Sunday, May 25
Saturday, May 24
Friday, May 23
project friday
Big project:
Convert master bedroom into bedroom/studio space.
* find new home for king-sized bed (if you live in Vancouver, we're asking $200 on CL)
* hit a couple garage sales looking for: a big hamper, a work-table and more glass dishes (great score last week - photos will come)
* find places to put all the stuff that lives under our current bed
* fix and assemble futon that will be our "new" bed (minor damage saved us $200 on the exact same bed we wanted from Ikea - score!!)
Little Projects:
Two small embroidery projects (to be done while watching TV).
Swap assembly (after the kids go to bed tonight so all my swaps can go out).
Create an outline daily routine and plan week's activities.
Sort out weekend and align our various commitments.
Weed garden, plant sprouts that haven't died from neglect.
Convert master bedroom into bedroom/studio space.
* find new home for king-sized bed (if you live in Vancouver, we're asking $200 on CL)
* hit a couple garage sales looking for: a big hamper, a work-table and more glass dishes (great score last week - photos will come)
* find places to put all the stuff that lives under our current bed
* fix and assemble futon that will be our "new" bed (minor damage saved us $200 on the exact same bed we wanted from Ikea - score!!)
Little Projects:
Two small embroidery projects (to be done while watching TV).
Swap assembly (after the kids go to bed tonight so all my swaps can go out).
Create an outline daily routine and plan week's activities.
Sort out weekend and align our various commitments.
Weed garden, plant sprouts that haven't died from neglect.
dirty boy
My son has not taken a bath in almost a week.
Now, some of you may be cringing - wondering what kinds of filthy my child is brewing, and some of you may be nodding - secure in the knowledge that kids are alright if they miss a bath or three, but all of you must realise that a week is pushing it. It isn't for lack of trying, the past few nights we have almost, but not quite, made it into a bath. Is it because the boy hates baths? Nope - he loves them and would quite happily have two a day. It is because we have lost the plug!
I have no idea where this thing has ended up - it has lived happily in the bathroom for three years, a cute novelty stopper with a big blue whale attached by a long chain. The only times it has left the washroom in the past was to move to a new tub. So where did it go?
My son pretty convincingly pleads ignorance, my husband and I have done a pretty good job of searching high and low... and???? Nothing. Bubkis. And no bath stopper means no baths.
If it doesn't turn up today, I fear* a trip to the discount store may be required.
*every trip to Welks ends with me having a mini heart-attack at the register, having loaded my basket with ten items I didn't plan on buying. I hear some people use lists - what a novel idea!
Now, some of you may be cringing - wondering what kinds of filthy my child is brewing, and some of you may be nodding - secure in the knowledge that kids are alright if they miss a bath or three, but all of you must realise that a week is pushing it. It isn't for lack of trying, the past few nights we have almost, but not quite, made it into a bath. Is it because the boy hates baths? Nope - he loves them and would quite happily have two a day. It is because we have lost the plug!
I have no idea where this thing has ended up - it has lived happily in the bathroom for three years, a cute novelty stopper with a big blue whale attached by a long chain. The only times it has left the washroom in the past was to move to a new tub. So where did it go?
My son pretty convincingly pleads ignorance, my husband and I have done a pretty good job of searching high and low... and???? Nothing. Bubkis. And no bath stopper means no baths.
If it doesn't turn up today, I fear* a trip to the discount store may be required.
*every trip to Welks ends with me having a mini heart-attack at the register, having loaded my basket with ten items I didn't plan on buying. I hear some people use lists - what a novel idea!
Thursday, May 22
thankful thursday
- a very lovely 29th birthday and 4th wedding anniversary
- working out with a good friend
- that my issues are pretty manageable
- Rigby's first tooth
- nice days and a fenced yard
- coffee, always coffee
- new clothes that fit and look great
- working out with a good friend
- that my issues are pretty manageable
- Rigby's first tooth
- nice days and a fenced yard
- coffee, always coffee
- new clothes that fit and look great
Wednesday, May 21
hump day
Recently, I told somebody close to me to "grow up." They'd been behaving in a way that I thought was pretty assy and after brewing a bit of resentment, I confronted them lovingly. Things since then have improved, with this person making a concentrated effort to be more responsible and accountable. I appreciate the effort even more than I show, so how come I don't feel any better??
Could it be possible I've been projecting a weensy bit? My sense is that yes, I have been. Turns out my disappointment is actually with myself. Big sigh. This sucks.
There is so much I am slacking on (huge) and instead of doing something about it, I am trying in tiny ways to run away. My version of running away involves whining, retreating and acting very selfishly. In other words, I run back to being a child. That technique was all fine and good when I was younger and could bask in the misery that is a week in bed feeling sorry for myself, but now it just doesn't jive with my role as mother bear. It has been frustrating, but in the end I suspect it is a good thing.
Time for pulling up the old bootstraps (once I find them) and get some of the things causing me the greatest amount of anxiety and guilt taken care of. I started by dumping my ever-growing to-do box (yes, it had grown to such proportions that it took up 1/2 a banker's box) and making some piles and lists. I filed some things, chucked some things (like fliers for rallies that I missed back in March and April) and even made a call to find out that the reason we don't get any of those sweet government benefits for Rigby is because to them, she doesn't exist. Oops. The instructions for getting her information to them are complex, but not overly so. With luck, next month we'll get a fat cheque (which we will very responsibly use to finally pay off a credit card).
That last bit is what really gets me, in the past few months, we have received and then spent, enough money to pay off most of our credit card debt. How's that for irresponsible?
(see? food!)
Could it be possible I've been projecting a weensy bit? My sense is that yes, I have been. Turns out my disappointment is actually with myself. Big sigh. This sucks.
There is so much I am slacking on (huge) and instead of doing something about it, I am trying in tiny ways to run away. My version of running away involves whining, retreating and acting very selfishly. In other words, I run back to being a child. That technique was all fine and good when I was younger and could bask in the misery that is a week in bed feeling sorry for myself, but now it just doesn't jive with my role as mother bear. It has been frustrating, but in the end I suspect it is a good thing.
Time for pulling up the old bootstraps (once I find them) and get some of the things causing me the greatest amount of anxiety and guilt taken care of. I started by dumping my ever-growing to-do box (yes, it had grown to such proportions that it took up 1/2 a banker's box) and making some piles and lists. I filed some things, chucked some things (like fliers for rallies that I missed back in March and April) and even made a call to find out that the reason we don't get any of those sweet government benefits for Rigby is because to them, she doesn't exist. Oops. The instructions for getting her information to them are complex, but not overly so. With luck, next month we'll get a fat cheque (which we will very responsibly use to finally pay off a credit card).
That last bit is what really gets me, in the past few months, we have received and then spent, enough money to pay off most of our credit card debt. How's that for irresponsible?(see? food!)
something to talk about
A bunch of the blogs I frequent have daily topics - like "Menu Plan Monday" @ orgjunkie.com. I think that this is brilliant, anything to give me something interesting to talk about.
So in that vein, I present:
Meal Plan Monday - self-explanitory
Green Tuesday - frugal greening
Hump Day - a mixed bag including, money, fitness, organizing, parenting and my little rants
Thankful Thursday - things I am grateful for
Project Friday - a weekly outline of planned household projects
OWC Saturday - update on our One Week Challenge project
Show and Tell Sunday - pictures!!!
That would make today Hump Day and my hd post is in the works (that is, I know I wrote something down somewhere, but can't remember what or where).
So in that vein, I present:
Meal Plan Monday - self-explanitory
Green Tuesday - frugal greening
Hump Day - a mixed bag including, money, fitness, organizing, parenting and my little rants
Thankful Thursday - things I am grateful for
Project Friday - a weekly outline of planned household projects
OWC Saturday - update on our One Week Challenge project
Show and Tell Sunday - pictures!!!
That would make today Hump Day and my hd post is in the works (that is, I know I wrote something down somewhere, but can't remember what or where).
pictures of the family
Celebrating the Annibirtary* long-weekend:
I feel pretty lucky to be married to this guy. He's funny, sweet, loving, competent and incredibly good-looking.
Happy Anniversary, Baby!!
*
** yes, we did use paper plates. From IKEA, even. They were left-over from Sebastian's party and didn't leave me with much guilt, the rest of the party was pretty "green" and I did not buy any *new* disposable goods.
Rigby, excited over a paper plate**. You will note she now sits w/out help, she also has a teeny tooth AND is more adorable than a basket of puppies in her wee smocked dress (a gift from afar).
Sebastian, whose bright smile masks a most mischievous mind. He had a ball stealing the spotlight from the guests of honour. He was really sweet and polite on this long and warm afternoon.
Me, my awesome new hair and glasses (and top). My tits are *huge*, when did that happen? Once I'm finished breastfeeding, there will be a kick-ass tattoo on my left arm.
I feel pretty lucky to be married to this guy. He's funny, sweet, loving, competent and incredibly good-looking.
Happy Anniversary, Baby!!
*
** yes, we did use paper plates. From IKEA, even. They were left-over from Sebastian's party and didn't leave me with much guilt, the rest of the party was pretty "green" and I did not buy any *new* disposable goods.
Thursday, May 15
busy buzzy bee
So, I've got a few days and nights here where I can take the time I want and need to get some things done. Last night I stayed up late working on my new budget spreadsheet and tonight's project - a return to meal planning!
Today was a bit busy - an early morning haircut, a trip to the glasses store to pick up Andrew's hot new frames and get Boo's often-abused specs adjusted. We grabbed lunch there (don't worry - we went to lunchbox - local, organic, yummy, budget stretching, but not breaking) and when we got home I bailed on plans to go outside and went to bed instead. It was nice.
I woke up to a snuggly Boo (who had snuck out of his own bed) and decided I did want to go out - called up a friend and went to see Baby Mama. It was about as meh as I expected it to be, but it was good for a couple laughs and required me to do nothing but sit and watch. It was nice, too.
Tomorrow we'll finally do some laundry and that makes me happy. I'm planning a small grocery trip that should stock us up for the next two weeks and a visit to my favourite discount store (it is like an old five and dime - I heart it!!). Andrew is out tomorrow night, so I am going to snuggle in for some Buffy!!! I can't believe I am only in Season 4/7.
Today was a bit busy - an early morning haircut, a trip to the glasses store to pick up Andrew's hot new frames and get Boo's often-abused specs adjusted. We grabbed lunch there (don't worry - we went to lunchbox - local, organic, yummy, budget stretching, but not breaking) and when we got home I bailed on plans to go outside and went to bed instead. It was nice.
I woke up to a snuggly Boo (who had snuck out of his own bed) and decided I did want to go out - called up a friend and went to see Baby Mama. It was about as meh as I expected it to be, but it was good for a couple laughs and required me to do nothing but sit and watch. It was nice, too.
Tomorrow we'll finally do some laundry and that makes me happy. I'm planning a small grocery trip that should stock us up for the next two weeks and a visit to my favourite discount store (it is like an old five and dime - I heart it!!). Andrew is out tomorrow night, so I am going to snuggle in for some Buffy!!! I can't believe I am only in Season 4/7.
Wednesday, May 14
new normal
So, with things going as nicely as they are, I have decided that it is time to get our lives back together (again). To that end, I have decided to come up with a new budget system, a debt-reduction plan and a savings plan. I have also decided to step back to a time when our meals and activities were pretty thoroughly planned.
I both crave and resist organisation and routine, but can see now that without some kind of solid structure, managing our four lives will be nothing but an exercise in disappointment and frustration. I also know that I could be much more productive than I am now, not only because I see other parents of young kids doing more than I dare dream, but also because I am bored, listless and spend a heck of a lot of time sitting on my butt.
To that end, I have been researching different free tools. Specifically I am looking for a task system (chore chart), a meal planning system, a debt reduction system, and a budgeting system. So far I have found this debt elimination tool (link to .pdf mid-page) at Organize Your Life and am building a budget spreadsheet similar to hers (but that appeals to my aesthetic and numbers nerdiness). And this DIY "command centre" from momready looks like something I could whip up this weekend to hang from the front door (which has become our fridge/bulletin board because it is conveniently located and unlike our fridge is magnetic).
The other side of all of this is de-cluttering. I don't think we've lived anywhere for as long as we've lived here, which means we're 1) actually completely unpacked; 2) a little restless and 3) very, very comfortable. A little too comfortable, perhaps. I proposed last week that we have a garage sale and Andrew looked at me like I had bat-shit on my head - but my point is, we have a lot of stuff that hasn't done much more than collect dust this past year. Maybe we sell it, maybe we donate it (note to self - YWCA thrift store WOMAN - f*ck VV Boutique and their questionable charity work), but whatever we do I want it gone. I've attempted (with some success) to streamline our storage, but the fact that things get piled up because there just isn't a place for them to go is adding a level of frustration that I am beginning to think is totally unnecessary. A bit more poking brought me to this article on getting organised by that chap from Clean Sweep (oh, I do miss TLC) - I think I may try out this "two bag" technique for a week and see how it goes. I'd like to think that I will not fill more than one bag *total* with trash, so perhaps instead I will do two bags of get-rid-of stuff and leave it at that - next week I will put it on craigslist, have a garage sale or donate it all.
From momready.com:
I both crave and resist organisation and routine, but can see now that without some kind of solid structure, managing our four lives will be nothing but an exercise in disappointment and frustration. I also know that I could be much more productive than I am now, not only because I see other parents of young kids doing more than I dare dream, but also because I am bored, listless and spend a heck of a lot of time sitting on my butt.
To that end, I have been researching different free tools. Specifically I am looking for a task system (chore chart), a meal planning system, a debt reduction system, and a budgeting system. So far I have found this debt elimination tool (link to .pdf mid-page) at Organize Your Life and am building a budget spreadsheet similar to hers (but that appeals to my aesthetic and numbers nerdiness). And this DIY "command centre" from momready looks like something I could whip up this weekend to hang from the front door (which has become our fridge/bulletin board because it is conveniently located and unlike our fridge is magnetic).
The other side of all of this is de-cluttering. I don't think we've lived anywhere for as long as we've lived here, which means we're 1) actually completely unpacked; 2) a little restless and 3) very, very comfortable. A little too comfortable, perhaps. I proposed last week that we have a garage sale and Andrew looked at me like I had bat-shit on my head - but my point is, we have a lot of stuff that hasn't done much more than collect dust this past year. Maybe we sell it, maybe we donate it (note to self - YWCA thrift store WOMAN - f*ck VV Boutique and their questionable charity work), but whatever we do I want it gone. I've attempted (with some success) to streamline our storage, but the fact that things get piled up because there just isn't a place for them to go is adding a level of frustration that I am beginning to think is totally unnecessary. A bit more poking brought me to this article on getting organised by that chap from Clean Sweep (oh, I do miss TLC) - I think I may try out this "two bag" technique for a week and see how it goes. I'd like to think that I will not fill more than one bag *total* with trash, so perhaps instead I will do two bags of get-rid-of stuff and leave it at that - next week I will put it on craigslist, have a garage sale or donate it all.
From momready.com:
• Start slow. It's taken months for your house to become cluttered so it's not realistic to try and organize everything in one day or even a weekend. Instead, start small - one room or section of a room at a time. Make a commitment every day to de-clutter another part of your home until it's done. A simple trick to get you started is to use the Two Garbage a Day technique. Every day walk around your home and in 10 minutes fill one bag with trash and one bag with items that you want out of your house - send them to Goodwill or set aside for a yard sale. Everyday for a month and the change will be huge!
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