Do Nothing

It's been nearly a month since my last post and boy has it flown by. I'm not sure where the last 3-4 weeks have gone, but I know they were busy. Not simply with deadlines, meetings, and projects, but with emotional hurdles as well. Those take up time too, unfortunately.

We did get a night away from the kids last weekend and we visited my sister-in-law and brother-in-law at the coast. The time went all too quickly, especially since we did...well...nothing. I never "do nothing". I can't in my own home. There's always something that has to be done. Something that I feel I should be doing. But it was my sister-in-law's house and there were no children to take care of, no housework or projects that followed me there. I sat still for more than 15 minutes. I drank coffee and chatted and laughed. I played Mario Kart with my husband and sister-in-law. I watched a movie and didn't have to pause any scary/inappropriate parts because a certain five year old was caught sneaking out of bed. I strolled along the beach. I slept in. I went out to lunch. It was peaceful. I was doing nothing and it was fantastic.

It doesn't quite count as "doing nothing", but I made the decision to take the next two terms off from school. I've been going non-stop for the last year and I was beginning to get burnt out. My kids were beginning to lament my workload and I feel like they need my attention for a little while. And once I saw the looks of excitement and joy on their faces when I told them I was taking a break, I knew it was the right decision.

So as of today, I am done with the current term and will be homework-free for the next six months. It feels like an awfully long time, but I am welcoming the break. I will play with my kids. I will read for fun. I will get some long-neglected household projects done - and include the kids in them (they've actually been asking to help with projects!). It's a temporary simplification, but sometimes even just a short break can make a world of difference.

Minimalism

When I wrote my last post, I had just discovered the becoming minimalist website after a friend happened to post something from the facebook page. Over the past two weeks or so, I've been eating up anything posted from becoming minimalist and I discovered that my desire for a simpler life aligns perfectly with minimalism. I didn't know it. I had always had it in my head that to be minimalist meant to be on the extreme side of simplicity, but now I know that it's not true. There are people who go the extreme route, but the general basis of a minimalist lifestyle is to have what you need, to not spend money on unnecessary items (putting yourself in a better place financially), and to limit the amount of clutter in your life. That is what I want and what I have been striving for.

Yes, it flies in the face of our society "norms" and I think I've already weird-ed out a couple of people by proclaiming my new found interest in minimalism. In fact, one person I know has barely spoken to me since I began my simplicity journey. As soon as I made the decision to not take part in the over-scheduled "mommy wars", I was shut out. And that's unfortunate. I'm not doing this to make myself feel like I'm better than anyone else or that I take care of my family better than other moms. It was a personal decision based upon the realization that my family suffers when I am overwhelmed and stressed out, and I didn't want to live like that anymore. Not everyone functions the same way I do and I can absolutely respect that, but I also know that my decision might make some people uncomfortable. I may lose more friends on this journey and I may gain some - who knows?

I don't see myself becoming an extreme minimalist. I have kids and they have toys, I like to own lots of books for mental stimulation, and I own more than two pairs of shoes. But I find joy in reducing our belongings and getting rid of the things we don't need - the things that clutter our lives and take up space. If it doesn't bring me joy, it doesn't need to be in my home. I enjoy seeing our bank account become stronger because I've cut down on our purchases. I want to travel with our kids and I know that the less I buy, the closer we get being able to afford those travels (without debt) and the memories that will come with them.

That's why I'm on this journey.

Unclutter

I want to share this post from Becoming Minimalist. It is simple, true, and focused.

I had a large pile of things to get rid of just sitting in the corner of our bedroom. Sure, I felt somewhat accomplished because I had sorted it out to be things that we no longer needed, but there it sat and I did nothing with it. Was I going to sell it or give it away? I hadn't thought that far ahead. I kind of wanted to sell it - I mean, it was in fine condition - but that was going to take some work and I just couldn't find the time to sit down and take care of two boxes and one garbage bag full of things. It was on my mind every time I entered our bedroom and I didn't like that. Your bedroom is supposed to be a place to relax and forget about everything else that needs to be done. The pile was not helping.

Then last week, I found a flyer on the front door from an organization who was going to be coming through the neighborhood in a few days and they wanted donations of clothes, household items, toys, anything. And all I had to do was set them on the front porch to be picked up. So I did. I kept a few items that I wasn't totally sure that I wanted to just give away, but most of it went out on the porch on Tuesday. By the evening, it was all gone. Gone from my life and gone from cluttering up my bedroom. By next Tuesday, I'm going to revisit the five or so items I kept out and decide if they are really worth attempting to sell, or if I would prefer to just get them out of my house. And it feels great. My bedroom no longer stresses me out and I really do feel free.