It's a suffocating feeling when you look around your house and see the piles of junk and clutter climbing the walls and trying to escape the baskets and bins you tried to use as homes from them.
This crushing mama induced anxiety attack over alllllllll the freaking things usually comes after a major holiday or change of season, when I feel the need to refresh and revitalize my physical and emotional clutter.
If you're anything like me, then these times seem to be the purge and reorganize windows of insanity/sanity for you.
1. Back to School |
When there is color coordinated appliances and organizational folders, bins, and binders out of the wazoo, I usually get the urge to organize all of my paper and financial documents at this time of year. I want everything to be color coded, in their well defined folder and any other junk mail I want shredded.
SHRED IT ALLLLLLL I SAY!!!
I am a shredding ninja when it comes to junk and old mail that has no place in my home. Be gone, you sad tree that died for no reason.
2. Christmas + New Year |
I think this is the more popular one for everyone with the after Christmas clutter and the need to hit the reset button for the New Year. I usually always try before Christmas to go through her toys and do a purge of old, un-played with, broken, and/or damaged toys but it is inevitable that some sneak through the cracks and those dollar store stop junky toys start piling up again.
And don't get me started with New Years...
I go in with the best of intentions to change my ways and habits and set realistics resolutions but reality hits the hard fan and my best intentions fly right out the window.
Which leads me to:
3. The Spring Clean
This is where I am at right now.
The second day of April and even though there is a stupid winter storm that blew through dumping another round of snow, I feel the need to liven and freshen everything up in the hopes of willing real Spring to come.
My year did not start off as planned and with unexpected expenses, home repairs, car repairs, and emotional stress for life in general, I crave a change for the better and to restructure for the rest of the year.
I would like to chalk up the first couple months of the year as a trial period and initiate a quarterly refresh starting now.
So being the list and task maker I aspire to be, I compiled a list for myself of things that I would like to refresh or restructure for the remainder of the year in a realistic way to fit our current lifestyle and situation.
Quarterly Refresh
Home |
Carpet + Decorate Playroom :
This is mostly a cosmetic project to finish but is one that I'm looking most forward to finishing. After evaluating my budget and goals that I have for the next couple of years, it made more sense to stay in our home that is already paid off then trying to move after this divorce. In light of that, I wanted to utilize and make the most use of out our small house and turning our attic into a playroom/guest room has made the most sense to me. It would clear out clutter from our already cramped living room while giving Amaya her own space for her toy collection and imagination.
Fix Pipes for First Floor Bathroom :
This past winter has been a nightmare for me living as a single homeowner. During a couple small mental breakdowns this winter with all the things that can go wrong, I realized that as a single mom and homeowner, there are some things that I need to learn and reconfigure to make our livable space more...well freaking livable. For the past three months, we've thankfully been able to use our 2nd floor bathroom after our pipes busted to our first floor during the deep freeze in January. This spring we will work on repairing those and coming up with a better plan/solution for next winter.
Replace Baseboard Heater :
This is one that should have been completed when I was still married since it hasn't worked since then but one that needs to be solved regardless. These last almost two years of living on a single household income made me reevaluate our utility usage and since my house runs on electric heat, I have been murdered this year with heating costs through the deep freezes and the never ending winter.
There is many other big and small home related projects that I would like to accomplish but these are the major ones that will give me a little piece of mind if I'm able to finish for this year. Working on my budget and needs for next year, there is a couple larger projects that will require a good chunk of change so this year is about handling projects that are prerequisite to those.
Health |
Put down the carbs Ivy :
I have definitely eaten my feelings over this past year and pretty much made mac and cheese my boyfriend and we need to break up ASAP. These carbs are literally weighing me down and I can definitely feel and see the extra weight I've put on. I'm doing anything strict or eliminating completely yet, but I will be cutting back drastically.
Continue work on my mental health :
This past year and a half has really put me through the ringer mentally and emotionally and I'm hoping to continue to find better coping tools for my anxiety and depression. Blogging and writing things out is a great outlet for me so I plan on continuing that as well as photography since it allows me to find the beauty in ordinary things. I am also planning on seeking out therapy perhaps just for myself. If you were around during my marriage you will know that my ex and myself sought marriage counseling but I think it will also be beneficial to me to seek it solely for myself.
Exercise...Exercise...Exercise :
I think this will fall right in line with the previous two and will be good for my other all health and self body image. I need to get up and get moving and after this never ending winter, I am dying to get outside for walks and outdoor play with Amaya. If you have any good but novice workout plans, please send them my way.
Happiness |
Getting my finances together :
I know money doesn't buy happiness but financial freedom and peace of mind do and that's what I strive to accomplish throughout this year. I know I will not getting everything paid off and my credit score won't skyrocket over night, but my aim is to reduce my debt and increase my score over these next couple of months.
Vacation :
This may seem counteractive to my previous goal but I'm going to be greedy and live life to the fullest. We are not promised tomorrow or the time we have with others, so I made an executive decision this year to plan an exciting vacation for Amaya and myself. Our trip was paid in full with cash and I'm excited to share all the details soon.
Raising a happy child :
She will not be a content child 24/7, what child is? But I am trying my hardest at letting go of the little things and really following the mindset of #letthembelittle. We're definitely into our groove and our new normal as a duo but there will always be a few kinks to work out. I'm trying to be more of a 'yes' mom, acquiring adventures instead of possessions, and maintaining a positive co-parenting relationship with her father, all things that I think are progressive to a happy child and in turn happy mama.
These are really just the tip of the iceberg of items I want to accomplish for myself. I have a more detailed list that you can find here , but this list is at the forefront of brain right now.
It's Spring now, and while everything else is blooming and creating a new life for itself, I want to do the same and polish up the little life I've been given too.
Do you have any special goals for yourself or resolutions that may have fallen by the wayside at the beginning of the year that you plan on picking back up now?
