DO I WANT TO CHANGE?

Seriously. Sometimes I wonder if I really want to change. Staying the way I am and in the situation I am in might not be ideal, but at least I wouldn't have to adapt to something new. This year I had no New Year's reolutions as they end up being the same every year anyway. So. One starts to wonder.

I think it would be easier for me to stay happy with a clean organized house. But who am I kidding. It's not about being happy then. It's about being happy now. Today's goal was to write down all the things I want to do and change and to prioritize. So far I haven't even gotten myself a pice of paper and a pen.

I think I am afraid of the hard work it will bring with it. I want to eat a whole chocolate cake AND be skinny. I want to have a clean house WITHOUT EVER having to touch a rag. I want to be ORGANIZED AND KEEP IT ALL.

I am afraid it won't work. If I want to stop being a hoarder I have to be willing to change. I think I'll go and get that piece of paper now.

IT WAS BETTER

Today was better. A lot better. Most likely due to some ibuprofen. I might only have gotten 90 min in, but I can claim that I have started decluttering again. Admittedly  I am sorting through stuff that only came in yesterday, but 3 big black bags are 3 big black bags. I not only made it through the first bag, but I also found out which size for boys clothes my friend Jane needs so I can pack a bag, straight for her.

I am motivatd. Highly motivated. It's break through time. I can feel it. I can see it. I did not let the first half of the week get me. I pulled through with the plan for the rest of the week and so far. I can do this. I am strong. And I will be happy. It's my choice!

IT'S ONLY WEDNESDAY

Last week was full. This one is even fuller. I was kind of worried how I would make it through the week. Monday was hard but went okay. Yesterday was spent in a blurr of tears as I found out that my son's first teacher, who I liked very much and was a great help for me in becoming more confident with my parenting lost her battle against cancer.

Today about 20 min after I got up I could barely move anymore due to pain in my left shoulder (after being in pain all week last week on the right side). I had a meeting with a teacher at 2 pm, dentist appointments for everyone at 3 pm, hit a car in the parking lot in between. (Fortunately there seems to have been no damage on either car except for a minor scratch on my plastic bumper and the owner of the other car just shrugged it off) I cried some more today, due to pain and overwhelm and sadness for losing such a great teacher at such a young age. (She was 5 weeks younger than me.)

Can tomorrow possibly go worse? Definitley. But it won't. It simply won't.

MOUNT LAUNDRY

We all have our weak spots and our strong sides. When it comes to household chores laundry is definitely my strong side. I know, that I once more lost complete control when the laundry gets out of hand. With my energy and water saving pearl of a washer, a load of laundry takes more than 2 hours. So unless I have a plan of attack the average 10-12 loads I do a week simply won't happen.

First thing I do every morning is to start the laundry. Taking down the dirty laundry, sorting it and starting a load has become second nature to me. I don't even think about it. It happens before I am fully awake sometimes.

Mondays and Friday/Saturday are usually my big laundry days. I am fortunate enough to have a big laundry room downstairs. I have set up hampers and happily start sorting by colors, hot or cold, you know the routine. In the end I have 8 different categories. The cool thing is, that once a hamper is full I know the washer is full. No more guessing if a load is ready or not. When I go downstairs and sort I usually simply turn on the kind of load that reached the top of the basket first.

Doing 5 loads in one day usually takes from 7 am until 10 pm as I usually don't catch it right at the end of the cycle. The dryer takes a good 2 hours, too.

I did do some "in house" research and feel save to say that 1 basket of laundry from taking it downstairs - putting it back in the dresser requires 30 min of work. Ironing is NOT included (as I avoid that at all costs).

Sof if I tell you that I took 5 baskets full of dirty laundry downstairs, and also tell you that my dryer is acting up and the first load alone had to be started 5 times (and I even took out half being afraid that it might have been to big) you can guess how my day went. Which reminds me...I better go down and check on the dryer!

5 A DAY

Supposedly 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day are key to a helathy nutrition. 

Recent independent studies (in my household) have shown that trowing 5 things out every day establishes healthy slim cabinets and well fed happy trash cans. It also makes it easier to part with things. It becomes a habbit. 

So if you want to put your hoard on a diet, join me now. I keep track by putting an x on my calender every day I managed to throw away 5 things. Wheter in passing or as an organinzed effort doesn't matter.

If 5 sounds to much, start with 3 or even 1. Once you managed to do so for a whole week straight you bump your number up by 2. Obvious trash counts, as long as it was lying around. 

If you get behind you can catch up the next day, but you can't work ahead as the goal is to establish a habbit. Of course you can throw out more than 5 things, but they don't count for days yet to come. 

I am putting my hoard on a diet. NOW!