Figuring Out Who I Am

This winter has been a weird one. It started out pretty mild, the February hit and it has almost been the slowest winter. Though it has been cold and snowy, this is the first winter that I have not hated. Believe me, I am ready for spring, but I am dealing with the winter much better this year. I even, at times, wish we could move to Maine instead of thinking about moving South. With Spring on it's way, and the rebirth of life and energy, with longer days, and increased warmth to the days, I am taking this time to do some soul searching and taking some time to figure out who I am and what I need. I am looking at spring as a time for me to make changes in my life and as a time for me to reduce the clutter in my life and start fresh, or rebirth myself into the person I want to be. How do I plan on doing this? First, I am starting a 21 day sugar cleanse tomorrow. Second, I will be going through my belongings and looking to see what I can reduce, either by donating or by trashing/recycling. Third, I will be spending time getting organized so that my life is not the caps that I have been living (no ones fault but my own). Fourth, I will be increasing (ok actually doing) exercise. Finally, though this process, I am hoping to become more aware of me and who I am and what I want out of my life. I love my life! I love being married and having kids. I don't like what I look like or the amount of time I spend on the computer. I don't like how lazy I have become. I don't like how crappy I eat sometimes. I don't like how cluttered my life has become or how disorganized I am. These are the changes I want to make. I want to look in the mirror and be happy with who I am. I know that if I'm healthy and I get moving, I'll be happy with me. I will start moving and feeling better and stronger. I will spend less time on the computer and Facebook and more time with my family and actually be creative. I will get rid of clutter and get myself organized. With doing the sugar detox, I am hoping that my head will clear. I am hoping that I will be able to follow through with things and do what I need to do. I will be sharing my 21 day detox here, the good, the bad , and the ugly. I will share the foods I eat and how I feel while decoding. I'm not going to give up my coffee, but I am going to limit it and try to decrease the amount of cream in my coffee. I think eating clean, eating less sugar, and eating less foods that turn to sugar is going to me, my body, and my spirit loads of good! Amy

Hexagon Maddness

With it being National Sewing Month, I am really trying to get some sewing projects completed.  My friend at http://www.goddessinprogressblog.com/quilts/ posted a hexagon project a while ago and I was intrigued.  More recently she posted a picture of her hexagon quilt and it got me thinking, this would be a great take along project for the part (maybe), and a great project to use up my scraps.  Of course now I want to branch out and maybe use things that aren't part of my scrap bin.I'm tempted to buy fabric, but I really want to try to use what I already have.  I can't afford to buy more and I don't have the room to buy more!  I'm trying really hard to be organized and right now I have my material pretty organized so I don't want to add more unless I have to!

My first hexie flower put together with a ladder stitch

Daddy and Thomas were watching the Patriots while I sewed and the other 2 kids were playing in their room

I am also working on a doll sized granny square afghan.  I was able to spend some time working on it while the kids played at the park!

4 flower hexies 1 completed with a whip stitch and 3 with the ladder stitch

I have been trying to organized my craft things and have been trying to get rid of some things.  I have free cycled some things, but there have been some stuff that no one seems interested in.  I have some yarn that no one has wanted and I have some stamps that I haven't posted yet.  I am hoping to get more stuff together so that I can get rid of rings and have a more organized place to work and know what supplies I have.  It's definitely a work in progress and really difficult to get rid of things.  I also just found out that I have some yarn that I totally forgot about.  I think once I finish some of the projects that I am working on, I need to go up in the attic and decide if this yarn is stuff I need/want. or if I should just get rid of it.  

It has been nice to have a more organized space.  I am not making a ton of things, but I really have been able to create more easily, know what I have for supplies, and not have to stress about cleaning up a project in the middle of working on it.  I like having a place for my dewing machine to be out all the time.  I like having small projects organized so that I can work on something while watching TV.  Of course all the new shows are starting up so it is really important to have things that I can work on while watching my favorite shows.  That way I can be productive as well as veg out in front of the TV and enjoy some good shows!  The funny thing is, I really like to be organized, but I am not one to get organized easily!

What are you making for National Sewing Month?

Amy

I think my next post will be about my Christmas list.  I need to get a plan in place if I want to make things for people for Christmas.  I need to have a plan in place so that I can get started.  I think I'll take the kids out in the back yard and work on my list!

I've Made The Decision

My husband and I have been running, or at least attempting to run for the last 4 months.  We have gone every other day alternating so that we each get to go and we each get a break.  We started back in February and we were getting up at 5:30 am.  Now, I am definitely not a morning person, so I switched from 5:30 am to between 8-9 pm.  I don't mind going that late, except, I tend to miss my running time due to a multitude of reasons.  I actually prefer running at night, but I may have to start going back to the mornings again.  I am missing to many times and it too easy to make an excuse.  Recently, I asked my husband how he was able to get up at 5 am (he actually stretches out, which is something I need to start doing).  He said he just made the decision to do it and he does it.  Sounds simple doesn't it?

Well, for me it hasn't been that easy, but I have decided that I need to follow his lead and just make the decision to commit.  Now, when I say I need to make the decision to commit, I am not just talking about running!  I am making the decision to commit to running (getting up early or sucking it up and going no matter what, unless I am really, really sick), eating a meat free/dairy free/gluten free diet, making time to create, making time to donate, and making time to live the life I want to lead.

I am going to take the time to get organized, clean, and purge what I don't need.  I have slowly been purging things, but I don't think that I have been doing enough.  This is a huge piece of what is going to make my life easier.  The better organized I am, the easier it will be to have the time to do all the other things that I want to do.  I think that making this decision now is good.  I was never a tv watcher, but over the last number of years, I have started to get sucked into shows.  Now that summer is here and season finales are over, I am hoping that getting in a good routine will help me remain in a routine once the new season starts again in the fall.  I'm hopeful that I will be in such a routine, that I won't want to watch as much tv.

I am going to start researching recipes that are meat free, gluten free, and dairy free.  Myself and my oldest  son are gluten and dairy sensitive.  My oldest was also recently diagnosed with PDD NOS (he has high functioning autism) and seems to do much better when he doesn't ingest gluten and dairy.  My husband's doctor wants him to eat an animal protein free diet and from what I've researched, I've found that this is the best diet for me to eat given my BRCA2 situation, especially since I am leaning against having surgery!

I have a ton of craft supplies, and when I think about how much money I have spent on them, I get a little sick to my stomach.  I was a little crazy with buying.  Since I love to create and I have a lot of supplies to create with, my goal is to create with them and then donate them to different agencies.  I am hopeful that I can donate and get rid of some of my supplies, as well as feel good about taking time to create.

I am making the decision to follow through with my goals in life, instead of just having goals that I don't follow through with!

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday: How do you wish to spend your time? (a day late)

It's Wednesday again and that means it's time for Wishcasting Wednesday.  This week we are asked:        

"How do you wish to spend your time?"

A simple answer to this question is: "I wish to spend my time following through with the goals that I set of myself at the beginning of the year". 

1.  I wish to make time to get myself healthy.  By this, I mean exercise and eating right.  I have started walking/running every other day and am starting to feel pretty good.  I still have a long way to go, but I no longer ache after I finish my exercise.  I would love to add yoga and/or meditation to my routine.  As far as eating healthy, I still have a way to go.  I am doing well with drinking my green smoothies in the morning, but I am still having trouble throughout the day.  This is something I will continue to work on.  I am also trying to remember to drink my water kefir instead of soda.
2. I want to make time to get my life organized.  Again this is something that I am am working on.  I have started going through my craft supplies and am starting to purge somethings.  After purging, I have started to get an organization system.  I also want to get more organized so that I can have a cleaner house.
3. I want to make time to be creative.  I have been crocheting and trying to get my unfinished projects completed.  I am trying to use up the supplies I have instead of buying new and adding to the lack of room that I already have.
4. I wish to spend time learning about new things.  I want to learn more about essential oils, gardening, and herbs as well as getting better with the creative things that I like to do.  I want to learn more about growing herbs and using them.  I want to learn more about using essential oils for me and my family.  I want to learn more about how to have a good healthy garden so that I can use that to feed my family instead of relying on the store.  I'm sure that there is more that I want to learn, but that is what I can think of now.
5. I wish to spend more quality time with my kids.  I am looking to spend some time homeschooling my twins for their first preschool year.  It is so expensive to send 2 kids to preschool for 2 years.  I think it will be good for them to go for 1 year, but I don't know that 2 is necessary.  I also want to spend more time encouraging them to be creative and not really worrying about the mess that they make.  I also want to make sure that I spend quality time with my husband!

For now this is where I wish to spend my time.  How do you wish to spend your time?

Amy

Shyness, Introverted Personality and Goal of Selling

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post.  It's kind of amazing how many people can share similar feelings.

After writing this post, I kept thinking about it, especially after reading each comment.  Along with being an introverted person, I am very shy.  I have been trying to work on my shyness as well as trying to be more out there when it comes to larger group settings.  There are times, even in my professional career where I have to be able to deal with group situations, not just one on one situations.

One of my goals is to maybe start an etsy.com page and also sell at craft fairs.  Being an introvert makes this goal really difficult.  I attempted to help a family member a couple of years ago at a craft fair and I didn't do so well.  My shyness, my unease at trying to interact with large numbers of people, and my fear of failure (Would I say something wrong?  Would people not want to interact and talk to me?) made this more difficult.  Since I really want to try to sell things I make, maybe I can overcome some of this shyness and start being a little more extroverted and stop worrying about what others might think of me.

I love to create and my next goal within my creative goal is to organize a place and a time to create and make nice things.  I am hoping that if I can find time and a place to create where I don't have to set up and take down every time, then maybe I can actually get thing made and made well.  Maybe I can practice and work on my learning curve issue.  Part of the problem is that my brother in law is staying with us and is staying in our basement where I would normally set up my craft station.  Now that I have the kids in bed earlier and I have more time to myself at night, I would love to spend that time creating at least once in a while.

I am hoping to get more proficient and feel more comfortable so that I can believe that I can meet my goal of selling what I make!

Amy

Defining Goals

Like I said in my last post, I have a few goals that I want to work on in the coming year.  I think, to make sure that I actually follow through, I am going to give myself time to get there instead of making myself meet all the goals at once.  I also need to define my goals a little better.  When I wrote them, I just wrote them down to have an idea of what I wanted and needed to work on.  Now it's time to get to the knotty gritty of what I want to work on so that I know how I am going to meet these goals.  I will probably at some point actually write up these goals like I was working as a social worker with problem, goal, interventions, and time frame listed so that I can measure and see if I am actually doing what I want to do.  I will also be re-evaluating from time to time to make sure that the goals are still what I want and see if I need to change anything.  For now though, I am just going to me a little more specific about each goal.

1. Cook more healthy foods, cook from scratch, and try to be as sustainable as possible: This is pretty self explanatory and basic, but to break it down, I want to follow through with eating the way I should be eating, stop using processed pre-made food, and try to eat local, and in season when possible.  My goal is to shop the perimeter of the store, buy less packaged foods, make what I can instead of buying pre made such as using dried beans, making bread (gluten free), and buying good healthy food and making sure that it tastes good not just healthy.
2. Make time to be creative: I know how important it is for me to be creative, but I don't always make it easy.  I am hoping to figure out a way to be able to make it easier to be creative (maybe if our house guest of 8 months leaves, I can set up something in the basement and keep it set up instead of setting up and taking down each time.  I need to make set projects so that I am not trying to pull together everything when I find the time to do something creative.  I also need to finish one project at a time instead of having multiple projects going at one time!
3. Try to live as natural a lifestyle as possible: I am trying to eat healthier, more sustainable, and locally.  I am going to try to make my own cleansers and bath and body products for me and my family.  I am going to try use less paper products and use cloth products more.Sometimes, I find myself using paper towels more often than not just because it is easier.  I am hoping to use towels more and paper less.  I am also hoping to use my cloth diapers more consistently.  I have been doing a really good job here, but I am using disposable wipes more often than I had in the recent past and I need to get back to using the cloth wipes (especially since I like them better).  I have been using cloth pads for my last couple of cycles.  This may seem kind of gross and a little TMI, but I actually do like them better and I like again that I don't have to throw them out I just wash them daily with my diapers for the kids.  And again, a little TMI, but I want to use more family cloth instead of toilet paper.  I was doing it for a while, but stopped for some reason I can't explain.  The best part is I have a ton of flannel receiving blankets and fleece scraps that I can use so I will not have to spend money or waste material.  As I find or think of more ways of living naturally I will work on incorporating them into my life.
4. Spend more time in direct play with my kids: I have tended to let the kids watch tv probably more than I should.  I sometimes feel like I have contributed to my kids speech delay, but I know that there are other issues that have contributed to it too.  It has been a lot of work having 3 kids so close in age.  As tough as it has been though, I am glad that they are close in age.  Now that they are a little older (in 20 days, I'll have 3 three year olds for a month and a half), it is so much fun to watch them play with each other (that is when they are not fighting).  We got a bunch of new toys for Christmas and I am loving how they play.  We will be incorporating more structured play into our day as well as non structured play.  My twins are being evaluated for public pre-school, and while I don't think that they will get in, I will not put them into pre-school for 2 years.  I can't afford 2 in school for 2 years and I don't think that it is needed either, especially since I am home with them.  That being said, I think that have a homeschool pre-school setting is a good thing to do.  The only thing that I think will lack is interaction with other kids, but I am hoping that with playgroups, I can find kids for them to interact with.
5. Get my stuff organized: Man, this is going to be a work in progress!  A huge work in progress.  I'm not even sure I know where to begin.  This is one where I will need to start with one room, one area of one room and start small.  I will add more to this area as I figure out what to do.  One thing i do know is that I definitely need to have a system for cleaning.  That may be the first thing that I put in place.  How to keep up with the laundry, vacuum, clean the kitchen, plan my meals, etc.
6. Start an etsy.com store: This is a goal I have had for a while.  I want to try to make a little back from what I spend on materials being creative.  I am hoping to make fun, creative small little accessories that people can feel good about buying for themselves or a gift.
7. Learn more about the things that I am interested in instead of just knowing a little about a lot of different things: Wow, this is another area that I need to spend time figuring out how to be specific.  I want and need to learn more about gardening.  I would love to learn more about permaculture and how we can incorporate that into our gardening, both veggie and flower.  I want to learn more about herbs which also goes along with learning more about gardening.  I want to learn more about aromatherapy and how to use it in my day to day life as well as maybe using it professionally.  I want to learn more about art therapy and how I can use it as a career.  I want to learn more about sewing and other crafts that I can work on making and selling or maybe even teaching.  I want to learn more about meditation and yoga.  I want to learn more about journaling and how to incorporate it into my career path.  I want to learn more about cooking and eating healthy (not necessarily traditional nutrition, but more alternative ways of diets).  I'm sure there is a ton more that I want to learn, but for now this is where I am going to focus.

So I have spent some time figuring out more specifics to my goals.  I now need to actually work on accomplishing them.  I am definitely going to wrote these down in more of a care plan format, like I would do for work.  Maybe once I get that done, I can share a couple.  Maybe if I luck out, the twins will get into public preschool and I will have a couple of hours of free time that I can devote to making these goals are reality.  Maybe I can spend time creating and selling so that I am finding time to be creative and also so I can make some extra money.

Thanks for listening (ok reading),

Amy

Amy

New Year/New Goals

It's January 1st 2012.  Like most people, I am trying to figure out if I should make any resolutions.  I am tinkling that I want to, but then there are those that talk about how resolutions are foolish.  They say that resolutions don't work.  They believe that resolutions are just a way to try to make changes but that they are just a way of making us feel better.  This year, I am thinking that instead of making resolutions, I am going to  Set goals for myself. Now this may seem like I am just using a different word to mean the same thing, but I think either way goals are better than resolutions. Also, I am not doing this because that is what you do at New Years, I am doing it because the holidays are over, life is settling down, and it just feels right!

So, what are my goals? Right now, my goals are to follow my beliefs behind this blog. To clarify this for myself, the following are my goals:

1) cook more healthy foods and to make more foods from scratch and try to be more sustainable in what we eat

2) make time to be creative

3) try to live as natural a lifestyle as possible

4) spend more time in direct play with my kids

5) get my stuff organized

6) hopefully start an etsy.com shop

7) try to learn more about the things I am interested in instead of just knowing a little bit of information!

I could and probably should be more specific. From my professional career, I know that goals are supposed to be written certain way and these are not. I need to refine them make them measurable and more specific, but for now, it will do. I have more time to get more specific. I may write another post about the goals when they are more clear, but for now this will do!

Amy

Wishcasting Wednesday: What do you wish to make time for?

This is such a loaded question.  Jamie, over at jamieridlerstudios.ca, asks, "What do you wish to make time for?"


There are so many things that I need to make time for.  I need to make time to pursue my dreams, organize my life, spending time with my husband with no one to interrupt us, getting my chores on track (especially laundry), time for exercise and meditation, creating, etc.  Part of me thinks that there is just not enough time for all the things that I want to do, but then there is another part of me that says I just need to lower my expectations and make time, even if it is just a small amount of time.  Sometimes I think that I expect everything to be perfect and then I don't do anything, because I know it won't be perfect.  Sometimes I think I sabotage myself with my expectations.

I wish to make time for all the things that I want/need out of life, just with lowered expectations.  I also wish to make time to figure out who I really am and what I really want out of life (which is pretty obscure and why I wrote down some of the concrete things that I know I need and want to make time for).

Amy

Organizing

I've been talking a lot about getting myself organized.  Well, I finally attempted it today!  I feel a little guilty since I spent time cleaning and organizing most of the day letting the kids watch a hefty dose of Caillou.  The guilt that I feel about letting the kids watch tv definitely competes with the satisfaction of putting together and organizing my crafts.  I still have a ton to do, and a ton to clean out and donate (which I so don't want to do because I love each and every supply that I have bought for the different crafts that I love) since I no longer have any room for everything I now own.

The first thing I started with is organizing my material and my yarn.  Holy craft supplies, do I have a ton of yarn and a decent supply of fabric.  Right now I have my yarn sorted by fiber content.  I have a couple of small boxes of cotton yarn separated between color and neutrals.  I have a large and medium size bin of yarns that are mostly synthetic, and a large bin of yarn that is mostly 100% wool with some blends thrown in.  All bins have more than one project in the works in them, plus I have a decorative bin in the living room with projects in it  Now I can go into each bin and know what I have for yarn in what type of fiber content instead of trying to find it all mixed in together.

My material has been organized by either fabric content, color, fat quarter, or pattern ie holiday, child, etc.  I have a decent amount of fabric that has mostly been bought for different potential quilts.  I have a couple bins that have material set aside for different possible projects that have been planned, but not started.  I have a bin of patterns, plus a bunch of patterns that are in my closet, and a couple by my bed.  I have my box of thread and notions all together, but I'm sure that there is more sewing stuff that needs to get organized.  I do have a decent bag of material and yarn that I am going to donate.  Now that I think about it, I should probably keep a large piece of blue striped fleece and give away the ugly green fleece that I bought for some unknown reason.

I still ahve the rest of my craft supplies to go through.  I have a ton of rubber stamps and paper crafting supplies.  I loave to make cards and scrapbook, but I just don't have the time.  It is going to be really difficult to get rid of some of the things that I will be purging.  I may call a friend and see if there is anything that she wants when I decide to get rid of things, if I can bring myself to do it!  I also have my jewelry making supplies that I should go through and see if there are any beads that I can't see myself ever using.  I doubt it as I am usually pretty picky on what beads I buy.  Maybe if I can get my supplies in order, I can start making things again.  Maybe if I can get a spot cleared out, I can start a project and leave it up, instead of having to always clean everything up and then having to take the time to take it out again and clean up again!

My goal is to set aside and area of the basement for a small table or desk.  I am hoping my brother in law leaves soon since he is staying in our basement and making it more difficult to actually be able to get down there and craft.  Even my husband doesn't feel like he can get into his woodshop and do things.  I am hoping to move a drop leaf table that we have to another area for folding clothes,  I am hoping that it will open up an area to have a desk or table or even a make your own desk out of a countertop and file cabinets to set up my sewing machine, and have space to do my paper crafting and jewelry.  maybe then I can also think about selling some of the things that I make if I have a space to set up and do some nice work.

I still have many supplies that I don't have room for, but will not be getting rid of.  I have a small kiln, that had bought for glass fusing and other light projects.  I have all my wood working supplies including my carving tools and my lathe.  I can't believe that I haven't touched any of that since probably before I was in grad school.  I am looking forward to have some time to create and if I can get organized, maybe then I will be a little more able to create more often!

I do still have the rest of the house to organize, but this was a huge start and really needed to be done so that I can get to the other areas of the house.  I think the next area is going through the kids toys.  I have a few that I am getting rid of, but I'm sure that there are more that I can either get rid of or put away and pull out later after I swap out other toys!  I also did semi organize the kitchen, but again, I need to do more.  I am also going to get better at planning my menu for the week and sticking too it.  I have been menu planning , but the problem is I don't always follow it.  I am giving myself a pat on the back for starting to get organized, but there is still so much to do and then maintain!

Amy

What Do I Need To Do?

I have all these ideas and thoughts, but the follow through isn't always there.  With summer being here and my husband being home and Michael in school for the month of July, we have taken advantage of just having 2 kids to take out for our daily walks and have gone for a 4 mile walk usually about 3-4 days a week.  We have also attempted to spend a lot of time with the kids playing outside and maybe even getting some gardening done.  What we haven't really had is a set formal schedule other than Michael's school.  What this has done for me, is to take away some structure that I had and now I haven't gone and done a normal grocery shopping, made a normal meal plan, cooked dinner, cleaned house, done laundry, made time for creating, gone to any farmer's markets.  This means, my goals of being organized, eating healthy, being creative, etc have all gone by the wayside.  Also, we have my brother in law staying with us, and as much as it's not his fault, it has really either caused some planning issues or at least given me a way to rationalize (albeit an abnormal rationale) why I am not getting things done.

One of the reasons that I like writing this blog, is that it helps to keep my head a little more clear about what my goals are.  I may not always follow through with them, but at least I am thinking and writing and hopefully following some of them.  To give myself some credit, I have been exercising.  I have made some better meal choices, though not always great.  I have started making water kefir and milk kefir, though I am feeling like I am getting behind in that area as well.  I have been having some green smoothies, though I really want to have more.  I really want to start menu planning again.  For some reason, having my husband home has made me lazy in this area.  I need to get back on track.

Long and Short Term Goals?:

1. plan my meals for the week
2. have a green smoothie every day
3. exercise
4. be creative
5. cook/eat at home versus eating crappy unhealthy food out
6. continue to read more about aromatherapy and herbs
7. continue to research nutrition and healthy diet
8. reasearch and get new recipes
9. read and follow "the Body Ecology Diet", and allergy diets
10. go grocery shopping
11. finish Rebecca's baby shower gift!

Thanks to those who read!  I love having a place to put my thoughts and ideas down and sometimes even get comments/thoughts back!

Amy

Getting My Life Organized

I've written a lot about my desire to get organized, so I will not belabor the point.  I am slowly getting there, but it is certainly going to take some time.  I have gotten a couple of shelves from freecycle to help get some of the toys we have organized and it actually seems to help a little.  My biggest problem is maintaining what changes I make.

One of the newest areas that I need to work on organizing are the different things that I do to help me live a handmade and natural life.  One of those areas is my recipes for natural house and beauty products.  Right now, I have all the different recipes in different areas.  My goal is to put these all in one notebook, separated between household products and beauty/body product.  I have been making both my own toothpaste and my own deodorant and I really want to make sure that these recipes are at my finger tips so that I don't have to go searching.  I know the basics; baking soda, cornstarch, coconut oil, and essential oils for the deodorant and just plain baking soda and essential oils for toothpaste.  I also have been making my own body cream and I really need to write down exactly what I use since my husband has a specific cream that he finds works extremely well.  At this point, I need to go through what I have for recipes and start organizing them so that I can easily find them when I need them.

I am also going to try to start off organized when I start learning about herbs and diet.  I have my notebooks and my organizer, now I just need to make sure that I take notes in the right notebook and keep things organized and orderly.  Getting and maintaining my organization will help me be able to get everything I need so that I can make the different products I need when I need them and not have to go searching for how to make them.

Amy

Operation Get Organized To Start Tonight

I've written about my need to get organized and I have made a few small changes, but I now need to go full force and "just do it".  When I go home tonight, I will put the kids to bed and start cleaning and organizing one room, maybe my husband will even do one room, and then we can have 2 rooms done (we only live in a five room house not counting the basement and the garage.  If he and I can tackle the kitchen and the living room tonight, that means just the bedrooms will be left and one of those bedrooms is the kids room which is actually not going to be bad to clean since there is not much in that room.  My room and the spare room are going to be tough.  I even thing that the kitchen and the living room are not going to be bad.  The thing is, once we have it clean and organized, we need to keep it that way.  I need to remind myself that even tough I am tired, ok exhausted at night, if i do a little each night to maintain it, it will only take a short time.  One of my friends recommended http://flylady.net and since I've already looked at her web site, I know that she is a major advocate of making sure that you have a shiny sink before you go to bed, for example.  This means, don't leave a sink load of dishes to wake up to the next morning because it will totally get out of hand before you know it.  Another example she recommends wiping down the sink in the bathroom after you finish your morning routineI just need to do these things not just talk about doing them.  I am tired of feeling overwhelmed with my house.  I am tired of feeling to tired to do what needs to be done.  I need to keep on top of things so that I can not be as stressed as I am right now.  I need to stop watching tv, which is something that I never used to do.  I am on my way  to Fly lady's website now to remind myself what I need to do tonight and ongoing.

Instead of just writing about what I need to do, I am going to actually do it.  Maybe one of my next posts will be my house is clean and organized and I am maintaining it the way I want to!

Any other suggestions on maintaining a clean and organized house are greatly appreciated!

Amy

Organization

I am in the process of meal planning for the next month.  Initially it felt overwhelming, but then I read the post of a twin mom friend and it didn't feel so overwhelming.  She is using a calendar white board that she got at Target.  I haven't gotten to Target yet, but I printed of some weekly calendar sheets from outlook and am using that as my planning for for now.  My goal is to get the white board so that it is up for all to see and will be in my sight when I am in the kitchen.  I am hoping that meal planning will save me both time and money and help me to eat healthy and follow through with my dietary goals for me and my family.

Once I get set on meal planning it will be on to other areas of organization that I need to work on.  I really need to get my laundry under control.  Every time that I think I am in control, it gets totally out of control yet again.  I really need to make sure that I wash the diapers daily.  the most I ever go is a day and a half, but I think that it is better all around to do it every morning.  It may seem like a hassle, but I am so happy that I have been cloth diapering for the last year and a half.  It is one thing that I have wanted to do with my kids that I have been able to follow through with unlike my birth plan, breast feeding, limiting tv time (this is something that I drastically have to change). 

The other area is maintaining a clean and organized house.  I get started, but then I just can't maintain.  It is important for me to maintain an orgainized and clean house because once it gets away from me I find it so difficult to get it back.  If I can get this in shape, I will hopefully have more time for my hobbies and to introduce the kids into more arts and crafts, especially now that they are older.  I just finished my latest apron swap and even though it was pretty last minute finishing up, I really didn't get the same anxiety or stress taht I usually get when I am doing something last minute.  I was really happy, overall, with how it came out.  Ii just wasn't too thrilled with the rest of my package.  Yet again, oraganization would have dramatically helped with this.

Here's to being more organized and less stressed!

Amy

Changing One's Lifestyle

So, if you have been reading, you know that I am having some difficulty with my diet and other aspects of change in my life.  I am trying to make some pretty big lifestyle changes that I think will benefit both me and my family.  Again, if you have been reading you know my mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  We found out today, that it is an invasive, semi-aggressive cancer.  For me, this makes me concerned for her, concerned for me and my sisters and concerned for my niece and my daughter.  As of now, 3 generations in a direct line have had breast cancer, this includes my great grandmother, my grandmother and her twin sister, and now my mom.  There are also a number of other health issues that make me want to start changing my lifestyle now, while I am in my late 30's vs waiting for something to happen and then start making the changes.  The biggest lifestyle changes are: diet, exercise, organization, and attempting to limit my stress.

Diet:

With regards to my diet, I am attempting to move more towards a plant based diet with some raw foods added in.  I think that eating a more vegan diet will help my overall health and also since I seem not to tolerate dairy well, I think it will specifically help my digestion.  I have been making a green smoothie for breakfast every day this week and have to say that since I have been doing that, I no longer have the daily headache that I was having for more than a week.  Now, that just might be a coincidence since I was recovering form a monstrous cold/flu and was definitely dealing with sinus issues, but I haven't had a headaches since at least Monday, if not before that.  Either way, I am no longer starting my day off with the carb loaded breakfast that I was used to.  I think just starting off my day with something good and healthy is the right way to start any changes.  I am still having some set backs, but given how I was eating before, I am finding that I am overall heating a more healthy diet, and I think I owe it all to starting my day off right!

Exercise:

I don't really have much to say on this yet.  The winter here in the Boston area has been terrible.  If we had had so much snow, I would have bundled the 3 kids up and taken them for walks, but there is just too much snow, and I am sure that the side walks would never fit a double wide stroller.  And, having 3 kids with the oldest not quite 3, certainly makes exercising in the home that much more difficult.  Since we are nearing the end of February, I am looking forward to the spring thaw.  I can't wait to be able to get out with the kids and just walk.  Maybe this will even be the year that I start running (wouldn't that be a nice goal to complete?).  Now that the kids are older (right now they are 2 and almost 3), I'd like to maybe start taking them into the local hiking trails and going for mini hikes with them.  I am going to try to set aside time to exercise in the house and see if I can include the kids in that process!

Organization:

Just a quick little note on organization.  Right now, things are a little chaotic with changing schedules.  We had cleaned up nicely for the twins' birthday party, then Tom and I got sick and the house was left a little more than it should have been.  Now it's time to get back on track and keep it that way.  This goal will ultimately help with the other goals that I want to work on.

Stress Relief:

This is, in large part, something that I really want to make a priority.  Again, eating right, exercising, and being organized are all going to play a major role in this goal.  I want to keep making sure that I find time for my hobbies.  I think that in general, people don't take enough time to actually do the things that they enjoy.  for me, this is doing something crafty.  That means, while I am sitting watching tv, (or even better turn the tv off and do a project) I pull out some knitting, sewing, scrapbooking etc and work on completing the project at hand.  I also want to actually start meditating and doing yoga.  I just need to make time for this practice.  I also want to make sure that I take time to spend alone time with my husband to ensure that our relationship stays strong.

Conclusion:
These are just some of the goals that I have in my head.  I would also like to learn more about diet and nutrition.  I am enjoying reading people blogs and finding out what are good resources to have to make the dietary changes that I want to make.  I am so looking forward to meeting these goals and starting to make new ones.  For now, though, I am working towards making changes that I can maintain in the long run!

Amy

Time

As you may or may not know, I have a bunch of blogs that I write on.  At a play date the other day, a friend asked how I keep up with them.  It got me thinking and I decided that I really don't have time to update multiple blogs, especially when this blog seems to encompass what I write about on my other blogs.  I have decided, at least for now, to forgo the other blogs and write everything on this blog, that is everything except for things about my kids.  I have decided that the blog about my kids and my family is going to stay separate since I want that focus to remain on them.

Time wise, I am trying to be better organized.  Some days are good and some days not so good.  I just need to maintain the same level of organization, and hopefully that will help me better organize and prioritize my time!  I am trying to not just veg out on front of the TV.  I want to make sure that I use my time wisely so that I can get things done and also relax.  I have decided that Monday night craft night will be spent scrapbooking my wedding, so that something gets accomplished and so that I know what I will be doing that night so I can plan my supplies.  I want to spend time knitting while I enjoy TV.  I want to make sure that I have time to cook and clean.  I need to plan my menus so that I can go shopping and budget my money better as well as my time.  I need to budget my time with the kids so that they get enough mommy time yet things in the house get doen too.

As I write, I am working on a KAL (knit a long ) placemat.  It's a group that I joined and I find fun.  I know that I have other things to work on one being my apron for flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com as well as another apron swap.  I love crafting and I love swaps.  I am really enjoying being creative.  Oh, and I did finish the doll for my daughter, I just need to make some final adjustments.  It came out pretty good for my first time, but it's also a little scary looking.  I'm hoping that some final adjustments will help.

I'm off to menu plan and work on my KAL.  Any suggestions for menu planning are very much welcome! 
Amy

My Blog

I feel like I am constantly writing about my diet and lack of will power, my addiction to all things that I shouldn't be eating, my inability to follow through with the things that I set out to do.  I started this blog because I wanted to make healthy lifestyle changes.  I wanted to eat more whole foods, more healthy foods.  I wanted to live a more green lifestyle.  I wanted to enjoy my love of crafting and homemade items.  Have I followed through with these things?  Yes and no.  Fortunately I still strive for these things.  Unfortunately, I still strive with what feels like little luck. 

1. Diet- I really want to be a vegan.  Lately, I am really not enjoying meat at all.  I seem to be ok with eating things like hamburger, but actual chicken, beef, and pork seem to just churn my stomach.  I haven't eaten meat since Saturday when we had steak that I really didn't enjoy (I really thought I would).  I did eat a taco salad tonight which was bad on more than one front, but I am moving on.  I really need to eliminate the foods that I think I have an allergy/intolerance to.  Now my kids may be facing similar allergies, only theirs may be more involved than mine.  For me, I tend to get digestive issues and maybe some nasal issues, but my kids are having issues with ENT stuff, like fluid in their ears and maybe enlarged adenoids and/or tonsils.  I am cooking more at home and eating out less.  I am eating a little healthier.  I really need to continue on the healthier track with my diet.
2. Living Green-I guess I am doing ok at that.  I re-cycle.  I am trying to re-purpose clothing and free-cycle for things so that I am not buying things new all the time.  We were composting, but since the winter is here, we really haven't been able to get the composter open easily.  I really wish we should start composting again.  I am trying to use my veggie peelings, my veggie ends, etc for things like soup stock.  That way I am making my own, I am not throwing away useful food, and I know what is in there.
3. Crafting and Homemade Items- I really need to focus more on this.  I spend one night a week with a friend to craft, but I never quite plan enough ahead of time so I never have a project (out of the million that I have that i want to do) ready to work on.  I am still buying things at stores(which I wanted to limit).  My twins second birthday is coming up and my older son will be three one and a half months later.  I still haven't made them a quilt.  I still haven't started their birthday gifts (the twins birthday is in a week and a half).  I wanted to start donating crafty things and haven't even thought about that, ok I have thought about it but have done nothing about it!
4. Organizing- I still need to get myself organized.  I am getting better, but it seems like everytime I make headway, something happens and I fall behind.  Sometimes it feels like one step forward two steps back.  I still need to get better at having a plan in place.  Most of this means keeping the house neat and orderly.
5. Exercise (weight loss)- I haven't done much exercising since the summer.  I still chase after teh kids, but that's just not enough.  I need to make time to exercise so that I can be healthy for me and my family.  I hope that when the nice weather comes, I'll be more likely to get out with the kids.  I can't wait though.  I need to find something now!

At least I have down what i need to work on and I want to work on it.  It would be really bad if I just have the energy or the desire to work on it!  I'll just keep plugging away and maybe, just maybe some day I'll get there!

Amy

Organizing

With the new year coming, my goal is to start organizing my life!  I need to organize my week so that I know what I am doing with the kids.  I need to have a plan to get housework and laundry done.  I need a plan so that I can enjoy my hobbies and have my supplies where I can get at them.

I have started a paper organizer that I plan to look at every day to figure out what needs to get done that day.  That is what I would do if I were working, so I am going to still run my life as if I were working.  I am going to get a schedule down so that I know what to expect when.  A friend of mine recommended putting all the different events that are available on the calendar so that I can have options on what to do on what ever day.

I am going to meal plan for at least a week and maybe even a month at a time so that grocery shopping gets done quickly and efficiently and we will hopefully save money!  I will make sure that there are things in the freezer to thaw out in case there is a crazy day in my life (and I never have any of those, right?) and I don't get to cook dinner.  We will be eating out a lot less and eating way more healthy foods.  I will hopefully lose weight in the process. 

As much as I hate to admit it, I really need to build in time to exercise.  I think that if my body were more toned, I would look better than I do right now.  Hopefully I can find a way to build in exercise with the kids so that they see it as fun and not as a chore!

My goal is to have a place for everything and always put everything back in it's place so that the house and our lives stay neat and organized!

Amy

Newest Projects

So the holidays are over and I can breathe a sigh of relief.  Just a few more days and the new year will begin.  This means New Year's Resolutions, as much as I hate them.  My biggest resolutions this year are:  to eat healthier and to get a routine for my day down so that I can have more productive time to create, plan healthy yummy meals, play with my kids, and have a clean house.  I already have a number of projects to work on.  there are the multiple quilts that I have been planning on making, the doll and doll accessories that I want to make, a couple of car caddies for the boys, scrapbooking that really needs to get done, and I'm sure so much more.  One of the things that I need to do to be able to have time to create is organize my supplies and maybe make a place for the kids to play while I create.  I have a few ideas in my head that i need to put into practice.  I am also working on an organizing system to help me plan my days so that the things that need to get done, get done on time and then hopefully I can have more time to do the things that I love to do!  I am hoping for an ipad soon.  I should say, I am getting an ipad for my Christmas gift as soon as it fits into our budget.  I am hoping that it will help me maintain my organization better than my hand written planner that I am planning in using. 

I can't wait to get started on all the different things that I want to make.  I love to create!

Amy

Handmade Christmas

As I've written, I had a plan to have a handmade Christmas.  Due to my lack of organizational skills, I have a somewhat handmade Christmas.  I have completed 3 aprons for the kids.  I have 3 wine sacks to sew, which should tak eno time to complete.  I made silhouettes of the kids for my mom and step-father.  I have a couple of handmade faux food items for the kids that I have to complete.  I had wanted to make a doll for my daughter, but I don't think that it is going to happen before Christmas.  I had planned to make a quilt for my husband with pictures of our life together since we got married 3 1/2 years ago, especially since we got engaged on Christmas, but that too may be a work in progress.  I may be able to give him some pieces that I complete, but there is no way that it will be even remotely completed by Christmas.

I think I may be totally running out of time, given that Christmas is a mere 3days a way.  At this point, I am going to complete the wine sacks since they are easy, work on the quilt for my husband, and last but not least, maybe even finish a blanket that was meant for my baby (18 years old) sister many Christmas' ago.  Even this is a little overwhelming to think about given that it is Tuesday and Christmas is Saturday.  I have an errand to do after work, then it is home to sew at least the wine sacks and clean off my bed.  The other problem is that I am starting to get sick, but I just need to push through it and do what needs to be done so that I can have things finished or at least started enough to have something for Christmas. Unfortunately there is also all the cooking that I have to do, but that shouldn't be too bad.  I think I may have actually organized all that.

I continue to work on organizing my life. I may get a subscription to Real Simple, since it was a recommendation in one of the comments.  I'm not exactly sure what I want to use for an organizing tool, but I am researching and using what I have access to at the moment.  maybe next year, if I get organized, I can have a more handmade Christmas.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas,
Amy

Organization

How was I ever an organized person?  Looking at my life now and looking at my life as a child and a teen, you would never know that I actually strive to be neat and organized.  You would never know that I was once a healthy weight and in shape.

Thinking back to my undergraduate days, I remember being extremely organized to the point of having multiple styles of calendars so that I knew what was happening on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.  When I work at one of my nursing home jobs, I was extremely organized to the point one of my co-workers always knew that I would have copies of required paperwork to give to her.  I also knew exactly where my social work CEU certificates were located and always knew how many I had and need to finish.  There was a time in my life that I had certain clothes in certain drawers.  I had to fold certain clothing items certain ways.  I even had to hang certain items certain ways and in certain places.

Now, if you looked at my life, you would say that I was a mess!  My bedroom looks as if it should be on the show Clean House.  Ok, it's not that bad, but it makes me feel that way.  Lately, I just get so overwhelmed with what I have to do, I just don't do it. 

I need a way of getting my life in order.  I was at Staples the other day, and given that it is almost a new year, I started looking at organizers.  I am trying to decide what kind of organization system is best for a mostly SAHM who works part time and needs a good stategy for getting household tasks completed.  I love the idea of a planner, but is that really all that useful not being in the professional work arena full time?  I did get a comment from a previous post that said to use outlook.  That's an awesome idea, except that I don't have a pc, I have a Mac.  Also, as much as I like technology, I still really like to write things.  Why, I don't know.  There is just somethign about the act of hand writing something that I really like.

My next task is to research planners for SAHM that will help me get organized in the different areas of my life.  I'd love to plan out household chores, weekly meal ideas, crafts that need to be made and completed, birthday cards that need to be sent, etc.  If anyone has ideas, I am more than interested.  Please pass them on.  I will also make sure that I post about any interesting ideas that I find, and what I ultimately plan choose.

Happy Holidays!

Amy