Oops I didn't realise how much time had passed with my head stuck in my new business.
Reading through Week 28, again I am in my element after all this is why I started my blog. To set up cleaning routines and see my progress. It has helped immensely I can't believe the transformation in just five months. I can't believe the way we used to live YUCK!
I love Flylady's 15 minute approach, and have slowly worked out a weekly, daily, monthly plan. But if I miss some things it is ok because I focus on one part of the house for one week so I know it will come around in another month, takes a lot of stress off me.
If you want to check out this post about my routines or my facebook page I try to post up twice daily 5 minute missions to keep you motivated. I also post up de-cluttering missions to keep on top of clutter because if your house is cluttered it's impossible to clean.
About Me
- SustainableHousewife
- Newcastle, NSW, Australia
- Mid 20s Stay at Home Mummy to Master A and Wife to DH, Michael. This blog will document my life as i try to become more sustainable, a fun mum and maybe even a domestic goddess- is there even such a thing?
Showing posts with label Simplify Your Life Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simplify Your Life Challenge. Show all posts
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
wk 26 & 27 SYL challenge
wk 26 is about simplifying what we have, make sure everything has a home and it lives where it makes sense to us, not our mother or neighbour but to the people living in the home. And to really take notice of our hot spot areas, glad to know I'm not the only one who uses that terminology, and to assign homes to the hot spot items.
When I have a hot spot growing, I like to clear it then put something pretty or functional there it makes it a whole lot less likely that I'll let piles pile up again.
Since moving back into our own home, I've been very mindful of where things go. For instance, in the kitchen the cups were in another cupboard a few steps away from the kettle and in a smaller cupboard, crazy right?! I de-cluttered my plastics and jars I've collected and swapped where they lived, that led onto the whole pantry and every other cupboard and drawer being inspected and changed, lucky I have a teeny tiny kitchen so it only took half a hour.
wk 27 is about starting to create routines. I'm in my element! At the start of the year I didn't have any routines and was always playing catch-up, it was so stressful. Now with the routines I have in place I feel a lot less calmer and I still can't believe it was so easy. Now the blog and Facebook page are helping me stay on track as well.
I post a lot of my routines and the like on my blog and Facebook page daily so feel free to have a look for more of a idea. But some of the routines that pop into my mind, are meal planning for a month and buying the groceries once a month, using the slow cooker. Just dump the food in and in 8 hours...hello, dinner!
I clean out my fridge once a week and check the pantry once a month.
I bought a planner at the end of June and a business card holder. I love both of them and don't know how I ever lived without them.
I have a weekly review of my week usually on a Sunday and plan for the week ahead and write up a little blog to keep my motivated.
Hubby says he is going to make a covered entry room so I can have a big launch pad for mornings, I can't wait! Will definitely blog about it when it happens.
When I have a hot spot growing, I like to clear it then put something pretty or functional there it makes it a whole lot less likely that I'll let piles pile up again.
Since moving back into our own home, I've been very mindful of where things go. For instance, in the kitchen the cups were in another cupboard a few steps away from the kettle and in a smaller cupboard, crazy right?! I de-cluttered my plastics and jars I've collected and swapped where they lived, that led onto the whole pantry and every other cupboard and drawer being inspected and changed, lucky I have a teeny tiny kitchen so it only took half a hour.
wk 27 is about starting to create routines. I'm in my element! At the start of the year I didn't have any routines and was always playing catch-up, it was so stressful. Now with the routines I have in place I feel a lot less calmer and I still can't believe it was so easy. Now the blog and Facebook page are helping me stay on track as well.
I post a lot of my routines and the like on my blog and Facebook page daily so feel free to have a look for more of a idea. But some of the routines that pop into my mind, are meal planning for a month and buying the groceries once a month, using the slow cooker. Just dump the food in and in 8 hours...hello, dinner!
I clean out my fridge once a week and check the pantry once a month.
I bought a planner at the end of June and a business card holder. I love both of them and don't know how I ever lived without them.
I have a weekly review of my week usually on a Sunday and plan for the week ahead and write up a little blog to keep my motivated.
Hubby says he is going to make a covered entry room so I can have a big launch pad for mornings, I can't wait! Will definitely blog about it when it happens.
Friday, 15 June 2012
My week & SYL wk 24 Clutter Prevention
This week I've been under the weather, taking care of Master A who had his one year needles then developed croup. State of Origin night we slept in the lounge room because he screamed in his room I finally got over my fear of "should I move him? It might wake him up, maybe I should just leave him...what if he rolls into his toys and wakes himself up anyway? Or one of the animals treads on him?" And moved him to his cot at midnight, he didn't even stir lucky me!
I dusted off and updated me resume, and sent it to a company looking for a weekend receptionist. Fingers Crossed!
Friday saw me curled up on the couch feeling blah and sorry for myself, when some people I knew stopped in for a cuppa. Actually getting up and doing something made me feel a little better. And the weather is nice for a change! 11 weeks till Spring...not that I'm counting :D
Week 24 Clutter Prevention
I love this week! I had the biggest clutter problem a few years ago, but I couldn't see it, everyone else could but I couldn't see any problem with it after all I needed all this stuff! it's not clutter if you need it.
The things that helped me, was moving and having to pack everything up but I know that's not possible for everyone.
When we moved back, I looked at each room and labelled them, master bedroom, spare and computer room, Master A's room, kitchen, lounge room and dinning room. And listed what goes in there, while unpacking I made sure to put likes with other likes then purged the excess. If I couldn't decide where a item should go, I packed it up into a storage container to be opened later. I kept all our nick-nacks packed away. Just because they were packed away didn't mean I loved them any less.
I made sure when items were put away that they each had there space, if they couldn't fit, I purged and packed away or donated again.
I still do this even six month later I go through each room and really look at what is in there, if there are things that don't suit, fit, belong or I haven't used it in six months or really looked at it and enjoyed it and I can't figure out where to put it. Into a storage container it goes.
If I found I was still piling I cleaned the surface off and put something pretty or functional in the middle of the hotspot, having something there made me not want to start to make a mess.
It's really been a big help having my five year goals written down, even hubby is excited about them and we've started brainstorming how to get them achieved. Its really exciting when your family is on board with your goals :)
I dusted off and updated me resume, and sent it to a company looking for a weekend receptionist. Fingers Crossed!
Friday saw me curled up on the couch feeling blah and sorry for myself, when some people I knew stopped in for a cuppa. Actually getting up and doing something made me feel a little better. And the weather is nice for a change! 11 weeks till Spring...not that I'm counting :D
Week 24 Clutter Prevention
I love this week! I had the biggest clutter problem a few years ago, but I couldn't see it, everyone else could but I couldn't see any problem with it after all I needed all this stuff! it's not clutter if you need it.
The things that helped me, was moving and having to pack everything up but I know that's not possible for everyone.
When we moved back, I looked at each room and labelled them, master bedroom, spare and computer room, Master A's room, kitchen, lounge room and dinning room. And listed what goes in there, while unpacking I made sure to put likes with other likes then purged the excess. If I couldn't decide where a item should go, I packed it up into a storage container to be opened later. I kept all our nick-nacks packed away. Just because they were packed away didn't mean I loved them any less.
I made sure when items were put away that they each had there space, if they couldn't fit, I purged and packed away or donated again.
I still do this even six month later I go through each room and really look at what is in there, if there are things that don't suit, fit, belong or I haven't used it in six months or really looked at it and enjoyed it and I can't figure out where to put it. Into a storage container it goes.
If I found I was still piling I cleaned the surface off and put something pretty or functional in the middle of the hotspot, having something there made me not want to start to make a mess.
It's really been a big help having my five year goals written down, even hubby is excited about them and we've started brainstorming how to get them achieved. Its really exciting when your family is on board with your goals :)
Friday, 1 June 2012
SYL wk 14-21 - Time Management & Home Audit
Week 14 is all about Planning Time Management, perfect timing once again! I've been meaning to get a diary and planner for a few weeks now but have been procrastinating, so first thing tomorrow I will be heading down to the news agency to have a look at what's on offer
This week was my office, bathroom and laundry zone, I mostly spent my week in the office and neglected the others, not that they were terrible to begin with, luckily. So I have culled two laundry baskets worth of paper into one folder- yipeee! it looks so much nicer now I know not as exciting as re-organising the lounge room, its nothing you can bring your friends round to ooh and aaah over.
Trying to organise the office was a nightmare with a toddler wanting to help and inspect every bit of paper that's around and mess up my nice piles. And babysitting a friends cat that wants to catch the mouse cursor and letters as I type them and walk on the keyboard as I'm trying to type.
Week 15 is about conducting a time audit. Have a look at how you are spending your time and making sure the way you spend your time is helping you reach your goals.
I've written out my 5 year plan and 2012 plan and worked backwards for monthly goals, to at least try and move towards my goals and make sure I hit them by NYE
Week 16 is about slowing down, making sure you fit in things for yourself and only choosing 2-3 important tasks for each day instead of piling on the pressure. I love the sound of that, I think it will help when I get to the weekly to-do list.
Week 17 is about decision making, being decisive i love the line, "Focus on what next action you need to take and do it" That really jumped out at me for some reason.
Week 18 Was all about stopping procrastination, I have a procrastination list I try to tackle one thing every week. Still a few things left on it though.
Week 19 We are talking about routines, I love routines they make me feel so organised and calm knowing what comes next and being able to tick things off and look back at the end of the day and see I actually did things.
I have a morning and afternoon routine, a weekly routine, a monthly routine, I have a cleaning routine and set day routines, for example, dumping everything and organising everything off my phone is on the 7th of every month. or washing my poodle on a monday.
What areas cause you stress in your life? Would a routine help?
Week 21 Had to laugh when Deb mentioned being more intentional about what we buy, I have just started cutting out things of catalogues and sticking them to my cork board instead of stuffing the catalogue away for later. Much neater and its on display, much more motivation for saving those coins at the end of
This week was my office, bathroom and laundry zone, I mostly spent my week in the office and neglected the others, not that they were terrible to begin with, luckily. So I have culled two laundry baskets worth of paper into one folder- yipeee! it looks so much nicer now I know not as exciting as re-organising the lounge room, its nothing you can bring your friends round to ooh and aaah over.
Trying to organise the office was a nightmare with a toddler wanting to help and inspect every bit of paper that's around and mess up my nice piles. And babysitting a friends cat that wants to catch the mouse cursor and letters as I type them and walk on the keyboard as I'm trying to type.
Week 15 is about conducting a time audit. Have a look at how you are spending your time and making sure the way you spend your time is helping you reach your goals.
I've written out my 5 year plan and 2012 plan and worked backwards for monthly goals, to at least try and move towards my goals and make sure I hit them by NYE
Week 16 is about slowing down, making sure you fit in things for yourself and only choosing 2-3 important tasks for each day instead of piling on the pressure. I love the sound of that, I think it will help when I get to the weekly to-do list.
Week 17 is about decision making, being decisive i love the line, "Focus on what next action you need to take and do it" That really jumped out at me for some reason.
Week 18 Was all about stopping procrastination, I have a procrastination list I try to tackle one thing every week. Still a few things left on it though.
Week 19 We are talking about routines, I love routines they make me feel so organised and calm knowing what comes next and being able to tick things off and look back at the end of the day and see I actually did things.
I have a morning and afternoon routine, a weekly routine, a monthly routine, I have a cleaning routine and set day routines, for example, dumping everything and organising everything off my phone is on the 7th of every month. or washing my poodle on a monday.
What areas cause you stress in your life? Would a routine help?
Week 21 Had to laugh when Deb mentioned being more intentional about what we buy, I have just started cutting out things of catalogues and sticking them to my cork board instead of stuffing the catalogue away for later. Much neater and its on display, much more motivation for saving those coins at the end of
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
SYL wk 11- Grattitude
Perfect timing with starting Thankful Tuesday on my fb page. I'm a big believer in a gratitude journal, even if it is in bullet points about what went right that day.
When Ashton is old enough I think we will start to share three things we are grateful for before bed, sounds like a great part of a bedtime ritual.
The following is taken from Week 11- there are some excellent ideas.
Practical ideas for developing a gratitude and
kindness practice
When Ashton is old enough I think we will start to share three things we are grateful for before bed, sounds like a great part of a bedtime ritual.
The following is taken from Week 11- there are some excellent ideas.
Practical ideas for developing a gratitude and
kindness practice
Send out thank you’s / say thanks to people you deal with in your life
- great service you received
- a family member you appreciate
- a teacher you had or one your child has/had
- someone who helps with your child (a tutor/ instructor, care giver/babysitter)
Give your partner acts of service without any expectations of reciprocity
- massages
- chores they normally handle
- letting them choose (restaurant, DVD, date night)
- offer to be the designated driver even if it is not your “turn”
- pack them a lunch (and include a note)
Volunteer or participate in your community
- donate children’s books to waiting rooms at doctor’s offices, hospitals, dentists, etc
- visit a nursing home with your children
- deliver coffee and treats to your local school administration office
- offer up your skills and services for free to teach someone else or assist them
- help a local teacher with “busy work” (copying, sorting etc) or provide extra supplies they need
- mow your neighbour’s front lawn while you are already out there
Slow down
- let someone go ahead of you in line at the shops or in traffic
- give up a parking space or stop to let someone know you are heading to you car so they can have your space
- stop to give directions to someone who seems lost
- check on someone you see get hurt
- help an elderly person load their groceries into their car
- write a letter or make a phone call to someone important to you
Be supportive of others
- babysit for friends
- bring food to a new mother and stop to help with her laundry or whatever she really needs
- cheer on a friend in a race
- give your friend a book you know she will love or that will help her
- comment on every blog post you read today and show that person they are being heard
- let someone else win the argument this time
Challenge for week 11: Incorporate this into your daily life. Start a gratitude journal, express thanks to others, set out to do random acts of kindness, look for a volunteer role in your community, or buy nice cards and write a whole heap of thank you letters- maybe start with your nearest and dearest , choose to be kinder every day and let things go.
SYL wk 10- How to face your fears
Week 10 is all about fears this is a hard one for me its not something I give a lot of thought too, mostly I listen to my body it will tell me when I'm fearful I have a physical reaction, my body tenses, my tummy does somersaults, I sweat.
The most recent time this happened was when I was contemplating going heart and soul into blogging about sustainability and being a SAHM, none of this wiffal-waffle blogging I had done before. And it scared the pants off of me! I remember my mum always said if its not scaring your pants off its not worth doing. I had to think about why I was so nervous.
Putting myself out there for judgement, what if I wasn't "good" enough? There are so many great bloggers already! I countered with it doesn't matter, I'm doing this for myself. If people don't like what I have to say, what of it? They will just click next. Of course I don't know what I'm doing, how can i if I've never done it before? Jump in give it a go and if it doesn't work out move onto something else.
And I'm so glad I did
The most recent time this happened was when I was contemplating going heart and soul into blogging about sustainability and being a SAHM, none of this wiffal-waffle blogging I had done before. And it scared the pants off of me! I remember my mum always said if its not scaring your pants off its not worth doing. I had to think about why I was so nervous.
Putting myself out there for judgement, what if I wasn't "good" enough? There are so many great bloggers already! I countered with it doesn't matter, I'm doing this for myself. If people don't like what I have to say, what of it? They will just click next. Of course I don't know what I'm doing, how can i if I've never done it before? Jump in give it a go and if it doesn't work out move onto something else.
And I'm so glad I did
SYL wk 9- Go easier on yourself
Simplify Your Life wk 9 challenge is all about being kinder to yourself. I love this as it is something Flylady constantly brings up,
"The voices that you hear in your head...We are going to quiet those negative voices that are beating you up constantly and replace them with a loving, gentle voice...Everything we do is going to help you replace those voices that put you down."
The mantra I love is
"The voices that you hear in your head...We are going to quiet those negative voices that are beating you up constantly and replace them with a loving, gentle voice...Everything we do is going to help you replace those voices that put you down."
The mantra I love is
SYL wk 8- Happiness
Week 8 is all about Happiness, What makes you happy? What takes away from your happiness?
- Think about what makes you happy, and what are the hurdles that come between you and happiness.
- Create a happiness list, or I have a Pick-Me Up Jar which I suppose is a happiness list in 3D. If you're having a mind blank a gratitude journal is a great way to focus on your happiness. every night jot down the things that day that you are grateful for, what made you happy and what went right.
- Do one thing from your list a day
Monday, 28 May 2012
SYL wk 7- Create a vision board
This weeks challenge was to create a vision board for how you want 2012 to look like, I also added some longer term goals like my dream house and dream car.
I created mine by using images I found on Pinterest, then uploaded them to Oprah dreamboard you will need to sign up but it is free I can't wait to explore the website. I set my vision board as my computer backdrop and uploaded a private photo to my Facebook as I didn't want everyone seeing my photo, then saved it on my phone and used it as my screen saver on my iPhone, now its the first thing I see in the morning and usually the last thing I see when I go to bed, what a great way to keep my goals in focus!
I created mine by using images I found on Pinterest, then uploaded them to Oprah dreamboard you will need to sign up but it is free I can't wait to explore the website. I set my vision board as my computer backdrop and uploaded a private photo to my Facebook as I didn't want everyone seeing my photo, then saved it on my phone and used it as my screen saver on my iPhone, now its the first thing I see in the morning and usually the last thing I see when I go to bed, what a great way to keep my goals in focus!
SYL- wk 6 Setting Goals
This weeks challange was to Set Goals for the rest of 2012, perfect timing since half the year is nearly gone.
Health- Drink 2L/dy and walk 3x/wk
Try one new thing a month
Family- Board game, pizza and movie night once a week and pencil in date night with hubby once a month for dinner
Sustainability- Work on the garden and put chook pen up
Finance- Save $50/wk
Community- Find things to be involved in that include Master A, for instance the morning tea this week is at my house, so he can still be a part of it
I realised that all these goals are things I can put into my daily or weekly routine, feeling pretty good about that!
Health- Drink 2L/dy and walk 3x/wk
Try one new thing a month
Family- Board game, pizza and movie night once a week and pencil in date night with hubby once a month for dinner
Sustainability- Work on the garden and put chook pen up
Finance- Save $50/wk
Community- Find things to be involved in that include Master A, for instance the morning tea this week is at my house, so he can still be a part of it
I realised that all these goals are things I can put into my daily or weekly routine, feeling pretty good about that!
SYL wk 4- The Wheel Of Life
I have been a little slack in keeping up with Simplify Your Life Challenges but ready to jump back in.
This week I am on Week 4- Assessing Your Life Balance using the wheel of life
I feel as I've continued to blog and use my Facebook page to work through my home my areas have lifted somewhat, so yay! go me!
My 8 Categories are and how I rate them at the moment:
My marriage 4
my family (me, hubby and Master A) 3
my extended family 3
my friends 3
my home 3
my health 3
the community 2
creativity 3
I'm pretty happy with how everything is balancing I would like to work on "community" a bit more. I've started by being a host for The Biggest Morning Tea to raise funds for the Cancer Council, which is exciting because so many people I know have been hurt from cancer, my grand father in law passed away last year and my step mother is fighting cancer since last year, they found out the day after Master A was born which is a little difficult it's not something you like to associate with the birth of a new family member.
And my health is another one I need to work on, I've been sick for most of the year, or recovering from being sick, nothing major just the coughs, sniffles or other annoying thing. I think its some sort of sickness payback for being sickness free when I was pregnant.
This week I am on Week 4- Assessing Your Life Balance using the wheel of life
I feel as I've continued to blog and use my Facebook page to work through my home my areas have lifted somewhat, so yay! go me!
My 8 Categories are and how I rate them at the moment:
My marriage 4
my family (me, hubby and Master A) 3
my extended family 3
my friends 3
my home 3
my health 3
the community 2
creativity 3
I'm pretty happy with how everything is balancing I would like to work on "community" a bit more. I've started by being a host for The Biggest Morning Tea to raise funds for the Cancer Council, which is exciting because so many people I know have been hurt from cancer, my grand father in law passed away last year and my step mother is fighting cancer since last year, they found out the day after Master A was born which is a little difficult it's not something you like to associate with the birth of a new family member.
And my health is another one I need to work on, I've been sick for most of the year, or recovering from being sick, nothing major just the coughs, sniffles or other annoying thing. I think its some sort of sickness payback for being sickness free when I was pregnant.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Week 3 SYL: Family Mission Statement
I have a lot to catch up in regards to SYL challenge I hope to do two weeks a day, but with a 10 month old i know not to be to hard on myself if i don't achieve this goal. Remember- it doesnt matter how slow you go, so long as you do not stop <3
This week is all about your family mission statement, I used http://wwwfranklincovey.com/msb/ to help with mine.
Our Family Mission Statement:
As a family we are at our best when we communicate with each other.We will try to prevent times when we add to each others stress.We will find more time and more activites to do outside as a family.We will help each other by using constructive cristicisim.We will help others by volunteering and getting to know others in the community.We will stop procrastinationg and start planning more family activites.We weill be viewed as a family that loves each other and who try our best to help others and the community, that our house is always open to others and we always have a kind word to say.We will fill our home with LOVE.We will make choices and decisions based on: kindess, honesty, love and service to others and the environment.We will constantly renew ourselves by focusing on:
- drinking 2L of water a day
- walking 3x a week and taking the dogs to the park 3x a week
- try a new physical experinece a month
- being open to other religions and researching them before judging them
- Do brain teasers, play board games together once a week and read a book together every night
- catching up with friends and family or ring them once a week and we will surround ourselves with positiveness and look for the silver lining in every bad situation.
Have a great day! <3
SYL wk2 My Values
Simplify Your Life Week 2:
What are your values? What do you stand for?
I value:
<3 Melissa
What are your values? What do you stand for?
I value:
- Family and my animals...nicknamed The Zoo by friends
- Sustainability: I don't want to add to the worlds problems, I want to live simply and teach my son about the joys of sustainability.
- Peace, Calm and trying to live Stress free: The first step is to declutter my house, I have started this by re-starting Flylady. http://www.flylady.net/ Yesterday I created My Control Journal: a handbook for the way your house runs, every ones is different as no household or person is the same. Mine is in a A4 folder, the flimsy kind and it sits in the middle of my dinning table so I see it when i first get up instead of ignoring it
- Love: Creating strong bonds with my family, neighbours and friends
- Fun: Making sure I have fun with my family and not be so serious and grown up all of the time
- Positivity: Life is what you make it, what you see in others is what you want to see. I try to see the silver lining of every situation and to take deep breaths sometimes when it is hard to see the silver lining.
- My community and the people who try so hard to make things better.
<3 Melissa
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