SYL - The rest

The rest.....

Well, I didn't manage to make it through all 52 weeks. I have a couple of excuses but no real reasons. I think I lost momentum and found it hard to get back. Life got extremely busy over the last 2 months. Work took up a lot of my time including computer time.

See, all excuses. I DID have 20 mins every week to read and write my blog post. There is no reason why I didn't do it, I just didn't. I am ok with that from my point of view though. The thing I feel bad about is not reading and replying to the posts of the people still carrying on with the journey. For not commenting on Deb's posts and giving her the encouragement she deserves. I really feel like I've let other people down and this sends me right back to the start of this journey.

I am enough. I have done enough. I have done what I needed for me, other people are in control of their lives, they will hopefully have done what they needed to do for them. I feel sad that I haven't supported them as much as I planned but that is what happened and there is no changing it now. Well I suppose there is a little way to help them, today is a terribly hot day in my house and I'm taking the day off. I can sit here and read and comment on some posts. I have noticed that Rita is still going and I am going to spur her on today. I will also read more of Deb's blog posts because her writing always inspires me and I'm sure I'll find a gem in there that really SPEAKS to me.

So, 2012. What a year. The most positive for me for a long time. It started off negative, I had to think very hard to find positive things to look back on from 2011. I found some though and they were amazing, beautiful things. I still have all of those things now. My family, my health, my material things that give me a comfortable existence. I am happy.

SYL helped me more than I could have ever imagined. I am a different person inside because of it. I love myself, I know that I am enough and that I am worthy of more than I was giving myself. My ideas, dreams and goals are valid and I am well on the way to making them all reality. I am excited about the future for the first time in a long time as well. 

What will 2013 bring? An INCREDIBLE year for me, my family and my business. Little Hannah Bear is going boutique and special next year. I plan to work smarter instead of harder, cut myself slack when I need it and trust in my ideas and designs. I have my workbooks ready to help me achieve my incredible year for both business and life.

http://leoniedawson.com/shop/kits/incredible-year-workbook-calendar/

Deb, you taught me that I am right brained. That I work best with concrete materials. I adore my lists and menu plans. My family works best with chore charts and reward charts. Thank you for helping us find our way. I will be forever in your debt xoxo

I can't wait to get started with 2013. I plan to blog occasionally, for me not for anyone else. I love it. It is a release and I often wonder about the people I used to interact with on here. I hope to track a few down and say Merry Christmas. Make sure they know that they made an impact on me.

Off to write in my workbook and celebrate 2012 before I start all the new plans. The MOST important step in the journey that I learned right here in week 1 of SYL.

Merry Christmas everyone. May the season bring you all love and joy. Good luck with 2013, may it all be INCREDIBLE for us all xoxo

Jo

SYL week 37-38

Week 37 & Week 38

I am back. Full of ideas and inspiration. Determined to see this through and not let the unmotivated, easily distracted side of me win this time. I have said a few times that I have never stuck to anything for very long. I've come to terms with the fact that I have not posted some week's blogs within the time frame but that is more than ok.

I feel like sometimes I am not ready for the challenges. I get a giggle out of irony. I see the ironic nature of me having my biggest blogging break in the middle of the self care block. Right after posting (admitting) that I don't care for myself. The strange thing is that I have started to care for myself more during the break.

I have started to watch what I eat and will be joining the gym on pay day. Signing up for a 6 month membership at the 24 hour gym at the end of our street. I can't wait to hear how I'm going to get out of going there! Surely there are no reasons why I can't walk 10 houses along the street to do a workout! haha. Tomorrow I am even dyeing my hair!! I know!! Shock horror! ;)

There have been bigger break throughs though. I have started putting my needs and wants higher on the priority list. I am now running my own business, officially, and it is what I make of it. I love it and it is important enough for me to spend time on. I am working, I need to look at it in an official sense because I need to remember that I AM IMPORTANT. My business gives me so much more than money. It has made me some fantastic friends. It makes me want to interact with people. Sewing is a great stress relieve and seeing my creations finished and sometimes even on children gives me an amazing ego boost. It makes me proud of myself. This makes it the most important thing that I can do for myself.

From now on I WILL look after myself. I WILL eat right, I WILL work when I want/need too, I WILL exercise and I WILL be proud of myself because ....

source

SYL - Week 36

Simplify your beauty routine


I have to be honest, my beauty routine couldn't be any simpler. I don't have one. It's not like I just do what I feel like when I feel like it, I don't do anything.

I cut my own hair. I very rarely dye it, even though I have grey at the sides. I only wear make up on special occasions (and have to borrow it from my 12 year old daughter because I don't own any of my own). I don't wear jewellery, I do now have some gemstone ones that I wear but that is for the gems, not as a fashion accessory. I have the most gorgeous engagement ring and it is never on my finger.

I'm not like most women. I hate the hairdresser. I find the whole process an invasion of my personal space and very confronting. Massages cause me great pain and they are anything but relaxing. I don't like anything that creates a one on one situation so things like facials are out too. The pressure I feel is on me in these situations makes me anxious just thinking about them. Right now I am feeling it in my stomach.

It is hard to find a way to pamper myself, to make myself feel special. I know I deserve it and it's good for me but what do you do if you hate all the normal girlie pamper things? Usually I go shopping. I LOVE to fabric shop. That is the reason I started my business, I wanted to buy fabric so I had to have more reasons to sew! But that is not spoiling myself because I very rarely make anything for myself.

My wardrobe could do with an update. I have decluttered but I think I could be a bit stricter. Maybe even just buy some new clothes that really suit me and make me feel nice. I think maybe it is time to start to sew for me. I like to dress nicely and would like to lose some weight (ok NEED to) so hopefully I will need new clothes soon. If I make them myself then I can sew, which I love and find rewarding and relaxing, AND get new clothes. Win, win!

I think this week is less about simplifying, for me, and more about getting a routine. I need to dye my hair, I do that myself too. There is no reason why I can't find time to do that on a regular basis. The same as a hair trim. I don't have to let it grow out for 6 months before I put the scissors to it again. I can do little bits regularly.

I would like to start with one half hour a week that is all about me and my beauty/fashion routine. That's not a lot of time at all but it is half an hour more than I usually spend on myself. I need to look after me, I could give myself a facial or polish my nails. I do like to feel girlie, I just don't like the regular ways of getting there. Time for a Google and Pinterest search I think, time to find ways to spoil myself and make myself pretty without having to get in to a situation that makes me uncomfortable!

There, another week, another plan :)

Jo

SYL - Week 33-35

I am determined to finish this challenge. All 52 weeks of it. I have realised that if I got behind with anything else before, I would have quit. I am a new person though, I admit that I can't do everything at once, I can do most things when I find the time or the energy or the skills. Catching up a few weeks at once at the moment, while my life is running on flat out! is enough. 

I am enough 

I think there are 2 reasons why I haven't been visiting my blog. The first is that I really am busy. I am finding it a bit hard to get through my lists and will have to slow down again and start to group tasks to get more done without wasting time wandering from one task to the next. I am so happy that hints and tips from the first 35 weeks of SYL pop in to my head and help me every day. I know that I am making a life change because it is happening slowly and naturally.

The second reason I've been in hiding, in a way, is because I have to face the fact that I NEED this block of challenges. I really need to get moving and get fitter. It is less about losing weight and more about being healthy. When I am physically active I sleep better. This gives me more energy to  be more active the next day. I also eat better and have more fun with the kids.

Week 33's challenge was to Move My Body. I've only just managed to start it this week but Tuesday I walked the kids to the park for an hour's play. Today, Thursday, I walked to kinder pick up. It's a 10min walk and I usually drive. I have many excuses, too cold, not enough time, none of them are real reasons to get in the car, it's just easier to drive. It's not easier to be overweight though! Time for a little pain for a lot of gain!

Week 34's challenge was about Food. Ahhh glorious food! How I love thee. Absolutely hands down, my biggest hurdle to healthiness! When I am at home, I eat well. I don't buy much junk and we rarely have takeaway as a family as hubby works nights and the thought of taking 4 kids out to get dinner is much less attractive than cooking! I know that I need to get the meal planning happening properly. I still haven't found the perfect time to do it as a family, I can't let that hold me back though, I can do it myself or just ask people to add a couple of ideas to a list and then I can sit and plan it at the end of the week.

I love the idea of a 'to try' recipe listl We get stuck with our 'ordinary meals' and no one wants to eat them any more and I don't want to cook them. We are all picky eaters but surely we can find some new things and give one a try each week or fortnight! I love having little goals to work towards. This is my new one!

Week 35 was a rest week. Time to stop and think. Plan the next step forward when it comes to self care. I need better sleep. I need a new mattress. I am planning to get one as soon as I can and then hopefully I will wake up feeling refreshed in the mornings instead of feeling like I haven't had any sleep. I am going to bed early most nights and listen to relaxation/self hypnosis tapes to fall asleep so that part is going well. It really helps, I just need something comfortable to sleep on and I am worth whatever it costs to get it!

Taking a deep breath, diving back in to my busy life and promising to come up for air much more regularly xo

Jo

SYL - Week 32

Balance


Ok, I'll admit it. I was scared to do this week's post. I didn't want to look back on my Wheel of Life. I thought it was possible that I had made some progress towards balance but I didn't think very much had changed.

After getting back in to reading and commenting on blogs, I found that I missed getting really involved with this challenge and it was time to do some real soul searching again. The time management block was great but I forgot to focus on the inner stuff for a while as I set up the concrete materials I need to keep me going. No wonder I was worried about the balance wheel!! But I got a pleasant surprise and not because everything had become perfect but because there was a shift in everything, some up, some down, and the overall look is much more circular...

Week 4

Week 32

I still can't believe how good the last wheel looks. My friendship score has lost a point because I am busy and don't get to catch up as much as I used to, spend less hours chatting on Facebook and my friends are the same. So this is really a good thing, much more balanced. It also means that my wheel lost a layer which makes it look better haha, but I've also realised that I will probably never achieve a level 5. I don't want to either. I am so happy with 3's and 4's. They are maintainable. That is what I want. Not some super impossible live but a nice, happy, sustainable one.

Next step for me is keeping it balanced. Surely the hard work has been done and now I can work on my routines and with practice I can keep this wheel mostly round!

SYL - Weeks 30 and 31

I'm down trodden. Weeks are flying by and I am hardly noticing. I think it's one of those times when I have too much on and I am not organising myself well enough. I used to love blogging, reading, posting, planning, Googling images and quotes. I still want to do it but feel like I don't have the time or the energy.

Tonight I have realised what part of the problem is, a BIG part when it comes to SYL. I am not reading other blogs or commenting on them. I've let myself drop out of the little community that we used to have and it has really taken all of the emotion out of this challenge for me. I need to get that back. I know that week 32 is all about balance and as usual, that is coming along at exactly the right time. I am making sure that I follow along properly though so I will complete weeks 30 and 31 first!

Creating Habits Week 30


I honestly struggle to create habits. I don't have the best memory so if I am not used to do something all the time, chances are I will forget to do it. It's like when I run out of draining paper. It's not something I often buy so I never think of it when I'm at the shops. If it is written on my list I will but if I haven't glanced in the pantry to see what we're out of, then I won't give it a thought. I never forget bread or milk though because I'm in the habit of buying it every single time.


So the trick is going to be to set up the habit in the right way. Some way that will allow me to remember what needs to be done, in a way that makes life simpler.


Obviously, if I put draining paper on the shopping list every week I won't forget to buy it. Habit formed! Problem - we will have a pantry full of draining paper and no room for food. So I need to look at it in a different way. 


The plan now is to write things down as we run out of them. The shopping list sits on the notice board in the kitchen/dining area so that anyone can write on it at any time. On a perfect day, I won't have to check the pantry before I write the list, the list should be already written for me! So far so good with this. Everyone is starting to use it and it has really taken the pressure off me.






I love that instead of giving up like I once would have, I've learned to think outside the square and find a system that works for us. There are many systems out there, I just never took the time to look.






Week 31 is a catch up week, which I obviously needed! I revisited my vision board the other day and it put a smile on my face. Without really concentrating on it, I have managed to move along in recent months and get everything heading in the right direction.

We might not own our own house but we have moved in to a bigger one. One that fits our family well. It's tough to house 2 teenagers and 2 toddlers and keep everyone happy but things are going much more smoothly in this new house. The organisation is still to come, moving was more than difficult and we have gone easy on ourselves but it is time to get in and do a new home audit and get things set up the way we want them.


I spend every night falling asleep to meditation and relaxation recordings. I feel much more calm and centred than I did 6 months ago. I feel like I manage to find more time for myself than I used to.


My business is now a fully fledged business. Little Hannah Bear now has an online store at Oz Handmade and I will have some of my products sold on consignment in a real bricks and mortar store in Belgrave, Vic early next month. It is all so exciting and going so well. I've never known what I wanted to do 'when I grow up'. I think now I do, I want to create. Who knows where it will take me, that is not important right now. Baby steps again, that's what works best for me.


My relationship still needs some work but we're getting there. We won't always have 4 kids at home, 2 of which are little and home with us 24/7. I feel that if we can just hang on to each other for a few more years, there will be time for us. I can't wait but kids grow up way too fast so for now we shall enjoy them all.


This week I am going to find some time to read and comment. I miss the usual bunch of SYL people! I need to get back in touch and cheer them on again. It makes me feel good and that's exactly what I need today 


xo Jo

SYL - Week 29

I am struggling a little at the moment. Trying to find my blogging routine again. Trying to find the motivation and time to sit and write. Trying to fight off the fog that is nipping at my heels. But I can and I will.

Week 29 is one that I have jumped in to. Organise Paper Information is a process that I need to try hard to make habit. I am a 'throw all the mail in a pile on the kitchen table' kind of girl. I have a filofax, it has a whole heap of paid bills and some receipts in it, usually ones that I don't need and not the ones that I do. Maybe I should say it DID have those things in it.....

No matter what my gorgeous Mum might believe, no one needs paid gas bills from 1998 or the original receipt from their first washing machine, 30 years ago. As strange as this sounds, my Mum has a book with the dates bought and costs of most of her big ticket items. We like to laugh but also love to look back and see what things are so much cheaper now or so much more expensive. But, as nice as it is, I don't NEED those things. The above photo shows what was once these unnecessary pieces of paper. They will help our new compost bin make wonderful feed for our new vegie garden! Now I have a filofax that has a few paid bills, some receipts and our important documents in it.

I also managed to set myself up a little 'office' area in the dining room. I have a cork board, white board, to do list, shopping list, weekly chore chart and a 21 habit chart (Most thanks to Kikki.K! Gosh I could spend every dollar I have in that store!). I also have 2 file box things (official name) like an inbox. One for the bills or mail that are waiting to be processed and one for the ones ready to be filed. The kids and hubby are really pleased with this set up. It makes it easy for them to see what needs to be done and gives them a place to write down things they might want or need done.

So we now have the area set up, the filing trays, the filofax for completed paperwork and the supplies needed to keep it up. We are planning to spend Sundays writing meal plans and shopping lists, filling in the to do lists and sorting the calendar ready for the next week. It will take some practise and time to make this a habit but we are well on the way and looking forward to perfecting our system.

We also managed to sit and write a Master To Do List after moving house. We are working our way through that and will revisit that each week as well.

Life may not yet be simple but it sure is on it's way

Jo xo

SYL - Week 27 and 28

Catch up time after moving house! I've missed this whole challenge so much but the things I've learned have been running through my head the whole time. I have often realised that something is not working as well as I think it could and I've been able to think back about SYL and either find a solution or consider my options at least. I love that I am seeing changes in myself and the way I work and think.

Week 27 - Routines and Systems

We have very few routines. I am coming to realise that this is not helping me. It often causes me to be late, underestimate the time I have or the time it will take to do things, it leaves me unprepared for certain things. At the moment I don't have a regular grocery day so I am either shopping 4 times in a week or we're running out of things all over the place because I haven't stopped to realise that it has been 10 days since I last did a proper shop!!


I want to get in to the habit of using one day a week to plan. Plan the food shopping, the weeks appointments, even some family outings or just activities we can do at home. I need to write everything down for everyone to see. Meals, Jobs, Ideas, almost anything! I now have a space in the new house for the pin up board and my folder with my menu plans and lists in it. Now I need to remember to use it ALL THE TIME. This is what I am going to work on, this will be the first step to getting me organised again.

Week 28 - Cleaning

Oh cleaning, you are my Nemesis. I want to be able to get everything done but I honestly feel that I lack the time and energy. When I think about it, I lack time and energy because I'm starting from a cluttered point every morning and finishing there every night. The last house had become the clutter zone. It was too big a job for me every day because I never felt like I got anywhere. This new house will be different!! Once we manage to unpack and organise everything again. Moving has both helped and hindered me in this challenge but I know in 

On to the questions.....


What is your minimum standard cleaning routine?


I am going to set my minimum standards in terms of daily,weekly and monthly tasks. Each task needs to be done at least once in each category.


Daily - 
Dishes
Empty rubbish and recycling
Sweep tiles


Weekly -
Plan for the week. Meal planning, shopping list, appointment list
Vacuum lounge room
Mop kitchen and dining room
Clean bathroom
Do washing


Monthly -
Vacuum bedrooms
Mop hallway and laundry


Ok, that seems so manageable it's almost funny! A minimum that will help make every single month, week and day so much easier. Baby steps again, they work so well. I won't even plan any other way.

What is your cleaning approach?

This one I'm not 100% sure on just yet. I think I'll have a try of a couple of different ways and see which one works the best for us. The daily jobs will most likely be done at the end of each day. The weekly and monthly ones are things I would get done best in the mornings, except probably mopping the floors, that would need to be done at night when the kids are in bed I think.

I think a checklist is a good idea. A print out on the pin board or even a white board. Something that the whole family can see and use, fingers crossed it gets them even more interested in helping.

Do you use any systems to save you time and effort with cleaning?

The system that will help the most would have to be decluttering. Tidying the house as we go and at the end of each day. That will mean that when it comes time to sweep the floor or vacuum, the floor will be ready for it. There won't be toys all over the place or shoes hanging around where they shouldn't be. The 'everything has a home' philosophy is also going to help. It already IS helping because we are remembering to put things where they belong (those pesky shoes especially!).

So I think the way forward for us has less to do with routine and more to do with habit for us. The way I've been able to break it down, with the help of the three questions, has made the way forward clear and seemingly easy 

Oh it's nice to be back,

Jo 

SYL - Week 26

Everything Has A Home

Wow, even when I am moving house, this week is tailored to me! This is exactly the right way to start when organising our new house. Finding a home for everything and keeping it that way. 

Finding a logical home for everything really makes sense now that I sit and think about it. I honestly waste about half my time, every single day, looking for something. Keys, shoes, handbag, drink bottles, hair ties, the tv remote, I could go on for days! The list is seriously endless. The whole family, yes me included, just drop things. On benches, tables, the hallway floor!! It raises my stress levels more than anything else and causes us to waste so much time looking for all these things again when we need them.

While I was packing the other day, I emptied a nice cane box and decided to make it a shoe box for the little kids shoes and put it near the front door. Most of the time this week, Jack and Hannah's shoes have gone in that box, either straight away or when I have seen them laying somewhere and asked someone to put them away. The most important change has been when we're getting ready to leave the house. Everyone knows where to get the little ones shoes for them. We don't have to spend 20 mins searching every room in the house!! Now I just need to find a nice rack or box for everyone else's shoes.

The other tip that I have been doing is putting car keys in a little basket near the front door. This works great for me because I always drop my keys in there on the way past. Trav on the other hand doesn't always and we sometimes have to search for his keys. Hopefully I get can him in to the habit of putting his keys in there instead of his pocket. There is still a problem with this bit though because the basket collects all kinds of crap that no one knows where to put. Little bits of lego, hair bands, pins, badges. All those little things that don't have a designated home all the time.

This is where finding a home for everything will solve post of our problems. Clutter won't collect and we won't waste time searching for things! Our new house has less clutter hot spots (well it looks like it and I'm going to work hard to make sure I'm right!) so I think designated and even labelled areas will work really well. I plan on getting the whole family involved again so we can all think of logical places to home things.

Time to go and pack another box and think about the wonderful, warm, new home waiting for us at the end of the week.

SYL - Week 25

Ahhhh a "catch your breath" week. I need this for a few reasons, mostly because I am so busy I can barely take a breath but also because I need to stop, again, and remind myself of how far I have come.

source

Moving house, starting my own business, sewing for and attending markets, so many things happening this week and continuing for the month of July. I love all of these things, I just wish they were spaced out a little.

I am being pushed out of my comfort zone but I am getting there. I have to make phone calls and organise things like a window repairer and possibly removalists. I still dislike using the phone but I am getting better at just doing it, not over thinking it, and getting it out of the way before I have time to turn it in to a big deal in my head.

I am going to slow down, prioritise and find my way through all of this. I will not stop.

source

Life hasn't become easier, it is just as full, busy and difficult as it has always been. I am just stronger, wiser and more centred than I used to be so life seems a little more navigatable. (I know that's not a real word but I think it should be, it looks pretty good to me haha).

So this weeks challenge for me is to take a breath, look for the path through and take it slowly, one step at a time, all the way to the end.

Jo

ps. I am hoping that I won't miss any link ups while I move house but I am unsure, I will be writing and will catch up when I get back if I lose internet service for a while!

SYL - Week 24

This is the week where I need to find a way to get past the hurdle I always fall at.

Clutter prevention

source

I have decluttered in the past (obviously, or I would have been on the TV show Hoarders by now). I love to declutter, to start again with a blank slate...... but it never lasts. That clean bookshelf, table top, mantel piece, etc, always ends up collecting stuff again. I need to find a way to keep myself motivated to declutter and clean constantly. I also need to teach the rest of the family that if you just put it away when you're finished with it, then there is no tidying to do later. I'm guilty of forgetting this myself of course.

I can tell that we are heading in the right direction. Areas of our house are less cluttered. The mantel piece is a good example, Trav and I cleaned it off months ago as one of the jobs we were going to get done that week. Right now it has photos and candles on it, Mother's Day cards (ok, they could probably come down now but one of them is a pink Super Mum card and I love it!! so they stay until we move house very soon), and 2 bottles of perfume which need to be put away. To me, this is a win. After the last clean of the same area there would have been full of all kinds of things that had been picked up and no one had bothered to find a home for. We are learning and I'm proud of us.

We are moving house in the next couple of weeks so again, this section of SYL has come along at the perfect time. We've had a big declutter so far, more will be done as we start to seriously pack, and I have found the perfect motto to keep in my head as I decide what moves with us and what has to go somewhere else.

source

I love this quote. It is simple and easy. It puts me in control. When I see something, as I pack, this quote will help me stop for a second and think. If it is neither useful or beautiful out it goes! Simple. Must go and get some boxes out of the shed and start packing......

SYL - Week 23

This week was all about Decluttering your wardrobe. 


We did this bit in our clean up last week but I still wanted to write a short blog about it.


I wasn't sure I was ever going to get Sophie, 12 years old, to downside her wardrobe! She is such a lover of clothes, which I'm sure will only get stronger as she grows! She has so many clothes but never anything to wear lol. Such a girl. Well I was pleasantly surprised. Sophie loved the thought of a clean out. She loved being able to get some extra space in her room, which used to be the playroom. So she was in!


Cameron, 14, wasn't as impressed or excited about clearing everything but he did manage to help and was great with the toddlers while we worked.


Hubby, Trav, was fantastic as well. I don't think he needed to get rid of many clothes but he was great for carrying the bags and delivering them to the Salvos for me :)


I really feel like things are coming together. Today we are applying for a new house to rent and I'm so excited about the chance to start fresh, find homes for everything and keep it that way. Now we just cross our fingers that we get this great house!


Oh, I almost forgot about the best bit! I will have my very own sewing room!! My business, Little Hannah Bear, will be a fully fledged business in 2 weeks and I will hopefully have my own space to grow my dream. Maybe one day I will have a room as lovely as this..

source

SYL - Week 22

Decluttering our stuff


This week I'm going to start with the final facts because I'm so proud of them and my family for helping me get it done. We rid our home of 


6 garbage bags of donated items


2 garbage bags of rubbish


2 big boxes of items to take to second hand market (Most came home but will now be donated)


and a pile of hard rubbish ready to go out for roadside collection this coming week.




Impressed? I sure am!! I'm so, so proud of myself, hubby and the teens. We all worked together to declutter the old playroom, which is now Sophie's bedroom, a spot in the hallway that has just become a dumping ground for the things no one know what to do with and the broken items around the house that are going out for collection.


Even though this is just the start of the process, I can already feel the changes. There is less to worry and stress about and less for the kids to mess up. The fact that the whole family worked together, well the little ones just played with the new toys they found at the bottom of the boxes but they were still with us!, was fantastic. I think the thing that lifted my spirits so much was that the teens saw the need for the decluttering and were both more than willing to help us work towards a simple household and lifestyle. Life is starting to have a purpose again, oh purpose, how I've missed you.


We definitely haven't run a sprint race, we've just started our marathon at a great pace. (We still haven't touched our bedroom yet, that will be a day in itself!). I love that I am already looking at cupboards or bookcases and seeing new homes for them, in spaces where they would be much more useful. One of them will be filling up that dumping ground mentioned earlier to ensure that it doesn't get to that point again!


More of the same planned for this coming week, things are really looking up again :)


Jo xo


p.s. I just realised that I managed to achieve my goal from last week. I got this blog post written earlier than last week! Written and linked up on Saturday! haha. I wonder how early I can get next week's post done? 

SYL - Week 21

Home Audit

This feels like it's time to get my hands dirty! I like the hands on tasks, I find it easier to see and measure my accomplishments, especially now that I've learned to look at the things on my Ta Da list instead of my To Do list.

Hubby joined in on this weeks challenge which was really nice. It's hard to get him involved at times because he just doesn't have my passion for all of this which is totally fine but it really was nice to have him on board.

We printed out the home audit sheet and sat down together to discuss each room. We though of the way we used it, or didn't use it, the problem areas and the things that work really well. I found that most rooms had at least one bigger issue and then a few (or more!) smaller ones. The best part of this challenge was seeing, in black and white, that ALL of the issues were fixable. We can do this! We can have a tidy, organised, clutter free, simple home.

We now have a plan for each room and have already knocked a few of the jobs off. This coming week will see us get right in to the de cluttering and that will help sort out some more issues. The planets must all be aligned or something because in my mail box the other day was a brochure from the Council telling us that they were going back to having kerb side hard rubbish collections and ours is the week of the 11th June!! To say I'm excited is an understatement!

Right now we have 6 garbage bags of stuff in our hallway ready to donate to charity. We have a few things earmarked for the kerb already and will spend this week finalising it all. The other plan is to move things out of the house, to the shed, if we are not using them. Perfect example, the exercise bike that has been sitting in the hallway for the last 12 months. Why??!! Firstly, why am I not riding it every day! I'll admit that would help my mental and physical health. Secondly, why is it taking up space, looking messy and just annoying me every day?! To the shed for you bike!!

I was so excited about the home audit and it was everything I had hoped. It has filled me with ideas and information about my house. It has also given me the motivation that I needed.

Now I will sneak in and link up in the last 3 hours! Next week my goal is to link up on Saturday at the latest! haha

SYL - Week 20

My favourite thing about the Simplify Your Life challenge is that, almost every week, I start thinking a certain way or about a certain thing and then I read the next challenge and there it is! It's like Deb has a window in to my mind, don't get too close Deb! it's scary in there!, and she just knows exactly what I need and when I need it :)


I have had a busy week and I am struggling. Life is tough at the moment, just internally, and I am fighting my thoughts more than I used to have to. I think that is because I am fighting them, they were always there this bad, I just usually gave up and let them win. Not this time. Time to slow down, take a break, revisit my goals and find the simplest way forward.


 Week 20 and week 21 are exactly what I need

source

Goal 2 - To declutter and organise the house so it can be maintained easily.

This is the goal that I have chosen to focus on for the next 5 or 6 weeks. I want the whole family to get involved. Show a united front. I know, when we do, we will see some fantastic improvement in our relationships and general family happiness.

I can't wait to do the home audit. Hubby is excited about it as well. We will finish next week with a concrete plan and we will both know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it. It's something we can work on together, use to teach the kids how to simplify their own lives and hopefully start some really good habits with them. I honestly don't want them to grow up to be like me. I want them to have tidy, organised, stress free homes. At least during the week!!

I love being able to blog my challenge every week and finish it with a plan for the following week. I've felt a bit lost through the last few weeks but I'm back on track now! The following weeks are things I can get my hands on, literally! I work best that way.

I'll finish off with some tacky catch cries....

I'm back in the game! Bring it on!

SYL - Week 19

Routines

source

Routines are usually something that I think are a good idea, then I get sidetracked and forget all about them. I know that I've not been very good at keeping up with routines in the past but, just tonight, I think I have actually started to believe the lack of routine may be my biggest problem when it come to clutter, in my life and in my house. Even in my head!


I have friends that feed their children at the exact same time every day. Their children go to bed for a nap at exactly the same time every afternoon. The night time has a routine that goes dinner, bath, stories and bed. I am pretty sure I'm the opposite of these people. My day goes like this....


Get up, feed kids, take 1 to school. Feed little kids when they start to ask for food, lunch can be anywhere from 12-2pm. The littlest can go to bed for a nap any time between then as well, or not at all. Night time routine goes like this.... 


Dinner, tv time, bed. We are starting to put some story time in here. Usually it is the big kids reading to the little kids while I make sure everyone is ready and has everything they need for the night (ooh! I think we're starting our own routine!! A break through I didn't even notice until now!). I think I have just found a starting point. Go me!


I've resisted being a 'routine person' for such a long time because I always thought it wouldn't work for me. I just go with the flow. The words of Dr Phil come to mind....

source

Hmmmm, let's just say it's not working so well. Obviously or I wouldn't be here every week trying to simplify my life!! Time for a change of thinking, time to step out of my safe little, out of routine, crazy, mixed up world and see if I can get it under control. Now for a plan, I'm going to stick with my baby steps because I've already proved to myself that they work best for me.


The new plan will include menu planning EVERY week. I will print out a few weeks sheets so I have no excuse to plan again when the week has finished. The kids loved this and I found it much easier at 5pm at night when I didn't even have to think about what to cook (by 5pm my brain has usually just packed up and left me). This will also help bring the grocery shopping in to our routine. I will HAVE to shop on the same day each week or we will not have any food haha. Sometimes forced routine is good!


The other routine that I need to implement involves the rest of the family. So far I've found it difficult to engage them all in my goals because they are all so different. Trav could live in a house of mess and not even notice that it was there! It honestly just doesn't bother him which is fine, except it bothers me and I'm making this all about me! haha.


The kids are 14, 12, 3 and 1. They even go Boy. Girl, Boy, Girl. So each have their own toys, clothes, shoes, books, bikes or scooters. You get the picture. Stuff, EVERYWHERE! They don't seem to mind where they leave it either. My plan is to make Monday housework day for me. Put everything back where it should be after the weekend and give the house a good clean. Then on Friday afternoon, it is housework day for everyone. Then we can get the house ready for a relaxing or fun filled weekend.


The thing I have to do with this (and I must thank Annaleis from http://www.teapotsandtractors.com/ for this tip!) is make this fun or at least not stressful. I need to smile and just make it all normal. When I stopped to think about this, I realised that I get quite grumpy when I try to get everyone to help, it's not a nice experience for anyone. I don't blame them for avoiding housework like the plague! Housework is going to be normal in our house. Just like the school run or the grocery shopping.


I am finally able to feel a little breathing room after another down time. This roller coaster that is depression, is a tiring ride.


Jo xo

SYL - Week 18

Procrastination

I'm pretty sure I'm the Queen of it! I get side tracked, way laid, steered off course. You get the picture. I have grand plans so often and then I spend the day procrastinating and nothing gets done.

source

This week I have learned a lot. I can now see what is wrong with my last statement and find the first reason for the procrastination.

I have grand plans so often and then I spend the day procrastinating and nothing gets done.

Problem number 1, the words grand plans. I get overwhelmed with grand plans. What I need is a basic plan. Need verses want is a thought process that has really helped me over the last week. I have come out of my dark hole again (thanks to the help of the wonderful people I have found here and my friends) and I have started to see that I need to slow down again, to figure out exactly what I need to do to get through the day.

Some days the washing will need to be done. Other days the grocery shopping will need to be done. Some days I will want to go shopping with a friend. Other days I will want to sit on the couch and eat a giant bag of M&Ms (obviously some days need wins but hopefully not too often!!). Hubby has even started a need/want shopping list on the kitchen table where everyone can write down things we run out of or they think we might buy this week. We want to teach the kids that needs and wants are very different things but often you can have both.

Decision making isn't a huge problem for me. I can usually decide what I want to do or what I have to do. I have a problem with the next step, this is where the procrastination begins. The actual doing. The stepping out the door on grocery day, the getting off the computer when it's time to put the washing on the line. This is where I run in to real trouble most days.

To combat this I have sticky notes (computerised ones) on the desktop of my computer. I found I wasn't using paper lists and notes very well but I do use them on my computer. If I do sit and procrastinate for a while, I can then quickly look at the notes and see what the next step is for today or see what day I can sit and rest if it is not today. This is actually working really well. I can break the day and week up in to bite sized pieces and see it clearly any time I need too. It has given me hope again and helped me put one foot in front of the other this week. Everything seems manageable. I will eventually get around to most of my wants if I just get the needs out of the way and stop putting them off. Stop wasting my own time!!!

My goal for the next week is to follow my sticky notes, make sure I keep them updated and show myself that if I don't waste time, I can get plenty of wants done :)

Hang on a minute, isn't that what I'm trying to teach my kids? If you do your chores on Saturday morning, you can go and play afterwards. If you do your homework, you get to go to Youth Group on Friday night. Oh!! Now I see why they don't really get it. Actions speak louder than words. Looks like we've all got some learning to do this week :)

Jo xo

SYL - Week 17

I'm sneaking in at the tail end of this week. I haven't been myself and I wasn't sure I was even going to get this post written in time but tonight (well technically this morning, it's 2am!), I am going to give it a shot. I suspect it will be a rambling mess but I'm sure it will be good for me.




I am really struggling this week. My depression and anxiety are back at near full force. I am almost house bound because of it and I am scared. I know that I am standing on the edge at the moment. I have a decision to make. To step forward, confront my fears, prove to myself that the effort to breathe, eat, sleep, is worth it. Or to step backwards and let the dark embrace me again.


This is a decision that needs to be looked in to deeply. I need to take my time and weigh up the pros and cons. I think. Maybe it's as clear cut as it seems. As if I would step backwards, make the fight harder, let the demon win. As if there is any chance but to pick myself up and continue the fight, for my husband, for my children, for my 2 best friends. But I do have a choice, I do have a decision to make. At the moment I can't make it so I'm just staying here on the edge. Either step seems to be too much effort right now.


Decision making comes easy to me at times. I know that the less impact the result has, the less time I will worry about it. When I do the shopping, I go by price first. The biggest issue is money so the decision is made by that mark. When I dress the kids, the biggest issue is their comfort so I dress them to suit the weather or the activity. Easy done.


The process gets a lot harder when the path I choose will take me towards something that will make me anxious. I hate to leave the house, I avoid it where I can at the moment. My eldest son needs a new pair of school shoes. To get them, I need to take him to the shops. I can't do it, the anxiety is too much. He has a pair of runners so has been wearing them to school even though he isn't supposed to. This has put off the need to make the decision to go to the shops and buy him new shoes. If I had done it a week ago, I wouldn't still be anxious about it. It would be done and I would have moved on but instead, I am sitting here still worrying. Knowing that tomorrow is Sunday and it's the day I am going to have to buy him new shoes. The mole hill has turned in to a mountain. Why? Because I didn't make the quick decision that was called for last week.

Source

I have learned that I need to categorise the decisions to be made. Spend time considering all the information for the important ones and just make the less important ones. I am making life so much harder for myself by hanging on to issues and problems that are not worthy of my time and energy. The school shoes should be bought because they HAVE to be. There done. Tomorrow we are going shoe shopping. There is no danger at the shops, no giant monster waiting to eat me. No one cares that I am there or what I am wearing just like I don't care about them. I can do this. I think.

I wish I didn't have such bad paranoia. It is always my undoing. I over think, over analyse, then just plain make stuff up in my head. It is so tiring and so destructive.  The sign post in the picture above sums up my head perfectly. There is so much in there, so many things pointing in different directions and I get confused. This week I am lost, confused, bewildered and unsure. I need to stop again, rest and recuperate. Start again early next week with a plan, a list and a goal. I already miss the happy, confident me I was starting to see in my posts.

I have just realised something. I knew this post had to be written tonight. It has worked.

My decision is already made. I will take a step forward. If I really wanted to take a step back then I would have already done it. Now to sleep and muster up some energy to fight the demon even harder tomorrow.

Jo xo

SYL - Week 16

I just have to say..... Week 16?!?!?!!!! That means there is only 10 more weeks until the middle of the year. Wow! Ok now better get on with it! (see what time management is so important for me? I'm already wasting blogging time!)

When I read that this week's task was all about slowing down I knew that it was going to put me a little out of my comfort zone. I am so used to doing 10 things at once and having 100 things on my mind at the time. I was determined to give it a go though, I was even a little excited at the thought of clearing my head and getting less done but doing it better. That is exactly what I got.


I started off the week by writing myself 3 tasks to do each day. These were to be the minimum effort required. Every day seemed to focus on something different as well, me time, family time, hubby time, exercise, it was all in there. I was proud of the way I had set it out and I put it as the desktop background on my laptop so I could look at it during my down time at night.

Week Start

I had lots of success at the start of the week. I was more organised and had taken the pressure off myself. The decluttering of the previous week had really helped here as well. I knew what I had to do and I was getting it done. I also sat with the kids (Trav was at work) and we came up with a 1 week meal plan. They really enjoyed this and have referred back to it many times this week, even if once Sophie, 11, had a tantrum because she got her days mixed up and looked forward to chicken schnitzel all day when in fact we were having spag bol. I understand her pain!!

At the end of the week, I sat and reviewed my list of tasks.

Week End

I am really proud of the way things went for the first 4 days. Thursday night Trav did the dishes for me because I had a really busy day. That was really nice. From Thursday, the wheels started to fall off. I was busy sewing new items to sell and got really excited and carried away and forgot to stop and reflect on what was important and urgent. Most of the tasks still got done for the end of the week but they weren't all done on the intended day. I made myself cover as many as I could though because quite a few involved spending time with Trav and the kids and they were loving that.

I was really upset that I had finished the week badly when I realised that I had just been shown how planning works and why it is beneficial for me. The start of the week was refreshing and almost easy, the end of the week we were running late, I was anxious and overwhelmed again. Why? At the start of the week I planned and stuck to it, at the end of the week I had all but forgotten about it until the end of the day.

So I am totally in love with planning now, even meal planning. Already knowing what was for dinner really was a load off my mind and Cameron, 14, even helped me prepare dinner most nights. He is cooking at school and instead of me being all flustered and sending him out of the way, we both knew what we were cooking and had fun. I am now a meal planner!

I have decided to go back to my baby steps and plan from Monday to Thursday and then do a new plan on Thursday that will cover Friday and the weekend. I am not used to looking a week ahead and planning activities, I need to just do a few days at a time and then, as things change, I can include them in the plan later in the week. Once again, somehow, I have managed to start a day feeling very down on myself but stopped and looked and saw my lesson to be learnt. 

Life is not easy but if I plan and go easy on myself then I can do this.

SYL - Week 15

Conduct a time audit. 4 simple words that, as soon as they were read, spelled reality to me. Time to stop, look, listen and think. How much time did I really have in each and every day? How many tasks did I need to do each day? How many was I getting done? How many of these are actually important?


I have never seen a time management matrix before and I now love it and have spent the week thinking of things in terms of the 4 quadrants. It is great to see and notice the difference between urgent and important and urgent but not important. It is that quadrant, number 3, that gets me off track and wastes my time the most. The email I HAVE to check, the Facebook post I HAVE to read. All very urgent but not at all important. Especially if I'm in the middle of cooking dinner! Unless an ingredient is stored inside my laptop, I shouldn't be touching it whilst in the middle of preparing a dish. Seems simple but I have been getting distracted by things like this because I never bothered to slow down and consider if they were important at that very moment or not.


I have realised that I don't have enough time to complete all the things I should, or think I should, be completing each day for 2 reasons.


1. I don't prioritise. I need to stop thinking of everything as a job I need to do today. Yes I need to trim the trees but if I have done 5 loads of washing, the dishes, bathed the kids, vacuumed the floor and done some sewing, then it's not surprising I haven't trimmed the trees. I need to make a list of what needs doing and when, then I will be able to work in order of need and everything should eventually get done. (Should!! I've yet to put this in to practice properly).


2. I get distracted. This happens because I feel overwhelmed. I manage to clean 3 rooms at once and can't see what I've done in the last hour. I need to get one job done at a time so I can see results. Making lists will really help me here as well. I will be able to chip away at the jobs, already knowing what comes next so I can easily move from one to the next.


So the next move forward is to write a big master to do list and also have a go at a 'brain dump'. I'm sure I'll feel so much better with a concrete list to look back at all the time instead of carrying everything around in my head like an overfull handbag! (we all know how those can get don't we ladies!). It will also help hubby know what needs to be done instead of having to always ask. His brain doesn't work like mine, he seems to have an open box that things just fly out of instead of a bottomless handbag haha.


Priorities will go like this... Housework/Family. Me time/Sewing. Facebook/Socialising. 


I am feeling so positive today and I'm starting to realise that I have plenty of time in the day, I just don't always spend it on the right things. Time to revisit my goals and values and take another wonderful baby step in the right direction. I've never managed to continue anything for 15 weeks in a row I don't think!! I only made it to the 3rd day of the photo a day in April, oops! In my defence, I was away for half of it with no internet access so forgot what to take photos of! lol.


I'm so glad to have some wonderful blogs to read, gorgeous people to comment on my blog and a focus towards a simpler life than I have ever had before. Huge, giant, enormous thanks to Deb for her post every week that helps me clear my head and keep stepping forward xo