One day last week I wiped down our dining room table with my favorite cleaner. Then I put my big blue, McCarty bowl in the center and filled it with oranges. Aaaaahhhhh....HAPPINESS.
For a few hours I enjoyed the clean surface (at least until it was time for the next meal).
I love an orderly home. I appreciate a place for everything, everything in its place (as much is realistically possible). I'm a huge fan of the kind of organization that frees you up to LIVE YOUR LIFE.
Lately, we have been putting some time, money, and effort into organizing and making things run smoother. We have tackled some of those nagging household "problems" like not having a place to put our keys when we walk in the door or a safe place for my camera to live so the little people don't yank it to its death by its strap. (Capt' Steve put up hooks for both our keys and my camera. Problem solved.)
I decided to get aggressive about my rest, which means sprucing up our bedroom to have a more calming and orderly vibe. I launched this project by ordering new bedding from Pottery Barn, the same bedding I looked at 7 years ago when we were first married but did not want to spend the money on. Obviously I love it if I'm still wanting the same thing 7 years later.
I deleted the facebook app off my phone. That was such a time suck for me. I still check it on the computer but don't get caught up checking it on my phone. It is amazing the mental space this frees up now that I've removed the temptation.
Over the weekend I finally did what I have been wanting to do for years and put together and ordered a photo book of 2012's photos. I have made a couple photo books as gifts in the past and they have turned out so great. It was high time I made one for my personal photos. I plan to back track and make one for each year since we have been married. My sister just wrote a post on photo books which you may find helpful.
I picked up a shower caddy at Target a few weeks ago so we would have a safe, high place to put razors and soap away from children. Notice the reoccurring theme?
And after breaking a few mason jars (what we used as drinking glasses for the longest), I purchased some green, plastic tumblers. Stephen said they look like something that would have been at his grandmother's house in the 80's. I was thrilled! This is exactly the look I was going for.
This year I plan to spend less time in the kitchen. Not quite sure how I'm going to pull this one off, but I just know it is a worthy goal because I have three small children who need me all the time. I'm aiming to choose less labor intensive recipes and be content with simple food.
It's amazing the JOY these little changes have brought to my life. Each one has either contributed to a more orderly physical space, solved a problem, or been just plain freeing and fun.
The ordinary acts we practice everyday at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest. -Thomas Moore
What a compactly rich post! Freeing up mental space... I am so going to consider that in my organization attempts. Thanks for sharing :-)
ReplyDeleteI saw (I think on Pinterest) shower caddies hung on the wall opposite the shower head (using a hook nailed in the wall). This way, everything on the caddy doesn't rust and isn't sopping wet all of the time.
ReplyDeleteI may have to come back and comment more. This is an awesome post!
You are brilliant. I'm a nut for organizing, but I don't tend to plan as well as you do so I end up with too many containers or coat hangers or mason jars or.......
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed that you accomplished this with a newborn + 2 kiddos! You've got real spirit! And I think this encapsulates what I always want my January to be: fresh vision, new solutions, JOY in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteWhen I cooked with children underfoot, I looked for recipes that had pauses built in or could handle interruptions so I wasn't tied to the kitchen for long stretches. I wish I had used my crockpot more back then - I've gotten better with it now. I do, admittedly, like kitchen projects, but I also have to sling food on the table 3x a day, so I look for shortcuts :)
Thanks for the inspiration! Just deleted my facebook app....
ReplyDeleteYou inspire me. Any chance you'd like to come up to St. Louis and help me organize for a week or so?
ReplyDeleteDeleting my Facebook app is an earth-shattering idea! I'm doing it right now. It's amazing how much more time I've spent on Facebook, it being so accessible on my phone. I've never thought about deleting it! Ah, I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI'm in a dinner rut, too. Suppertime sneaks up on me everyday...and then 50% of the time we end up eating out. Yuck. I like the idea of finding simpler dinner recipes. I've found Costco to have a few good dinner options: those pre-made casseroles or frozen lasagnas.
I'm always SO inspired when I read your blog. Good words. And I love that quote at the end. Life is definitely lived in the mundane moments.
I think crock pot meals may be the way to go in this stage of your life. I use my cockpot and rice cooker bc they will not burn the food and will keep it warm. I also have been using a bread maker to make pizza dough. In the morning I put in the ingredients and it kneads and does everything for me. Then I put the dough in the frig until I am ready to make the pizza. My mother does not want these appliances - she does not really need them. But when you have a bunch of kids - even teenagers I suppose - they can free up your time.
ReplyDeleteYou are managing so well as a mother of three!
Every word of this post spoke to my heart! We're so alike in the sense of organization and the contentment it brings :). And also in the sense of everthing kiddo related. Love your blog SB.
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