Must be the solstice...

I'm feeling a little like things are wildly out of control right now and it's been difficult to figure out why. I think it's most likely that Christmas seems like it snuck up on me this year. Being so sick and stuck in bed for most of the fall has really messed with this last part of 2010. We're planning to head out of town on Christmas Eve to spend the night at my parents' house. Christmas day I want to try to get to my Grandma's farm if the roads and weather will allow for it. We also have tentative plans to attend a family Christmas later in the day in Andover as well as Christmas with my in-laws, sister-in-law, and her husband on the 26th. On top of maintaining some semblance of order for the three kids nap schedules, this will be horribly hectic. I'm not sure how to balance everything since we want to do it all but also be able to enjoy things without feeling rushed. Hooray for the holidays right?

I'm also frustrated that I didn't make as much progress with my cleaning and reorganizing as *I* wanted to yesterday and this weekend while Mike was home. I know that part of the issue with reorganizing is that you have to make a mess before it gets better, but it's become somewhat frustrating. Perhaps I just need to take deep breaths and stand in front of the rooms that are already done to convince myself it will all turn out alright. Or, it could also be that I need to shelve everything else on my resolutions/project list until after the new year and just focus on getting through the holidays.

On top of the rest of it, we had quite the disaster this morning with our car. The husband went out to shovel the driveway and clean off the car in order to leave and all was fine until he put the car in reverse. Even from inside I could hear the loud POP that was one of our new front tires exploding. He thought it was a regular flat and went to put the donut on so he could get a replacement. As it turned out, the tire was actually punctured by the front driver's side strut giving up on life and breaking. Thankfully I'm a big believer in AAA so we were able to call for a tow to the local garage we use. When we got the car in, the quote for repair work was right about $1,500 to replace both struts and the plate they're attached to, three new tires, and various other little things that are apparently wrong. We've been debating for most of the day on whether or not to repair the car or just become a one vehicle household. The car has @ 140,000 miles on it and we've had to make several expensive repairs to it this year alone. It's a 2002 Taurus so this wasn't unexpected but it's becoming more of an issue for me since the trade in on it is no more than $600 at this point (even with all new bionic replacement parts). The husband is leaning toward making the repairs and driving it as long as possible since the body is in good shape and he pretty much just uses it for commuting. I'm of a mind to junk it so that we cut our losses and quit sinking money into a car that seems to be made of fail lately. The argument can be made though that we've replaced so much of it we shouldn't have anything else that comes up but, in a fit of pessimism, I declared that it will be sure to get smashed in a car accident and totaled then. (I know, I know. The Happiness Project doesn't always seem to help.)

Anyway, I'll be happy when this week is done and over with and I can get back to "normal" life. I just feel like there's too much to be done and, since I can't figure out where to start or how to prioritize, I'm just flailing about.

In happy news, I mailed out 25 books for Paperback Swap in the past week so, once they're all received, I can go CRAZY ordering again. I really should just save the credits as I have enough here to read to last me all of next year. I did pick up a couple of home schooling resources from PBS (Paperback Swap not Public Broadcasting) last week and I look forward to their arrival.

And now, a 'to do' list to try and get out of this funk!

I just ordered a book from Paperback Swap called What to Read: The Essential Guide for Reading Group Members and Other Book Lovers for my Boosting Play/Challenging Myself resolution. I read an article she wrote in one of my back issues of Bookmarks magazine on book clubs and it was really interesting. I'm hoping this book has more information on starting book discussions or clubs too.

And, since I have a public forum for asking now, are any of you interested in starting a book club online or in person? Online might be easier since most of the other avid readers I know are some distance away from the Twin Cities. Thoughts?

Results!

As one of my resolutions for boosting energy, I'm trying to get organized. I feel like I've always been a fairly organized person but have been trying to do some reading along with online research into how to do a better job of it.

Last week I read The One Minute Organizer Plain & Simple: 500 Tips for Getting Your Life in Order by Donna Smallin. The book was a REALLY quick read since it's exactly what it says it is: a book full of quick tips. There wasn't much that I didn't already know in there but a couple of things did stick with me that I hadn't really considered before.

The first was that you shouldn't confuse neat with organized. Once I read that, I could see that I definitely had been confusing the two, or was at least assuming they were the same thing. I keep the house clean and neat, but is it organized? Not as well as it could be as it turns out. So, with that revelation in mind, I got to work on the house.

Per the author's suggestion, I wrote up a One Month Organizing Plan and prioritized the rooms I really wanted to get done. They are as follows:

1. Playroom (which is pretty much our whole upstairs)
2. Storage eaves (the space upstairs that isn't playroom)
3. Kitchen
4. Bedrooms
5. Man Cave (Mike's computer room in the basement)

Even though this is how I prioritized them, I don't seem to be doing them in that order. Today I finished our bedroom, one of our hall closets, the bathroom, and part of the upstairs. Some of the changing up of the order has to do with where the kids are playing and if anyone is around to help me watch them so I'm cutting myself some slack there.

Anyway, even if I didn't do it in the order listed above, I've made some excellent progress. I have SIX boxes of donations to take to Savers tomorrow and the house is looking GOOD. How good? I'm so glad you asked! Here are the results of my labor today:

Closet in our bedroom

Top half of hall closet #1

Bottom half of hall closet #1

Storage cupboard over the toilet in bathroom

Medicine cabinet in bathroom (just to prove I didn't stuff this full to empty the other cupboard)

Toiletry stock pile cupboard in bedroom

I didn't take before photos and I really wish I had. Ah well. I can do that for the other rooms on the list I suppose. (If I remember...)

The other bits of information that I read in The One Minute Organizer which are turning out to be helpful were related to trying to decide what you should get rid of. Here are the questions that I've been asking myself that have proved useful when I'm not sure to keep/toss/donate something:

• Have I used this in the past year?
• Do I need it on a definite date in the future?
• Do I need it for legal/tax purposes?
• Would it be difficult/expensive to get another one if it became needed?

If the answer to all of those questions is no, then off it goes. The author also suggested that if it takes you longer than 60 seconds to decide, then you probably don't need it. I didn't think this would prove to be as true a statement as it has been. It's also been quite useful to ask myself "What useful purpose does this serve?" since I'm have a history of hanging onto things for sentimental reasons. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you should toss out everything you have an emotional attachment to (Heavens knows I'm certainly not!) but I just got rid of nail polish from HIGH SCHOOL today. That's sad and I can't even tell you how many times I moved it around with me for no real reason other than it reminded me of happy memories. I didn't wear it and didn't even really like the colors anymore. I just HAD to have them... for some reason. Awful and I'm glad to say good bye to them so I can enjoy a less cluttered cupboard.

I'm expecting a book ordered from Paperback Swap soon called SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck. It gets great reviews on Amazon so I'm hoping to find something new there to help me get this place even more organized.

Getting Started

So I have them all in one well organized place, I'm going to go through and post my "happiness resolutions" and the specific steps I'm planning to take to accomplish them. I think it makes sense to do them all as separate posts so I can refer back/link to them more easily and edit them as I complete things on the lists. They each need more detail as far as what I hope to accomplish with these resolutions but I'll get to that when I have more time. (I hope.)

Suggestions on what else I could add ask far as goals or specific steps are welcome should you have any you care to share.

Boosting Play & Challenging Myself

• Make time to read
• Incorporate music
• Try new foods/cuisine
• Learn new skills
• Ask for help
• Take time for mini-adventures
• Spend time with bookish people
• Enjoy the fun of failure
• Do something unexpected
• Push myself
• Be Anna
• Avoid time wasters
• Utilize opportunities the Twin Cities offers

Specific steps:

1. Blog regularly (post progress on happiness project, reviews of books, etc.)
2. Jobs People Have project
3. Post book reviews online (Amazon, Paperback Swap, Library Thing, Goodreads)
4. Join/start a book club?
5. Learn to create something through crafting (sew/knit/crochet/etc.)
6. Take at least one day trip a month
7. Limit time online that's not productive (especially Facebook lurking)

Boosting Spirituality

• Count my blessings
• Be still
• Turn complaints into thankfulness
• Find a spiritual "home"

Specific steps:

1. Visit other UU churches to find a good fit
2. Be a part of a religious community
3. Start a gratitude journal to make entries in when frustrated

Boosting Finance

• Stick to a budget each month
• Buy needful things to further other goals (in life & on happiness project)
• Get rid of things that don't work
• Use up what we have
• Be generous

Specific steps:

1. Revise current budget for 2011
2. Make specific debt reduction and savings goals

Boosting Friendships

• Remember birthdays and anniversaries
• Cut people slack
• Work to make new friends
• Keep in touch
• Look for ways to help

Specific steps:

1. Update address book with current information, birth dates, and anniversary dates
2. Go to at least one Mom's group/meet up event per month
3. Join a homeschooling play/support group

Boosting Parenting

• Lighten up/reframe
• Sing, dance, be silly
• Cultivate rituals & traditions
• Be a storehouse of happy memories
• Take time for projects

Specific steps:

1. Create lesson plans and homeschooling schedule
2. Read homeschooling and parenting books from Paperback Swap & Amazon
3. Complete yearly photo books for each child (To do to be current: Eli's first year, Ada #4, Eli's second year, Mina's second year)
4. Create memory file boxes for each member of the family

Boosting Marriage

• Take time to be silly
• Go on dates
• Communicate but don't "dump"
• Give proofs of love

Specific steps:

1. Plan time each week to do something together, alone, at home (board games, movie, etc.)
2. Go out together at least twice a month without the kids
3. Find 15 - 30 minutes daily to just sit and talk
4. Find small treats/courtesies to give Mike

Boosting Energy

• Get more sleep
• Restore, maintain, and organize
• Get more exercise
• Eat better
• Follow the "one minute" rule

Specific steps:

1. Be in bed and ready to sleep by 9:50 PM each night (Ideal sleep is from 10 PM - 6 AM)
2. Read organizational books (especially those ordered from Paperback Swap)
3. Create a written plan to get the entire house purged and organized
4. Create a list of appealing forms of exercise and schedule time 4x week at minimum
5. Purchase a 2011 desk calendar for meal planning
6. Do not repeat a meal more than twice a month with planning

Appropriately Named

When I came up with the URL for my blog, I had no idea how appropriate it would eventually be.

Things here have been extremely hectic for almost exactly 22 months. (I can't believe my tiny babies are almost TWO. I know everyone says things like that but, SERIOUSLY.) I haven't done much in the way of taking breaks or asking for help in those 22 months and it turns out this may have been a little bit of why my recent health issues hung on for twelve weeks. Initially, I still think it was caused by hinky pre-washed bag lettuce but, since I was so run down and stressed out for so long before that, it took what felt like forever to get this close to feeling good on a regular basis again. I still have issues from time to time but, overall, I'm mostly back to normal. Or as normal as I get anyway.

When I started taking the possibility of stress related illness seriously, I did what I always do when I need more information: I started reading. I won't get into everything I read, but it became fairly obvious that the friends and family who were brave enough to suggest that I might need to relax a little to get better may be on to something.

One of the books I found most helpful was The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. The author has a very similar personality to mine, right down to an obsession with books & reading and this made it much easier to take her book and experience seriously. Normally when I'd think about reading a book on happiness or trying harder to be happy, I'd roll my eyes and dismiss the author as some kind of lazy, New Age weirdo with nothing better to do. I found the thought of specifically pursuing happiness or trying to improve your life when it's going alright extremely self-indulgent and a waste of time. Navel gazing? No thank you. Not for me. I've got chores to do and children to chase! Fortunately, Gretchen (the author) addressed the fact that she had very similar feelings about trying to be happier as well almost immediately in the book. In fact, it might even be on the book cover. Either way, my point is that her admission of skepticism was what got me going on the book and kept me going.

Long story short, by the time I finished the book, I'd decided that I have become a little too Type A and could probably benefit from a little more relaxation and happiness in life. Self-indulgent? Perhaps. Necessary? Very. I'm going to be using this blog as a way to record a lot of my experience and plans since it's just so darn appropriately named. And, hopefully by the time I've accomplished everything I've set out to do, it will also be 100% true.

Thinking about photos this summer? Read this first.

Things have been pretty wild around here lately (such an accurate blog title has never existed) and I have a lot to catch up on with crazy shopping deals and bra party details. First though, I want to share with you my friend Carrie's website: C.Bayless Photography & Design

I first met Carrie when we had our pictures taken for our church directory. I found out she had her own business and seriously considered having her do our family photos when the twins turned one. Silly me decided to go instead to J.C. Penny's thinking "Oh! This will be easier and cheaper." Um, no. The photographer who did our session was NOT used to working with kids and couldn't get ours to look in the same direction at once. Not an easy feat with a three year old and two one year olds, I'll give you that but she didn't try to use any of the methods that I would try when taking photos (waving props around, silly voices, etc.) All she did was "Kids! Hey kids! Smile!" Yeah, that right there? Not effective.

I wasn't wild about any of the poses that she put us in and only ONE picture out of all of them could be termed o.k. We ordered it and it WAS cheap. But, every time I see it now, I'm reminded of what a blah experience we had. Instead, I had the genius idea to take the kids in one at a time (one appointment a day over three days) so they could be photographed separately and, hopefully, more successfully. The first day was o.k. because my oldest was first. She loves a camera like most kids love chocolate so she took direction and was a complete ham. The second day was my other daughter and she just did NOT want to smile. The third day was the boy and he did NOT want to sit still or look at the camera. By the end of all of this running around and juggling three kids at the studio for a total of almost five hours, I did have some very cute pictures. But, because I'm a sucker for my beautiful children, I also spent enough that I could just have hired Carrie to come and hang out with us for a while and catch the kids doing what they do best: playing and smiling naturally.

I'd like to give family photos another shot when the babies turn 18 months in August and I'll definitely be in touch with Carrie. If you have kids and want a relaxed experience (Several HOURS to take photos! Multiple outfit changes! She comes to you! Crazy awesome.) with someone who works primarily with kids, has kids of her own, and does great work, then you should contact her too. If you look through some of her galleries they'll speak for themselves. Is it more expensive than one of the walk-in studios? Well, yeah. But only if you're one of those iron willed people who can just stick with the $7.99 one pose package. Plus, Carrie offers specials too.

You all know I'm thrifty but I also don't compromise on quality when I see it.

The Perfect Mother's Day Gift!

I'd mentioned to my husband that I really wanted a Sue Sylvester t-shirt that was a play on the Jesus is my Homeboy t-shirt and this is what he came up with:

MAGNIFICENT.

I am in love with it and will wear it every day. (If you want one of your own, he generously shared his hard work here on Cafe Press.)