I've always thought of myself as a patient person, but I'm afraid I may only have that gift when I'm away from home. I'm extemely patient when other people's kids are being noisy at a restaurant, when I'm driving behind someone going 10 mph below the speed limit, when I'm showing a confused coworker how to do something on the computer, etc. For some reason I tend to leave my patience at the door when I come home. I'll be getting breakfast ready in the morning, running around like a chicken with my head cut off, and my husband will come over and give me a lingering hug and kiss. I will instantly stiffen up and only be able to think about all the things I should be doing. When I'm getting our five-year-old daughter ready for bed I practically act like a drill sargeant, expecting her to do each task as quickly as possible with no silliness.
I hate it that I do this! But I find myself doing it all the time. I've got to remember that one minute won't kill me, make me late for work, or make the kids go to bed late. When you're in the middle of a minute it can seem like a lifetime, but when you think of how little one minute takes out of the 1440 minutes in a day, you really can spare one minute here and there to stop and enjoy life.
From now on when my hubby stops me in the kitchen with a hug and kiss I will make myself relax and melt into his arms. I may even hug him for two minutes. The next time I'm getting our daughter ready for bed I'm going to make myself relax and be silly with her. One minute won't kill me!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Make Your Collections do Double-Duty!
If you are like me, you like to collect stuff. I like to collect tiki mugs, colored glass goblets and candy dishes, and a few other things. If you are like me, this stuff gets put on a shelf so that you can only see the front row of your collection, and your collection ends up accumulating its own collection: dust bunnies and cobwebs.
When I was reorganizing our desk area I realized I really hated the pen/paper clip/etc organizer we have. It’s ugly and it’s designed poorly, so that I only use half of it and even if it were full of stuff it would be a waste of space. I was contemplating a future project at the same time, our dining room shelves, which have my tiki stuff, goblets, and lots of other decorative dishes and realized nobody can really see my collection because it’s displayed so poorly. All of a sudden it hit me—why don’t I make some of my collections do double duty? I can use some of the pieces to organize stuff, and they’ll be out where I can see them and enjoy them. Just because it’s a collection doesn’t mean it has to be all lined up or crowded together and just looked at. Collections are meant to be loved and enjoyed!
So I decided to try to find functional uses for my collections. My tiki mugs ended up holding desk items. I have a cool tiki pepper shaker that I had to think long and hard to find a function for, and I finally came up with the idea of putting wires into the holes and making it into a photo holder (I haven't done this yet). My goblets and candy dishes will end up getting displayed in the bathroom with soaps, bath salts, toiletries, etc in them. Some may go on top of my dresser in our bedroom and hold some of my jewelry. To keep small things from getting dusty I might cut clear acrylic plastic to fit just inside the goblets, punch two holes in it, and make a ribbon handle. I also have seen some cool projects on Pinterest where a candle holder is glued to the bottom of a tray and made into a cake stand or a raised shelf. I would love to try that with one of my goblets, possibly.
Some other ideas for making your collection serve a function:
Books: make into shelves to hold light-weight knick-knacks
http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/home-improvement/create-book-shelves-00000000035586/index.html
Containers—pitchers, dishes, tins, glassware, bakeware, lunch boxes, soap dishes, salt and pepper shakers, baskets:
Small containers can hold small craft items like beads, glitter, brads and other small scrapbooking accessories; and small desk items like paperclips or pushpins, matches, toothpicks, q-tips, keys, coins, post-its, marbles, dice, barrettes, earrings, rings, postage stamps, batteries, magnets, business cards, chapstick, flowers,
Medium-sized containers can hold pens, scissors, and other desk items; soaps, salts, and other bath items; and jewelry, paint brushes, colored pencils, markers, small notepads, rubber stamps and ink pads, chip clips, hair accessories, toiletries, dishwashing sponges and brushes, tealights, incense, extra desk supplies like tape and staples, hole punches, scrapbooking scissors, cake decorating supplies, tools, batteries, seed packets, coupons, hold smaller collections, sewing kit, makeup, nail polish, perfume, hand lotion, flowers,
Large containers can hold cooking utensils, toilet brush, plunger, extra toilet paper rolls, beading projects, toiletries, first aid kit, medicines, envelopes, tealights (to use or for extra storage), tools, massage oils in bedroom, hold multiple small vases or candleholders, wrapping paper, ribbons, garden tools, take-out menus, cleaning supplies, dusters, umbrellas, hold smaller collections like shells or buttons, flowers, fruit,
Small vases or vases with multiple small holes can be used as toothbrush holders.
Make photo holders out of salt and pepper shakers (like I described above-- I will post a pic when I get around to making it).
Make magnets out of brooches, dice, bottle caps, seashells, or rocks.
Make jewelry out of seashells, keys, postage stamps, etc.
Put drawer pulls or doorknobs on a board and make a coat rack or jewelry holder.
Make a cake holder/ raised shelf by attaching a plate or round cake pan to a candle holder or stemmed glass.
Creative display ideas:
Make a kaleidoscope or search and find desk toy with small treasures like beads, marbles, buttons, etc.
Frame and hang flat things like stamps, postcards, comic books, baseball cards, etc.
Make a mosaic with bottle caps, seashells, rocks, buttons, etc.
Put a collection on top of a table and top it with a glass table top—flat things like stamps, postcards, comic books, baseball cards, or small things like seashells, bottle caps, rocks, buttons, etc.
String a garland or make a mobile out of seashells, colored glass bottles, antique keys, cookie cutters, etc.
Install backless shelves in front of a window and put colored glass items on them.
Make a chess or checkers set by making a game board and putting salt and pepper shakers, rocks, seashells, buttons, etc. on as pieces.
Make a vignette in a shadow box with doll house miniatures.
Make a wreath with vintage jewelry.
Hang plates on the wall.
Make garden art with old dishes/glassware, etc.
For collections that really just have to be displayed on a shelf (figurines, etc), you can hang wall shelves or put built-in shelves in out-of-the-way places like on a wall a few inches below the ceiling, in a corner that doesn't work for hanging pictures, etc. You can also use the few inches on a bookshelf in front of your books or the space above your kitchen cabinets (I put old phone books and magazines up there to raise stuff up a bit so you can see it over the lip).
Now, what you've all been waiting for..... my desk project! I haven't finished it-- I want to get a nice tray for copy paper, I want to paint the tin a pretty color, and I plan to make a mail holder out of a cereal box covered with scrapbook paper. I also am planning to hang a wall shelf to give me a little extra space. It's so nice to have our laptop on the desk instead of hunching over the little file cabinet, and I love having my tiki mugs and other knick-knacky things right where I can see and enjoy them.
I will sign off with a funny quote I found on Pinterest (can you tell I love Pinterest?)
"You never know what you have until...
you clean your room." - unknown
When I was reorganizing our desk area I realized I really hated the pen/paper clip/etc organizer we have. It’s ugly and it’s designed poorly, so that I only use half of it and even if it were full of stuff it would be a waste of space. I was contemplating a future project at the same time, our dining room shelves, which have my tiki stuff, goblets, and lots of other decorative dishes and realized nobody can really see my collection because it’s displayed so poorly. All of a sudden it hit me—why don’t I make some of my collections do double duty? I can use some of the pieces to organize stuff, and they’ll be out where I can see them and enjoy them. Just because it’s a collection doesn’t mean it has to be all lined up or crowded together and just looked at. Collections are meant to be loved and enjoyed!
So I decided to try to find functional uses for my collections. My tiki mugs ended up holding desk items. I have a cool tiki pepper shaker that I had to think long and hard to find a function for, and I finally came up with the idea of putting wires into the holes and making it into a photo holder (I haven't done this yet). My goblets and candy dishes will end up getting displayed in the bathroom with soaps, bath salts, toiletries, etc in them. Some may go on top of my dresser in our bedroom and hold some of my jewelry. To keep small things from getting dusty I might cut clear acrylic plastic to fit just inside the goblets, punch two holes in it, and make a ribbon handle. I also have seen some cool projects on Pinterest where a candle holder is glued to the bottom of a tray and made into a cake stand or a raised shelf. I would love to try that with one of my goblets, possibly.
Some other ideas for making your collection serve a function:
Books: make into shelves to hold light-weight knick-knacks
http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/home-improvement/create-book-shelves-00000000035586/index.html
Containers—pitchers, dishes, tins, glassware, bakeware, lunch boxes, soap dishes, salt and pepper shakers, baskets:
Small containers can hold small craft items like beads, glitter, brads and other small scrapbooking accessories; and small desk items like paperclips or pushpins, matches, toothpicks, q-tips, keys, coins, post-its, marbles, dice, barrettes, earrings, rings, postage stamps, batteries, magnets, business cards, chapstick, flowers,
Medium-sized containers can hold pens, scissors, and other desk items; soaps, salts, and other bath items; and jewelry, paint brushes, colored pencils, markers, small notepads, rubber stamps and ink pads, chip clips, hair accessories, toiletries, dishwashing sponges and brushes, tealights, incense, extra desk supplies like tape and staples, hole punches, scrapbooking scissors, cake decorating supplies, tools, batteries, seed packets, coupons, hold smaller collections, sewing kit, makeup, nail polish, perfume, hand lotion, flowers,
Large containers can hold cooking utensils, toilet brush, plunger, extra toilet paper rolls, beading projects, toiletries, first aid kit, medicines, envelopes, tealights (to use or for extra storage), tools, massage oils in bedroom, hold multiple small vases or candleholders, wrapping paper, ribbons, garden tools, take-out menus, cleaning supplies, dusters, umbrellas, hold smaller collections like shells or buttons, flowers, fruit,
Small vases or vases with multiple small holes can be used as toothbrush holders.
Make photo holders out of salt and pepper shakers (like I described above-- I will post a pic when I get around to making it).
Make magnets out of brooches, dice, bottle caps, seashells, or rocks.
Make jewelry out of seashells, keys, postage stamps, etc.
Put drawer pulls or doorknobs on a board and make a coat rack or jewelry holder.
Make a cake holder/ raised shelf by attaching a plate or round cake pan to a candle holder or stemmed glass.
Creative display ideas:
Make a kaleidoscope or search and find desk toy with small treasures like beads, marbles, buttons, etc.
Frame and hang flat things like stamps, postcards, comic books, baseball cards, etc.
Make a mosaic with bottle caps, seashells, rocks, buttons, etc.
Put a collection on top of a table and top it with a glass table top—flat things like stamps, postcards, comic books, baseball cards, or small things like seashells, bottle caps, rocks, buttons, etc.
String a garland or make a mobile out of seashells, colored glass bottles, antique keys, cookie cutters, etc.
Install backless shelves in front of a window and put colored glass items on them.
Make a chess or checkers set by making a game board and putting salt and pepper shakers, rocks, seashells, buttons, etc. on as pieces.
Make a vignette in a shadow box with doll house miniatures.
Make a wreath with vintage jewelry.
Hang plates on the wall.
Make garden art with old dishes/glassware, etc.
For collections that really just have to be displayed on a shelf (figurines, etc), you can hang wall shelves or put built-in shelves in out-of-the-way places like on a wall a few inches below the ceiling, in a corner that doesn't work for hanging pictures, etc. You can also use the few inches on a bookshelf in front of your books or the space above your kitchen cabinets (I put old phone books and magazines up there to raise stuff up a bit so you can see it over the lip).
Now, what you've all been waiting for..... my desk project! I haven't finished it-- I want to get a nice tray for copy paper, I want to paint the tin a pretty color, and I plan to make a mail holder out of a cereal box covered with scrapbook paper. I also am planning to hang a wall shelf to give me a little extra space. It's so nice to have our laptop on the desk instead of hunching over the little file cabinet, and I love having my tiki mugs and other knick-knacky things right where I can see and enjoy them.
I will sign off with a funny quote I found on Pinterest (can you tell I love Pinterest?)
"You never know what you have until...
you clean your room." - unknown
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Random Acts of Kindness
This is Random Acts of Kindness Week. Spread some joy by doing some good deeds. Don't just limit them to this week, though. We should strive to be kind as often as possible. Here is a list of ideas to get you started:
Go to a nursing home and sing or play an instrument for the residents.
Rake an elderly neighbor's yard.
Send a care package to a soldier overseas.
Be the designated driver.
Ask a coworker if he or she needs help with a project.
Open the door for someone and let them go through first.
Pay for the person behind you in the drive-through.
Let the person behind you in line go ahead of you.
If you see a parent holding a small child at a fast food restaurant, offer to carry their tray and get them a high chair.
Give someone a genuine compliment.
Invite a friend over for dinner.
Bring a color book and crayons to a restaurant and give them to a child.
Call a friend on his or her birthday and sing the birthday song.
Leave a note for someone telling them they rock.
Make a handmade gift for someone.
Bring extra coupons to the store and tape them to the items.
Pay off a stranger's layaway, anonymously. Ask for one with children's items, because a lot of times those are the people who need it most.
Offer to clean house for an elderly friend or relative.
Bring a sick coworker a cup of hot cocoa.
Leave your change in the vending machine for the next person.
Offer to babysit for a friend.
Offer to help someone with a chore they don't like doing.
Bring treats to work when it's not treat day.
Put your coworkers' birthdays on your calendar and buy a pack of birthday cards to have on hand.
If you're out shopping and you see something you know your friend will love, get it for him or her.
Share produce, flowers, seeds, etc. from your garden.
Give food and drink to a homeless person.
Donate diapers to a battered women's shelter.
Buy extra canned goods and donate them to a food bank.
Mow your neighbor's lawn or shovel their sidewalk and driveway.
Bake some goodies, take some to an elderly neighbor.
When you buy annual flowers to put in pots, buy a few extra and another pot and give them to a neighbor.
Call or e-mail a friend you haven't talked to in awhile.
When you're at a friend's birthday party, wedding, etc. take lots of pictures, put them on a cd, and give it to him or her.
Leave a surprise in your coworker's cubicle- cute pushpins, fun magnets, a desk toy, etc.
Write an e-mail to a coworker telling him or her what a great job they are doing; copy their boss.
If you get good service at a store,restaurant, etc., take note of the employee's name and send a glowing review to his or her employer.
Leave a great tip.
Go to a nursing home and sing or play an instrument for the residents.
Rake an elderly neighbor's yard.
Send a care package to a soldier overseas.
Be the designated driver.
Ask a coworker if he or she needs help with a project.
Open the door for someone and let them go through first.
Pay for the person behind you in the drive-through.
Let the person behind you in line go ahead of you.
If you see a parent holding a small child at a fast food restaurant, offer to carry their tray and get them a high chair.
Give someone a genuine compliment.
Invite a friend over for dinner.
Bring a color book and crayons to a restaurant and give them to a child.
Call a friend on his or her birthday and sing the birthday song.
Leave a note for someone telling them they rock.
Make a handmade gift for someone.
Bring extra coupons to the store and tape them to the items.
Pay off a stranger's layaway, anonymously. Ask for one with children's items, because a lot of times those are the people who need it most.
Offer to clean house for an elderly friend or relative.
Bring a sick coworker a cup of hot cocoa.
Leave your change in the vending machine for the next person.
Offer to babysit for a friend.
Offer to help someone with a chore they don't like doing.
Bring treats to work when it's not treat day.
Put your coworkers' birthdays on your calendar and buy a pack of birthday cards to have on hand.
If you're out shopping and you see something you know your friend will love, get it for him or her.
Share produce, flowers, seeds, etc. from your garden.
Give food and drink to a homeless person.
Donate diapers to a battered women's shelter.
Buy extra canned goods and donate them to a food bank.
Mow your neighbor's lawn or shovel their sidewalk and driveway.
Bake some goodies, take some to an elderly neighbor.
When you buy annual flowers to put in pots, buy a few extra and another pot and give them to a neighbor.
Call or e-mail a friend you haven't talked to in awhile.
When you're at a friend's birthday party, wedding, etc. take lots of pictures, put them on a cd, and give it to him or her.
Leave a surprise in your coworker's cubicle- cute pushpins, fun magnets, a desk toy, etc.
Write an e-mail to a coworker telling him or her what a great job they are doing; copy their boss.
If you get good service at a store,restaurant, etc., take note of the employee's name and send a glowing review to his or her employer.
Leave a great tip.
Monday, February 4, 2013
My Chore Chart
I finished my chore chart. I'm posting the list of chores/healthy habits here in case you want ideas to do your own chore chart. I originally had a monetary value attached to each chore for me to spend on myself (and not the kids!), but even with most of the items being worth only 10-30 cents, it ended up that I would earn way too much money. I want to keep it somewhere between 5 and 10 dollars a week-- that way it's a small enough amount so I don't feel guilty spending money on myself and I think I will work harder if it's more challenging to earn a few bucks. I decided to assign each chore a point amount-- most items are worth 1 to 10 points. Each point actually equals one penny, but I prefer to think of them as points because there is no way I'm going to want to clean a toilet for 5 cents. :)
Chore/Healthy Habit Points
(upstairs chart)
Brush teeth AM 1
Brush 2yo's teeth AM 2
Shave armpits 2
Shave legs 10
Make bed 2
Laundry 2/load
Put clean clothes away 2
Clean litterbox 10
Clean master toilet 5
Clean master sinks/counter/mirror 5
Clean master shower 10
Clean kids' toilet 5
Clean kids' sink/counter/mirror 5
Clean kids' bathtub 10
Vacuum stairs and hallway 10
Vacuum bedrooms 10
Clean hard surface floors upstairs 10
Empty upstairs garbages Tues eve 1
Brush 2yo's teeth PM 2
Brush teeth PM 2
Floss 3
All dirty clothes in hamper, not on floor 1
(downstairs chart)
Eat only healthy snacks 2
Eat fruits/veggies 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
Serve fruits/veggies to the kids 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
5yo actually eats fruits/veggies 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
2yo actually eats fruits/veggies 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
Exercise 15 min-25, 30-50, 45-75, 60-100
Declutter/organize 15 min-25, 30-50, 45-75, 60-100
Clean toilet 5
Clean bathroom sink/counter/mirror 5
Dust (upstairs too) 5
Vacuum downstairs 10
Clean hard surface floors downstairs 10
Table is empty and clean 1
Wash dishes/sink is empty and clean 5/5
Clean counters and stove 2
Pick up toys 2
Pick up spots I have decluttered 3
Do something creative 3
Get 5yo's backpack ready for tomorrow 1
Pick up dog poop in backyard 10
Empty downstairs garbages Tues eve 1
Garbage/recycling outside Tues eve 5
Take a load of stuff to Goodwill 100
You may laugh at some of the things on here, and I don't blame you! It doesn't seem like I should have to be reminded to brush my teeth and shave, but with two small kids that run me ragged I'm surprised I remember to wear deoderant most days. I'll probably tweak this chart after I've used it awhile, but for now I think it looks pretty good.
Chore/Healthy Habit Points
(upstairs chart)
Brush teeth AM 1
Brush 2yo's teeth AM 2
Shave armpits 2
Shave legs 10
Make bed 2
Laundry 2/load
Put clean clothes away 2
Clean litterbox 10
Clean master toilet 5
Clean master sinks/counter/mirror 5
Clean master shower 10
Clean kids' toilet 5
Clean kids' sink/counter/mirror 5
Clean kids' bathtub 10
Vacuum stairs and hallway 10
Vacuum bedrooms 10
Clean hard surface floors upstairs 10
Empty upstairs garbages Tues eve 1
Brush 2yo's teeth PM 2
Brush teeth PM 2
Floss 3
All dirty clothes in hamper, not on floor 1
(downstairs chart)
Eat only healthy snacks 2
Eat fruits/veggies 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
Serve fruits/veggies to the kids 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
5yo actually eats fruits/veggies 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
2yo actually eats fruits/veggies 2-25, 3-50, 4-100
Exercise 15 min-25, 30-50, 45-75, 60-100
Declutter/organize 15 min-25, 30-50, 45-75, 60-100
Clean toilet 5
Clean bathroom sink/counter/mirror 5
Dust (upstairs too) 5
Vacuum downstairs 10
Clean hard surface floors downstairs 10
Table is empty and clean 1
Wash dishes/sink is empty and clean 5/5
Clean counters and stove 2
Pick up toys 2
Pick up spots I have decluttered 3
Do something creative 3
Get 5yo's backpack ready for tomorrow 1
Pick up dog poop in backyard 10
Empty downstairs garbages Tues eve 1
Garbage/recycling outside Tues eve 5
Take a load of stuff to Goodwill 100
You may laugh at some of the things on here, and I don't blame you! It doesn't seem like I should have to be reminded to brush my teeth and shave, but with two small kids that run me ragged I'm surprised I remember to wear deoderant most days. I'll probably tweak this chart after I've used it awhile, but for now I think it looks pretty good.
My First Decluttering Project- an Eye-Opener
Okay, this is totally embarrassing, but I'm posting before and after pics of my first decluttering project. I started with the bar between our kitchen and dining room.
Before:
Before:
After:
As I was decluttering the bar, I realized I have had short timer syndrome. I have been in denial about our clutter, saying that we've outgrown our house after having two kids and that we need to move to a bigger one. That when we moved to a bigger house we would have enough room for our stuff, and we could finally be organized. As I worked on my decluttering project I realized it's not the house's fault we are so cluttered, it's our fault for having so much unneccessary stuff and for not using the space we have wisely. I also realized that since I was wanting to move, I wasn't bothering to try to organize our stuff-- I thought it would be easier just to move and start from scratch. It doesn't help that my husband and I are both messy people, but if there was less clutter there would be less stuff for us to mess up, and it would be easier to pick up after ourselves. I realized that I really do love the house we live in, and if I can conquer the clutter I will really enjoy living here for a long time.
I came up with a plan before I started my project. It was simple but very effective, and I'm going to use this method for each of my organizing projects. First I asked myself "what will the purpose of this space be?" I decided I wanted to have a place to put my purse and lunch bag, answering machine, a charging station for our phones, ipad, etc, a place to put important paperwork out of reach of the kids, and a place to prep and serve food. Then I made a list of the items I wanted to keep in the space (a wooden caddy with small wooden bins to use as a charging station) and things I needed to add to the space for it to function (a power strip and a small mail sorter).
I took everything off the bar-- a lot of it was old mail that hadn't seen the light of day in a couple of years. I threw a ton of stuff away and put a bunch of stuff in a bag to take upstairs to find a new home. I have to admit that some things ended up getting piled in another cluttered area to be dealt with later. I tried to put things as close to their permanent homes as possible if they didn't have a spot yet. I realized that just because I've been keeping my huge purse and lunch bag on the bar, it doesn't mean I can't put them somewhere else. I ended up hanging them on one of our coat hooks by the door.
Wow, I can't believe how clean the bar is now! It's so convenient to plug our stuff in there, and I don't have to worry anymore about stuff falling off the bar and into the sink. As you can see from the after picture, there is still tons of work to do in the kitchen. We don't have much counter space and we tend to just shove things there that don't belong, which gives us even less.
Writing this blog and talking about my dirty little (HUGE!) messy secret has really gotten me motivated to move on to other areas and hopefully eventually organize our whole house. Blogging about it has made me feel accountable. To make me feel even more accountable, I am posting a before photo of my next project-- the desk. We don't even put the laptop on there (we used to have a big clunky computer but got rid of it) because there's no room! We don't have room to print stuff, so I have been known to put the printer on my lap to print things. That's just ridiculous! A lot of the stuff that's piled on the desk is our daughter's art supplies-- I'm going to organize her art/craft area at the same time I do the desk, so I'm posting that before photo also. My husband also has his art supplies piled there, so I will try to figure out a smart way to organize his stuff too.
Desk:
Kid craft area:
Whew, time for a rest!
Friday, February 1, 2013
My Own Chore Chart
I went to a training seminar at work a couple of months ago that was a brief overview of Stephen R. Covey’s book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Don’t tell my boss, but a lot of times these trainings are a yawn fest and are full of either general information that anyone could figure out with a little common sense, or the information is too vague and doesn’t actually get into the nitty-gritty of how to actually put it into practice. Even though the seven habits training was brief, it blew me away, and I really want to read his book now. One thing I took from his teachings is that we tend to be in urgent mode most of the time. We run around like chickens with our heads cut off because there’s so much to do, and we are constantly overwhelmed. We live reactively instead of proactively, and are constantly putting out fires instead of keeping things in shape so the fires won’t start to begin with. All of this frantic energy ends up burning us out and we end up flopping on the couch and watching tv for hours. This is not a good use of our time. No wonder I never feel like I get anything done and I feel so frazzled but so lazy at the same time!
I realized I need to slow down and do more planning, and find ways to put things in place so that life isn’t so stressful. I worry about our kids not eating enough healthy foods but we get home at 6:00 and they’re starving so I make them convenience food like chicken nuggets or spaghettios. I hate how messy our house is, but I want to spend time with our kids and by the time I get downstairs after putting them to bed at night I’m pooped, so I sit on the couch all night and watch tv or play on the ipad. I don’t have a hard time finding creative solutions to problems at work—I need to learn to do it at home too. The first step is to STOP. I need to stop, focus, and work out a plan. It doesn’t have to be a perfect plan—I can always tweak it or completely overhaul it later, but having an imperfect plan is better than the current plan, which is no plan at all.
I was making a chore chart for my 5 year old daughter, and realized that I need to make MYSELF a chart for chores and healthy habits. I think this will be the thing that will get me to start living more proactively and less reactively. I’ve got a rough draft written up and I will try to get it typed up in the next few days so I can start using it. I always get a lecture from the dental assistant about not brushing and flossing enough so those things are going to be on there, I get lazy about shaving and doing other things to take care of myself so that’s going to be on there, I always put off cleaning the litter box so that will be on there, serving and eating fruits and vegetables and getting exercise will be on there, and cleaning and organizing will be on there also. It’s going to be a huge chart, but I’m hoping that tying a small monetary amount (to be spent on myself, not the kids!) to each “chore” will give me the incentive to have healthy habits and to be more productive.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Handmade Romantic Gift Ideas
So Valentine's Day is coming up on the 14th, and our wedding anniversary is on the 11th. It has been a little challenging to have two romantic occasions only three days apart, because my husband and I give gifts to each other for both. We tend to make our anniversary gifts more meaningful since it's such a special day for the two of us. One thing we like to do a lot of times is give each other handmade gifts. It really makes the receiver feel special when the giver has put a lot of thought and time into a gift. Here are a few ideas for you:
I think the best handmade gift idea I came up with was making a Life board game based on our life and relationship. Unfortunately I still haven't finished it, and I started it two years ago! So lesson one-- plan ahead. Start way earlier than you think you need to. Anyway, the game will be awesome when I finish it. In the beginning you land on a space and receive a career and a salary-- I used our current and past jobs. Throughout the game I had spaces where it was mandatory to stop, like our wedding day and the births of our children. I made spaces that had lots of different things in our past and things we've talked (or joked) of doing in the future. Maybe I should try to get mine done before this coming anniversary and I can use it as a gift again! Can you regift the same gift to the same person? :)
You could make a scrapbook with pictures of the two of you and meaningful quotes and song lyrics. Sometimes I will look at the store for a Valentine's Day themed book for my husband and I can't find just the right thing. If you make it yourself, it will say exactly what you want and it will be directly from your heart. It doesn't have to be fancy-- I once copied a bunch of quotes and lyrics, put them in a nice font and color, printed them out, and put them in a binder for my husband. He loved it!
You could make a mix cd with meaningful songs from your life, including "your" song, special songs from your wedding reception or ones you both like to sing along to, etc. You can include songs that remind you of your significant other or just have really awesome lyrics. You could also make a steamier version with songs that get you in the mood, to play in your bedroom (wink, wink).
You could make a coupon book with things you will do for your significant other. This can be steamy, sweet, funny, or all three. A few years ago I made one for my husband that was full of inside jokes. I hate football, so one of the coupons was for him to be able to spend an evening watching a football game without me complaining. He likes to goose me when I walk up the stairs ahead of him, so I had started making him walk ahead of me. One of the coupons I made was for him to get to walk behind me on the stairs. Be creative, and if you run out of ideas but feel like you don't have enough coupons for a whole book, you can repeat some of them or make simple ones for a kiss or a hug or a batch of cookies.
I haven't done this, but I think it's a really awesome idea. Make a love jar. Fill a clear jar with special things that are meaningful to the two of you. Greeting cards, love notes, souvenirs from your honeymoon or another special trip, photos, mementos from your wedding or a special date, souvenirs from your favorite places like rocks, seashells, business cards, takeout menus, etc. You don't have to fill the jar, you want to leave room for lots more memories to be kept there.
Have fun and be creative!
I think the best handmade gift idea I came up with was making a Life board game based on our life and relationship. Unfortunately I still haven't finished it, and I started it two years ago! So lesson one-- plan ahead. Start way earlier than you think you need to. Anyway, the game will be awesome when I finish it. In the beginning you land on a space and receive a career and a salary-- I used our current and past jobs. Throughout the game I had spaces where it was mandatory to stop, like our wedding day and the births of our children. I made spaces that had lots of different things in our past and things we've talked (or joked) of doing in the future. Maybe I should try to get mine done before this coming anniversary and I can use it as a gift again! Can you regift the same gift to the same person? :)
You could make a scrapbook with pictures of the two of you and meaningful quotes and song lyrics. Sometimes I will look at the store for a Valentine's Day themed book for my husband and I can't find just the right thing. If you make it yourself, it will say exactly what you want and it will be directly from your heart. It doesn't have to be fancy-- I once copied a bunch of quotes and lyrics, put them in a nice font and color, printed them out, and put them in a binder for my husband. He loved it!
You could make a mix cd with meaningful songs from your life, including "your" song, special songs from your wedding reception or ones you both like to sing along to, etc. You can include songs that remind you of your significant other or just have really awesome lyrics. You could also make a steamier version with songs that get you in the mood, to play in your bedroom (wink, wink).
You could make a coupon book with things you will do for your significant other. This can be steamy, sweet, funny, or all three. A few years ago I made one for my husband that was full of inside jokes. I hate football, so one of the coupons was for him to be able to spend an evening watching a football game without me complaining. He likes to goose me when I walk up the stairs ahead of him, so I had started making him walk ahead of me. One of the coupons I made was for him to get to walk behind me on the stairs. Be creative, and if you run out of ideas but feel like you don't have enough coupons for a whole book, you can repeat some of them or make simple ones for a kiss or a hug or a batch of cookies.
I haven't done this, but I think it's a really awesome idea. Make a love jar. Fill a clear jar with special things that are meaningful to the two of you. Greeting cards, love notes, souvenirs from your honeymoon or another special trip, photos, mementos from your wedding or a special date, souvenirs from your favorite places like rocks, seashells, business cards, takeout menus, etc. You don't have to fill the jar, you want to leave room for lots more memories to be kept there.
Have fun and be creative!
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