Smalltopia

In the beginning stages of my quest to scale down, I stumbled upon the blog Rowdy Kittens. This woman's life fascinates me and I love reading about her writing and her tiny house. I would love to be armed with a camera, laptop, and a bicycle to get through life. She's an inspiration in minimalist living and she's written a great book called Smalltopia. I picked it up at regular price on my Kindle and it was well worth the money. Right now though, it is on sale for only $0.99 for the Kindle! Don't have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle reading app for free on your computer, smartphone, or iPad! I highly suggest picking up a copy!

Smalltopia: A Practical Guide to Working for Yourself

Minimalism at Christmas

So it is that time of year. Christmas, when everyone is in such a good mood and we buy in excess from Thanksgiving until New Years! I did not (and never do participate) in Black Friday. There is nothing that I need bad enough to get up early and wait in long lines with grouchy people. So what do I do about Christmas after months of purging my house of excess stuff?

I'm looking at Christmas a little different this year. The decorating has begun and it is far from a minimalist display. I put up one large and two small trees in my two-bedroom apartment. It's crazy and it is too much work, but I like it and so do the kids. I'm taking the decorating time to purge out decorations that we don't use anymore. That's going well and hopefully means I'll have less to put away this year. The only problem is, it seems like the storage closet has grown in the amount of stuff it contains again and I'm not sure why. I just know I feel like purging a whole lot of stuff again.

So how am I going to deal with the onslaught of toys that come into the house this time of year? Well, they aren't coming. Lucky for me the boys still believe in Santa. They felt pretty good about the cleaning out we did and have been pretty good about not asking to bring too much back in. They asked for things for their birthday that they actually really wanted and play with. It was a good test run. So, I told them that I'd had a discussion with Santa about our choice to live with less, and that he was going to comply with that by just bringing some really special stuff he knows they'll enjoy. Lucky for me, they seemed totally fine with that.  They even altered their lists and I think the things they want are really what they truly want.

The thing is, I know this is more my issue than theirs. They have Christmas with their father and step-mother, with their step-mother's family, and with their grandparents on both sides. They'll get plenty. So it's just my fear of looking like I don't love them enough to buy them stuff than any real need they have. They don't need any of it and will probably be a lot happier with the few good things I get them over all of the stuff I've gone overboard with in years past.

So, I'm being very selective about the gifts this year and we will see how it all goes. My hope is that when they open their gifts they are just as happy or happier than in years past and that when it is time to put it all away it will be easy to do!

The Monster Tamed

Did you think I was gone forever? Sorry I have been gone for so long. I got a new job with a crazy schedule and between that and all of the other things I have going on there hasn't been a lot of time for blogging. But I couldn't leave you all hanging any longer on my last decluttering post.

You may remember the images of my outside storage closet and how it had become such a source of stress for me because it was so packed full of junk. Well I'm happy to report that it has been (mostly) tamed. There is still a fair amount of stuff in the closet and I hope to purge more as time goes on. However, it is starting to get colder and the holidays are approaching and I just needed to get it manageable before bad weather really sets in. I plan to purge the Christmas decorations when I get them out to decorate. Even though it is not as pared down as I would like it to be, it makes me feel so much better when I open the door now.

So for a refresher, here it is before...

And after...

I know it is kind of hard to tell how much better it really is, but trust me, I can get to the things I need now and it doesn't make me want to wretch when I open the door anymore. So with the exception of paring down things as I find myself not needing them, my massive decluttering project is essentially over. I'm still working on the digital decluttering process which sometimes seems hopeless. Don't leave me though. I plan to try to make a little time to blog as often as I can!

Watch the Dr. Oz Show Today!

I'm not sure if I've professed my love for Dr. Oz on this blog before...so I'll do it now! I LOVE the Oz man! It's a little disturbing really. I know people who spend big money to go to concerts and who get all excited over celebrities in movies. I'd pay big money to see Dr. Oz.

Because of this obsession I'm very excited that Weight Watchers is teaming up with Dr. Oz to help with his Transformation Nation contest. The show will air today and I'm very excited about it!

Watch the sneak preview and check for air times in your area! Hope to see a lot of people take part in this!

Online Dating 101 For Men

I've done the online dating thing off an on for a little while now. I'm not ashamed of this fact as I know several people who have met their spouse in this manner, I don't go to bars, and it saves you a lot of awkward dates by eliminating people you aren't compatible with early on. In this process I have identified some things that men should really consider when creating an online dating profile and I thought I should share the info in case I have any single male readers. Before someone says I'm being mean, know that I'm sure women do stuff they shouldn't as well. But, I'm coming from one perspective.

1. The Picture

You need to have one. If I have one, you should too. No, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but attraction is important. If I'm not the least bit attracted to you, then we're not off to a good start.

Once you have taken the picture, you need to look at it. Are you still wearing your wedding ring? Yeah, you might want to take that off.

Are your clothes clean and presentable? A date is sadly much like a job interview. If you're not willing to put your best foot forward for the picture, should I believe you will make any effort once in a relationship? You don't have to wear a suit and tie, but a shirt without stains and holes might be a start. Now, if your picture was taken by someone else while you were hard at work or something, that's different. But if you're taking it yourself or posing, make some sort of effort.

Are you even wearing clothes? Yeah, you should be. I don't want to see your abs (or lack thereof) before I've even met you. This does not apply if your picture was taken while on the beach or at the pool, but it doubly applies if you're taking the picture in your bathroom mirror. Honestly, it's best to avoid taking the picture in the bathroom.

Flexing. Just don't do it. It makes you look nuts and often you don't have the muscles you think you do.

Leave your jedi light saber or other swords out of the picture. Then again, that's information I need early, so by all means.

Spit out the snuff. In fact, quit dipping. Again you look nuts with a big lump on your face. Not to mention it's repulsive.

Tattoos. I love them, but I don't need a picture devoted just to your tattoo...especially if it's one you should have thought twice about.

2. Your profile

Write something in it. We need to know who you are and what you like.

Spell check and avoid text language. Again, this is like a job interview. You don't have to be a perfect speller but EVERY program underlines the words you get wrong and if you right-click it will give you spelling suggestions. Text speak just makes you look ignorant.

3. My profile

Read it carefully. Read it again before you contact me. I wrote what I wrote for a reason. I wanted to let you know some things about me before you contact me so you can eliminate me if I am not someone you'd likely get along with. If you read that I'm agnostic and your screen name is Jesus Freak then we likely won't get along all that well.

Once you contact me I will read your profile and if it is very evident from that, or from what you wrote to me that you did not read my profile I will not respond. It's just respectful and you look like a fool if it's obvious you only contacted me because of my picture.


4. First contact

If you decide to write to me....write something! "Hey" is not an opening email.

If you start out with anything about how "hot" I am and nothing else, you're getting deleted.

Asking me to meet you in the first email is creepy. Don't do it.



I'm sure people will think I'm being cocky by saying these things, but most of it just seems common sense to me. If you wouldn't do it on a job interview, don't do it in a dating profile. I know real life will set in at some point, but it's nice to at least make some effort when you're actively trying to meet new people.

A little addition to this post. A friend of mine shared this video and I found it too funny and too much like what I've experienced. Warning, lots of f-bombs so be careful where you watch it!

9/11

It is the morning of September 11, 2011, ten years since a day that changed our country forever. There will be no talk of anything else today. My Facebook wall is covered with videos and comments about it. The question that prevails is "Do you remember where you were that day?" My answer is "Of course I do". For any American old enough to remember with any real understanding every detail is etched into our minds for as long as our minds hold out. As someone with an extreme anxiety issue, it consumed me for much longer than the one day.

But I'm not going to tell you were I was, or how I felt. I'm not going to watch media coverage of it, and I'm not going to post things on Facebook about it. I'm sure people will think that means I don't remember those who lost their lives, those who were left behind, and those who struggle every day with illness related to the recovery efforts. I'm sure it means I'm not patriotic or a good American.

That couldn't be further from the truth. I obsessed about that day for a very long time after it happened. I watched everything and read everything there was to watch about it. It was horrible and it impacted me deeply. But the truth is, I can't relive it every year. My heart aches for the victims. I have found myself thinking about them at totally random times ever since. But I just can't make it the whole focus of the month of September every year.

Call me what you will, but my heart is with all of those involved today. I don't fault anyone for remembering how they choose to remember. If that means posting videos, talking about it with friends, attending services, then that's great. Everyone deals in their own way. But for me, I have to live my life with the knowledge that many people's lives were lost that day. They cannot go on, but the rest of us can. The rest of us can hug our kids a little tighter, call our loved ones a little more, and focus on solutions to the world's problems that don't involve violence. So I'm going to live today for those who cannot. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but I have a feeling all of the victims would be telling us to do just that.

The Monster!

When I moved into my apartment I was very pleased to find that it had an outdoor storage building attached. I knew it would come in handy for storing Christmas decorations and the link. I did not know that my hoarding tendencies would turn it into the beast that it has become. As the following pictures will show, getting the Christmas decorations out takes an act of Congress. I also had to add a bunch of Weight Watchers gear recently and now it's just more than I can stand.

Today's holiday was supposed to be spent cleaning this space out, but I woke up to rain so I didn't expect to get anywhere on that. I finished the last detail of the boys room which was cleaning out their drawers and then since the rain had stopped I decided to get started. I didn't get very far before the rain started up again and I had to put it all back. I did get several bags ready for donation and a few bags of trash, so at least I made a start which feels good. This week is going to be insane so I have no idea when I'll get back to it. But, just so you can see what I'm up against, here are the before pictures...