Decluttering

As I have got older clutter has started to make me slightly anxious. I know I need to declutter my home and also my mind.

My biggest problem area I would have to say is my closet. I have so many clothes that I have a hard time figuring out where to start with my clothes. I know there are things in my closet that I don’t wear anymore or don’t fit. I just have so much clutter in my closet that I get overwhelmed. I will start on decluttering my closet and then end up creating an even bigger mess and then get overwhelmed by that. Or I will have to stop to take care of my son and then don’t have the time to go back to it.

We also have three storage cubes shelves that need to be decluttered as well. I hope that I am able to get to them soon. I know I just need to take things in small steps. Maybe tackle one cube once a week so I don’t get too overwhelmed.

I think what I am going to do is set a timer for the closet and once that timer is over I will stop. Wherever I am in the process, I will stop for the day. That way I don’t get too bogged down with having to get so much done. I can then set the timer the next day and go from there. That way I can keep myself from getting to overwhelmed or anxious that I’m not getting anything done. It may take longer but it will help.

Baby steps is the key to making sure I can get things done without getting too overwhelmed with the big picture.

Life can be exhausting

This last week has been a crazy one. We got snow then we got an ice storm on top of the snow. We had a power outage that lasted for about a day in well below freezing temperatures. Thank goodness my husband invested in a generator a few years back. It saved us. We were able to have heat, our fridge, and the television to entertain ourselves.

I don’t know what we would do without Bluey. My son is obsessed with Bluey, which I think the majority of children and also adults are right now.

Then to top all of that off my husband and son were sick, and are still currently sick with the bug that is going around. I thankfully have not got it. Despite not getting it myself I have felt very rundown and exhausted this week. I’ve been taking care of both my husband and son while they’ve been sick. Trying to maintain a clean house (that’s not going as well as I would have hopes), cook meals, and constantly being needed. It can be tough sometimes.

Although it’s tough sometimes, I am doing my best of keep myself steady. Trying not to get overwhelmed or burned out too much. I am feeling a little bit burned out but I think I’m managing it fairly well. I’ve been trying to take moments for myself during this crazy time. I know I’m not doing the best job taking care of myself right now. I am too focused on taking care of my husband and son.

I am thankful that I have been able to enjoy a little bit of time to myself once they both go to bed early. I get a few hours out in the living room to read or scroll on my phone or watch television. I’ve been opting lately for reading. Tonight I’m writing this blog post.

I guess my point of all of this is life can be exhausting some times and that’s okay. You just have to take things one step at a time. It will get better.

Going with the flow

Some days you have grand plans to get things done or go somewhere and you get them done. Then there are days where things just do not go as you planned. Today is one of those days. I had planned for my son and I to go to the library but it did not happen. He has been fighting a little bug and hasn’t been feeling well the last couple of days.

He seemed to be feeling well this morning but almost the moment that we were starting to get into the car he got fussy and started rubbing his eyes. I knew he would not be able to make it to the library without sleeping (we live 20 minutes from the library). I knew if he fell asleep it would throw off his napping schedule as well. So I made the decision to stay home instead of taking the library books back. 

We can go another day. I have always been a person who goes with the flow. So I brought him into the house and snuggled with him until he fell asleep. I’m currently writing this while he naps. There will be plenty of other days that we can go to the library.

I would rather my little guy get healthy and take his nap. I would rather get the quiet time to myself to get things done than having to stress about getting things done.

It’s okay to have lazy days. It’s okay to take things slow. There is nothing wrong with going at your own pace. Or in this case going with the flow of a toddler. That is how my life is most days. He controls most things. I am okay with that. That is one of the things that comes with being a stay at home mom. 

So I will take this time to breathe and use this time to be more mindful. I am working on being a better mother and wife this year. I want to be able to keep myself centered and a good supporter and person for them. So these slow days are going to be cherished. My little one won’t be little forever.

Goals for 2024

I am posting my goals for next year in a hope that it will keep me accountable for them.

Posting on this blog consistently

I want to hopefully one day be able to monetize this blog and be able to bring in money to help with bills. I am hoping that since I am declaring that I want to post more consistently that I will. I need to make sure that it is doable for me to post consistently and then I will monetize but I want to make sure that I can do it before I waste the money for a domain and hosting.

Pay off a chunk of our debt

I know I won’t be able to pay all of it off this coming year but I want to be able to get a good chunk of it down from where it is. Right now I am working part time as a receptionist and my paychecks cover the car loans. I would like to be able to pay off more of the debt than just those. If I can work on the first goal and monetize the blog. I can bring in some side money from this blog and pay off a few things faster.

Take better care of myself

Since becoming a mom I have kind of put myself on the backburner. I would like to be more mindful of my needs and take a few moments for myself. I know that I can’t be the best mom or wife I can be if I am always running on empty. One of my biggest faults is that I tend to put people before myself. I will give you everything that I have before I even consider doing anything for myself. I need to learn to be a little more selfish and put myself first some times.

Be in nature more

I want to get out and do more activities with my husband and son. I want our son to continue to love the outdoors. I have a tendency to stay inside. I’m a homebody and I want to get a little out of my comfort zone and explore more. I want to take my son out on different adventures. I was gifted a zoo membership for my birthday. I hope to take him to the zoo as often as I can. He loves animals.

Go on more dates with my husband

Since becoming parents we’ve both been focused on our son and haven’t been really focusing on us as much as we probably should. We recently bought The Adventure Challenge book. It has a bunch of different date ideas for you and your spouse (there are a couple of double date ideas too so you can bring some of your friends along for the ride). We have chosen our first date, which is to make a pie together but the catch is one of you has to be blindfolded and the other is guiding them with their hands but they aren’t allowed to give vocal instructions.

Photo by Adrienne Andersen on Pexels.com

Read more

I have recently got back into reading for fun again. I stopped reading when I became pregnant (I did not have the attention span for it) and I just didn’t really read much after. I got a Kindle years ago for Christmas and hardly used it but that for sure has been a lifesaver for me when it comes to being able to read. Also using my local library has helped too since I can check out eBooks for free from them.

What are some of your goals for 2024? I hope that I am able to keep to these goals. I don’t think that they are too difficult for me to accomplish.

10 things I know to be absolutely certain

List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.

10 things I know to be absolutely certain

1. I am not perfect.

2. It’s okay to not be perfect.

3. Everyone goes at their own pace.

4. Life can be hard.

5. My son is the cutest baby in the world.

6. I have the best husband in the world.

7. Love is love

8. Being a mother is hard and exhausting sometimes but so worth it.

9. Watching your child grow is one of the best things in the world.

10. Watching them grow is also one of the saddest things in the world.

Blackberries

Blackberries

Bed time

What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?

Well being a mama my bed time and wake up times vary. It all really just depends on what my little one wants to do.

Most days though I do try to go to bed about 11pm and wake up about 7am. My son usually goes to bed about 7-7 30pm. But lately he’s been staying up until 9-11pm because he’s in a sleep regression right now, so my schedule has been a bit wanky lately.

He usually wakes up between 7-7:30am. But the last week or so it’s been varying between 7 to 8:45am the other morning. The previous night he had gone to sleep at 11pm.

Last night I didn’t go to bed until 12:30am. So I am in need of my morning coffee today.

The perfect home

I always thought I wanted the picture perfect straight out of a magazine look for my place when I was younger. Those pictures always looked so pretty and organized. But when I look at those photos now I see a studio with perfect lighting and staging. Yes they do look pretty and part of me does still want that look.

To appear that put together. But I know my house will never look like that. I know our house is going to have cat and dog hair, from Cinque and Jellal. There will always be toys from my son. I know it will never look perfect. You know what, I am perfectly okay with that. I don’t need to impress anyone when they come over. Not that many people do come over but if they did I will not apologize for my house. I want a house that looks lived in. I want a house that has character. I want a warm and inviting house that shows our personalities. It shows our interests. I want my house to look like a shrine to how we live our lives.

I am not saying that there is anything wrong if you strive to have that picture perfect straight out of a magazine look. It’s just not my style. And you don’t have to feel like you have to have that look. Not many people will be able to keep that perfect look up, especially if you have children or pets.

Embrace your nerdiness. Embrace your bookworminess (is that even a word? I don’t know if it is but it is now). When I go into someone’s house I always look to see if someone has books displayed. I love to see what other people are reading, if we have something in common bookwise. If you like the same subjects or if there is something that catches my eye that I have not read. If you collect things don’t hide them. Embrace them. Show them off. It is your home and you can decorate it however you want. Don’t feel ashamed at being yourself and loving the things that you do.

Incorporate those things that you love into your decor. Hang those anime posters on the wall. Display those Funko Pops, books, paintings, small clown figurines, whatever it is you collect. Fill your bookshelves with books and show them off in all their glory. Show off those comic books. Show off those video games.

Questions for you:

1. What are some things you collect?
2. What is your favorite feature/piece of art/thing in your house and why?
3. How do you want your home to be decorated?

The future

What are you most excited about for the future?

The future. Everyone gets so worried about the future. Is it going to be doomed? Is it going to be great? Will the world end?

I try my best to be optimistic. For the most part I am. Especially nowadays since having our son. I want to create a beautiful future for him. I want to do my best as a mother for him.

I want to give him the world. I know that’s not entirely possible but I know I can do what I can to make his life the best it can be. Giving him the resources and skills he will need to grow up to live a happy life.

What I am most excited about for the future is watching my son grow and learn. He’s a happy boy and loves to learn. He’s adventurous and brave and strong. I love watching him learn something new.

I can’t wait to see what he will grow up to be in the future.

Let yourself heal

I recently had surgery on my left shoulder and I have been struggling to stop and let myself heal. I have been wanting to continue to do my daily tasks. It is important to let yourself heal. Allow your body to do what it knows how to do. Take care of it. 

My healing right now is physical but there are many different types of ways that your body my need to heal.

You may need to heal mentally. Maybe you had a break up, or a really bad day at work. Or you lost a loved one. Whatever it may be, the number one thing to do is let yourself heal. Take the time to let yourself heal. There is nothing wrong with stopping what you are doing and giving yourself a breather.

I know I struggle with this especially when I am recovering from surgery. I feel like I should be doing all the things I had been doing before and even better now. Dylan playfully scolded me for making dinner the night I had my surgery. I thought I was being nice because I was making him dinner when he came home from work. But he was right, I should not have worried about making dinner like he had told me no to do earlier in the day. I regretted it later that night when my shoulder was throbbing and I needed to ice my shoulder.

I have now had two surgeries in the last six months. One on my foot, where I had part of a bamboo skewer taken out of my foot (clumsiness combined with a multi-tiered wedding cake that was being held together by said bamboo skewer and accidents will happen) and the other was my shoulder. You would think that after the last one that had me in bed for several days I would know to slow down and let myself heal. Nope not the case. I have been taking it easier but I still get those voices in the back of my head telling me that I should be doing more.

I shouldn’t be sitting on the couch icing my shoulder, I should be cooking dinner instead. I should be doing this. I should be doing that. 

The hardest person that I have had to say no to is myself. I have to tell myself to say no that I need this moment to let myself heal. I need this time to do so or I will make things worse. Or I will prolong the healing process and I will not get better. I know how hard it is to stop, especially with our society which is always on the go. 

Also follow the doctor’s instructions after surgery. They know what they’re doing.

Love Always, Kiri

Questions for you:

1. Have you ever had surgery?
2. What do you do when you need to tell yourself no?