Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is approaching!  I am so excited because I get to watch the Macy's Day Parade and football.  We make something gooey and terrible for breakfast and enjoy being together on a crisp fall day.  I have visions of games of football in the yard when my kids are a little bigger and love when family comes down.  My kids were never big eaters on Thanksgiving and this will be my second Thanksgiving where I am not eating meat.  Luckily Vegetarian Times has some amazing recipes so I won't be stuck with Tofurky (I always thought that was just a joke).  But Thanksgiving is still 6 weeks away and my intentions of posting about it today are to start on my Thankfulness journey.  

I have been reading books on decluttering and streamlining my home (The Joy of Less by Francine Jay) and books on finances to curb our spending and get a handle on living beneath our means (The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey).  I am also constantly trying to get a handle on eating right, drinking minimally and exercising.  All the concepts are pretty easy:  

• Do you really need to keep that huge box of Dean Koontz books when you can get them all from the library and you have read them all at least twice?  Do you really need 22 saucer plates?  Do you need to hold onto 75+ DVDs when the only time you watch them are when they come on cable?  How many extra sets of sheets can one queen sized bed use?
• Stop spending money you don't have and then wondering why you don't have money.  Write a budget and stick to it.  Don't use credit cards.  Use cash.  Cut back on extra expenses (like eating out - there aren't any vegan options around here anyways!).
• Eat mostly vegetables and whole foods.  Go for a walk.  Pick up your weights - and use them!  Take the kids outside to play.  Beer is a treat - not a thirst-quencher.  Drink water.  

I know what to do and how to do it but find myself turning to other sources to hear someone say it in a way that will make it click.  Plus there could be some secret magic formula that I don't know about (right?  There could be!)

So after turning 30 last week and thinking self-improvement thoughts - I know I need to balance out making changes with self-appreciation.  While I was heading out for a meeting on a cold day - I decided to treat myself to my free birthday soy latte from Starbucks.  I enjoyed every sip and sat in my car with my warm boots, my oversized cardigan, and my heated seats and I thought - I am so lucky.  And then Wild Thing came on the radio and Liam was dancing and singing in his car seat and I thought - I am really really lucky! 

I have always been a "look on the bright side" kind of girl. I want to save the lobsters from the fish tank at Red Lobster and comfort the crying baby at the grocery store.  I want to take any animal home with me who could possibly need it.  I give the crazy lady who cut me off in my quiet neighborhood the benefit of the doubt - she could be heading to the hospital with a sick kid.  When everything is falling apart and I can't get the kids to leave the playground - I think - it could be worse!  They had a great time and I got to enjoy it with them.  Now we get to go home and finish reading the Spiderwick Chronicles.  The problem is keeping those thought from being drowned out by negative thoughts.

I am going to do Thankful Thursdays up to Thanksgiving as a way to remind myself that I am lucky - each and every day.  I have 3 beautiful boys who love me and love each other.  I have a husband whose adores me and who I look forward to seeing when he gets home from work.  I got to spend the day at the pumpkin patch with just my Zac (and pet baby cows!!!).  I get to go hiking tomorrow with my friends and Liam and Charlie.  I get to experience the Shenandoah Valley in the fall just walking out my door!  I can spend the morning drawing on a chalkboard with Liam and listening to his stories of crocodiles and Peter Pan.  I get to build Star Wars Legos with Kyle and listen to his dream of Storm Troopers taking my car without asking!  I have the best dog in the entire world and a fish who dances for his dinner. 

Isn't is amazing that this is my life?  Losing weight and making a budget doesn't seem like such a downer when I have so much already.

Oh the guilt!

I started this blog as a way of holding myself accountable to make sure I was doing good - for myself - for my family - for my community.  And I definitely got off track (last post was in June!). And like anything else - instead of jumping right back into it, I procrastinated my way into a deep hole.  I am a terrible procrastinator!  Instead of facing things head on, I ignore them and hope they don't go away.  I actually did that with my bills when I was 19.  My mailman left a note me for to check my mail because it was getting too full.  Once I stopped fearing the task:  I sat down with all the bills, a calendar, and started planning.  I figured out when I could pay each bill (or a portion of each) and had an end date in sight.  And then I felt awesome!  Invincible!  Throw it at me - I can take it!  Too bad that feeling doesn't ever last.  Its like that saying that motivation doesn't last and neither does bathing - that's why we do it every day?

Luckily I am surrounded by awesome people who inspire and amaze me each day.  I have friends who tackle a workout that is daunting (Michelle blogs about it here), who plan meals and grocery shop with total efficiency, who start to minimize (check out my inspiration Kristin), who decide to tackle their finances and don't let little things get in their way.  Now obviously these people aren't perfect (and most of them don't blog so I can't link them) - but I see them as total inspirations and feel ready to try again.  You would think the overwhelming guilt I experience when I procrastinate would be enough motivation . . .

Credit

I will be 30 on October 10th.  I do not fear 30. I keep saying I am ready to take on a new decade.  I started my 20s working at a law firm, dating my darling guy, living with my sweet puppy, in my own apartment and still totally unsure of myself and what I should be doing.  Since then, I have had 3 kids, gotten married, bought a house, adopted a new home town, and tackled things that I would not have been able to imagine years earlier.

And while I don't expect my 30s to suddenly make things make sense - I am determined to take them on with a new mindset.  Yes, it is probably hard.  No, this first step won't be the only step.  Yes, there will be setbacks.  No, giving up is not easier.  I don't have a big plan.  As with anything - it is steps.  And I will applaud myself for each step and give myself full credit even if I only get 15 minutes done.  It will be sporadic right now - and that's just how I do it!

So here is what I am looking at:
 

Today I got up and worked out at 5:30am.  I didn't complete the workout before Liam came out coughing and asking to snuggle.  But I got most of it done.  Worked up a great sweat.  And didn't drag myself to the coffee pot.

Yesterday I planned meals and grocery shopped.  With a list.  For a lot of healthy foods to make healthy meals.  Tonight it is Country French Barley Vegetable Potage from The Plant Powered Diet.


 I also started going through the living room for items to donate to Front Royal Women's Resource Center's Yard Sale on October 13th (more on that later).  That day is also the Festival of Leaves downtown.  My oldest will be marching in the parade with his Cub Scouts troop. (Sooooo excited!)

On a more positive note:  check out my cute kids and the adorable moments when I wasn't blogging! 

Zac at a Front Royal Baseball Game

Liam at the fountains in the Inner Harbor, Baltimore

Apple Picking

Selling Cub Scout Popcorn

Tree Huggers at the Park

Spring Cleaning for Good

Bluebells blooming along Luray Avenue

Spring always brings to mind a new beginning.  The weather turns from cold and unforgiving to warm and welcoming.  The grass grows lush and green and trees and plants start blooming.  The days get longer and everyone from the bugs and birds to children and adults enjoy it.  People get out their bikes and start riding.  Gardeners get their hands in the dirt and start making magic happen.  We will soon see the reopening of farmer's markets and the grills will start up for the season.  Spring also brings to mind some not so pleasant things.  While I have no cure for your allergies:  Spring cleaning can be made a little more – well – clean. 

First step is always de-cluttering.  I love to get rid of things.  But I have a hard time getting rid of the kids' stuff.  Something about taking their toys or books and getting rid of them makes my stomach ache.  What if they want to play with it again?  It’s easier around Christmas and the birthdays to start purging because I know more will come in.  But toys multiply faster than rabbits and it’s easier to say goodbye to items when you know they will be doing more good outside of your home than in.  Our MOMS Club of Front Royal does a SWAP table at our monthly meetings.  Everything from clothes (both MOMS and kids) to toys, dishes and books find their way to the table. Anything a member doesn’t want to take home gets donated.  

Decluttering for Spring by Kevin Sharkey

We donate clothes to C-CAP and toys and household items go to Second Chance Thrift Store.  There are a lot of thrift stores in our area but Second Chance benefits Harmony Place Women’s Shelter and so that is usually our pick.   Books can go to any number of places:  Check your local library (I donate my books to Samuels Public Library).  Also check doctor’s offices and hospitals and your local schools.  A great place to donate blankets and towels is your local Humane Society.  They even take washers and driers!  Here is a great article about other places to donate used items to help those outside your community:  Milkshake Spring Cleaning with a Purpose.  

Before just piling stuff in your trunk and hauling it to a thrift store – you should call ahead if you have any large items and also inventory all items for tax purposes.  My receipts totaled around $600 last year from all our donations.  And I didn’t inventory well!  Now I make notes and then staple it to the receipt and file it in our tax folder.  It should save me and our wonderful tax people at MRS Tax Services time this year.  They even let us send in receipts before our appointment to take less time while we are actually in the office.  

Check online for places to recycle items you would normally throw away.  I check sites such as Earth911 to find out what we can recycle, where and how.  Some items, such as the microwave that shoots sparks, tend to stump me.  I can’t donate it because it isn’t safe but I would hate for it to just end up in a landfill.  Other items such as the computer that died can be taken to Goodwill and will be recycled.  It takes a little GoodSearching but in the end it feels better to know that your items are not going to be harming the planet or cluttering your home. 

Are you feeling up to a little cleaning?  If you aren’t on Pinterest (seriously – you aren’t?) then there are plenty of places to find recipes for natural cleaners.  One of my favorites is Vinegar and I use it on everything from glass to the drain to the microwave to the coffee pot.  I even poured vinegar in a carpet cleaning machine rather than super strong chemicals.  Some other items you can use to clean are lemon juice, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Here are some links to check out:

http://simplehomemade.net/easy-recipes-for-natural-homemade-cleaners/

http://www.finelyground.net/2012/03/one-day-challenge-spring-cleaning.html

http://thegreenbacksgal.com/green-your-clean-how-to-make-non-toxic-household-cleaners/

If you aren't up for making cleaners there are two green cleaning lines I love:  method and seventh generation.   

And remember the essentials!  Two items out for every one in (fight clutter before it starts!).  Take your shoes off at the door.  And make sure that everything has a place!  Baskets are a common find in thrift stores and can help corral everything in your home.  Another big clutter item is paper and if you follow the "one touch" rule you will find that paperwork is more manageable.  Once a paper comes into your home - whether mail, school papers, medical documents - handle it immediately.   You should decide to recycle, shred, file, or take action on it as soon as you touch it.  I tend to print on the back of any one-sided school paper that comes home.  

Now that I have finished this post - I guess I should get started on my own spring cleaning.  But first . . . another cup of coffee.