked, slowly, though....the baby can undo as fast as I can clean!
The unfinished project list:
Huge burn piles by the road are slowly being cleaned up.
history planned and purchased
worked on cleaning/organizing craft room
Goal for the week: 5 more small trash bags out the door
Get caught up on make-ahead kitchen items
make mint and oatmeal soap
Thursday, January 5, 2012
13 Years
Today our oldest daughter turned 13.
Time goes by way too fast.
I always get very sentimental on her birthday. After all, it was 13 years ago that I became a mother. I remember as the doctor walked out the door, he turned to us and said "Now comes the hard part".
These last 13 years have been both very slow and very quick. She's made me who I am every bit as much as I've made her who she is- because of each other, as well as in spite of each other we've grown into the people we are today. I had no idea 13 years ago that this would be the hardest thing, but also the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I do not regret for one moment "giving up my life" and choosing to be a full time mother. 13 years ago I began this journey with this child.
I am proud of the young adult that she is becoming, and I look forward to this next faze of our journey together.
Happy Birthday, Ms. Bug.
Time goes by way too fast.
I always get very sentimental on her birthday. After all, it was 13 years ago that I became a mother. I remember as the doctor walked out the door, he turned to us and said "Now comes the hard part".
These last 13 years have been both very slow and very quick. She's made me who I am every bit as much as I've made her who she is- because of each other, as well as in spite of each other we've grown into the people we are today. I had no idea 13 years ago that this would be the hardest thing, but also the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I do not regret for one moment "giving up my life" and choosing to be a full time mother. 13 years ago I began this journey with this child.
I am proud of the young adult that she is becoming, and I look forward to this next faze of our journey together.
Happy Birthday, Ms. Bug.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
New Year
My family is not much into New Year resolutions, instead we tend to see something that needs doing and decide to do it- regardless of the date on the calendar.
However, a few years ago it occurred to me that I'm not normally brave enough to take a hard look and make goals for myself. Instead, I tend to push things aside and give myself the "I really should", or the "one of these days I'll..." speech. Obviously, that automatically means that nothing gets done. That year, I resolved to put time and energy into 2 friend relationships that were important to me. While both of those relationships ended being very toxic, I am still glad that I put my effort and care into them. I can never say that I didn't try.
So, without further ado, my goals:
1. Make my bed every day Even when I know that it will only get messed up in a few hours.
2. Make a dinner menu every month This goes such a long way in making my home run smoothly.
3. My speech I have a tendency to be critical. I'm a perfectionist, and I'm always working towards "the best". I think this frustrates my family when I don't focus on current accomplishments, but instead continuously look toward furthering "the best". At the very least, I need to learn to just keep my mouth shut
4. Accept the things I cannot change and probably more important to me personally is to let go. There are countless things that I cannot change, but I'm always trying to anyway. I'm always looking for that one crack that will make a difference. I always think that if things can be talked about, they can be worked out. To let go goes against my "never give up" personality, and will be very difficult for me. However, I've spent years of my life trying to fix and change and mend things that I have no control over. It's time to move on.
5. focus on my mind, body, and spirit In other words, the things I do have control over and that I can change.
Mind: same as #4, focus on recognizing what I cannot change and letting go
Body: Making time and effort to exercise, making time and effort to take a shower, get nicely dressed, hair and makeup. In other words, don't fall into "frumpy stay-at-home mom" looks!
Spirit:My spiritual journey is mine to invest in. My children's is mine to guide. I will invest the time and energy. Even when it is hard.
A New Year, a fresh start.
However, a few years ago it occurred to me that I'm not normally brave enough to take a hard look and make goals for myself. Instead, I tend to push things aside and give myself the "I really should", or the "one of these days I'll..." speech. Obviously, that automatically means that nothing gets done. That year, I resolved to put time and energy into 2 friend relationships that were important to me. While both of those relationships ended being very toxic, I am still glad that I put my effort and care into them. I can never say that I didn't try.
So, without further ado, my goals:
1. Make my bed every day Even when I know that it will only get messed up in a few hours.
2. Make a dinner menu every month This goes such a long way in making my home run smoothly.
3. My speech I have a tendency to be critical. I'm a perfectionist, and I'm always working towards "the best". I think this frustrates my family when I don't focus on current accomplishments, but instead continuously look toward furthering "the best". At the very least, I need to learn to just keep my mouth shut
4. Accept the things I cannot change and probably more important to me personally is to let go. There are countless things that I cannot change, but I'm always trying to anyway. I'm always looking for that one crack that will make a difference. I always think that if things can be talked about, they can be worked out. To let go goes against my "never give up" personality, and will be very difficult for me. However, I've spent years of my life trying to fix and change and mend things that I have no control over. It's time to move on.
5. focus on my mind, body, and spirit In other words, the things I do have control over and that I can change.
Mind: same as #4, focus on recognizing what I cannot change and letting go
Body: Making time and effort to exercise, making time and effort to take a shower, get nicely dressed, hair and makeup. In other words, don't fall into "frumpy stay-at-home mom" looks!
Spirit:My spiritual journey is mine to invest in. My children's is mine to guide. I will invest the time and energy. Even when it is hard.
A New Year, a fresh start.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Venison is back on the menu- yummy!
With deer season ending on Jan 1st, we thought we were going to be going without this year. Since the deer had eaten our entire crop of Purple Hull Peas, we were determined to get back out what we had put in.
Today was the day. One of the biggest does to date with one shot! That's my man :)
No pictures, since I'm inside because my pregoo tummy isn't handling the dressing. I did clean out the little freezer so we can cure the meat in there, though :)
Sausage is one of the very few things that we still rely on the grocery store for, and we do eat a fair amount of it. Our goal is to master sausage this year (or at least be well on our way), so that's what we plan to do with the venison and pork that we will harvest in the spring.
Today was the day. One of the biggest does to date with one shot! That's my man :)
No pictures, since I'm inside because my pregoo tummy isn't handling the dressing. I did clean out the little freezer so we can cure the meat in there, though :)
Sausage is one of the very few things that we still rely on the grocery store for, and we do eat a fair amount of it. Our goal is to master sausage this year (or at least be well on our way), so that's what we plan to do with the venison and pork that we will harvest in the spring.
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