Throw 30 Things

I've mentioned before that my house is SMALL. We are three people (well, two and a half, hoping to become more!) sharing one bathroom and two tiny bedrooms. We also have a kitchen, an entry, and a "great room" which is our living and dining space in one. We love our house and are so thankful for it.

But again...it's SMALL.

I've been spinning my wheels lately trying to figure out why no matter what I do, there always seems to be stuff laying around. Stuff in piles, stuff on furniture, stuff everywhere! The stuff could be clothes, books, papers, or knick-knacks...but we have a lot of it. So, you do the math with me:

Small house + Lots of stuff = OUT OF CONTROL CLUTTER!

So I'm clutter-busting, little by little. I'm starting a little system I like to call: Throw 30 Things (Away). Sounds simple, right? Because it is.

There are 12 months of the year and six rooms in my house. Each month, I am going to throw 30 things away in it's designated room. To keep me from forgetting, I'm going to do this on the last day of every month. For example, this month (tomorrow, actually) I'm going to get rid of 30 things in my bathroom. ANY 30 things that haven't been used in forever or do not bring joy or purpose to our lives on a somewhat regular basis (i.e. Advil brings me comfort and my husband joy just about once every month!).

I don't have to necessarily throw things away - as in put it out on the curb for garbage day. If there is something I think could be useful to someone else, I may take it to Goodwill or give it to a friend who may have a better use for it. However, on the last day of every month, I am committing to getting 30 things OUT of my house!

The change will happen slowly at first, but I'm convinced there are at least 30 things I could get rid of in every room twice a year. There are probably 60 but I'm trying to do things in baby-steps, here.

So here goes nothing, I'm hoping the first day of Throw 30 Things goes well. And if it doesn't, I may literally be throwing some things because I just can't stand the stuff anymore!

Miracles Happen Every Day

My mom just called me with some FABULOUS news! My dad, who found out he has an aggressive type of cancer (caught early, thankfully!) is now CANCER FREE! After having surgery in October, his doctor told him they were unable to get all of the cancer. They would need to check his levels in another couple of months to see if the cancer would spread or basically dissipate on its own.

I'm no doctor, but I've certainly never heard of an aggressive type of cancer that "dissipates on its own." But my family turned it all over to God, and my husband and I, along with the rest of my family prayed every single day that it would, somehow go away. And I guess they're right when they say miracles happen every day because my dad is living proof of it today!!!

I couldn't be more thankful and happy. My parents are leaving next week for their 30th anniversary celebration in Hawaii. Now they will also be able to celebrate my dad's clean bill of health. THANK YOU, JESUS!!

My Dad will still have to go every 6 months (for the next five years) to get his levels checked and make sure the cancer doesn't return. But, for now, we are in a state of sheer joy and utter relief!

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. - Psalm 18:2

Disney Dreamin'

Stopped into a church...I passed along the way....oooh I got down on my knees! And I began to praaaay!

I'm Disney Dreamin' on such a winter's day!

As I write this post, my sister, along with MANY others of my best friends are headed to Disney World for Young Life's All Staff Conference. This conference happens every 4 years and everyone who is paid staff for Young Life gathers in Orlando for conferences and a few days of fun in the sun! Seriously, I have considered working for Young Life for this sole reason. Note: there are certainly other reasons I would work for them; it's an organization I believe in very much. However, why would they pay for my labor when they can get it for free!? :)

Anyway, my husband and I are planning on taking a quick getaway just the two of us this summer, right when school gets out. The jury is still out on where we're going, but one of the places in the running is actually Disney World!! I'm a huge Disney fan (as if you couldn't tell), and my husband just smiles and quietly supports my obsession. As long as he doesn't have to pay for it. Which, thus far, he has not.

Four years ago, when I graduated from grad school, my parents took my husband and I, and my sister and her husband (fiancee at the time) to Disney World for four days. It was MAGICAL!! And it was all-expenses paid.

This time around, my parents have graciously offered to let us use their timeshare (through Disney, of course!) for our getaway. We are still on the lookout for other deals to places we have never been before, but I just don't think we can beat a free place to stay for four nights/five days. So I'm praying my hubby gets on board (or we find an insanely good deal somewhere else). But mostly, just praying my hubby gets on board!!

The pic at the top is from that most magical trip to Disney World - me, my dad, and my sister in front of Cinderella's Castle. Here's hoping we get back there this year!

Ta-Da!

Disorganized mess before picture
This is what was in the space before

And TA-DA!!! Here is the finished product...my very first Pinterest project is completed!

I am so excited to have completed this project! All it took was a little paint and elbow grease - and a little Pinspiration, of course! The best part? I didn't buy one thing to do this! The bookshelf we had, the paint we had left over from the trim in our bedroom, the canvas bins we had, and the mirror, lamp, books, vase, and flowers...you guessed it, WE HAD ALL OF THEM TOO! I spent zero dollars and only two hours of my time to do this! And I must say...I LOVE IT! This spot looks so much better now. It's all part of my plan to get rid of those entry uglies!

The top left bin has all of Josh's blocks in it, the top right houses his bibs. The bottom left is stuffed animals, and the bottom right is cars and trucks. I think this will help him learn to clean up when he's done playing too! We take out a bin from the shelf and play with its contents...and afterward we know exactly where things go!

Josh's other toys live in a bigger bin in our family room, but now we have more room in that bin because we took a little time to get organized. And trust me, in a house this small, we need all the space we can get!

I'm looking forward to my next big project...and the next day off I can do it. Linen closet, I'm coming for you next!!

Date Night - Huzzah!

Tomorrow is my husband and I's monthly planned date night. Many people I know do a weekly date night, but with a young child and money being tight, once a month works for us. We do hang out other nights of the month (usually one or two a week just the two of us - we're lucky our son goes to bed at 7:15!!) as we did last night, just drinking some wine and watching some Seinfeld on DVD.

We instituted a planned date night, however, when I first found out I was pregnant. (Read: I instituted date night when I first found out I was pregnant). I was worried that a new baby was going to change things too much, or we would get too busy and not have time for our marriage anymore. Boy, was I right!!! And so I'm glad we got into the habit of having a planned date night.

Each month, one of us plans an actual date. We don't have to go out for the date, and we don't even have to spend any money. But we do have to have time just the two of us, and we have to do something fun together (watching a movie counts, watching tv does not). My husband plans the "even" months (February - the second month, April, the fourth, etc.) and I plan the "odd." He likes to joke it's because I'm odd. Har har. Hilarious.

Last month, for example, my husband planned for us to stay in and bake and decorate Christmas cookies together. We listened to Christmas carols and drank wine (don't judge us, we weren't in the mood for cocoa!!) and just had so much fun getting flour and icing everywhere. It was like we were back in high school.

This month is my turn to pick and we're going OUT! It's fun to just get dressed up for a night out, even if we're just going to a casual bar & grill, which we are. I got a great deal for $25 worth of food for only $12 on LivingSocial.com. I'm so looking forward to getting dolled up (read: adding eyeliner to my makeup routine) and having a fun night out with my hubby.

For anyone out there reading this who doesn't yet have a date night, please let me give you a strong recommendation for it. It helps us stay connected, even if only once a month. It helps us have fun together - which is difficult sometimes when life gets too serious. It helps me know my husband truly cares about me and values time with me - especially when it's his turn to plan the night! Also, it sets a good example for our son - that Mommy and Daddy love each other, love to spend time together, and someday when he gets married (gulp!) he will (hopefully) take the initiative to take his wife out on a date every so often!

Oh, and future daughter-in-law? You can thank me later.

Much, MUCH later!!

New and Improved House Cleaning System

I realize it hasn't been that long since I posted my daily routine/weekly house cleaning schedule, but as with everything I do, it's a work in progress. And as I strive to get my house in order (and keep it that way) this year, I found that the old way just wasn't as efficient as it could be. So I made some changes.

The daily routine is just about the same as far as taking care of Josh goes, but trying to clean one room of the house each day of the week just wasn't working out. Instead, I am now divvying up the weekly housework as follows:

Monday - Clean Bathroom
1. Change & launder bath mat, towels, & washcloths
2. Clean toilet, bathtub/shower & sink
3. Windex bathroom mirror
4. Empty trash in bathroom & wipe trashcan inside and out
5. Clean kitchen trash cans inside and out

Tuesday - Ironing, Water Plants, Empty Trash
1. Water plants (if needed - usually only in spring/summer since I kill all things green inside)
2. Empty trash in master bedroom
3. Empty trash & diaper genie in Josh's room
4. Iron clothes for the week
5. Windex front door window panes

Wednesday - Dust & Misc. Tasks
1. Dust furniture, objects, light fixtures in every room of the house
2. Fluff pillows and comforter in master bedroom
3. Windex mirror in entry

Thursday - Vacuum & Misc. Tasks
1. Vacuum all rooms in house
2. Vacuum vents throughout house
3. Clean out fridge
4. Sort & toss magazines/catalogs in living room
5. Clean litter box
6. Wipe kitchen appliances

Friday - Scrub Floors & Change Bed Linens
1. Scrub floors in all rooms of the house
2. Change bed linens on our bed & Josh's

And there you have it. Experience has taught me that it just makes more sense (and saves time) to get out the vacuum only once, make up the bucket of mop water only once, and do the dusting once per week as opposed to doing a little of each chore in a different room each day.

I'm happy to report that after one week on this plan, I dread housework a lot less and a lot more is getting done. I may have just finally found a way to get the weekly cleaning done in just a half hour a day. Can I get an Amen for that?!

Thank God for Payday!

My husband and I have been trying to rein in our spending and actually stick to a budget. We started at the end of October when we realized our once unused "emergency credit cards" were seeing more and more "emergencies" of late. I read a book that was recommended to me by a dear friend that really helped me get excited about budgeting and paying down our debt. It's called The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. He's a financial guru who also happens to be a Christian and keeps a biblical perspective about money and living within your means. Ramsey associates financial freedom with being debt free - makes sense to me!

November was difficult, but awesome. We made a budget and it was tiiiiight! But we stuck to it and we made it to the end of the month with even a little money to spare! We employed the "envelope method," which is another of Dave Ramsey's suggestions, but I'm pretty sure smart people have been living on cash only for decades. Anyway, we took the totals we budgeted for the month for different categories like food, gas, personal care, recreation, and clothing and then filled the envelopes with the cash amounts. And then, when it was gone, it was GONE.

The main philosophy behind this is that spending cash "hurts." So often, I would swipe my debit card for this or that, and it never actually feels like the money is going away. Until a week later when I would look at the bank account online and gasp in shock thinking maybe someone stole our debit card when in reality, those lattes at Starbucks just add up quickly!

Anyway, I was nervous about Christmas because we have so many loved ones to buy for. Thankfully, I worked some extra days and my husband got three paychecks in December (LOVE when that happens!) so we made it work. Or at least I thought we did. Now we are still days away from the first January paycheck and we. are. struggling!

I mean, we'll be fine. I got some groceries today (at the cheapest grocery store around!) and now we have everything we need to make it to Friday. It's just going to be Velveeta Shells and Cheese and scrambled eggs for dinner until then! But you know, there's something oddly gratifying about having to work to make ends meet and think about where the money goes. There's also something extremely gratifying about being able to tithe to God's purposes in recognition of the fact that what we have isn't really ours to begin with. He give and He takes away - and He has blessed us with more than we ever could have hoped for.

So thank God we'll make it to Friday and then...thank God for payday!!!

Getting Rid of the Entry Uglies

Having recently posted about my new love of Pinterest, I will show you just exactly how I'm planning on putting it to good use. My first project is part art, part organizing. Here's a link that will show you exactly what I'm talking about:

http://pinterest.com/pin/5981411974813093/

My house is small, as I think I've mentioned before. Don't get me wrong, I love it - it's a great house and it is God's provision. We are definitely blessed to have been able to purchase a home in Connecticut, of all places! Where every square foot seems to be a bajillion dollars. But I digress...

One of the major problems of having a small house is finding a place to put everything. Sure, the furniture and appliances have their place, but I'm talking about the CLUTTER. Oh, the clutter! I can never seem to get on top of it. I pick up every day, multiple times a day but there always seems to be more papers, books, toys, clothes than I know what to do with. That's when the piles start happening...they're like little armies forming. Planning their attack. And some days I just feel like waving that dang white flag in surrender.

The entry is the WORST culprit. The first room you enter in my house is a big room but it feels like a lot of wasted space because all it's really good for is storage. But I want that storage to be cute. Is that so wrong?

Well THIS is 2012, the year I make my home homier. So I'm starting with this project - painting a bookshelf we already have white - and getting canvas bins for Josh's toys - 1 will be for blocks, 1 for cars + trucks, 1 for stuffed animals, etc. This will be in the entry but it won't look like toy storage...it will look like a cute little shelf with a beautiful mirror hanging over it, and a sweet little lamp on top - maybe a flower or two as well.

Incidentally, I actually have a mirror that looks just like the one in the picture currently taking up valuable real estate in my basement. I'm going to have hubby hang it up after I finish the painting.

I'm not working Sunday so after church when Josh is napping, I'm going to do my project. I can't wait!! I hope it turns out ok. I'm not much of a DIY girl! Yet!

I will post pictures of the before and after next week. Stay tuned!

It's About to Get Pinteresting

I have posted before about my lack of wanting more "technology." Maybe technology isn't the right word - social media outlets is probably better.

I don't want a Twitter, I don't understand it. Now people are talking about something new...Pinterest. Or maybe it's not new to anyone else, but it's new to me.

Once I saw enough of my friends talking about it on Facebook (my social network of choice), I decided to check it out for myself. And IT. IS. SO. COOL.

You probably already know what it is, but it's an online pinboard where you can post pictures of things you'd like to do to your house, recipes, fashion, or just about anything you can think of. I've already been on it a ton in the last few days and, dare I say, this could be more addicting than Facebook!

Great, just what I need, something else that sucks my precious time away. But I truly do think this could be used for good. I've already gotten a lot of ideas for ways to organize my house, decorate, recipes I'd like to try, and clothes I want to buy (someday). It's so fun to see things your friends like and then find stuff you like from them! I have to say I didn't think I was going to be a believer, but I AM!

Plus, through Pinterest I found an awesome new blog that I am obsessed with! It's called "The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking" and can be found here:

http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/

The woman who writes it is a Christian mom of 5 (I believe), including twins and has to be, like...the craftiest mom EVER. Her house is adorable (and looks so CLEAN!) and she just really seems to have it all together. I already commented (and probably freaked her out!) by asking incredulously, "How the HECK do you do all that?" I only have one and I'm not half the homemaker she apparently is!

But there's always room to grow. I'm excited to get some projects started in my house in 2012 - i.e. organizing the linen closet, the coat closet...well, just about every closet! In general, just trying to make our home sweet home a little, well...homier. I've got the Pinspiration, now all I need is the perspiration!

You notice what I did there? Try not to fall off your chair laughing at how punny I am. Please.

Can't....Keep...Eyes...Open

So I'm exhausted. Josh finally did take a good nap yesterday but last night was horrible. He was coughing ALL night - I thought he was getting better. Maybe he is, everything is just breaking up.

This morning when he was playing with toys in his crib I came in to check on him and he had a literal mustache of snot. And I'm too tired to care that that was probably TMI.

I just put him down for his nap with a pillow in his crib to elevate his head and help him breathe a little easier. My fingers (and toes) are crossed that he will sleep for at least a couple of hours. Because I. Need. Sleep.

And so does he. Night night! Or as Josh would say, Na Na!

Croupie Monster

AUGHGHSS! Is that even a real exclamation? No. Do I care? NO. It's better than typing what I really feel like typing because after only one full day of croup (word on the street is there are anywhere from 2-6 more to follow), I am exhausted, cranky, weepy, frustrated and oh...did I mention CRANKY??!!

And that's just me. All of those things also currently describe my formerly sweet, good natured boy. I'm about ready to cry uncle.

Josh woke up again this morning (after coughing through the night) with a 102 degree fever. He was lethargic and just plain miserable. I rushed for the ibuprofen and the fever came right down, but he's still just moping around, crying over every little thing, and I'm trying to keep him from crying because that aggravates the coughing. So all my parenting is going out the window...before the TV was off limits...well now all he has to do is start crying and I'm like, "Oh you're right...it is cool to touch the buttons on the TV and erase Daddy's DVRed sporting events."

I feel like this croup is creating a monster. And it's ME.

I'm praying for patience and strength to get through each day, and above all healing for my little boy. I hate it so much when he's sick. I feel so helpless, even though I'm trying my best. I even called the doctor again this morning (still haven't heard back from them...I wonder why!) to make sure they didn't want to give him anything for the croup. I know they probably think I'm crazy but I don't care...I highly doubt anyone in their office was up half the night worried sick about the coughing heap in the next room.

So here's hoping this is, miraculously the last day of croup. Because after only two days, I'm about to unravel. And also, it would be tough to do three days in a row of Croup play on words for my blog post titles.

Oh, Croup!

We spent the holiday week at my mom and dad's house in Ohio and had a blast there. It was especially fun to see Josh and his four month younger cousin Frankie playing and interacting together more than ever. My sister and I keep joking that they are "besties."

What was not especially fun was hearing from my sister just days after the boys were sharing everything (including, despite our best efforts, sippy cups) that my poor nephew Frankie had come down with croup. He had all the tell-tale signs, from fever to that sad seal-barking cough you never want to hear coming from your own kid...or anyone else's! Poor little Frankie had to go to the doctor, and his case was bad enough the doctor had to put him on a steroid.

Well, at first I thought we were doomed and that it would only be a matter of time before Josh started the seal-barking himself. But a couple of days passed since Frankie was diagnosed and all Josh had was a runny nose. Other than that, he seemed to be his normal, happy self.

Further research would have told me not to get my hopes up since that is how croup starts in almost all cases. And, wouldn't you know it, this morning my sweet baby woke up burning up with fever and coughing that dreaded cough. I tried my hardest not to freak out and called the pediatrician. Luckily, they could see us in an hour.

I gave my little Bubba boy a dose of ibuprofen and an extra dose of love and off to the doctor we went. Fortunately (or unfortunately, I'm not sure yet) the doctor didn't prescribe any medicine for Josh because she didn't (yet) feel the need. She said the best thing would be cold air before naps and bedtimes, drinking fluids and maybe some baby Vicks Vaporub if necessary. He's not really doing the coughing when he's resting (only when crying), so she said it's nothing to worry about too much.

Tell that to a first time mom who keeps her kid out of daycare on purpose to avoid such moments as these...I just hope he doesn't end up getting worse before he gets better!

Of course, I knew he would get sick eventually and I'd rather he have croup than say, cancer...so we're still pretty lucky. I just spent the past 5 minutes walking a bundled up toddler up and down our front walk in the blustery cold, hoping it would ease his little breathing. The things we do for love!!

Happy New Year!!

WHOA! I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post...crazy how time flies! One of my resolutions is to be WAY better about keeping up with the blog - even if it's a short little post about our day. I think I often "over thought" things with my blogging before, assuming I had to have a "topic" or something interesting to write about in order for people to want to read it. But if I'm really blogging for the love of writing and to have a little diary of my family happenings, I guess it shouldn't matter too much if other people want to read about it or not!!

So here's the quick update for this first day of 2012 - I'm sick. BLECH a dreaded stomach bug, although I'm not throwing up. Because I hate that. Just about more than anything. Well, actually it's third after snakes and tornadoes. But I digress.

Hubby and I spent New Year's Eve in pajamas on the couch watching Seinfeld on DVD and drinking ginger ale from champagne glasses. We didn't even get a good smooch at midnight in because I was afraid to infect him...and he was just as afraid! After watching the ball drop and a peck on the cheek, we dubbed our NYE "the lamest ever" but smiled and laughed about how blessed we had been in 2011, thought it had it's rough patches.

In other news, I'm still not pregnant. I took it pretty hard in December, but I actually just took another test last night and still nothing. We were actually slightly relieved because I have been so sick for three days, hardly eating anything. I think we both would have been worried if I had been pregnant because I also had a fever and that can really complicate things during pregnancy, especially the first trimester.

So we're hoping and praying God will bless us with another precious child in 2012 and as my husband says with a smile (one of these days I will slap him), "I guess we'll just have to try harder!"

We're counting our blessings in our house, and looking forward to a bright new year full of God's gifts and provision. Happy New Year - let's hear it for new beginnings!