Changing the Vision

I have gotten so much done today and I really love my home right now.  I'll let you in on a secret...I've been wanting to move for about 5 years now. We've been in our home for 10 years and there's that little part of me that yearns for change and a backyard.  It's not happening right now.  And I think I finally understand that.  I'm not even sure I wanted to move, or I just liked the idea of it.  For five years, however, I've been at a bit of a standstill in my decorating.  During the first five years, we were newlyweds and working away from home most of the day.  After my children were born, I invested in warming up their rooms, but never really expanded to taking care of other parts of the house.  I wasn't loving on it.  An unloved home is a very sad home, indeed.  Something lately has started a change in me.  I'm not sure if it's the realization that we're here for another full two years at least, or maybe gaining strength and not getting any terrible colds for five months or even just wanting my daughters to always have warm memories of being at home.  I have the cleaning bug and the desire to fill the house with warmth and beauty and love.  My love for our home has increased as well.  I love being at home.  My girls enjoy it more now too.   I find an absurd amount of satisfaction in making their beds and rooms up.  My oldest, who is an A type like her daddy, squeals whenever I organized something in her room.  She hugs me almost every day after making her bed.  Who couldn't be inspired by that?

I think children's artwork and pictures of family and friends is one of the least expensive ways to warm up the house and add color.  Frames don't have to be expensive, they can just be bought at Goodwill or Value Village.  Not being a crafty person in the past, I actually have several unopened frames that I will introduce to the house this next week.  I'm so excited to do this.  While not crafty, I do love photography.  I haven't gotten it all figured out yet, but I expect it to be fairly easy and meaningful.  I have some other ideas too, and I will update next week with pictures of the finished products.

I think my next project is me.  I know that sounds funny to some, but I think most stay at home moms can relate.  Taking care of yourself is the hardest on the list.  I'll be perfectly frank too.  I haven't had my hair done since May, and I can't remember the last time I bought clothes or shoes.  My kids are dressed and combed beautifully, but myself....errrr....not.  Not all of it is saving money, either.  Do you want to go shopping with two little ones in tow?  I think not.  Finding the time is difficult and when I do find the time there are just other things I'd rather be doing.  At five foot nothing, I can't exactly just order something online and being thrifty and buying secondhand doesn't usually work out for me for anything other than t-shirts.  Atlas...I will make a date for myself at some point in the next month or two.  After I've budgeted properly of course.  But I will follow through.

Mourning the Sun

Update on Flylady:

Flylady suggestions are going well.  I really only made it through day two of her baby steps, but I have been following her daily suggestions on FB.  Today, I'm going to scrub my sink with a toothbrush.  That's right, a toothbrush.  Although I've heard of this sort of thing happening in the die hard cleaning world, but I've never cleaned ANYTHING with a toothbrush.  The tiny type A part of me is rather excited while the other 98% of me which is type B is glad I only have to accomplish one new thing each day.  I do feel pretty good about my house this week.  I bought a Mum plant to brighten up things and I am starting a list of projects to warm the place up.  I'm not very crafty, so this is big stuff to me.

Dining in is still going well, although I still haven't gotten a good meal plan going yet.  Generally I plan meals for a week, and then make them in whichever order I want.  It just isn't organized enough.  I don't even think I went out for coffee last week.  We are definitely saving money in this respect which is a good thing because something always comes up.  Life.  It often evens these saving out.  That's okay.  That's what working hard to save is supposed to do sometimes.

As much as I love the rain, I can feel the weather sinking into my blogging and my general feeling of well being.  My muscles ache a little more...I'm eating a little more and sitting around a little more.  Our barely watched t.v. is getting a bit more attention...Maybe I don't like this weather as much as I thought.  We spent our summer almost entirely outside and I think I'm going through withdrawals.  It really makes me want to seize every 20 minutes we get without the rain and make sure we don't ever stop spending as much time outside as possible.

There are bright spots to these indoor days.  Tomorrow is baking day.  My oldest and I are making chocolate chip cookies while the youngest is in school.  After we will try to make sure to share treats with friends.  I think I've been looking forward to this for days.  Taking the girls to this and that is all very nice, but time in sharing cookies with my girls make winter worth looking forward to. 

Baby Steps

No announcements here, just a new approach to cleaning.  I met a mom at my daughters gymnastics last week, and she told me all about the flylady.  It's a website, or blog rather, about taking baby steps to organizing and cleaning your house.  Anyway, I decided to give it a go, so I'll update my progress.  Today is day one.  Her plan is very doable and stresses taking care of yourself without stressing out.  It's kind of a revolutionary idea to a stay at home kind of mom.

Drum roll please....My kids have been McDonalds free for six weeks.  The dining in diet has some other benefits besides saving money.  I really have learned the discipline of going home and it's good for all of us.  It forces us to not be on the go so much, and believe me, we are on the go enough.  The girls are really appreciative of whatever I make them as well which helps.  They don't always eat all of it, but they don't make faces either.  I have also looked at where we spend money in other places.  Recycled appliances can be a great thing.  My blender gave out this month and I got a new to me blender from Goodwell as well as a stainless steel thermo I had been meaning to purchase.  We also got a new (or new to us) Halloween costume from a secondhand store.  It was a beautiful dress, and really, when I was little we just used whatever we had around the house.  When did Halloween become so complicated?  My littlest wants to wear her "party dress".  Not sure what she is dressing up as, but as long as she wears a long sleeve shirt and leggings under it, it's fine.  In her mind, it's beautiful.

I do spare a little money for important things.  Trips to the apple orchard, for example.  Trips back for fresh fruit and hand pressed apple cider.  Every other week or so, I still treat myself to Starbucks or something of that nature.  It's still a treat.  I look forward to it more and it beats the heck out of the cost of going four times a week.

If you like to fold laundry, come fold mine!

I find myself so tired today.  So sad on a Saturday night that I'm fighting to keep my eyes open long enough to take my bread out of the bread machine in 40 minutes.  I think I'm probably getting enough sleep, but my home is stressing me a bit.  I have about three loads of laundry to catch up on and I need to grocery shop tomorrow as we are out of most things.

Saturday night always yields some sort of temptation for me. There is usually always one dish (or two) on my weekly menu that ideally I want my family to eat.  Somehow, days of the week go by, and none of them feel like the right day to do the amount of work said recipe calls for.  Saving a laborious recipe for the end of the week on a night when it's a girl's night just ain't gonna happen.  There's just not a whole lot of reward making a dish like that for a toddler.  My youngest had a questionnaire last week for her preschool.  I filled out each answer for her one by one. "Sweetie, what is your least favorite thing that you can think of?"  She said without hesitation, "dinner".  I feel a lot of pressure to change this but the fact is it's mostly due to how she eats.  80% of what she eats is from 6:30am to 11:30am.  Even if I made mac and cheese or pizza for dinner, she probably wouldn't touch it.

Laundry is another story.  I'd have way more success if I just outsourced and paid someone to fold for me, but that wouldn't be very thrifty... I have about three loads of clean laundry across the room staring at me right now.  I can't stand for the clothes not to be folded, but at the same time the last thing I like to do after a long day of chasing kiddos is fold.  I think if one can get on top of their laundry, they are quite possibly on top of the world.  I also need to find a way not to hoard children's art...I have quite the collection and the amount that I've convinced myself I will someday have framed and properly displayed is a little ridiculous, but atlas, I'm really a minimalist in 95% of cases, and, well...help me here!  I think an important part of saving money and dining in is loving your home and giving it love.  Tomorrow I will organize my pantry, grocery shop, fold clothes, declutter and I'm fairly sure I won't be tired.  Maybe I'll even frame some art...!

Finally, I'm humbled by homemaking and dining in.  This comes so naturally for some, and I'm learning. I used to think I was so disciplined and now I realize how spoiled I really am.  I'm sure that many of you out there are pros at saving, cooking and cleaning in comparison with me, but I'm thankful to be on this journey.  Right now, the children are sleeping (dogs too!), the kitchen is clean and the house smells like fresh bread.  Life is good.

Colors of Fall

Muffins, bread, banana bread and blackberry jam....that was a lot of work.  Never did I think the wild blackberries that grew next door would yield seven pints of jam.  Really, I was just hoping for a small bowl of berries.  I also cleaned more dishes than I've seen this year, but it was worth it.  I love blackberry jam.  There is something so magnificent about something so sweet and useful with only three ingredients.

(Recipe straight from Sure-Jell)

3 cups of mashed blackberries (don't blend...unless you want syrup)

5.25 cups of sugar

1 packet of fruit pectin

Mix the fruit and sugar and let sit.  Heat pectin and 3/4 cup of water to boiling.  Mix in with fruit and sugar...stir well and pour into containers.  Freezer jam is so easy.  I may never can again.

I love fall.  Some people spring clean, but I fall clean and bake and cook like crazy.  I love the smells in the air...the colors...even the cold and crisp feeling it gives.  I spent parts of my day organizing and I'm ecstatic to clean this week.  And bake.  And bake again.  And put homemade blackberry jam on fresh homemade bread.

Sometimes I'm not winning, but still I'm not losing...

Ah, I have been quiet this week.  This has been our first week of school for the girls with a new busy and pretty crazy schedule.  I will update how the week went tomorrow...  I did have a small crash this week.  My husband told me I would crash and crash hard, but not really.  Let's just say that fluffy coffees can really help one cope with the many stresses of a new schedule and an occasional dessert out with the girls is necessary.  The dessert was planned far in advance and well worth it.  Peets coffee is incredible.  Still, third weekend in a row, so far, of not going out to eat.  No fast food or anything else. I don't feel that self righteous.  This month has been a bit spendy so far, and I really don't feel like I'm saving us money yet.  Maybe after the next two weeks...

I still need to improve in the planning department.  Especially making plans that doesn't make life too hard on me and allows me to make quick, easy and healthy breakfasts and lunches so that I can focus on spending time with my kids and not just feeding them.

Prep day results

I got everything on my checklist done except the pesto.  I feel good about that.  I didn't have Parmesan, so I will have to pick that up tomorrow to complete my recipes.  I did, however, make delicious clam chowder and banana nut bread.  The girls even got naps.  I wish I could be giddy, but I'm too exhausted.

I'm offline the next few days during our trip to the coast.  When I get back home my next post will be about rules I'm enforcing on myself.  I already have to break one.  Yes, I have to.  We promised my youngest a trip to Chuck E Cheese once she went #2 on the toilet....and guess what she did today!  This offer was in place long before this blog, so I gotta keep it.