Category Archives: My House

Can I get over the anxiety of letting complete strangers into my home to fix things?

My Family, My House, My Workouts, Off We Go!, The Kids

Countdown to 50 – 9 Weeks to Go

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I have nine weeks until I turn 50.

Remember when I had 163 days left?  What have I been doing the last 100 days?

Here’s what I didn’t do:  I didn’t complete the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge, and I didn’t lose any weight despite making some changes in my diet.

Here’s what I did do:

I watched my daughter and her basketball team, the Lady Bruins, win back-to-back state championships. These young women accomplished this goal while trying to manage everything else that high school threw at them.  For my daughter, there were many late nights, missed classes, lower grades, and lots of social sacrificing. As a mom, the biggest lesson during the season was learning to listen to what she was saying, rather than telling her what to do.

This sign was presented to the Lady Bruins by the Town of Hempstead.

I also traveled to Japan and I was surprised to see how my son seemed to have matured exponentially in three months.   Everything that made me cry by Day 3, he had tackled — living in a foreign country, commuting on a complicated train system, trying unknown foods, and essentially embracing a different culture.  Who was this man? I am not yet ready to concede that he is “grown,” but he’s close.

Entrance to Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, Japan.

So, despite trying to focus on myself, I find that my life is really centered around the kids, who are no longer really kids.

The kids taking a selfie at the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine in Kyoto, Japan.

Perhaps I haven’t figured out how to re-focus to my own needs because I am not really sure what those are.

For the next nine weeks, I am going to focus on my health.  This new blood pressure medication that I am taking seems to be working.  I have walked consecutively for 4 days on the treadmill.  I am eating salad everyday and trying to drink more water.

Hopefully Spring comes soon and I can walk outside instead of on this treadmill.

I have nine weeks until I turn 50.  What things do you do to stay healthy or get in better shape?

 

 

Minimalist Projects, My House

40 Bags – Day 6-20

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As I dive deeper into this 40 bags in 40 days project, I make these public confessions on Instagram:

I am a hoarder of leftovers, hotel cups, fast food utensils and napkins, spices, hangers, laundry detergent containers, hotel toiletries, baby teeth, Santa letters, greeting cards, and credit card statements.

On Day 6, I confronted my hoarding of leftovers. I can’t say no when people pack me food to bring home, and I always take home food from a restaurant, no matter how little. By the end of the week, the refrigerator is full, but no one wants to gamble on food poisoning. So it just piles up.

Day 6: I have to make more of an effort not to waste or hoard food.

While cleaning out my closet on Day 9, I found a box of sympathy cards from my dad’s death in 2005. I read through how shocked and sad everyone was. I kept one letter from an old fraternity brother and tossed the rest. That was a major step for me.

Each day the project takes longer and longer. I schedule an hour for a specific area, and an hour becomes three… and then I am left scrambling the rest of the day.

Work halted around Day 17. I was scheduled to do the garage. There are bins filled with old statements to be filed, manuals of appliances and gadgets, photos that were supposed to be put in albums, and the kids’ achievement certificates and awards.

I worked on and off for three days, and it really was draining.

Day 17: Sorted papers from bins in the garage for 2 days.

Old bank and credit card statements reminded me how much money I have wasted on stuff.  But I moved past the shame and felt relieved to finally get rid of it all. The shredder overheated twice. I found $45 in random envelopes and cards. And then, I finished the piles.

Day 20: Felt so relieved to get all the papers shredded and stuff put away.

There are still boxes of papers from grad school, PTA stuff, and beautiful cards celebrating me.  Am I keeping this junk just to validate the years that I stayed home as a housewife?

My kids will not interpret these bins and boxes as my personal achievements or treasures from my past. They never knew that girl, student, aspiring professional… They will look at all these boxes and say, “why did mom save all this sh….stuff?”

One reader referred to her battle with paperwork as “shredding remnants of a past life.” That’s it. The stuff in the garage and basement are things that used to define me:  a grad student, a PTA volunteer, a young mom.

The artifacts I am finding no longer depict my present self.  I know that I will never wear any of my outdated business suits, read all the books that are in storage, play with the dozens of play doh moulds, or make homemade ice cream.  It’s time to let it all go.

As I fill each bag, I am excited to make room for whatever is coming.

Thanks for sticking with me on this project.  Did you jump in on this challenge?  Share with us your progress.

Books, Blogs, and other stuff I read, Minimalist Projects, My House, My Workouts

2015 Projects

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Happy New Year! I am eager to share my first projects of 2015!

In my continued quest to get rid of stuff around the house, I found Peter Walsh‘s project 31Days2GetOrganized. I know I didn’t finish 30DaysofThanks. But these are 10-minute exercises that seem doable. Day 2 required removing items that don’t belong in the Master Bedroom. I dragged out a box of books, magazines from my side table, and a large bin of summer clothes. The exercise took less than half an hour.

I am also working on missions from the FlyLady. This week we are in the kitchen. Today’s mission was to throw out any plastic containers that were stained, broken, or didn’t have a match. I find it easier to do one simple task rather than to tackle a whole room at once.

On the fitness front, I’ve decided to cancel my gym membership and start a realistic workout plan at home. I am committing to 30 minutes a day on the treadmill.

To motivate myself, I am researching these two races:

The Color Run – 5K on May 23rd in Queens. A race where people splash you with color? I am going to see if I can put together a team to run with me. No pressure, just lots of fun. Right up my alley.

Diva Race – 5K on October 4 in Eisenhower Park. This race requires some running, but with a feather boa! How fun is that? Plus it’s later in the year and I’ll be really fit by then!

I am thinking of signing up for a photography class at the local community college. I’ve been taking some photos for the church website and I want to see how I can improve the pictures or better work my camera.

Here are some writers who help me stay motivated:

* My sister recommended Mastin Kipp and his posts about love and loving yourself. I follow him on Twitter and it’s like a daily dose of love and positivity.

* I’ve been a fan of Rachel Anne Ridge’s “Home Sanctuary” for a while. Her last post talked about 2015 being the “year to stop being afraid.” I always back off when I think that something bad might happen. As a result, there’s no progress. I want this to change in 2015.

* I’ve mentioned Courtney Carver before in my Project 333 post.  She inspires, encourages, and motivates me with her posts on minimalism.

Last year, I sadly said goodbye to an uncle, two good neighbors, and some really kind people in my church. On a happier note, I was able to attend a fabulous wedding and reunite with old friends, celebrate my 20th anniversary, and share special occasions with my family and friends.

Life is so precious. This will be the year I stand up to my fears. But instead of planning, and worrying, I will just start by starting.

I am looking forward to sharing my projects and hearing from you in 2015.

Let’s have a healthy, happy new year!

Books, Blogs, and other stuff I read, Minimalist Projects, My House

30 Days of Thanks

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I’m usually grateful. Sometimes I get distracted.

Last week, a good friend told me that she just organized ALL her cabinets,  and I completely lost it. Wait. The meltdown wasn’t so sudden. A few weeks back (right after Halloween), the same friend and I were talking about Christmas lists. That’s when my anxiety level started rising.

A den project has made my house (more) chaotic. Boxes of books, photo albums, picture frames, and gadgets have been stacked in my living room, garage, and basement since September. Instead of digging through the boxes for office supplies, I just run out to get more.

I am a minimalist’s nightmare.

Do the boxes really need to be unpacked? Can I just donate everything? Better yet, can everything just go in the garbage?

I lose sight of how really blessed I am when I have these conversations.

I’m working on 30 Days of Thanks to help me focus. It’s a simple daily reminder to give thanks. Here are my pictures on Instagram.

I am also working on the exercises from this book,  “Simpler: Declutter Your Life and Focus on What’s Most Important,” by Mike Burns.  What’s most important…to me?  Family and experiences are more important than managing all these boxes, books and stuff that I’ve accumulated. I have to do a better job focusing.

As Thanksgiving nears, I remind myself to be thankful for where I am right now. I am thankful for a house. I am thankful that I am still in good physical and mental health to clean up my junk . I am thankful for a supportive family that can adapt to the chaos. And, of course, I’m thankful for my readers who are with me on this journey.

Please share your tips on how you stay focused on what’s important to you.