New Year, Old Me

I decided that this year would be a year of coming back to myself.  2022 was consumed with taking care of my new baby, adjusting to life with 3 kids and being back to in-person schooling.  It was definitely a learning curve, but there was a lot of joy and sweetness in my life.  As our routines become slightly more predictable and as I learn the ropes of how to get 3 kids out of the door on time, I am ready to step out of survival mode and back into life.  While survival mode is something that I suspect will happen throughout 2023, I am hopeful it won't be my main mode.

My word of the year for 2023 is restore.  I want to re-establish good habits that have served me in my life.  I want to start taking better care of myself again.  I want to take time to do things that bring me joy and make me feel like myself.  I want to create capsule wardrobes again and write in this blog.

I have a few goals for the year.  The goals are as follows:

• Catch up on making our family photo books.  I am 5 years behind.  Enough said.

• Make time for intentional movement/strength training 3-5 days a week.  This is so important for my mental health, but I wasn't able to do this well in 2022.

• Share the mental load.  I carry almost all of the mental load associated with our 3 kids and (mostly due to some pretty rough sleep deprivation) I am becoming burnt out.  My husband is a perfectly capable father and can handle taking over some of this mental load.  He and I are discussing how to make this work.

• Have better sleep hygiene.  Every time I complain about one of my children's penchant for procrastinating bedtime, I know that I should just look in the mirror.  I like being up alone at night.  I like having time to myself where no one needs me.  I crave alone time.  I am also exhausted.  So. Very. Exhausted.  The kindest thing I can do for myself is get more sleep when I can.  I have set an alarm on my phone for 10:00 so that I get up and get ready for bed.  My phone will also stop allowing me to scroll at this time.  I plan to be in bed by 10:30.

What are your goals for 2023?  I hope you all have a gentle and peaceful 2023.

Simple Living: Entryway Organization

Getting out the door isn't always an easy task.  I try my best to give myself enough time before I have to be somewhere.  With all of the moving parts that come with being a Mom, one of the simplest solutions for getting out of the door on time is to make your entryway work for you.  I love all the beautiful pictures online of people's mudrooms and giant foyer closets, but that is not my reality.  My home's entryway is quite small.  It has a small closet area (we removed the red accordion doors from the closet) and very little wall space.  I know that others have smaller entryways than mine, so I hope that some of these solutions will be useful to you.  My entryway organization is neat, tidy and functional.  It really isn't beautiful, but I would choose function over beauty any day.

I came up with a few solutions for the entryway before summer.  They have served us well.  I needed to clean up the area and make sure that everything in the entryway was necessary and seasonally appropriate.

Before:

My husband installed three hooks for me.  This gives my daughters a place to hang their jackets.  They can both reach the hooks and be responsible for their own things. (Yay!)  

After:

I cleaned up the 3 hooks by making sure that the items on the hooks were necessary.  My daughters have splash pants that I put elsewhere because we haven't used them very much this year.  I also removed sweaters that had made it onto the hooks.  We keep sweaters in the bedroom.  My oldest daughter's backpack will go on her hook during the school year.  I didn't hang it yet because it is full of a year's worth of school supplies and is too heavy at the moment.

Before:

We needed more shoe storage space, so my husband brought up this shoe shelf from our basement.  He built it years ago when we lived in a different home.  We removed the closet's built in shelves and put our shoe shelf in.

After:

I took out shoes that we aren't utilizing and reorganized the top shelf.  I don't love these bins for the shelf, but it's what I have on hand at the moment.  I have measured the shelf and plan to replace the bins once I find what I am looking for.  The bin on the left holds my tote bag and items that need to go back to my vehicle.  The bin on the right holds containers with dog food.

Before:

This storage solution isn't pretty but it has worked so well for us this summer!  My kids can access all of their things and are able to put their stuff away on their own.  It is a shoe organizer from Walmart that I hung on our basement door.  The basement door is directly opposite of where we come in and having the items in a place that is easy to access has helped all of our family members get out the door on time.

After:

 

I went through the pockets and made sure that all the items were still needed.  I removed our sun hats because they aren't as needed now that the weather is turning colder.  My children's hats hang by the door with their bike helmets on Command Hooks.

Tips:

• Ask yourself if the items in your entryway truly belong there.  Can off-season shoes be stored somewhere else?  Does your summer gear need to be taking up precious space when your kids are back to school in the fall?
• Worry less about whether something looks pretty and worry more about function.  The shoe organizer isn't my favourite thing to look at but it is super functional and allows my kids to be independent.
• Make a habit (and help your kids make a habit) of putting things in their place.  Give essential items a designated spot.  My three-year old knows exactly where to find her hat, coat, and shoes.  My keys are always in the same spot and so are my sunglasses.  Getting out the door is much easier when you know exactly where your things are.

Happy organizing!

Simple Living: Playroom

The playroom in our house was starting to feel overwhelming.  Our toy bins were not doing the trick and cleaning up had become a big chore.  My kids weren't sure where to put things and often would tear the room apart looking for a certain toy.  I decided to purchase a cube organizer and get down to organizing/purging the playroom.  

I recently discover Dawn at The Minimal Mom and she had a great tip when it came to decluttering your closet.  Dawn asked the question, "Which items are your favourite?"  This helps us to make easy decisions as to what belongs in our closets.  I decided to try to apply this question to our playroom with our kids.  All my other efforts to declutter had been met with resistance, but this question worked beautifully. My kids quickly found their favourite toys and I sorted them into the bins.  I made a quarantine box (another tip from Dawn!). I told the kids that if they noticed a favourite toy was missing to let me know and I would get it out of the box.  We agreed that I could get donate the contents of the box after a few months.  The 'favourites' idea worked really well for our dress-up clothes.  The kids kept less than half of their dress-up clothes.

The other tip that Dawn gave was to make bins the "bad guys".  I told my kids that everything they kept (with the exception of a few larger items) had to fit in 9 bins for the organizer.  The bins set the limit and I didn't have to be the bad guy.  This idea will really help when we receive a new toy or gift.  The kids will need to make decisions about what can stay and what has to go.

Before:

During:

After:

The result is that the playroom no longer makes me feel overwhelmed.  The kids can clean up in less than 10 minutes with very little direction from me or their Dad.  They also know where to find their toys so there aren't as many toy explosions as there once were.  We have been so happy with the result.

Happy simplifying!

June Home Goals

It is a new month and we are nearly halfway through 2020.  It has been a challenging year with a lot of things going on globally.  I am trying to focus on a few goals this month that will make my home more organized. I have been struggling lately to feel motivated and I think that having some clear goals might encourage me to be more productive with my time.  My home goals this month are:

• organize the gardening shelves in the garage
• go through and organize the dog's items in the garage
• go through Miss. Em's clothes and remove items that aren't being used
• complete our 2017 family photo book

I plan to achieve my goals by using my 20 minute resolution.  Taking 20 minutes, 3 times a week will certainly help me find the time to work on these projects.

Happy Monday!

Self-Care During Social Distancing

Most of us are trying to stay home as much as possible.  People who have to go to work have the added worry of being exposed to the COVID-19 virus.  Tensions can be higher both at work and at home.

At home, our family has experienced our fair share of whining, crying and arguing in the kid department.  It grates on my nerves and wears down my composure.  I have found that good self-care can help combat fatigue and stress.  Here are some of the ways that I practice self-care during social distancing:

1.)  Go for a walk.  If you have access to outdoor space, going for a walk is a great stress reliever.  Moving your body releases endorphins and being in nature helps us to feel peaceful.

2.)  Find something funny to watch or read.  Humour can be very individual but the benefits of laughter are universal.  Laughter increases oxygen flow to the brain and releases endorphins.  My husband and I have been enjoying comedy sketches on Netflix and I have been doing a silly home wine tour on my personal Facebook page.  Laughing helps me feel happier and relieves stress.

We toured Bar-Bay mansion for this one.  Ha ha!

3.)  Take time to be creative.  Colour with your kids, do some sidewalk chalk art, design something encouraging to put in your window, sing, write or do whatever allows you to be creative.  I am not a terribly crafty person but I have felt great benefits from creating sidewalk chalk pictures and colouring with my children.  It helps to lift my spirits and is a wonderful distraction from our day to day.

4.)  Take care of yourself.  This one is simple but it can be a real challenge during times of stress.  Eat your fruit and veggies, drink adequate amounts of water (this is a constant struggle for me), take your vitamins, shower and try to get adequate sleep.  If you are struggling to achieve these tasks, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to complete them.  It really is difficult to take care of others if you aren't able to take care of yourself.

5.)  Do an at home workout.  If weather or circumstance doesn't allow you to go outdoors for a walk, try to do an at home work out.  Many of these workouts require very little (if any) equipment and the simple act of moving your body releases endorphins.

6.)  Give meditation a try.  I took a meditation class before this all happened and it has been extremely helpful.  I prefer guided meditations, but there are many types of meditation.  Headspace offers free trials and that can be a great space to start.  There are also great free resources on You Tube.

7.)  Treat yourself.  Sometimes you just need to indulge a little.  The other night, after the kids were sleeping, I took time to have a hot bath.  I ate a bowl of ice cream with Oreos and read a cozy mystery.  It was a wonderful escape and I felt relaxed once I was done.

How are you practicing self care during this time?

How to Feel Connected During Social Distancing

This is a strange time to be alive.  We are being asked to stay home and to social distance ourselves from anyone who does not live in our homes.  It is so important for us to follow these protocols.  The sooner we slow the spread of COVID-19, the sooner we can get on with our lives.  The downside of social distancing, however is a feeling of loneliness and a feeling of disconnection.

Over the past week I have worked proactively to remedy any feelings of disconnection I was having.  I know that in order to keep my mental health in a good state, I need to be proactive.  Here are a few things that I have been doing:

1.) Make a list of people to stay in touch with.  Seriously.  This feels a little silly, but without a list you may be forgetting important people that you would like to be interacting with.  I also made a plan as to how often I plan to contact these people.

2.)  Text your friends.  Ask them how they are doing.  Send a funny meme or tell them something about your day.   

3.)  Call your Grandparents.  If your grandparents are not tech-savvy, pick up the phone and call them.  Ask them how they are doing and tell them what you have been up to.

4.)  Move your book club or meeting to Zoom  I run a Harry Potter book club locally and COVID-19 means that we can't get together anymore.  I emailed everyone and they were game to use Zoom for our meetings.  We had our first one on Monday and it went really well!  The app works great and we all got to socialize from a safe distance.

5.)  Have video message coffee dates.  I planned coffee with a good friend this week.  We both made ourselves a cup of coffee and then called each other on video chat (we used WhatsApp).  It was wonderful to see my friend and have coffee with her in real time.

These times are certainly strange and tough.  The good news is that we can do this.  We can social distance while maintaining connections.  How are you staying connected during this time of social distancing?

Shop Local for Christmas

This year I have made the decision to shop locally for the majority of my Christmas shopping.  I live in a small town (about 1200 people), so there will still be some things that I am not able to purchase in town.  Shopping locally benefits your friends and neighbours, is better for the environment (I won't be driving the hour plus to the city to go purchase gifts), and helps you to discover the treasures in your own town.  I encourage you to do the same.  I will be sharing some of my Christmas shopping on Instagram, so I encourage you to come join me there!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Goals Update

I usually review my goals monthly, but I really haven't done that this year.  Boy, does it show!  I had forgotten several of my goals (eep!) and even the ones I remember have fallen by the wayside.  I have recently gone over my goals and I know that I need to put some work in if I want to end the year successfully.

1.)  Establish a morning routine.  This one wasn't going too bad until summer hit.  I will get back at it with my routine, especially with school starting soon.

2.)  Treat the Earth better.  This is going fairly well.  I bath much less often (I do quick daily showers instead) and I have been aware of packaging when making purchases.  I need to work on walking or biking more, as my vehicle is still being driven regularly.  

3..)  Save.  This goal is going well.  It is probably because we review our finances quite often.  We are still plugging away, but our savings is definitely coming along.

4.)  Walk five or more times a week.  This goal has been neglected.  I definitely need to work on it!

My word of the year is embrace.  I feel like I am doing a good job embracing life and those around me.  It takes effort, especially on days when things are difficult.    I am happy that I looked over my year's goals.  I will be putting in more effort in the coming months.

Happy Friday, friends!

Teaching and Modeling Contentment

I have a 4 (almost 5) year old who has begun to notice the differences between our lives and the lives of those around us.  She has started to notice when people have larger houses than us or different/better toys.  Every once in a while she will wistfully say "I wish we had a house/car/toy like that".

I have worked very hard in the last few years to learn how to practice gratitude for where we are in our life.  I have never really been into comparing the things I have with the things that others have and neither has my husband.  Keeping up with others hasn't been our priority.   Our financial and personal goals have outweighed the want to have all the fancy/expensive items.  We simply can't have both and we choose to stick to our goals.

In the past, however, I would shop when I was feeling stressed or down.  I love clothes and home decor and this is where I normally would spend my money.  I did a no-spend year and forced myself to learn better self-care techniques so that I wasn't spending money every time I felt unhappy.

One of the self-care techniques that has been powerful is gratitude.  Taking the time to think of all that I have to be thankful for can really help me to stop the urge to spend money.  I have to remind myself that the clothes I have are perfectly good and don't need to be replaced.  I am content to use what I own.

When my daughter mentions something that she wishes she had, I stop and remind her of all that we do have.  We have many people in our lives who have larger or newer homes than ours.  When my daughter "wishes" for a bigger house I remind her that our house does all the things that we need it to do.  Our house keeps us safe and warm.  It protects us from the elements.  It doesn't have to be fancy or new to do those things.  Most importantly, our house contains our family and that really is the most important thing.  When reminded of all the things our house does for us, my daughter usually responds with "Yeah, I love our house".

Envy is a normal human emotion, but we can teach our children how to grateful for what they have.  I don't feel guilty for not "giving everything" to my children.  My children need their needs met and love.  My husband and I do those things for them.  Everything else is icing on the cake.  Our goal is to raise children who understand that things do not create happiness.  Contentment leads to a much more peaceful life.

Simple Spring- How to Store Your Winter Items

Spring has officially hit and it has been wonderful!  This weekend I finally got brave and swapped out our winter outerwear for our spring outerwear.  It feels so good to welcome the new season.  I have a few simple tips to help you store away your winter items so that they are ready to go for the next winter season.

• Wash Everything  This isn't my favourite thing to do but it really makes life easier when you have to get out your winter clothes.  I throw items into the washing machine so that they are clean when I put them into storage.  I wipe down our boots, skates and helmets that can't go in the washing machine.
• Repair items that need it.  I like to do my repairs before I put everything away.  Sew on buttons, fix zippers, or find someone who can do those things for you.  It will make life easier to have those items ready to go the next time you need them.
• Go through items and decide what to keep.  I have kids so they outgrow their clothes rather quickly.  I set aside any items that we are saving and then create a separate give away/donation pile.  I also go through my own items and decide what to keep or give away.  
• Store items in an organized fashion.  We are fortunate to have a closet downstairs that houses all of our off season items.  If you have to use tubs or boxes make sure you label them so that they are easy to find when you need them again.

3 Simple Homemaking Habits That Change Everything.

I really struggled keeping a routine in Miss. Em's first year of life.  She wasn't sleeping through the night routinely, her naps seemed to change every few weeks and I was just doing my best to roll with everything.  Miss. Em is now 14 months old and her schedule is much more predictable.  I knew it was time to get back into routine.  I chose 3 things that don't take much time, but make my life exponentially easier.

1. We make our beds.  This seems trivial but it improves the whole look of the bedrooms.  It instantly makes the room look neat and organized.  You accomplish your first task at the beginning of the day and it motivates you to continue on completing your work. 

2.  We do dishes after every meal.  I used to only do dishes once a day.  This meant that I stood in front of the sink for no less than 45 minutes and then had to dry all the dishes.  My kids were cranky with me for taking so much time and I felt annoyed that I had to wash dishes for so long.  I now do the dishes after every single meal.  It takes me no more than 15 minutes to clean everything up.  My kids are happy that I am not spending a large chunk of time in the kitchen and it feels quick to me.  The other upside is that our kitchen generally looks clean and organized.

3.  I do one load of laundry every day.  I throw in a load of clothes in the morning, transfer them to the dryer in the afternoon and fold them while I watch a show in the evening.  My laundry stays caught up and it feels effortless.  If we get sick or are away, we don't have a huge backlog of laundry to return to.

If you wanted to choose the item that has the biggest impact, I would say that doing dishes after every single meal is the routine that gives us the biggest payoff.  It leads to other benefits, such as ample counter space for meal prep, clean dishes available for meal prep and it contributes to the overall feeling of cleanliness in our home.

What routines make your life feel easier?  I would love to hear all about them!

Sweatshirts- Winter Capsule Wardrobe

There are few items that I enjoy more than a sweatshirt with writing that amuses me.  They are warm and cozy and keep the chill at bay.  I know that they aren't particularly "fashionable" but they are my favourite thing to wear.  That's what capsule wardrobes are all about.  Wearing what you love! 

Happy Wednesday, friends!

My Messy Little Secret- Clutter Cleanout

This weekend, I tackled my messy little secret.  My desk.  In the busyness of every day life, I let my desk became quite the dumping ground.  I threw papers in, with the intention of dealing with them later.  If we had company, I would shove my messes out of sight in my tiny secretary desk.  Needless to say, something had to change.  In addition to the terribly messy desk, my 'command center' in the kitchen had also become out of control.

I think that we have to be honest with ourselves when something isn't working.  My command center was messy and was causing me stress, rather than relieving it.  I had a few hours to myself so I decided to make a change.

I took everything out of my desk.  I have a drawer in this desk that I use, as well.  I threw away any garbage, recycled a lot of paper and moved a few items back to their place elsewhere in our home.

I didn't take any pictures of my command center, but I removed all of the papers from my command center and went through them.  I then moved everything into my desk. My command center binder is in my drawer, along with my budgeting binder and notebook.

This project really brought me a lot of calm.  It is one of those things that I wish I would have done a long time ago.  I now have a functioning desk and command center.  I think that this project will go a long way in making my every day life better,

Frugal Friday- Planning for Your Financial Goals

Every year my husband and I sit down and make financial goals.  We make financial goals for the year that we are in, we set goals for 5 years down the road and 10 years in the future.  Our goal setting helps us to be on the page when it comes to our finances.  Communication is key when you share your finances with your partner.  Today I am going to tell you how my husband and I go about setting our goals.

1.)  Decide on your priorities.  The first step to setting goals is to determine which goals are your priorities.  Is it to get out of debt?  Increase your savings?  Start an emergency fund?  Our first priority is always to do something responsible with our money so that we can increase our net worth.  Last year we decided to increase our savings and become consumer debt free.  We paid off our vehicle early and built our savings account.  I can't tell you the difference it has made for us to not have a vehicle payment.  Our mortgage is now our only payment.  That is incredibly freeing.  This year we want to increase our emergency savings from 3 months expenses to 6 months expenses.

After we decide on our financial priority we figure out how to reach our goal.  We then incorporate our goal into our budget so that it becomes a 'must do' with every paycheck. 

2.)  Decide on secondary goals.  When I say secondary goals, I mean goals that will take a backseat to your main goal.  My husband and I would like to install central air in our home this year.    We are really hoping to be able to reach our goal this year, but it will only happen if our main goal stays on track.  Once again, we go through our finances so that we can determine what we need to do in order to reach our goal.

3.)  Plan for the future.  We have some big goals for the future.  The beauty of setting goals for the future is that you are free to dream big and can adjust accordingly.  We would like to take a family trip to Maui in 2021, remodel our kitchen in the next ten years, and take our children to Disney World in the next 10 years.  We dream big and then decide what it would take for us to reach those goals.  I got a quote from a local travel agent for the cost of a Maui trip.  We also got ballpark figures for our kitchen renovation.  Numbers make it much easier to decide what is plausible.

Our yearly (and then monthly) chats help my husband and I decide how to use our finances and work towards common goals.

How do you set your financial goals?  What helps you to stay on track?  I would love to hear all about it!

January Clean & Purge- Week 3

I am (mostly) feeling better and am back on my feet.  I tackled our bedrooms and our downstairs closet this week.  Everything looks so much more organized.  I was able to store some items for my youngest daughter to grow into, donate some things that no longer work for our family and return a few pieces of clothing to people who generously handed them down to us. 

I tackled my nightstand and half of the closet first.  I donated a few books and the odd piece of clothing.  I mostly straightened up and cleaned. 

I went through my oldest daughter's closet next.  I boxed up clothes that she has that will fit her in the coming season and boxed up shoes that she still needs to grow into.  This helped to remove the visual clutter of the clothes piled on the shelves.  I boxed up any items that were too small that we plan to keep for my youngest.  I then donated or returned anything else we didn't want to keep.  I took out her art project box and we are now slowly going through the task of gifting her art pieces to family and deciding which few are truly keepers. 

My youngest daughter shares a closet with our portable air conditioning unit (it is the easiest place to store it for the winter).  I took out any items that she has outgrown or no longer uses.  She just turned a year old so there was quite a bit of "baby" stuff that she simply doesn't need/use anymore.  I advertised 2 of my diaper bags that I don't use (I really love my backpack diaper bag with my neck and shoulder issues).  I boxed up the clothes that she will be able to use in Spring/ Summer and stored the rest the clothes that she needs to grow into in the downstairs closet.

I tackled the downstairs closet last.  I put all of my maternity and postpartum wardrobe together in a storage container in the closet.  I also stored all of the clothes that my youngest daughter has to grow into in this closet.  I use diaper boxes because they are economical and a nice size.  We keep our off-season clothes in this closet so I went through those and only kept what we truly use.

I keep the unused portion of my wardrobe in the downstairs closet.  It mostly consists of my work clothes (which I am not using while on maternity leave), tops that currently don't fit or work because I am breastfeeding, bras that don't currently fit because I am breastfeeding and my summer outfits.  I own a range of sizes in my outfits, but until I am sure we are done having children I plan to keep my clothes.  I have worn almost the whole range of my sizes this year and when I finish breastfeeding, many of my tops will fit me again.  I did donate a few articles of clothing that I never choose for my capsule wardrobes and a pair of shoes that doesn't fit me properly.

Checklist:

• Remove all of the items from the bedroom closets and dressers.  Make sure that each item that returns to the closet/dresser truly belongs there.
• Wipe all shelves.
• Wipe all baseboards.
• Wipe window sills.
• Wipe down light switches, door knobs and furniture.
• Move furniture to vacuum the floors.

I am excited to finish tackling the rest of my house!  Happy cleaning, friends!

January Clean and Purge-Week 2

This week I tackled the bathroom and linen closet.  The bathroom has been driving me crazy.  We accumulate many different lotions and potions and I was itching to go through everything.

I purged any creams, makeup, medication, or toiletries that were expired.  I also got rid of anything that we don't like using.  If an item was unopened, I donated it.  If it was opened I discarded the contents and recycled the containers.

I wiped all the shelves and drawers and put items back in a way that made more sense for the needs of our family.  I wiped baseboards and walls, cleaned the light fixtures and washed the shower curtain.  I didn't take before pictures (oops!), but I have after photos.  I am pleased with how things turned out.

Bathroom/Linen Closet Checklist:

• wipe shelves and drawers
• wipe baseboards
• wash walls
• clean light fixtures
• clean ceiling fan
• purge expired items
• purge items that you don't like or use
• put like items together.

Happy Cleaning, friends!

January Clean and Purge- Week 1

I love the quiet and calm of January.  The Christmas decorations are put away, the house is quiet and there isn't nearly as many items on my calendar!  I love to do an annual clean and sort of my home.  I didn't do it last year, as I had a newborn.  I am definitely ready to dive in this year!

My goal with this is to clear clutter and wipe down the room.  I neglect my baseboards throughout the year so I am trying hard to wipe them all down.

LIVING ROOM

I started in my living room when we took our decorations down.  I removed items that didn't belong, and put away the objects that did.  I cleaned the floors, baseboards, mantle, shelves, and other furniture.  Hubby got all the dust bunnies out from under the couch. (A team effort always helps!)  I wiped down the ceiling fan.  

Checklist:

• wash throw blankets
• wipe baseboards
• wipe light fixtures and lamps
• dust all furniture
• clean under all area rugs and furniture
• sort through media equipment and entertainment- donate anything that no longer serves your family

KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM

The next room on my list was the kitchen and dining room.  I went through my pantry and got rid of any outdated food (there wasn't much!).  I wiped all the shelves and put things back neatly.  I washed down my coffee station, wiped baseboards and the light fixture/ceiling fans.  The kitchen cabinets and counter were all scrubbed and the inside of the cupboards were wiped/organized.  I still need to clean the oven and the fridge but I plan to complete that after my daughter's birthday party this weekend.

CHECKLIST

• wipe down all counters and surfaces
• dust the tops of the cupboards
• wash baseboards
• wash cabinet doors
• scour sink
• go through each cupboard- donate items that you no longer use
• go through fridge.  Get rid of outdated food and wipe all surfaces
• go through pantry.  Get rid of outdated food and wipe all surfaces
• clean dishwasher
• clean oven/stove
• deep clean your coffee maker
• empty your toaster's crumb tray

Are you tackling home projects this year?  Do you do a deep clean of your home regularly?

New Year's Eve Reflection

2018 has come and gone in the blink of an eye.  This year has held some of my happiest moments and my most terrifying moments.  At the close of each year, I like to take time to reflect on the year's events and on my goals.

My word of the year for 2018 was "adapt".  It was a great word for a year that held many changes.  I feel like I did my best to roll with the changes.  I knew this year was going to bring challenges and learning curves and I felt confident in learning how to deal with it.

My resolutions went fairly well.  The only resolution that I didn't complete was catching up on photo books.  I usually make headway with my resolutions but I really dropped the ball on that one.

I sent more happy mail, I spent time reorganizing the blog and Hubby and I built our savings.  I am happy with the results of my other goals.

I have come up with my goals for 2019 and I am excited to share them with you.

1.)  Establish a Morning Routine.  In 2019 I am looking forward to implementing more routine in my day.  Our youngest daughter has become much more predictable with her sleep schedule.  I feel like it is possible to add better structure to our mornings now that we are getting some sleep!  I plan to start waking earlier than my kids (something that fell by the wayside in the last year).  I want to complete morning pages, pray, do my physio routine and get ready for the day before my kids get up.  I used to do this before I was pregnant and it really helped start my day on the right foot.  I require my quiet time before the demands of the day begin.

2.)  Treat the Earth better.  The planet needs some help.  We are supposed to be "stewards" of the Earth and, as a society, we haven't been doing a great job of it.  I love to bath daily but it is a huge waste of water.  I plan to limit baths to twice a month and take short daily showers instead.  I want to walk and ride my bike more instead of always hopping in the car.  I plan to work on reducing my food waste and try my best to mindful of what we purchase.  I am hoping that these small changes will somehow help.

3.)  Save.  Hubby and I are working toward a few major purchases that we need to save for.  We want to continue to increase our savings.

4.) Walk five or more times a week.  My poor patient puppy has been a bit ignored this past year.  With all of the changes, my dog didn't get walked nearly enough.  I want to rectify that this year.  I want to walk her at least five times a week, hopefully daily.

My word of the year for 2019 is embrace.  I want to embrace my own boundaries (something that I still struggle with), embrace the needs of my family and embrace those around me for who they are.  I want to be positive in the coming year and really work to find the good in everyone and everything around me.

How did your 2018 goals go?  What do you have planned for 2019?  I would love to hear all about it!

I will be taking the rest of the week off to enjoy some family time and my youngest daughter's first birthday!  I will return next week with my "New Year Purge and Clean" series.  Happy New Year!

Simple Holiday Season- Lend a Helping Hand

It is easy to get caught up in our own lives during the holiday season.  We all have many things expected us at this time of year and these things can take over.  It is important to remember how fortunate we are and that we have a responsibility to give to others.

There are a great number of charitable organizations who would appreciate any help that you can give.  If you are strapped for cash, many organizations would happily have you volunteer your time or talents.  If you are strapped for time, you could always make a commitment for January when things quiet down.  Simple acts, such as helping a friend with child care, shoveling a neighbour's sidewalk or visiting someone who is sick, can be the embodiment of the Christmas Spirit.

Frugal Friday- A Gentle Holiday Reminder

We are down to the last few days before Christmas.  I want to remind you that you don't need to buy ALL the things in order for the people in your life to have a magical holiday season.  Toys and gifts are lovely but not necessary. The people in your life need love and attention and little else.  Don't try to keep up with the Jones', don't spend outside of your means and don't feel guilty if what you have to offer seems "less" than what others have.  We should use our holiday season to connect, show love and things will never be able to do that.  Take a deep breath and know that you are enough.  Enjoy the free magic that the season has to offer.  Beautiful lights, singing Christmas songs, and spending time with the people we love is the best gift of all.