Finding happiness in 2016

Happy New Year, Nicole! One of my hopes for 2016 is to find happiness. Many times this past year I have really felt unhappy. It makes me sad for my family - my girls and my husband. They deserve to live in a happy home with a happy (or at least pleasant) mom and wife.

I am not sure how to accomplish this 2016 goal. I know that I need to begin with forgiving myself. Also, I need to take better care of myself and to keep up with my hypothyroidism tests and medications. As I say every year, I need to declutter and create a peaceful home setting instead of a chaotic one. Finally, I need to take a close look at our schedule and extra curricular activities which will be hard. There are so many things that my girls want to do and be involved in.

I will need to look into my own schedule and make room for fun and happiness as well as cleaning our house! I struggle so much with letting go of stuff - inanimate objects! Why? I remember what you asked me last week - Are the things that I am keeping worth more than my mental health? The answer is nothing is worth it. If I do not declutter, I feel that I will remain unhappy forever! I also need to quit being so tired all the time, especially when I go back to work and homework begins for the girls! OK! I can do this!

Happiness is my goal for 2016! #happinessin2016

Love,
Becky

Less stuff = More happiness

Less stuff = More happiness

I love this talk by Graham Hill! I feel inspired! I need and want to edit the stuff in my house! I did work in the hall bathroom today throwing old and unwanted bathroom products. I have a long way to go, but I will get there. I keep telling myself that slow and steady does win the race eventually! I am so ready for summer!
Love,
Becky

Reflection of a Cluttered Home

Becky's post: Lately, I have been so disappointed in myself with the way our house looks most of the time. I began working full-time in January and have little time to declutter or clean. The thing that bothers me the most is that our house was never really clean or organized when I was a SAHM; therefore, I cannot blame the messiness on working full-time. I am more tired now, and our house takes longer to look somewhat presentable if we have an announced visit from someone.

Every day I try to tell myself that I can just jump in where I am. I am trying to listen to Flylady (www.flylady.net). Why do I make it so hard? Really the only things that I have done well in following Flylady is keeping up with the laundry and keeping dishes out of the sink (even though the dirty ones will pile up on the counter). Since I work outside the home, I do get dressed to the shoes every morning. :)

I have no idea from where my tendency to be messy comes. I did not grow up in a messy home even though my bedroom and bathroom would get messy. My mom always had our house clean enough for company to drop by. I hate having anyone drop by my house now. I have what FlyLady calls CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). I know that is why I have very few friends. I do not entertain or welcome anyone to our house which is sad for our girls, my husband, and me. I want to get our house in order so that we can have company! I do not want to cringe whenever someone wants to visit us. Also, I do not want our girls to continue living like we do now.

Nicole, what should I do about my house?

I will continue to pray to God for strength, energy, and wisdom. Will you say a prayer for me, too? Thank you!

Good night!

Clothes Declutter Tip - Awesome!

Cut down clothes clutter with one question - http://pinterest.com/pin/79727855877462467/

Decluttering my Closet

Becky's post: 

I am going through my dresser and closet today to make room for 2 new shirts, 2 pair of pants, and 1 pair of shorts that I bought this weekend. I also need to be able to close my drawers and hang my clothes back up. I do have a tiny closet (in our 1950s house) that I share with my husband, so it will be helpful to not have too many clothes.

Decluttering and letting go of clothes are hard for me to do.  I am not sure why that is. Anyway, I keep telling myself that it does not matter how nice the dress is if I do not want to wear it, then I should not keep it! I ask myself, "Does it fit? Do I love it? Will I wear it?" If I say "No" to any of these three questions, then I must let it go!

Becky: "This blouse makes me feel guilty."
Nicole: "Toss it! It looks like the one you had in college that you hated."

Becky: "This dress reminds me of my miscarriage, but it is still a nice dress even though it is old."
Nicole: "Yes, toss it! We don't want to think of that. If you wear something that dated, then I will be shocked."

I want to get my house back in order. I am giving myself a year. I want a happy and clutter-free house and life. In one year, my husband and I are going to decide if we are going to add on to our house or move on to a new house and sell this one. I have mixed feelings. More on that later because I need to finish my closet! Bye!

Here are the clothes that I am donating.

Getting Rid Of Clutter for Lent

Hey Nicole! I am going to take the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge that you posted on Facebook! I think that it will really help me get a jump start on my messy house. I started on Wednesday, March 5th and threw a bag of paper clutter and mail away from my foyer/entryway. It just so happens that is the zone for Flylady this week! I am going to declutter paper clutter my living room on Thursday since you can see it from my front door.

I will need continued encouragement! I am hoping that this challenge will help me enjoy my family, my home, and my life more.

Starting Over. Again.

 Out of dire necessity Becky and I are trying to Fly again.  She is great at keeping our Face book private group going and that help keep our routines on the front burner.  So, today was Tuesday and we started with the mission to wipe down the cabinets with a damp cloth.  We wanted to go back to the Monday Mission but we reminded each other that we are not behind.  We are jumping in!

 

Cabinets Before Wipe Down

 Before

 

 

 

 

After Wipe Down

 

 

 

I am really surprised how much of a difference it makes!

 

 

After we did the mission we decided to declutter for 15 minutes.  This drawer drives Fred CRAZY!!  So, I decided to start with it.

Before:

 

Trash

 

 

Random items to put away in their proper place:

 

 

After!  Whoa this is big.

 

 

 

 

Becky & I both needed to spend an additional 15 in the kitchen to tidy up.  I used my time to put away above items & wipe counter tops.  I felt great about the result.