Embracing the New Rhythm of Life

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I’m big on making lists.

I gave up on super detailed lists (with time slots assigned to tasks), though, a long time ago.

I’m still a paper planner girl; and I must write things down and see them on paper, rather than my phone.

I would never start my daily to do’s on time or finish them in said allotted time.

Life rarely happens on time. Not my time anyway.

Instead, I began to find a rhythm to my day and stuck with that.

I find that the rhythm of my days change with seasons. That means actual seasons but also seasons of life.

This last year of life, these last 12 months have looked like……..

Lily going to (real) school for the time ever.

My mom’s death.

Winter.

Boomer’s death.

Spring.

End of school year madness.

Summer.

Many trips and family time and getting back to nature.

Rest.

Rest and nature.

Now fall.

My winter rhythm was different, of course, than spring’s. Spring was much busier. Activities that had taken a hiatus started back up again. The days got longer. Warmer. In homeschool land, we shook off the coziness and slowness of winter and geared up to finish out the year, hopefully strong.

My winter was different this past year from any other year. My rhythm wasn’t much of a rhythm. It was more of a “Let’s just get through the days.”

Let’s just get through the holidays.

Let’s just get through my mom’s birthday.

Let’s just get through the memorial service.

After we bury her, things will get back to normal.

Lily going to school each day and tennis, homework, basket ball practice for H, Awana, youth group, our homeschool co-op day……those activities all helped me put one foot in front of the other during this last winter and spring. It wasn’t that my rhythm was off. I had no rhythm of any kind. I just woke up, did all the things, and was so glad to crawl back into bed each day.

Death and grief have it’s own rhythm.

I’m so thankful that rhythms change, though. Spring came after a winter of what seemed like a never ending successions of storms ( You know the kind of weather where you scream, ” I can’t handle another rainy day!) Then we had the unexpected joy of snow. Snow? Of all things, snow. It was magical. Eventually, the days got longer and the sun began to shine.

My heart began to feel lighter and the tears, while they came, didn’t seem to come quite as often.

I had a realization. My thought was, “Grief has taken up a seat at the table and I can’t ask it to leave. I can walk with it, though. I guess I don’t really have a choice.” Grief had fallen into step in my new spring rhythm.

Spring came with it’s own rhythm and it’s own brand of busy.

Summer came and I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t wait for all the activities to stop and for school to pause. I was counting down the days to when Lily came home and I didn’t have to ask, “So, what’s for homework?” I was ready to relish in the days of shorts, no shoes and trips to the pool. I was ready to not feel so sad all the time.

Summer was delightful. It had it’s own rhythm with a kind of low key, unstructured chaos. I love summer.

And here I come, full circle in my year. Fall.

I love summer but fall is my favorite.

The rhythm has changed again. Slowly this time. Soccer started back up. Then school. Then youth group. Then our Co-op and now Awana. The Hubs has a completely different schedule this next stretch. Thankfully all these changes didn’t happen at once. I’m learning to find my new cadence in this new season.

We recently came up on a year without my mom. Grief looks a little different now. It doesn’t hurt any less, I don’t miss her any less. I think there is an acceptance of “this is just the way things are now” that can only come with time. I’ve just made room for it. Grief is just an expression of the love we have for someone we can’t express it to anymore. It’s beautiful actually.

I’m ready for fall. I’m ready for cooler nights, baking homemade apple pie, making stews and soups. I’m ready for all things pumpkins. Give me all the pumpkins! I’m ready for watching Nightmare Before Christmas with my family while wearing my Jack Skellington socks. We are neck deep in soccer and co-op with Henry. Lily is loving school and is on the hunt for a homecoming dress. I’m ready for this new rhythm and embracing the busyness of fall while looking for those moments to be still and read and write. And drink tea, of course.

It’s Me, Hi.

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It’s me, Jen. Hi.

Can I tell you a little story? It’s about this girl who had glasses. Her 6th grade teacher gave everyone a marbled black and white composition book and throughout the year we wrote various types of things in it…. journal pages of field trips, ficticious stories, etc. Early on she learned to “write what you know” and so she wrote a lovely story in her white and black composition book about a wonderful, whimsical land called “Glasses Land”. It was made out of glass and all the characters were pairs of glasses.

Here I am, half way through my 49th year of life and I’m still “writing what I know”.

Since it’s been, as my 15 year old would say, “a hot minute” since I’ve posted on my blog, I thought I would do a little reintroduction.

Hi, I’m Jen.

While I still love all the things in that original introduction, (You can read the original About Me here) I’m a little older now and a little grayer. I’ve lost a parent. I only have one of those rascally pups. Instead of littles at my feet, I have a beautiful sophmore in high school and an energetic pre-teen. Hence, the gray.

I’ve learned to slow down a bit more and I’ve learned more than ever that I really don’t know what I’m doing. Truly. I do my best and ask God for a lot of grace.

I just celebrated 23 years with the Hubs, who is now a Sergeant. I’m not a newbie cop’s wife anymore. I’ve been in the trenches for more than a decade with my police officer. Being a police officer’s wife has taught me a lot about patience, flexibility and expectations.

I’m still a book nerd. I still love coffee more than I should but can only drink two cups…..cuz heartburn.

I’ve taken up embroidery and really love it. That was a pandemic hobby that stuck with me.

I’m still homeschooling and loving it. Though now I just homeschool one.

There have been a few constants throughout my life; and writing has been one of them. That little girl that wrote in her black and white composition book, now writes in a big girl journal. I’m still writing. Still sharing. Still telling stories. I was thinking about all my past writing endeavors, especially my blogs, and how they’ve brought me here to this space.

My first ever blog was titled Seniorita Sassy Pants (blog spot) – I guess the name was a nod to my hispanic heritage and me ackowledging the fact that I’m quite sassy? I’m not really sure. That blog was a lifetime ago but the name has a ring to it and I still stand by it! This blog started before The Hubs and I even had kids.

Then there was Sock Monkey Tales- Ahh…. good memories here. I was in the throes of early motherhood. I really cherish these posts. I’m so glad I wrote through those years. I’m especially glad I documented H’s birth and our NICU story.

Now we come to The Accidental Domestic. – That’s me now. It’s my family now. I planned for this blog to grow with us as a family and with me as a writer. Ever changing. While our family is youngish, we do not have little kids anymore. As we grow and change (and get a little older), I’ll keep writing what I know.

Thanks for joining me.

Jen (the little girl who wore glasses) Can you find me? There are only a few girls with glasses.

Hello, October

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October is like an old friend. When the calendar closes it’s last hour on September 30th and we turn the page to October 1st, I get a little giddy.

I immediately feel like making soup and wearing cozy socks.

I can’t help it.

I pray to the Lord to somehow let October be a magical cool 68 instead the steady 80 degrees that I know it’s going to be. With very hint of burnt orange, every sighting of rusty colored mums, and even the cheesy signs that say, “It’s Fall Ya’ll!”my pumpkin shaped heart beats a little faster.

I love October. I relish Autumn. I am The Pumpkin Queen. I even have a mug that says so.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving (which is when we get our Christmas tree), I turn back into regular Jen. Well, Regular Jen with a sassy side of Christmas. But now, it’s October 1st. I’m The Pumpkin Queen. In the slightly misquoted words of Mikey from Goonies…. “Down here, it’s my (our) time!” This is my favorite time of year.

My only frustration with October (and November) besides the weather, is that I want to do all my fall stuff, visit all my pumpkin patches and sit and be cozy. This pesky thing called life gets in the way, though. It’s all wonderful stuff, field trips, soccer games, school, co-op, school festivals, etc. Then there’s just the other stuff, laundry, grocery shopping, vacuuming up dog hair for the billionth time.

Instead of slowing down, everything just seems to rev up.

I

The Great Unhustling

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There once was a girl………

There once was a girl who looked around at the world with all the people coming and going, doing and striving, They seemed to whiz past her in a hurry. She saw them reaching and comparing, judging and in turn, feeling judged, a frazzled and exhausted cast of characters.

Her heart was heavy because while she loved this world and the people in it, she felt alone and unseen. She didn’t feel like she quite belonged here, in this racing, blurry world. Yet, this was the world where she lived.

Again, she loved the people in this world but she felt a bit like a square peg in a round hole. You know how you find a piece to your puzzle and it looks like it fits; but when you try to push the piece into the empty space the edges don’t quite match up? You press your thumb and wedge the piece in; but it never quite fills the space. It’s functional; but it’s not where the piece goes.

She noticed that the people who were the busiest, knew the most people and seemed to always be in the know. There lives were full of activities and this must be where the happiness and fulfillment was. Everyone else was running and so she felt, that she must run, too. Isn’t that just what everyone did? And though it went against her nature, she jumped into the race, the fray, and she began to hustle.

While her calendar was full, her heart felt empty. The busiest people weren’t the happiest after all because she was not that happy. She noticed when she asked her friends how they were that often the first words out of their mouths were, “I’m sooo busy.” “You should see my calendar!” “It’s the season I’m in.” “It’s all about the kids, you know.” What bothered her the most was that sometimes she heard those words come out of her mouth.

She missed the days of a good talk with a dear friend. It seemed as if everyone was running off to the next thing. Running always running. She knew life was busy and busy wasn’t necessarily bad; but the days of connecting seemed to be dwindling.

It’s not that she wanted to shut down completely, hole up in her house and become a hermit. Ok, sometimes she did. She wasn’t an introvert per say ( Though, there is definitely nothing wrong with being one.) She loved talking to people and meeting new friends. She loved laughing and connecting with old friends. She wasn’t an extrovert either. Her favorite times were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie with her family as well up curling alone with a book for the afternoon.

As she said yes to more things and no to the things that really mattered, she felt less and less content with her own life. She kept comparing herself to the pace others around her were keeping and wondered why she couldn’t keep up. Why couldn’t she do it all? When she couldn’t keep up she felt lazy, though she was mentally and sometimes physically exhausted. When she wasn’t in the loop, she felt lonely. To be in the loop, though, required more hustling.

So, one day, she decided to stop. But how? Then the world helped her out and stopped for her. Literally, everything shut down. (Can I say thank you to 2020? Too soon?) Then the world picked back up, with a fierceness. But she did not.

It felt weird at first, like she “should be doing more”. More of what? She wasn’t quite sure. She fought the urge to do more. She changed her default answer of the automatic “yes” and just stopped.

She breathed. She let herself her be. For the first time, in a long time she just listened. She let herself sit in the awkward and uncomfortable silence and just listen. When she listened she began to hear her fears rise to the surface. Nobody enjoys this process; but it was the best thing she could have done. If she didn’t move, if she didn’t contribute, if she do all the things, than who was she? It was then that she knew that what she did could no longer define who she was.

Stopping saved her.

Let’s fast forward just a bit.

The girl still has a family. Her days were still full of home, and chores, and carpooling. There was play practice and soccer games. There were Monday night family dinners as well as back to back orthodontist appointments. There was church and meetings and Co-op. There was book club, of course. (Always book club.) There were all the things, mundane and exciting, that make up a life. It was still busy.

The difference was the striving was gone. The need to add another thing to the calendar was gone. The lie she had told herself that to be important and have a full life meant her calendar must be bursting at the seems was debunked. The belief that feeling guilty that she wasn’t doing enough (or having her kids do enough) was a normal feeling, and was just to be expected, revealed itself to be another lie. Saying yes to everything had kept her from doing anything that she really wanted to do and sadly, what she was supposed to be doing.

The fear of being overlooked and unseen, well it happens to us all and will continue to happen. She didn’t die from it. She realized the people that saw her and cared for her would, no matter what she did or didn’t do. It wasn’t the size of the circle. It was who she was surrounded by.

Life did make her life less busy, but not by a whole lot. The calendar is full but it’s not bursting at the seams. There are white spaces of nothing from time to time. She became intentional about speaking truth to herself. She worried less about what others thought and asked God what He wanted. What a thought? She took a breath and paused before each yes, no or not right now. She learned a lot and is still learning. Maybe you’ve learned some of these lessons, too.

She learned that busy does not equate with a good or fulfilling life.

She was reminded that the amount of hustle is not a gauge of success or worth.

She learned that her peace of mind really does matter and can be a priority even when she gives of herself to others.

She learned that how often you feed your mind and soul with things and people that bring you joy is important. You can do that and get the laundry done at the same time.

She learned that running in 10 directions at once with a frazzled mind did not make her a super mom; it just made her super sad.

Most importantly, she learned that being busy was not the culprit. Being busy with the wrong things was.

She acknowledged that some people have a greater capacity for a busier life and that she was not one of those people.

And so she stepped out of the lane that she was never supposed to be running in and she asked God where her lane was and how he would like her to run in it. Sometimes it’s a slow limp; but that’s okay too.

So here’s the journey she’s on now- The Great Unhustling….

There once was a girl who looked around at the world with all the people the coming and going, confident in where she was headed.

The Inbetween Time

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photo credit @andosfauxtos

These days are definitely in that hazy summer/back to school time.

We started school last week. It was a very soft start. Today as I type, it’s a holiday and so we are already taking a day off of school. I don’t usually take Labor day off; but this year I thought, “Why not?” And so we are.

Some fall activities have started up. Some haven’t. School has started. Co-op hasn’t. Some days are overcast and cool. Some days, like today, are blazing hot. Fall decorations are out at all the stores; but the pool is still open.

It will be a couple of weeks until everything that we have on our plates (I think) for fall is up an running.

Part of me is missing the freedom of summer. The other part is craving the structure of a schedule.

Part of me is relishing in the fact that in a few minutes I’m throwing on shorts, a t-shirt, flip flops and I’m ready for the day. The other part can’t wait for boots, sweaters and a visit to the pumpkin patch. Ok, who am I kidding? Try three or four visits to a pumpkin patch.

My kids would gladly go back to our summer unschedule in a heartbeat.

With one foot in each season, I’m torn between the two myself. Here’s what I’m thankful for, though:

I’m thankful that everything didn’t start up at once. We take breaks from sports, and most things during the summer. So, I’m thankful that everything doesn’t get dumped on us at once.

I’m thankful for the ramping up time, even though the hazy inbetweeness leaves me not quite knowing what to do with myself.

Here’s to “Not Quite Summer Anymore But Not Quite Fall”!

3 Things

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There are a few things that mark the calendar telling us we have transitioned from one season to the next. Around here, as we transitioned from winter to spring, I noticed the days staying lighter longer. The days were gradually warmer; but the nights were chilly. Baseball started with practices, batting cages, and Saturdays cheering H on at the Little League Park.

Life definitely went from a cozy state of hibernation to a busyness that honestly took me by surprise. For over a year life had been put on hold and it seemed liked “all of a sudden” life opened back up. We hit the ground running.

Spring does tend to do that each year; but the slowness that was 2020 just magnified our fast- paced spring this year.

I’m missing my quiet days a bit but I’m happy that life in many ways seem to be returning to normal, whatever that is now.

Spring flew by and now I’m knee deep in summer. I still have over a month of summer vibes left (though, part of that will be getting ready for school) and I couldn’t be happier about it.

I’ve gotten into a practice over this past year of reflecting over one season as I head into the next. Thank you Emily P. Freeman for your Next Right Thing Journal and podcast. Thank you Covid for the months of “nothing on my calendar” and quiet to begin the practice of reflecting. As we left winter and plunged into spring, and are now enjoying summer, I want to share 3 things: 3 things I’ve learned, 3 things I’m leaving behind and 3 things I’m taking with me into this next season of summer.

So I guess that’s 9 things.

3 Things I’ve Learned:

1.) There are natural rythmns to each seasons. I’m learning not to fight them but rather go with with them and embrace them.

Winter was slower and we stayed closer to home. Spring sprung big time with its warm weather, outside activities and more. It was a little overwhelming for me; but I tried to embrace and enjoy it for what it was. It wasn’t a time to “get all the things done”. Some of those things could wait until summer with its slower pace.

2.) Being small isn’t bad.

I think Covid stripped a lot of stuff away. Some of it was good and deeply missed. Some of the things, activites and even people were not missed. And as we’ve come to “normal” life I’ve been able to decide what I want to come back to. My world and circle of people have gotten smaller. Some responsibilities and many things I thought I couldn’t cut out of my life are gone. My world has gotten smaller and I feel smaller; but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

3.) My love of murder mystery books

I’ve stumbled onto Louise Penny and her world of Three Pines with Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and I’m forever a fan. While these are murder mystery books, they are much more about complex characters and relationships. Also, I love trying to figure out who the murderer is before the book is done.

3 Things I’m Leaving Behind:

My mask, hopefully, forever

But really just the feeling of fear that seemed to surround 2020.

Summer Mom Guilt

My kid’s summer reading challenge has been left somewhere between the pool and summer camp and nary a flashcard has been seen. My summer bucket list consists of one (Just One) house project which I’ve already completed. ( I painted my master bedroom!) I’ve listened to two audio books, read two mystery books, plus snippets of other books. I have not kept up on my housework. I’ve slept in. My goal this summer was not to feel guilt about some crazy summer expectations that only I had for myself.

Good sleep as an option

I hate to break it to all you 20 and 30 somethings. There is no guarantee of good sleep on a regular basis. Sorry, that’s just the facts, man. I was getting the exact opposite of good sleep, though, and I wasn’t getting nearly enough. The thing is a lot of my poor sleep was from my poor choices. I needed to adult up and make better sleep a priority.

3 Things I’m Taking With Me:

My love of murder mystery books

I’m pretty much hooked on Louise Penny books but I’m open to try other authors. Any suggestions?

Wearing Dresses

One day I walked out of Target with three dresses and a jumper. A jumper! If you know me, you’ve probably never seen me in a jumper. I can’t go back. Long, flowing dresses are the thing. Now, every single thing I bought that day was blue or had blue in it. So, I need to work on my color palette. Bring on those dresses, though!

The idea that my health and taking time to be healthy is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.

Oh boy, this is a whole blog post on it’s own. Let’s just say that taking care of me (like most moms) was not at the top of any list. You pay a price when you do that, though. It’s not the price I want to pay. Like, the poor sleep choices, I’m adulting up and making better choices about my health. Yes, it takes some time. It’s not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

Enjoying these sweet last days of summer.

What I’m Taking Into 2021 and What I’m Leaving Behind

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I almost didn’t write today, on this last day of 2020. It seemed too overwhelming to process and to sum up the hardest year of our lives. Honestly, I’ve been trying to process and put into words over the last few weeks how I feel about 2020. Trying to put into words what I’ve learned and what this year has taught me is difficult.

This last week of December has actually been a really hard week. A lot of sad and hard things have happened. It seems like 2020 just won’t quit.

So, I’m not going to do that.

I did feel like it was important to document this day here and so I’m just going to share a bit of what’s on my heart.

Here’s What I’m Leaving Behind in 2020 and what I’m taking with me into 2021 (well, some of it anyway).

I’m leaving behind the need to Hustle.

In a year where everything literally stopped on a dime, I was shown clearly that I needed to get off the Hustle train. I read the The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and it was the best book I read this year. I read it twice. Life changing.

I’m leaving behind the Fear.

I’m so, so tired of being afraid. This year was chaos and uncertainty and fear. Yes, when I thought things couldn’t get worse, they did. But guess what? God provided always. God was faithful always. God was my comfort always. He doesn’t want to me to fear.

I’m leaving behind Not Wearing Make Up.

Ok, I’m not going to wear it every day. I don’t think I need to. But, it just kind of makes me feel good about myself so I’m going to bring it back after many months of not wearing it (at least on Sundays).

Here’s What I’m Taking With Me Into 2021.

I’m taking with me my love of embroidery.

It started as a Shelter – In- Place hobby back it March. I’m hooked. I love it. I find it so relaxing.

I’m taking my love of Instagram into 2021.

I used to feel silly about being on Instagram and doing the IG stories. I did it anyways; but always second guessed myself. Then I realized it really brought me joy and it keeps me connected with people. And well, that’s reason enough. Next, I’m going to start doing Reels.

I’m taking my love of Nature into 2021.

I learned something huge about myself this year, HUGE. Being in nature is the one thing that really destresses me, gives me clarity and makes me feel really close to God. I was truly the happiest this summer when we went to Yosemite and on our National Parks Roadtrip.

And finally Baby Yoda. Baby Yoda is my Spirit Creature (He’s not an animal, so……) Andy bought me Baby Yoda (not the kids, me) during a time when I was feeling very sad and low. He just knew. That’s why he’s the best.

I don’t know what the hec is coming in 2021. I’m not even going to try to project or imagine. What I do know is I have my family and I have Jesus. Jesus is the only constant I truly need. That is the number one thing I’m taking into 2021.

His goodness.

His love.

His sovereignty.

Good bye 2020. Don’t the door hit ya on the way out!

Note: I’m posting this at 5 pm on Dec 31 but WordPress is dating my post as Jan 1st. Not sure why.

Baby Step #10: The Power of 15 Minutes

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I can do a lot of things for 15 minutes, easy. I can scroll Instagram for 15 minutes. I can work in my garden for 15 minutes. I can read a really good book for 15 minutes. I can cuddle on the couch with my family and watch 15 + minutes of a fun show.

Get it? We really can do anything for 15 minutes. The enjoyable activities are a piece of cake. Cleaning, picking up, tidying, well, those aren’t so fun. There is power in 15 minutes. Grab a timer. It’s really not that long; but we can get a lot accomplished.I’ve been building from the 2 Minute Hot Spot:

  • Wednesday’s Hot Spot: My Living room ledge
  • Thursday’s Hot Spot: Kitchen Table
  • Friday’s Hot Spot: Kitchen Table

I’ve also been building from the 5 Minute Room Rescue:

  • Wednesday: Master Bedroom
  • Thursday: Master Bedroom
  • Friday: Livingroom

Next, I added the 15 Minutes Declutter to my Evening Routine:

I can’t Clean or Organize Clutter. So Decluttering for 15 Minutes a Day is the first and essential step to getting my house to feeling of clean and calm I desire.

Like I said in a previous post, I spent a few hours Decluttering my Master Bedroom a few weeks ago. I still have spots I need to tackle, though.

I lump my Master Bedroom and Bathroom together because I consider it one space. On Friday, I set my timer for 15 minutes and tackled the space under my bathroom sink. I have a small 3 drawer caddy that I quickly went through. That has extra floss, tooth paste, razors etc. I didn’t have much to purge there. Next to the caddy I had empty cleaner bottles and various other bottles I didn’t need. There were a few other things I could toss as well. In 15 minutes the space was emptier and looked much more organized. (Not the pile of “who knows what” it looked like before.)

Spoiler Alert: Decluttering never really ends. It’s kinda like laundry. Sorry to burst any bubbles. It was a hard pill for me to swallow; but once we see Decluttering as an ongoing process, we can make it a habit and a way of life Once we declutter, surface cleaning becomes so much easier. Or so I’ve been told.

Decluttering Tip: Have a trash bag or donate box handy when you declutter. You only want to touch items once. Touch them once when you put them in the bag or box. Then, they go directly into your car so you can drive around with them for 3 months in your trunk before you bring them to Good Will.

Kidding!!! Who does that. Not me!! No, never…………

This is actually the situation in my bedroom right now. This pile all needs to go to Good Will. I do not suggest leaving it on your bedroom floor like I am currently doing. Please do not follow my example! This week my goal is to get this to a donation site and out of my sight for good.

It seems like I’m just randomly picking rooms to Rescue or Declutter. Fly Lady has a method for tackling your home and I’m getting into it in the next Baby Step. Stay Tuned.

Baby Step#9: Five Minute Room Rescue

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The Fly Lady’s method is all about building habits to keep our house tidy and running smoothly. This isn’t just about keeping a clean house. It’s about managing our home without it overtaking our lives. It’s about making our house a home, a haven.

I don’t especially love cooking, cleaning and the like. I sure like the results when I do all those things, though. My family likes it, too.

This is why I started doing Fly Lady. I haven’t gone through the steps as quickly as I thought I would. I’m still showing up, though. I’m not going to quit.

It’s not about making my home perfect and picture worthy (Though, I’d like a few of those days!). If your house is messy and cluttered, and you try these steps, it is going to look better. Just in the past weeks with me only completing 9 of the 31 steps, I see a difference.

Today we talk about about the 5 Minute Room Rescue.

First, let’s chat about CLUTTER for just a bit.

You can’t clean or organize clutter. You just can’t.

I know. I know. Everyone talks about clutter. Marie Kondo had a whole series on Netflix, about clutter, which I binged watched in one day.

I am starting to work on the clutter in my home. Step 10 is going to help with this. So, while we will get to clutter in our next step, a 5 Minute Room Rescue is going to help us keep the house picked up while we tackle clutter.

Now, I could have gone about this a few different ways. I could have picked the room in the house that was the worst and most cluttered (Henry’s room). I could have picked the most visible room in the house. This is the one people see when they first enter my home. (Kitchen) Or, I could have picked the room that brings me the most stress when I enter. (My bedroom)

I picked my bedroom.

Your 5 Minute Room Rescue will just start with surface cleaning. We are going to work our way up to decluttering. Just get started.

5 minutes a day. That’s it. Just 5 minutes. Pick up the visible trash first. Next, put things back in their proper place. Then hit the spots that need a little more thought.

Remember, the goal isn’t to declutter. We are just cleaning.

To be fully honest, about two weeks or so ago, I was so fed up with the piles in my bedroom that I spent a few hours in my room decluttering. If you have time, do that! Get in there and declutter. It feels so good.

Today, I timed myself for 5 minutes. I worked really hard for those 5 minutes. I did zero decluttering. It was just putting things in their proper place and taking dirty mugs to the dishwasher.

If I keep working in my bedroom this next week, those 5 minutes will add up. Then I can move on to another room. Fly Lady has a way to go about this with her Zone Cleaning Method; but I haven’t got that far in the Baby Steps yet.

I will probably add a 5 Minute Room Rescue to my Evening Routine. I’ll try that for the next week and see if that is a good time for that task.

More thoughts on decluttering to come! Let’s take it once step at a time, though.

Baby Step #8: Morning Routine

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We’ve had some unexpected interruptions these past couple weeks. We evacuated from our home due to a Wild Fire (You can read about that here). We are back at home, safe and sound. I’ve been wanting to get back to my Baby Steps and the routines I was trying to build.

When things are chaotic and not normal, routines actually really help. They bring in structure even if you cannot fully complete your usual routine. You don’t have to make a decision on WHAT to do, which is often hard during a crisis. You just follow the routine and slowly get back to order.

The Fly Lady starts with establishing an Evening or Before Bed Routine. With an evening routine in place, the Morning Routine is more likely to happen.

So, it took me a few days of doing my Before Bed Routine before I really focused on my Morning Routine.

Honestly, I’m still trying to get all the things on my Morning Routine list done. Most days I do most of the list. I have yet to complete it all. I’ll get there, though.

MORNING ROUTINE

  • Fill Diffuser
  • Coffee and Time With Jesus
  • 2 Minute Yoga
  • Get Ready and Dressed To Slippers
  • Start Laundry
  • Swish and Swipe
  • Empty Dishwasher (Lily’s job. Sometimes I need to do it.)
  • Sweep * (If I don’t sweep the night before)

    What is Swish and Swipe? It’s just a quick swish of the toilet bowl and wipe down of the toilet seat. The Fly Lady goes into more detail about that in her book .

2 Minute Yoga? Ok, I’ll talk more about that in another post; but it’s
exactly how it sounds. Yoga for 2 minutes.

Here’s to resetting and getting back to routines!