Forging Ahead

I love reading books that promote action in me.

There is an organizing book that I got for Christmas that I'm working on. I didn't think the lessons were sinking in, but then I woke up the other morning with an unrelenting desire to organize the top cupboards of my kitchen. Not just clean them, but actually make them function better .... this happened the day after reading about "zones" in the kitchen. Honestly, I didn't think I needed to do that, but I slept on the idea and a new day brought to light the benefits of such action in perfect clarity.

I started by tearing everything out what wasn't part of what I thought the cupboard should be used for... the cake mixes came out of the spice cupboard, the giant jar of peppercorns came out of the medicine cupboard, the chocolate chips came out of the tea cupboard, etc... these things had made their way to these spots because that's where they fit -- bad excuse!

Then with these extra things removed, I realized that I could put things where they belonged!

By putting everything in cupboards that had tasks in mind (baking cupboard, spices cupboard, dry goods cupboard, etc..) I managed to not only FIT everything (no more boxes stacked on top of the cupboards!), but it just makes it so much easier to find everything now. (I know it's common sense, but its still amazing when it happens in real life).

And as a bonus, I was able to consolidate doubles that I had of things (multiple cupboards = multiples), and be honest about what I was going to use, or not. Many packages unopened are going to the food bank, and some other long-past-due things went into the garbage, with the promise to myself NEVER to buy those items again. And then I celebrated by making home-baked macaroons for the first time! Mmmmmm.....

I wonder what's going to be in next week's chapter? Organizing the cutlery drawer to cause total world peace? Yes, it feels just that good to have genuinely good-functioning kitchen cupboards.

Namaste

My chiropractor has been telling me for years.... if everyone did yoga he'd be out of a job.

And I did take yoga classes for a while and found them wonderful but also terribly difficult and expensive.... so I bought a DVD and found it even harder because no one was there to correct my posture mistakes. I'd huff and puff and fall over alot, and it wasn't fun. I hate to admit it but I gave up very easily.

Just the other night I was whining to my husband that my back always seems to be giving me grief... and he replied -- quite pointedly -- "you never do your excercises" -- ouch the truth hurts!

I found a DVD at the library.... "Yoga for the Rest of Us".  Looks pretty easy going so I borrowed it.
HOORAY!
A truly beginners yoga! It was broken down to simpler poses for people with mobility issues (yes it was demonstrated by seniors), and I was still tired and thoroughly stretched by the end. The Yoga for Old Folks was just my speed. I'm embarassed by that, but suitably proud of myself for doing it right to the end that I will do it tomorrow too!

I admit that I am out of shape and not flexible, but you have to start somewhere.... Confucius said:


"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
 
And another of his gems:
 
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
 
I am on the road to UNDERSTANDING  flexibility, balance and freedom from back pain!
 
Wish me luck.

Mini-break

I had a wonderful opportunity this weekend to slip away with a dear highschool friend to visit another dear highschool friend,overnight, in the lovely capital city of BC.

Up-island friend showed up on my doorstep Saturday morning and we slipped away to the down-island friend's home to return Sunday afternoon. It was wonderful to spend time with my friends and a welcome respite from the clutter, responsibility and hustle and bustle of everyday life. I should explain briefly: These friends of mine have made the lifestyle choice that I did not have the courage to make.... they are childless with no regrets. Their lives are very different from mine in varying degrees, and I salute their choices! They did not let social pressures dictate where their lives MUST go. They saw their lives as a complete picture, and went the way that worked best for them.... the friends I have are friends I deeply respect with babies or not.

Okay, really that is beside the point of my weekend other that the fact that it was much QUIETER than I am used too. And much CALMER in every way. We talked about books, about our jobs, and even touched lightly on potential future adventures. We browsed home-decor stores with unhurried pleasure. We ate in delicious (yet economical) restaurants at our own pace.... Tibet for dinner and Vietnam for lunch.... mmmmmmm..... with conversation that was decidedly grown-up with no uninterruptions other than the waitress asking "anything else for you?" ("why yes, let's try THIS too").

Not only did I have the utter JOY of reconnecting with real friends, I didn't step on a toy for more than 24 hours!

wonderful teachings by the Dalai Lama

There are lots of wise things he suggests... but I'm highlighting this one first.....

Follow the three Rs:
1. Respect for self
2. Respect for others
3. Responsibility for all your actions

Are you following these rules? I if more people did, this would be a kinder, gentler world  -- not just for humans, but for all living things.

Everyday Minimalist

The Everyday Minimalist is having a giveaway!

(Even looking at the cover calms me and brings me to an insiprational place of uncluttered bliss! )

I think it could be a good book to help me on my journey towards minimalism... and we all know how much I LOVE reading these books and applying the techniques in my own life.

This journey has been full of notable successes thusfar. A quick review of all my tagged "decluttering" posts over the years makes me feel like I've actually accomplished something. Even thinking back to my home 2 years ago versus this year... cupboards close better, most everything has a place called "away", chosing an outfit in the morning is so much easier... it helps keep me going.

The goal is not just to get rid of stuff, its to free up SPACE to find PEACE in my home, to make cleaning easier, to honour what stuff I value by not having it lost in crap, by chosing quality over quantity.... the reasons to embrace mininimalism are calling loudly and clearly at me (in a good way), and I am answering bit by bit, box by box, room by room....

I hope Everyday Minimalist picks ME!!!

I'm on a roll

I'm feeling inspired in the kitchen again!

Last week I was too lazy to go down to the store to get soft tortillas for our taco dinner, but I did have corn flour,so I made my own taco shells/wraps! Because I don't have a tortilla press, they turned out a little oddly shaped, but so easy, fast and DELICIOUS!

Then, I made an Indian flatbread (Roti) to go with the butter chicken just a few nights ago... again delicious!

Yesterday I braved my fear of leven bread making and made pizza... even the crust... from scratch. It takes more time and more elbow grease with the need to bring the yeast to life, then make things rise twice and the kneeding and stretching too.... but the results were very good...

My husband is loving this new found food phase of mine (he loves all things bread-related).

I just had no idea that the ingredients were so simple... and the results so much more amazing than store-bought.

Off the bread topic... I'm also doing good on the other elements of the meals.
Meals lately have included: Tacos/Butter Chicken/Pizza/Creamy Basil Pesto Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes/Homemade Spaghetti/Lamb Shepherd's Pie/ Roast Beef and mashed potatoes

Food is so much fun!

Hot and Cold

Well... hello?!

I didn't expect to see this yesterday morning!

The teen in our house was enlisted to scrape the driveway (and I cleared my own car)....

And later in the day we went for a good long hike in the woods... the views were spectacular with the sun sparkling off the fresh snow. It was lovely. Sunny. Calm. Clean and crisp!

I wish I could say we all matched the weather though.... Steve the teen has a nasty intolerance for our neighbour's boy. He is 2 years younger exactly (since they share a birthday) and only a tiny bit taller than my 9 year old -- yeas he is very small for his age. For some reason, this little boy gets Steve RAGING like nobody else. AND when we he was coming on the walk he shook and fumed and even cried. Not a pretty thing to see. The walk it self went very very well. They didn't clash at all, and the boy kept to entertaining Cami, and didn't bug Steve at all (of course I warned him ahead of time I didn't want any fights today). I honestly think he likes getting a rise out of Steve. It's easy. And probably feels powerful to get someone older and much bigger to lose control (and get in trouble for it).

And I wish I could say waking up to a new morning this morning fixed the negative tension in the house, but it didn't. Both the boys were grouchy and weepy and tense. They whined about EVERY LITTLE THING that was their normal routine.

And I'm sad to say, I snapped.

Sometimes I feel taken advantage of. They don't seem to think they have to contribute to the running of the house or even their own lives. They want us parents to do everything for them. I guess I'm lucky I don't have to wipe their butts anymore!

After getting them out of bed, making their breakfast (no "thank you'"s to be heard) and packing their lunches and asking them to get dressed and cleaned up... downstairs (already too far behind in the schedule) they start mentioning the stuff they were supposed to bring to school..... THEY HAD A WHOLE WEEKEND TO GET THIS ORGANIZED! Then Steve crossed the line... I'd been getting more and more stressed as the morning wore on... while I was running around looking for Cami's planner upstairs, Steve TOLD me to get him a pack of gum from the cupboard.... arr! I didn't find the planner and I threw the gum downstairs at the boy and  I stormed downstairs ranting about how I'M NOBODY'S SLAVE.... etc, etc.

Everyone left in a bad mood. But Cami and I ironed it out on the way up to the school (we walked because the roads are frozen).

I hate feeling taken advantage of. I hate losing my temper, I hate not knowing if I'm doing the right thing for my kids.

ONE MORE THING: Steve has finals coming up. He needs to study!

We told him last week to study. Again at the beginning of the weekend to study, and every day that he had to study.... but he didn't even pick up the book.
What am I supposed to do?
Open the page to the stuff he's supposed to know and jam his face in it?
Am I supposed to turn the pages for him too?!

He thinks I won't let him fail or something... maybe I just should step all the way back (and warn him ahead of time that I'm doing it) and let him fail. In highschool he can do that. I want him to be accountable, but I don't want to let him get crushed or abandoned either.



 Okay. Rants over. Back to our regular programming of decluttering, lovely photos and good things.

too much still

I was clearing off my dresser today (for the millionth time in this house-- it is one of those "zones" that collects stray items that have no business there) and marvelling how DUSTY it was... I mean REALLY dusty! So I got out the dusting cloth and took everything off the dresser and dusted each item.
It's not that long between dustings, honest....
then I decided the floor could use a vacuum too.
Oh yes it needed it. There were dust bunnies as big as rhinoceros lurking around the base of the bed.
This is when when I wish MOST for a minimalist living space. Just imagine....no dressers (just a closet with a built in drawers off the floor) and nothing on the bedroom floor except the bed itself, maybe some "floating side tables and wall hung reading lamps... ah yes, that would be cleaning-day awesomeness!
Every other day of the week I like my bedroom furniture quite a bit. I think it's nice to look at and very functional.

Here's the thing.... in the "old" days -- just a couple generations ago -- houses (and bedrooms) were smaller.... so how did the rooms function?
Mine feels crowded most of the time (especially on cleaning day).
Was it just a matter of they had less clothing?
If that is the answer, then I will have to see what I can do to get to that place.
I can account for the larger houses in the other rooms as a matter of needing a place for all the "must have" modern items -- TV, stereo system, computer, major appliances, dishwasher all the minor appliances.... they all need their space and sometimes their own ROOMS.

But, back to bedroom... I think I'd like LESS STUFF in there. So that means I need to get rid of MORE. It's hard when everyone pressures to UPGRADE the wardrobe to the latest fashions... it's hard to get rid of things when I have too many perfectly good sheet sets, too many perfectly nice sweaters and other clothing that I enjoy owning...

... nuts. Who am I kidding? I will keep it the way it is. I will fume everytime I need to dust and I will try to find peace with it....

Right on the mark

I think the BEST way to learn respect for anything is to be well educated with it. I don't just tell my kids "don't do drugs". I tell them what happens in the body when taking them, what it costs our society, how unpredictable the results can be, how ignorance gets people in trouble with the law, and then I drive them downtown and show them the tragedy of what long term drug use can turn a person into. Not pretty, not fun, not smart.

That is why I encourage my boys riding their bicycles (hand eye coordination and cause and effect are very quickly learned on wheels). I think real life is more valuable than videogames (even though more and more careers rely on computer knowledge). It's also why I embraced dirtbiking for us as a family. Respect for the complicated workings of an internal combustion engine, (and the cost of maintenance) clutch, brakes, emergency avoidance maneuvers... my boys will be well educated by the time they are 16 in these areas.

Another thing I really want them to be smart with is firearms. Don't panic, there isn't a big gun-toting problem around here.... I just think things like being SMART around firearms is better than being blissfully ignorant with only video game representation experience. T's brother hunts, guns are a big part of his outdoorsmanship. I think learning to SAFELY aim, shoot and care for something as regulated as a rifle is a good life lesson on so many levels. I loved target shooting as a kid, I loved the HARSH inflexible rules of gun handling, and I loved oiling and cleaning such a precision instrument. And you know what? I think it made me less afraid of a gun weilding boogeyman.

We decided this year we'd try to get a family membership to the Rod and Gun Club. They have all sorts of cool survival camps and teach bow shooting as well as firearm shooting in a controlled environment.
I feel good about it. Knowledge is power.... if my kids aren't great in the school world, at least they can be well prepared for everything else that I can think of.

Books I am reading

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbar Kingsolver

I have learned a lot about the trials and rewards from eating from your own soil. It is an inspiring and daunting notion, but it encourages me to eat foods from "closer to home" and keep my mini-veggie plot goin and growing! I have ideas for year round crops now, and I'd love to keep chickens one day.

The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan

Same sort of idea, mindful injestion. Keeping educated where the foods we eat come from, being really concerned about what sacrifices are made to have the foods we want all year round. So far I am 2/3rds through it. It's just one of those books that's making me THINK, so I'm taking my time with it. If ignorance is bliss, I should be feeling miserable

The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood

A different spin on post-apocolyptic story. Pharmaceutical mega-corporations have redesigned the world and are now the only ones wealthy and powerful enough to run it... complete with policing, health and all avenues of employment.... the only ones even trying to resist are religious zealots, one group obsessed with all-natural living and self-sourced gardens (again with the mindful food connection!), but even they are under fire eventually. What happens after the pharmas lose control of EVERYTHING?

That plot was very interesting and the characters were engaging. I liked the present/flashbacks timeline mixed with the poems and songs. I could relate with the book and it's primary concerns for where this modern world is heading with our blind consumption of pharmaceuticals and processed foods. In typical Atwood style, it was a little uncomfortable to read. But that's a good thing sometimes, right?

Makers, by Cory Doctorow

(I just found out it has a free download if you are interested. )

The story followes a group of a group Doctorow characterizes as being composed of "people who hack hardware, business-models, and living arrangements to discover ways of staying alive and happy even when the economy is falling down the toilet."  Written as not too far into the future, mega-empire companies like duracell or kodak can't exist anymore, it's the little guys, the freelance inventors that are keeping consumerism moving worldwide. But even that doesn't work for long, so these characters exist by finding ways to express themself, to survive and even thrive creatively.

Being a creative person myself, this book appealed to me. It would be very very cool to make something that everyone wants, even temporarily! And the extremely casual lives these characters have is so BRAVE to me!

NEXT ON MY READ LIST:

Never too Late, by Gail Vaz-Oxlade
A guide to taking control of money for retirement. I'm a big Gail fan (I read her blog everyday) so I was tickled pink to get her book for Christmas!

One Year to an Organized Life, by Regina Leeds
It promises... "From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good" also a Christmas present!

Also, I have a HUGE pile of recreational reading to go through, I'm not kidding, it's a really BIG, TALL pile!... Eat, Pray, Love is something I am particularly looking forward to.

Goodbye 2-O-1-O

A chilly, bright start to the new year. The leaves on the ground are delicately decorated with frost, it's very pretty, and very slippery too.

I am sad to see 2010 is gone forever. I enjoyed writing it 
" 2 - O - 1 - O "
2011 just looks so scrunched up at the end..... but I don't have to worry about that for long, if last year was any indication, this one will be whipping by all too quickly!

Good things happened in 2010, I expect more good things for the coming year too.

As for the reolution... I did NOT find a place for everything in my home, but I made valiant strides in that direction, so I honestly wouldn't call it a fail. 2011 will be continuing the quest for peace and balance in my space.