same soup, warmed over

Friday was a relatively good day. I packed another full van load of items to donate/recycle/dump from the garage. I also rearranged things to make it more kid friendly.
This summer I think NBA and I are going to try and hang drywall in the garage and rearrange hooks and shelves. I also want to get the floor redone (do it ourselves) with that special garage paint. M has been sleeping better since we started cleaning it, so I want to get it finished. The door is open a lot during the summer and my vanity is kicking in a little bit. I am tired of having 'that' garage.

I also cleared off the shelf between the kitchen and dining room. My goal for the next 30 days is to keep that clear, save a candle and/or flowers. It makes a huge difference in how the house looks.

Thirdly, I cleaned up the excess stuff in the dining room. I still have to figure out what to do with the top of the cabinet.

Fourthly, we decided to really make the basement more of a playroom. The problem with the living room is too many toys. Moving many of them downstairs will make a HUGE difference.

bullets of progress

• The scale has moved down three weeks in a row. Today's number was lower than I have seen in a while. Just 4 more pounds and I will be on to losing new pounds, not the same 5-10 I have been losing again and again the past 2 years.
• I took a trunkful of stuff to the Salvation Army, ReUse Center, and Recycle Center yesterday and today. NBA and I both used the nice weather to get the garage cleaned out. We still have a ways to go, but at least we can park one car in there. Just in time for the spring showers. ;)
• I went to bed last night instead of staying up and having a snack. Yes, it means I didn't get all my work done, but I did make progress on my body goal.
• I finished one preschool task on time!
• I finished one school related task today. I just have to get it in the mail!

Wanted: Positive, Healing Energy

I have been feeling incredibly drained, on edge, exhausted, and unhappy most of the time lately. Some of it is my medication--I think it needs to be adjusted/changed. But, most of it is this house. It is filled with clutter and bad energy. I do not feel relaxed being here; I don't feel at home in 90% of the dwelling. That is not good for me, my family, or the house. The house doesn't deserve to be treated the way we (I) are treating it.

I am rededicating myself to making my house a home. I need to rid it of the negative energy, and fill it with positive energy, love, light, happiness, and comfort.

As a start and as a continuation of the seven things project, I mailed 5 boxes today: 4 were full of teaching material that I am no longer using and the remaining one contained my friend's wedding ring pillow (just in time for her 6 month anniversary). I also began the process of clearning out the garage, starting with the 20 cans of old, unusable paints we have in there. I have disposed of 6, and hope to get to at least 10 before bed.

I have to remind myself that everything makes a difference, even if I can't see it right away. The 4 boxes mailed to NOLA were stored in 2 boxes and a storage crate in the basement. I have gained space down there whether I notice it or not. A tree still makes noise when it falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it. So does clearing out make more room even if no one can tell.

I have to work on being in the moment with my tasks. I felt it with the boxes, but now that I am working on the paints, I have this voice telling me to stop and move on to more pressing matters--school, preschool.

7 things times 7

Tonight's haul is brought to you by the bookstores of univ of penn and univ of michigan. old textbooks and binders full of recyclable old papers.

last year

well, i spent the last day of 2006 engaged in my favorite , and soon to be retired, behavior. I did NOTHING that I was supposed to do except exercise*. It was a fitting way to end the old year, but I am paying for it now. I just spent 1 hour doing what I should have done yesterday, so now I have to work for an additional hour today to catch up on today's list.

A box of L's clothes were picked up. Yeah!

*I walked for 45 minutes on the track at the Y while L played basketball.

7 things

What a great day for decluttering! The clothes I posted on Freecycle were picked up. I delivered a filing cabinet to the reuse center. I packed another bag of clothes that will be picked up tomorrow.

Christmas

Christmas this year was both wonderful and frustrating.

Let's start with the good:

• brunch at our house with part of our family
• long visit with said family
• the kids were excited about the three presents they recieved from Santa (yes, only three, which was actually one too many)
• my mom kept her promise to scale down
• the gifts they got were meaningful and appropriate
• great visit with other part of our family
• cards from many people
• acknowledging and truly accepting that my kids do not need/want toys. they want experiences and time to be with us and each other. I know it sounds cliche, but it's true.

Now the bad:

• too much stuff
• people who don't take my wishes seriously because they are so caught up in making themselves happy. Somehow, my beliefs mean nothing because they are not the same as theirs. People who acknowledge that they are acting against my wishes, and expect me to not be upset or frustrated.
• too many conversations about stuff

Actually, I was able to make lemonade out of this whole thing. I went through the kids' closets and cleared out most of their current wardrobe to make room for the new stuff that they did not need. But, I am freecycling/giving all the duplicates away, so someone will benefit.

7 things

I haven't forgotten about my 7 things goal; it's just been on the back burner with school, the holidays, and our wonderful trip to St. Thomas.

Today I did something about that, however. I freecycled a huge bag of Taurus's clothes. I took a bag to the SA, where I waited in a long line. I also recycled a bunch of clothes. I sent an email to a friend about Leo's clothes. If she doesn't want them, they will be freecycled.

Included in the SA bag were Christmas decorations I didn't use this year.

One of my new 7 things goals is to freecycle more than donate to SA. It will take more work on my part, but it will bring me closer in line with my goals of getting items to people who can use them, without making them spend money!

7 things

5 of today's 7 things were toys that my kids never played with. A b-day gift and 2 stuffed animal/book sets. The other two were stacks of holiday gift bags I've been keeping for years. I had a box full of bags and boxes taking up space in my basement. What a waste! I know some people are able to hold on to items for reusing, but I am just not one of them. Maybe once I get my organizational issues under control I will be able to work towards that, but not now.

7 things

Tonight's 7 things are brought to you by the letter J. JUNK, my friends, junk.
There were actually more than 7 things, but the number doesn't count, just the concept.
I got rid of a bunch of McD's toys, some cookie cutters, and one noisy Dora toy.
I also recycled some art projects and sorted the remaining cookie cutters by theme.

Not to sound too discouraging, but I am not seeing a difference yet. I know it hasn't been that long, and I haven't really done much big stuff, but still. I would have liked to see a more noticeable change.

I think the real difference will be seen when I move on to the organizing. I could be doing them simultaneously, but I want to focus on one goal at a time.

Anyway, every little bit helps...

7 things and winter holidays

GONE!!! All of the seven things items are outta here.
I shouldn't think this way, I know, but it doesn't seem to have made one bit of difference so far. I know it's not really true, but that 's how I'm feeling.

OTOH, I thought of a cute, creative gift for our families that ties into my environmental consciousness. We are going to decorate, with sponges and handprints, a set of 4 cloth napkins for our families. I bought the sets of napkins new because it's getting down to the wire, and I also bought the paint and sponges, but that was not a huge expense. Leo is very excited about getting started! We will start tomorrow after school. Wish me luck!!!

7 things

1. bookshelf from friends--we got it from them for the basement, but it stayed in our garage for 5 months. We finally moved it to the basement and put it in its final location.

2. roof of playhouse--we have had this for over a year. the playhouse itself was thrown away 9 months ago, but this never made it to the dump. It is now waiting in the van for me to take it to its final resting place.

3. electronic globe--a gift from 2 years ago, that was made for kids but not designed for kids.

4. a sand/water table--i stubbed my toe on this contraption more times than the kids played with it at our new house. It is ready to be loved by someone new.

5. faded/worn/ripped clothes--ready to be recycled.

6. monthly magazine from november--the month is over.

7. crocs--One of Leo's birthday presents that has been in the car since August. He can finally wear them, just in time for winter. ;) No, but really, he will be able to take them on our winter Caribbean vaction.

7 things

The 7 things project is continuing. I have removed more clothes from my daughter's closet. 12 dresses is too many for one little girl. I also packed up 8 shirts and sweaters given to me by my mom that just don't fit right.

My current problem, one that I hope to solve next week, is actually getting the stuff OUT of the house. I have it bagged, boxed, and in the garage, but it will do me no good if I don't get it out soon.

I am sure this is a common problem, but I feel guilty giving away things people bought for my kids. Even though I have asked many, many times not to buy them more stuff. 3 of the items I donated of my daughter's still had tags on them. I know I just need to get over it, but I don't want them to think we are ungrateful. Actually, that's not it either. I don't want the stuff, and I wish they would listen to me, but at the same time I don't want to hurt their feelings. I wish there was a way for them to realize that they are wasting their money, but they just can't/won't.

Tonight I will be going into the basement to find my seven things. On the surface, it seems like it should be an easy task. But, I don't think it will be. Things are strewn about, and not well-organized, which makes it difficult to figure out what to discard.

I feel badly that I am not freecycling more things. I would like to give them away, but that takes more time and energy than I have right now. We can't do it all; we have to make choices, and this is my choice. I need to keep repeating that to myself.

7 things--day 4

Today's offerings were a mix of trash and someone else's treasure. 2 books, a storage box, and two stacks of magazines/catalogs.