The Week Ahead: Day 2

Day 2 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life!}

Yesterday morning, when I first started this quest, I was laying in bed at the beach. I wasn't at home, and I was basically living out of a backpack, so dressing in something that makes me feel great wasn't even an option. I dressed in something comfy for cleaning up and driving home.

This morning, however, I dressed in my khaki pants and black turtleneck sweater. When I ran in to my husband he said I looked "regal." Wow! I felt great! I never go clothes shopping, so I really have very few things that I feel make me look "great." But I must have done pretty well this morning. YAY!!!

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

I went and bought some hot chocolate last night, so here I am sipping on it. As I opened the package, I knew my kids's radar'd be on as soon as they walk in the front door from school. This may be the only cup I get out of that HUGE can. I'm enjoying every sip knowing that might be the case.

I cleaned out my purse just now, and I think I've decided that I don't want to carry a purse anymore. What a total pain in the rear end. I don't know when I succumbed to hauling one around with me. I used to just throw my keys and debit card in one pocket and my cell phone in the other, and I'd be off. Why have I complicated things so much more than that? I mean, when you want to go volunteer at the school, where do you put your purse? When you're at a rainy track meet (painful memories), where do you leave it then? Yes, purses are a pain.

I read ahead and found that today's assignment is to clean out the fridge. Can I just say that I'm super EXCITED about this? After going grocery shopping last night, while putting the food away, we didn't even have room for a gallon of milk. This is one of those hanging-over-my-head kinds of tasks, so I look forward to getting it done.

Okay, finally, here are the things I want to accomplish today:

• Hang up the pile of clothes in my bedroom.
• Empty one box from the garage. Throw or put away the contents.
• Upload and order photos for #7's "Star of the Week" poster.
• Follow up on the kids' goals for the week. Help them progress today.
• Work up to p. 112 in the emergency preparedness manual.
• Fold clothes on top of dryer.
• Create agendas for the two meetings for this week.

::Set the timer for 10 minutes and do a quick-clean of your kitchen: wash the dishes/load the dishwasher, clear off the counter tops, and, if you have time, wipe down the counter tops and the outside of the cupboards with wet rag or cleaning cloth.

::Set the timer for 10 minutes and do a quick clean of your refrigerator. Remove all the contents that are past their prime, wipe down the sticky spots, and re-organize things so they are easier to get to. If you have more time, there’s a step-by-step guide for cleaning out your refrigerator here.

For the time being, while #7's sleeping and all the other kids are off at school, it's now time to get to work. My plan is to work on the emergency preparedness manual until #7 wakes or kids get home. We'll see how much I can accomplish. It's really an intense project, and getting to page 112 is a lofty goal, but there's always tonight.

After kids get home, while I'm making snack, I'll get to work on the kitchen and the fridge.

Not Again!

Okay, confession to make....

image credit: http://asmallpieceofgodsplan.blogspot.com/

I'm kind of getting on my minimalist kick again. What is up with that?

I got to looking through a list of some great minimalist bloggers and found at least two of them who have large families.

image credit: http://rumblings.org

Could it be that we, who have large families, are just surrounded by too much stuff and therefore, want some order and peace? Umm...Yup. I think that's very possible. So, I'm starting to think that my overwhelming desire to hike through the world with nothing but my backpack on my back, completely unfettered, might just be one of those grass being green on the other side of the fence-type things and not a quirky, neurotic dream. You know, you always want what you don't got.

Stuff also requires maintenance. I would rather maintain my relationships than my stuff. After all, I'm not taking the stuff with me when I die. No, this is not an announcement or a prediction or anything of the sort. Just an off-the-cuff statement.

image credit: http://www.qcveterans.com

Although, along the lines of death, would it be too terribly morbid of me to write a post on what I want for my funeral? I've been thinking of doing this for a long time. Part of the reason is that before my mom died, the topic of death was completely taboo, and we just had to guess at what she would have wanted.

The truth of the matter is, you never know when you're going to go, and I don't want to keep anyone guessing.

image credit: http://sunshinepromises.blogspot.com

Maybe all this talk is because it's pioneer season in Mormon-ville (July 24th is when the Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley), and we're singing a lot of dirge-ish versions of the fourth verse of "Come, Come Ye Saints." That'll get to you, I tell you. Ugh! The song directs--"with conviction." It is not a death march. Yet every year, it's the same thing. That moan you hear, when the introduction is played, is me. Sorry. I dread it more than words can say. "Happy day. All is well." Yah, right. I don't believe you.

....Okay, enough of that soap box....

So, who knows where this minimalism thing'll go this time. Time will tell.

I've written about ten posts in the last three days. Have I posted any of them? Umm, no. Why? I don't know. I wrote a pretty good parenting one today, but I can't figure out how to end it well. Do I post it unended? I just can't bring myself to do that. Maybe this week I'll spend some time going back to unpublished posts and get them wrapped up and online.

This week will be back to life as normal. No Cub Scout day camp. No E.F.Y. Just cross country and soccer practices--life as usual.

image credit: http://chattahbox.com

I'm still working on counting points. Did really well today. I've cut back my water to a normal amount and so far so good. No symptoms of anything, so maybe I washed it all out. I have to share, though that maybe a slight reason for cutting back has to do with the fact that the neighboring water district has problems with e coli to the point that people are having to boil their water before they use it. It's not our water district; the website says we're all good, but still....

cherry blossoms pressed in my journal

I'm typing up my mission blog diligently. I'm up to 39 posts, and I'm not even halfway done with the MTC yet. Hmm.... maybe this writing thing has been big in my brain for a very long time. I didn't even have a clue. I'm excited to start scanning photos and getting them on board too. It's a fun project. I highly recommend it to anyone who might have old hand-written journals and printed photos laying around.

image credit: http://nbsmith.blogspot.com

Other than that....planning the trip to taking the oldest to college. Yikes! Meeting what I think are complete strangers while out driving on the road only to find that we're not strangers at all--long, funny story. And, a ton of recurring themes that I KNOW I will eventually HAVE to blog about.

All in all, life is good.