I found a new favorite site for pretty things and DIY projects... Enjoy!
cleaning out the clutter
A while back I read this post from Donald Miller and was inspired to simplify and online life. So I went through all of the blogs that I subscribe to and got rid of half of them. It was hard to do, but I have to say my life is fine without those blogs and I am actually aware of the extra time that has magically been added to my every day.
The strange thing is that after I rid my google reader of these blogs, I actually felt the exact same good feeling I feel when my house is clean, or after I clean out a closet. Simplifying and organizing just plain feels good.
And on a sort-of-related thought, I have been cleaning my house differently lately. It used to be that I would start cleaning the bathroom and take a water glass from in there and bring it to the kitchen, and then I would load the dishwasher and clear off the counter, bringing papers to my desk where I would get hung up trying to organize my paper life. While organizing my desk I would return a book to the living room where I'd see the mess on the coffee table. And after 30 minutes of this, I had nothing to show for my efforts. Every room looked "sort of" clean.
So I am now cleaning only one room at a time. And it works. If I completely finish the bathroom first, I often find the enthusiasm to hit the next room. If I tucker out in the next room (or more likely, Ivar wakes up) I still have one clean room to show for my time.
Try this cleaning method. I know it sounds obvious, but it was hard for me to do at first. And it has actually changed my attitude towards daily house work. (well, that might be a bit extreme...)
The strange thing is that after I rid my google reader of these blogs, I actually felt the exact same good feeling I feel when my house is clean, or after I clean out a closet. Simplifying and organizing just plain feels good.
And on a sort-of-related thought, I have been cleaning my house differently lately. It used to be that I would start cleaning the bathroom and take a water glass from in there and bring it to the kitchen, and then I would load the dishwasher and clear off the counter, bringing papers to my desk where I would get hung up trying to organize my paper life. While organizing my desk I would return a book to the living room where I'd see the mess on the coffee table. And after 30 minutes of this, I had nothing to show for my efforts. Every room looked "sort of" clean.
So I am now cleaning only one room at a time. And it works. If I completely finish the bathroom first, I often find the enthusiasm to hit the next room. If I tucker out in the next room (or more likely, Ivar wakes up) I still have one clean room to show for my time.
Try this cleaning method. I know it sounds obvious, but it was hard for me to do at first. And it has actually changed my attitude towards daily house work. (well, that might be a bit extreme...)
marsupial mama
This Peekaru was given to us by our Colorado Frick family. Ivar is sitting in his baby bjorn and then this fleece vest zips up the side to keep him warm. I used it on Friday while shoveling with him and today we went out to take a walk.I cannot tell you how much I love this thing. At first I thought it was more funny than functional, but it is awesome! Ivar LOVES it. As soon as I put it on I check in the mirror to make sure he can see and he is always smiling so big.
For a Minnesota Mama who desperately still needs to get outside from time to time, this is the perfect gift.
can I have a do-over?
I spoke at a women’s conference this weekend. I was so honored to be asked to be a workshop speaker by one of my favorite people in the world and immediately wrote out my notes feeling inspired and confident.
When I got to the conference, I heard the key note speaker and she spoke on a subject different than what I thought the conference was centered on. So I decided to adjust my session a bit. And then I realized that I had really geared my talk towards middle and high school girls (the conference started out just for them but then grew to accommodate all ages) and when I got into my breakout room, there were more post high school women than anyone else.
So I started talking and suddenly decided to change things up a bit to better reach my audience. This begins my train wreck. My organized thoughts suddenly became a mess in my head. My main points were scattered and I could see it in the eyes of the 50 or so faces looking back at me. I think pregnancy brain was also messing me up a bit. But I kept going. I tried to get it back together. But then Mean Voice started to talk louder. Mean Voice was seriously crowding my thinking saying not helpful things like, “tell me again why you thought it was a good idea to restructure this talk while giving it?” and “pretty sure you’re not saying anything insightful or new. You can tell everyone has heard all of this before.” And the more I battled Mean Voice, the more I sped through the stories I had to tell, the more I brushed over relevant points without giving each thought the depth I wanted to share. Mean Voice made me want to get out of there…fast.
In the end, my session concluded and the 50 women in there probably thought I was just a nervous communicator. But I knew better. I know that I had something to share and that I really botched it up.
It’s such a bad feeling. Rory was there watching Ivar and afterwards he took me out for a big chocolate chip cookie and we came home and pulled the curtains, watched a movie and I took a long nap. And when I woke up, I still felt crappy.
The crazy thing is that I know how human this is, and how normal it is just to blow it once in a while. So today I’m working on forgiving myself and finding the grace to do so. I’m trying to tell myself that this is just one experience and not to let this one throw me for future speaking opportunities.
But sheesh, I hate these life experiences! And I hate Mean Voice.
In the end, I suppose all that really happened through this experience is that my pride took a hit and I was humbled again realizing that I, too, have really off days that are painfully refining. Ugh.
When I got to the conference, I heard the key note speaker and she spoke on a subject different than what I thought the conference was centered on. So I decided to adjust my session a bit. And then I realized that I had really geared my talk towards middle and high school girls (the conference started out just for them but then grew to accommodate all ages) and when I got into my breakout room, there were more post high school women than anyone else.
So I started talking and suddenly decided to change things up a bit to better reach my audience. This begins my train wreck. My organized thoughts suddenly became a mess in my head. My main points were scattered and I could see it in the eyes of the 50 or so faces looking back at me. I think pregnancy brain was also messing me up a bit. But I kept going. I tried to get it back together. But then Mean Voice started to talk louder. Mean Voice was seriously crowding my thinking saying not helpful things like, “tell me again why you thought it was a good idea to restructure this talk while giving it?” and “pretty sure you’re not saying anything insightful or new. You can tell everyone has heard all of this before.” And the more I battled Mean Voice, the more I sped through the stories I had to tell, the more I brushed over relevant points without giving each thought the depth I wanted to share. Mean Voice made me want to get out of there…fast.
In the end, my session concluded and the 50 women in there probably thought I was just a nervous communicator. But I knew better. I know that I had something to share and that I really botched it up.
It’s such a bad feeling. Rory was there watching Ivar and afterwards he took me out for a big chocolate chip cookie and we came home and pulled the curtains, watched a movie and I took a long nap. And when I woke up, I still felt crappy.
The crazy thing is that I know how human this is, and how normal it is just to blow it once in a while. So today I’m working on forgiving myself and finding the grace to do so. I’m trying to tell myself that this is just one experience and not to let this one throw me for future speaking opportunities.
But sheesh, I hate these life experiences! And I hate Mean Voice.
In the end, I suppose all that really happened through this experience is that my pride took a hit and I was humbled again realizing that I, too, have really off days that are painfully refining. Ugh.
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