There are places in my house that are untouchable.
Actually, that's not exactly the right word. Let's try again...
There are places in my house that I completely ignore and want nothing to do with because the mess is so overwhelming.
That's more like it.
For example, the room I'm currently sitting in. It's had several names throughout the years: dining room, family room, tv room, playroom, school room, computer room and that room off of the kitchen. This room has ALWAYS irritated me, simply because it doesn't have a 'formal' name, so I don't know what to do with it. Every year or two it gets changed again, but that doesn't help me not despise it.
Despite all of the name and function changes, the name it should always be called is horrible, disastrous, junk, cluttered, always messy, trip and kill yourself getting to the desktop room.
Not a joke. Last year, I didn't even clean it when we had birthday parties here. I detested it that much.
It's my number one embarrassment and the number one reason I don't have people over. Okay, that and my insane children, and living room that looks like a toy bomb went off, and dishes always in the sink.
The other places I avoid are my kids bedrooms.
Noah's room problem is toys. They have enough toys to donate to all the poor kids in Columbus, despite us BEGGING grandparents to please donate to their nonexistent college funds instead of buying more toys. 90% of all their toys fills his room.
I know, I know, just pitch or donate them. NOT easy for a recovering pack rat to do. However, this past year has seen some good progress in my toy pitching skills.
Ruby's room is lack of space. A twin bed takes up half her room, which is why she is still in a toddler bed. Good thing she's so small for her age! She shares her room with a little brother in a big crib, my sewing items (I haven't used in almost a year), a baby bassinet and other miscellaneous baby items, and a few storage bins. I'm thankful I can at least walk in her room to put them to bed.
Over Christmas we visited Ikea and came up with some great ideas for Noah's room (hopefully soon to be the BOYS room) both for space, organization, and room to PLAY so they get out of my living room.
Of course it costs money, something we are greatly lacking in right now. So it will just have to wait. Which means Ruby's room will have to wait. Which means, why even bother?
People keep telling us, 'oh no, you don't want a bigger house, it's just more to clean' and 'be thankful and content' and 'i'm sure you can find more space in your 1000 sq ft home'. And my response to them is SHUT UP.
Okay, not really. We are thankful we have a home. There is ZERO space in this house left for anything. sorry. It's just not there. and honestly, a bigger house would be EASIER to clean. That sounds nuts, but the way I see it, there would be a proper space for every item. There would be proper storage for boxes containing holiday items and children's outgrown/soon to grow into clothes. A place for kids to play that isn't the living room or their bedrooms where the toys could be organized and out of the way, and if left down wouldn't kill someone walking through.
I could keep going, because lately I dream of what I would do with even a little more space... and dreaming isn't so bad...
The more I dream, the more I've been praying that God will drop the perfect house on us just like the one that fell on the wicked witch. Okay, maybe not that exact house, but you get the idea.
Before it was just a dream, now it's a prayer.
Along with asking for contentment while we're still in this little house... ;)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
attempted
After my post yesterday, I felt heavy guilt for several hours until I finally got a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled down some goals for the year. At first I honestly just wrote whatever, with little commitment in my head. and then I scribbled some.
no, literally, I have little scribbled patterns all over the paper... :)
I listed a few under physical, spiritual, and financial, with only family left that I'd like to set goals. Then I went back and scratched out and revised with more honest intentions.
The guilt finally died down after I finished putting a little more meaning into it.
There is just so much awry right now that I'm overwhelmed and not in the mood to set goals I perceive I will fail at. Pessimism at it's best.
Today I ran across a guest post on www.moneysavingmom.com and I was encouraged by the first part of the post. Then she started talking about budgets and personally lost the momentum she had going. This paragraph caught my attention:
"Amidst the meal planning, dishes, work schedules, cleaning up of spills, errands, and laundry, we are real women with real needs–spiritually, physically, and emotionally. If these areas are being neglected in our lives, it affects us as woman and those around us."
How true... and then I realized, if I don't take the time to put the EFFORT into planning for these areas in my life, then it will never happen. It will get looked over and ignored, and I will find myself where I am now: exhausted, behind, overwhelmed, discouraged, and lacking in joy. (i can't figure out why this highlighted or how to remove it. oh well.. )
So I need to revisit my scribble marked goal sheet and make it a little more meaningful so the results are seen soon and encouraging.
We'll see...
no, literally, I have little scribbled patterns all over the paper... :)
I listed a few under physical, spiritual, and financial, with only family left that I'd like to set goals. Then I went back and scratched out and revised with more honest intentions.
The guilt finally died down after I finished putting a little more meaning into it.
There is just so much awry right now that I'm overwhelmed and not in the mood to set goals I perceive I will fail at. Pessimism at it's best.
Today I ran across a guest post on www.moneysavingmom.com and I was encouraged by the first part of the post. Then she started talking about budgets and personally lost the momentum she had going. This paragraph caught my attention:
"Amidst the meal planning, dishes, work schedules, cleaning up of spills, errands, and laundry, we are real women with real needs–spiritually, physically, and emotionally. If these areas are being neglected in our lives, it affects us as woman and those around us."
How true... and then I realized, if I don't take the time to put the EFFORT into planning for these areas in my life, then it will never happen. It will get looked over and ignored, and I will find myself where I am now: exhausted, behind, overwhelmed, discouraged, and lacking in joy. (i can't figure out why this highlighted or how to remove it. oh well.. )
So I need to revisit my scribble marked goal sheet and make it a little more meaningful so the results are seen soon and encouraging.
We'll see...
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A ~enter upbeat adjective here~ New Year
I've had this post floating around in my head for over two weeks, yet haven't had access to a computer to actually be able to type it out. Irritating. Especially when my blogging has become nonexistent recently.
Today is January First, and I had hoped to have this up before today, but better late than never. Great way to start the new year, huh?
Since the beginning of December I've been plagued with many friends' ideas for the new year. Not necessarily resolutions, since that seems to be a negative term anymore, but challenges and goals they have set for themselves and in some cases invited others to join them.
I am a strong believer in accountability and I'm excited to see these invitations because they come attached with a silent accountability backup. This allows for both success and failure to be shared and not hidden, so that encouragement can be given for both. It's wonderful to see how independent walls are breaking down and that we no longer have to feel and act like we're the perfect person we think others expect. We can actually be real, which then allows for our improvement in every area of life. I'm excited to see the growth in those friends in my life whom I strongly care about.
Now ask me how many I've signed up for, or how many goals I've set for myself for this new year, and you'll be disappointed in my answer, especially after praising it highly in the last paragraph.
Yep, the answer is ZERO.
I've never been a January 1st resolution maker. I think they are often pointless and I want to remember that I can set a challenge or goal anytime of the year, not just the first day of the new year. However, like I mentioned above, the idea of resolutions is changing from it's old ways, and becoming a jumping off place for more goals and challenges later throughout the year. Short term goals are wonderful because it allows for improvement that can be seen, and encourage the start of another short term goal, which continues the cycle of improvement. Much better than a full year goal that can be daunting to start which breeds contempt and failure with the first few weeks.
Last year was the first time I've set a yearly goal on January first, and it was to not shop at Gymboree at all for the entire year. Some of you are scoffing, but I had become addicted to Gymboree and the fact that I knew how to play their 'game' so to speak and was able to dress my kids cheaper than shopping at Walmart. I loved the fact that my intelligence outsmarted theirs and the prize was adorable outfits with a gazillion matching accessories for my kids, especially for Ruby. But with our financial situation getting worse instead of better, I set this goal as a 'small' way I could help reduce costs for us for the year. Despite all the coupons and opportunities I had, I was able to be successful at not purchasing one single item from them in 2011. In fact, the only thing I did purchase for the kids from anywhere the entire year were shoes for Ruby, and only after she had nothing left to wear but her brother's black dress shoes...
I'm sure you're wondering what's stopping me from setting any goals this year after coming off my success from the previous year... Well... you're going to have to keep wondering because I don't have an answer for you.
I have no desire to make any commitments of any kind right now, and it's been plaguing me since the first of my friends brought it up in early December. I have no desire at all... not for physical, spiritual, financial, family,... nothing.
It's not because I don't see a need for improvement. In fact the opposite is true... there is such a great need for improvement in every area of my life that it is overwhelming right now... Which is one reason I think short term goals are wonderful.
I also haven't actually sat down and thought about it. Ideas have floated through my head, but I haven't taken the time to write them down, or even stop and think on them for more than a few seconds. I'm sure if I at least did that, I could come up with one or two not so overwhelming short term goals for myself.
I need to have goals. We all do. Right now at this specific time in my life, I should have goals. I need them in order to do more than just survive.
Despite the depressed mood this post is displaying, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from setting goals. In fact, I am strongly encouraging you to do so! I have a few fellow bloggers who have posted challenges and asked for people to join them, and I encourage you to check them out and participate! Amy has a great Bible reading challenge on her blog here, and Miranda has three challenges on her blog here in the areas of finances, fitness and spiritual.
There are a few personal reasons to why I'm not feeling the desires to start a challenge, and perhaps when some of those are taken care of I can then set or join a challenge myself. It doesn't have to be January 1st. Any time is a good time to start a challenge and set a goal that allows for improvement in our lives.
I will update if or when I decide to jump in on a challenge to improve something in my life. I'd love to hear about your goals, long or short term! You can do it!
Today is January First, and I had hoped to have this up before today, but better late than never. Great way to start the new year, huh?
Since the beginning of December I've been plagued with many friends' ideas for the new year. Not necessarily resolutions, since that seems to be a negative term anymore, but challenges and goals they have set for themselves and in some cases invited others to join them.
I am a strong believer in accountability and I'm excited to see these invitations because they come attached with a silent accountability backup. This allows for both success and failure to be shared and not hidden, so that encouragement can be given for both. It's wonderful to see how independent walls are breaking down and that we no longer have to feel and act like we're the perfect person we think others expect. We can actually be real, which then allows for our improvement in every area of life. I'm excited to see the growth in those friends in my life whom I strongly care about.
Now ask me how many I've signed up for, or how many goals I've set for myself for this new year, and you'll be disappointed in my answer, especially after praising it highly in the last paragraph.
Yep, the answer is ZERO.
I've never been a January 1st resolution maker. I think they are often pointless and I want to remember that I can set a challenge or goal anytime of the year, not just the first day of the new year. However, like I mentioned above, the idea of resolutions is changing from it's old ways, and becoming a jumping off place for more goals and challenges later throughout the year. Short term goals are wonderful because it allows for improvement that can be seen, and encourage the start of another short term goal, which continues the cycle of improvement. Much better than a full year goal that can be daunting to start which breeds contempt and failure with the first few weeks.
Last year was the first time I've set a yearly goal on January first, and it was to not shop at Gymboree at all for the entire year. Some of you are scoffing, but I had become addicted to Gymboree and the fact that I knew how to play their 'game' so to speak and was able to dress my kids cheaper than shopping at Walmart. I loved the fact that my intelligence outsmarted theirs and the prize was adorable outfits with a gazillion matching accessories for my kids, especially for Ruby. But with our financial situation getting worse instead of better, I set this goal as a 'small' way I could help reduce costs for us for the year. Despite all the coupons and opportunities I had, I was able to be successful at not purchasing one single item from them in 2011. In fact, the only thing I did purchase for the kids from anywhere the entire year were shoes for Ruby, and only after she had nothing left to wear but her brother's black dress shoes...
I'm sure you're wondering what's stopping me from setting any goals this year after coming off my success from the previous year... Well... you're going to have to keep wondering because I don't have an answer for you.
I have no desire to make any commitments of any kind right now, and it's been plaguing me since the first of my friends brought it up in early December. I have no desire at all... not for physical, spiritual, financial, family,... nothing.
It's not because I don't see a need for improvement. In fact the opposite is true... there is such a great need for improvement in every area of my life that it is overwhelming right now... Which is one reason I think short term goals are wonderful.
I also haven't actually sat down and thought about it. Ideas have floated through my head, but I haven't taken the time to write them down, or even stop and think on them for more than a few seconds. I'm sure if I at least did that, I could come up with one or two not so overwhelming short term goals for myself.
I need to have goals. We all do. Right now at this specific time in my life, I should have goals. I need them in order to do more than just survive.
Despite the depressed mood this post is displaying, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from setting goals. In fact, I am strongly encouraging you to do so! I have a few fellow bloggers who have posted challenges and asked for people to join them, and I encourage you to check them out and participate! Amy has a great Bible reading challenge on her blog here, and Miranda has three challenges on her blog here in the areas of finances, fitness and spiritual.
There are a few personal reasons to why I'm not feeling the desires to start a challenge, and perhaps when some of those are taken care of I can then set or join a challenge myself. It doesn't have to be January 1st. Any time is a good time to start a challenge and set a goal that allows for improvement in our lives.
I will update if or when I decide to jump in on a challenge to improve something in my life. I'd love to hear about your goals, long or short term! You can do it!
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