In the day in which we live, it can be easy to be taken over by all the new technologies and inventions this life has to offer. I have even found myself longing for the "New & Improved" of things that were probably fine to begin with.
Lately, I have been trying to simplify my life. The older I get, I find I am very minimalist. I hate knick-knacks and clutter (although I struggle with the clutter part). I don't have a whole lot of decorations in my home (which drives my HGTV junkie mom nuts) and I'm really okay with that. A lot of my lack of stuff results from a lack of funds, but I'm okay with that, too.
If you will remember in one of my recent posts, I wrote about how I'm taking the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. Thinking about that has really opened my eyes to other ways I'd like to simplify. I have even become very fond of the idea of a "Tiny House". Google them. They are quite fascinating. To me, the idea of having everything you own and all the people you love being able to fit in a 500 sq. ft. area (roughly) is awesome. I know a lot of people that live in large cities have been doing this for a long time in the form of apartments, but I live in the country, where things are pretty sprawling. We don't have many neighbors, and I kind of like it that way.
The home we live in is a little more than 1600 sq. ft. It is double the size of our last house. The whole time we lived in 800 sq. ft., I felt suffocated. I felt like we were always on top of each other and I never had any time to myself. Most likely, all the lack of space was due to a problem of having too much stuff, but I digress. Even with double the square footage, I still sometimes struggle with finding a place for everything.
I think a lot of my tiny house love comes from a place within that longs to be so organized and simplified that I could realistically fit my life in such a small place and not feel like I'm doing without.
I have been doing a lot better at whittling down our necessities and getting rid of things that we no longer need. But I still see room for major improvement. I think some of my other want of a tiny house is having a place that is just mine. Some days, I long for solitude, a place to just sit and "be". A place that is not marred by Hot Wheels and Legos and Playstation. A nook that is all mine. And hopefully, but this time next year I will have it. I am in the process of turning one of our master bedroom closets (yes, I have two) into my "me room". If I had it my way, I would take my closet (because it's bigger and has a window) and turn it into a sewing/reading nook just for me. It will take some doing, but I'm determined. We shall see what unfolds. Stick around!
Showing posts with label simple things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple things. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, September 23, 2011
My Confession
My Confession: I'm a lazy mom. I'll admit it. But it's not what you think. I came across a blog recently that is quickly becoming one of my favorite to peruse when I have a few minutes online. Since coming across the blog, I have started to not ridicule myself so much for my "laziness". I now know that the things I'm doing are serving to make my children healthier, happier, more self-sufficient individuals.
But I am also am a bit lazy in the traditional sense. I don't cook gourmet meals every day, but my kids don't starve. Sometimes I get behind on the laundry (or dishes or whatever), not because I'm busy, but because I got caught up in something on Hulu (or Netflix, or Facebook...) and lost track of time. Sometimes my kids watch little too much TV, so I can get a shower in peace.
I think we, as moms (and dads), feel so guilty for all the little things we feel we fail at, that a lot of times we forget all the things we do right.We get so caught up in what we are "supposed" to do, I think it makes us overlook all the little things that make our jobs as moms and dads so rewarding.
For example, there was an evening after supper a few weeks ago. None of the dishes were done, I'm sure there was laundry that needed to be attended to, and I know that the living room looked like Toys-R-Us had just exploded. But I was messing around with the webcam on the laptop and the boys wandered over to see what I was up to. They wanted to see themselves, so I hit the record button, knowing that there would be some good goof-off footage to be had. Sure enough, I've got about ten minutes of the boys and me making silly faces, singing songs, giggling nonstop, and having a great time. I watched it this morning and it almost brought tears to my eyes to think how quickly time is passing.
Soon, my babies won't be babies. Ian starts pre-K next year and I will only have one kid during the day. In a way I am looking forward to it because of how good it will be for him, socially as well as educationally. But it's still very bittersweet.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the time with our children is so fleeting and so precious. So if I need to let things around the house get behind to enjoy some quality time with my kiddos, then by golly, that's it what I'm going to do. And I'm not going to apologize for it!
But I am also am a bit lazy in the traditional sense. I don't cook gourmet meals every day, but my kids don't starve. Sometimes I get behind on the laundry (or dishes or whatever), not because I'm busy, but because I got caught up in something on Hulu (or Netflix, or Facebook...) and lost track of time. Sometimes my kids watch little too much TV, so I can get a shower in peace.
I think we, as moms (and dads), feel so guilty for all the little things we feel we fail at, that a lot of times we forget all the things we do right.We get so caught up in what we are "supposed" to do, I think it makes us overlook all the little things that make our jobs as moms and dads so rewarding.
For example, there was an evening after supper a few weeks ago. None of the dishes were done, I'm sure there was laundry that needed to be attended to, and I know that the living room looked like Toys-R-Us had just exploded. But I was messing around with the webcam on the laptop and the boys wandered over to see what I was up to. They wanted to see themselves, so I hit the record button, knowing that there would be some good goof-off footage to be had. Sure enough, I've got about ten minutes of the boys and me making silly faces, singing songs, giggling nonstop, and having a great time. I watched it this morning and it almost brought tears to my eyes to think how quickly time is passing.
Soon, my babies won't be babies. Ian starts pre-K next year and I will only have one kid during the day. In a way I am looking forward to it because of how good it will be for him, socially as well as educationally. But it's still very bittersweet.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the time with our children is so fleeting and so precious. So if I need to let things around the house get behind to enjoy some quality time with my kiddos, then by golly, that's it what I'm going to do. And I'm not going to apologize for it!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Belly Laughs & Lightning Crackers
We don't get to see my dad too often, so I try to take advantage of holiday weekends and such to visit. So the kids and I made the almost two-hour trip to Dad's on Sunday to celebrate the Fourth with him and my step-mom. Aside from crazy drivers (can you say, "Road Rage"???) and Ian's constant, "Are we there yet?" (Yes, it's already started!), we made it without incident. Dad lives on the lake, so Ian's first order of business was, of course, SWIMMING.
We ate lunch as soon as we got there and then got ready to get in the water. Boy, anymore, it seems like it takes an hour just to get two kids ready to go swim. Make sure Ian pees. Lather with sunscreen from head to toe. Life jackets all around. Grab toys, towels, and bottles of water. Sheesh! Whatever happened to "grab your suit and go"??? At least, that's how I remember it as a kid.
We finally got down to the water and Ian was getting really excited. My step-mom went to go get some floats for the kids off the boat and slipped in the mud and fell on her backside into the lake. After we made sure she was okay, we all cracked up. She got up, turned around, and we died laughing all over again! She was covered in mud from her butt to her knees. But she still managed to get the floats and we got in the water. I hadn't even gotten my suit wet when Evan started wanting to take a nap. So I took him back up to the house and laid him down. He refused to sleep and just cried and cried. Finally, about an hour later, he fell asleep... Only after I gave up and left the room. I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say, "I give up!" He cried for about ten seconds after I left, but as soon as I was out of sight, he stopped, laid down, and went to sleep!
While I had been up at the house, Ian had gone on his first trip on the jet ski with Dad-Dad (Grandad) and loved it. Soon after that, they all came back up to the house. Ian proclaimed he was sleepy and wanted to lay down with Evan. I warned him of the dire consequences that would occur if he woke him up, and he went to lay down. Ten minutes later, he was asleep! I couldn't believe my good fortune. Both kids napping?! I wanted to pinch myself.
My step-mom had to go watch my step-brother's kiddo for a couple hours, so it was just Dad and me. We always have good talks, so I enjoy our time spent together. Since he lives away, I don't get to see him as often as I would like to and a lot of the time, I feel like he is missing seeing the kids grow up. So I try to call at least once a week to talk to him and update him on all the cute stuff the kids are doing at the moment.
Then Dad went to fix dinner. And it must be said that he is a tremendous cook. Years as a single father taught him to be creative and cultivated his culinary abilities. But we had a simple dinner of grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and cucumbers from the garden. Just as I was taking my first few bites, Evan woke up. So I got him situated in his seat and got him some grub. Ian soon followed suit. After the boys ate, it was bath time and pj's. It wasn't quite dark yet, so we all decided to go out on the porch and watch the boats. Ian really like the little lights that they had. We could hear some people starting to set of some fireworks in the distance and we told Ian to look for them. I hoped we would be able to see some of them over all the trees. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we saw a rocket burst high in the sky. Ian said, "Look, Mommy, lightning crackers!" Dad and I thought his terminology was quite hilarious. I think he was trying to say lightning bugs and fire crackers at the same time. But whatever the reason, it was too cute!
The next morning, we had breakfast and then it was swimming again. I love any place that you can swim at 10:00 in the morning! There's just something about still being able to smell "the morning" and still get out and enjoy the water. Evan did a lot better this time and stayed in the water for almost an hour. Then I handed him off to Dad on the dock and swam out to get the baby float that had, er, floated away. Then I swam some laps from our shore to my uncle's (about 50 yds). I forgot how much I love swimming. Note to self: must swim laps more often.
Then we went up to eat some lunch and put Evan down for a nap. My dad picked up some hamburgers and we chowed down. A thunderstorm was coming and the wind was starting to pick up. So my step-mom went down to the dock to secure all the floats on the boat. A few minutes later, she came back, soaked from the waist down. I wasn't sure what had happened... until she turned around. Fall number two. Her entire back was covered in mud. We couldn't stop laughing. I said, "Well, did you at least get all the floats?" And about that time, I saw one floating across the lake. We died again. Luckily it landed on my uncle's shore. We called him to run out and get it. I told her that I'd come hose her off and we cracked up again. I can't remember the last time I laughed that much in such a short amount of time. It's too bad I didn't go with her down to the lake... I would have SO put that on YouTube!
Sadly, we soon had to head back home. I packed up all our stuff and bid farewell to Dad and Leslie. I wish they lived closer so that they could see the boys more and we could all spend time together. But this was definitely one trip for the books!
PS: Sorry I don't have any pictures... I forgot my camera :(
We ate lunch as soon as we got there and then got ready to get in the water. Boy, anymore, it seems like it takes an hour just to get two kids ready to go swim. Make sure Ian pees. Lather with sunscreen from head to toe. Life jackets all around. Grab toys, towels, and bottles of water. Sheesh! Whatever happened to "grab your suit and go"??? At least, that's how I remember it as a kid.
We finally got down to the water and Ian was getting really excited. My step-mom went to go get some floats for the kids off the boat and slipped in the mud and fell on her backside into the lake. After we made sure she was okay, we all cracked up. She got up, turned around, and we died laughing all over again! She was covered in mud from her butt to her knees. But she still managed to get the floats and we got in the water. I hadn't even gotten my suit wet when Evan started wanting to take a nap. So I took him back up to the house and laid him down. He refused to sleep and just cried and cried. Finally, about an hour later, he fell asleep... Only after I gave up and left the room. I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say, "I give up!" He cried for about ten seconds after I left, but as soon as I was out of sight, he stopped, laid down, and went to sleep!
While I had been up at the house, Ian had gone on his first trip on the jet ski with Dad-Dad (Grandad) and loved it. Soon after that, they all came back up to the house. Ian proclaimed he was sleepy and wanted to lay down with Evan. I warned him of the dire consequences that would occur if he woke him up, and he went to lay down. Ten minutes later, he was asleep! I couldn't believe my good fortune. Both kids napping?! I wanted to pinch myself.
My step-mom had to go watch my step-brother's kiddo for a couple hours, so it was just Dad and me. We always have good talks, so I enjoy our time spent together. Since he lives away, I don't get to see him as often as I would like to and a lot of the time, I feel like he is missing seeing the kids grow up. So I try to call at least once a week to talk to him and update him on all the cute stuff the kids are doing at the moment.
Then Dad went to fix dinner. And it must be said that he is a tremendous cook. Years as a single father taught him to be creative and cultivated his culinary abilities. But we had a simple dinner of grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and cucumbers from the garden. Just as I was taking my first few bites, Evan woke up. So I got him situated in his seat and got him some grub. Ian soon followed suit. After the boys ate, it was bath time and pj's. It wasn't quite dark yet, so we all decided to go out on the porch and watch the boats. Ian really like the little lights that they had. We could hear some people starting to set of some fireworks in the distance and we told Ian to look for them. I hoped we would be able to see some of them over all the trees. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we saw a rocket burst high in the sky. Ian said, "Look, Mommy, lightning crackers!" Dad and I thought his terminology was quite hilarious. I think he was trying to say lightning bugs and fire crackers at the same time. But whatever the reason, it was too cute!
The next morning, we had breakfast and then it was swimming again. I love any place that you can swim at 10:00 in the morning! There's just something about still being able to smell "the morning" and still get out and enjoy the water. Evan did a lot better this time and stayed in the water for almost an hour. Then I handed him off to Dad on the dock and swam out to get the baby float that had, er, floated away. Then I swam some laps from our shore to my uncle's (about 50 yds). I forgot how much I love swimming. Note to self: must swim laps more often.
Then we went up to eat some lunch and put Evan down for a nap. My dad picked up some hamburgers and we chowed down. A thunderstorm was coming and the wind was starting to pick up. So my step-mom went down to the dock to secure all the floats on the boat. A few minutes later, she came back, soaked from the waist down. I wasn't sure what had happened... until she turned around. Fall number two. Her entire back was covered in mud. We couldn't stop laughing. I said, "Well, did you at least get all the floats?" And about that time, I saw one floating across the lake. We died again. Luckily it landed on my uncle's shore. We called him to run out and get it. I told her that I'd come hose her off and we cracked up again. I can't remember the last time I laughed that much in such a short amount of time. It's too bad I didn't go with her down to the lake... I would have SO put that on YouTube!
Sadly, we soon had to head back home. I packed up all our stuff and bid farewell to Dad and Leslie. I wish they lived closer so that they could see the boys more and we could all spend time together. But this was definitely one trip for the books!
PS: Sorry I don't have any pictures... I forgot my camera :(
Friday, June 3, 2011
Evan's New Playground
Evan loves to play and climb. He has recently discovered his new favorite place: the cookware cabinet. It was the Tupperware cabinet before that, but he found out that the pots and pans make more noise, so he moved on. I give him a wooden spoon and he climbs into the cabinet and bangs and giggles to his heart's content. I don't mind as it keeps him occupied while I am trying to unload the dishwasher or cook dinner. I love seeing the little person he is becoming, his personality developing more and more every day. Even at a year old, he has so much character. He loves when I watch him play his "drums" in the cabinet and if he notices that I'm not looking, he hollers, "MaaaaaMaaaaa" until he gets my attention,. Sometimes he makes it very hard to keep an eye on the cooking :). I am cherishing every moment of this new joy he has found, because not too too far in the future, he might want an actual drum set and my life will never be the same!
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