Today I opened a catalog instead of putting it straight in the trash. I saw some pajamas. They were very pretty, so obviously comfy cozy & cloud soft that I could feel warmth rising from the glossy paper on which they were printed. But yikes! Big dollarsigns. I felt challenged. I could beat that deal! A few minutes later I was online looking for a sweet sale on pajamas. I checked eBay, Amazon, JC Penney & probably five other places. But I just could not find my dream pajamas for less, darnit! I got up to move laundry around. Came back and checked facebook which led me to read this. Closed that tab, which brought me back to my search window. Oh yes- I was looking for pajamas. Those ultra-important articles of clothing in which I SLEEP. I was so embarrassed that I fumbled my first attempt to X the tab away to Neverland. I went back to the laundry, and no joke, folded 3 sets of pajamas. All mine.
A funny thing happens when you put the catalogs straight in the trash straight away. You don't want. You don't rationalize those wants in to needs. Your kids don't either. And you don't waste 40 minutes of your life staring at a screen- searching for a newer, prettier version of what you already own on one of the most gorgeous days of the year.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Why I Hate Dollar Stores
You walk in for a birthday card and leave with straws, some smiley stickers, a cat toy that you hope isn’t made of real mouse or Chinese cat, a two-pack of dish gloves guaranteed to tear while washing spoons, some purple-colored yet evergreen-scented tea lights, and a roll of tape that will stick to everything in the whole entire world except for paper. What’s more- you’ll leave feeling proud of yourself for finding the wheat among the tares and saving so much money.
I once thought I’d found gold when I bought 5 toothbrushes for a buck, ‘til I brushed my teeth and wound up with a mouth full of bristles. And there was that gel candle I burned for a few hours and quite enjoyed until the red goo & glass jar suddenly burst in to flames on my kitchen counter.
Kids, even if you have only ONE dollar you can still buy SOMETHING! Spend, spend, spend! Don’t save your money for something lovely that you’ll treasure when you could have a can of half-dry off-brand Play-Doh right now! The only way to extinguish that 4 quarter burn is to buy something made of plastic that will break in 43 seconds or less.
Dollar stores encourage cheap, thoughtless giving. (Don’t get all uppity on me. I know this to be true because I’ve given some really lame dollar store gifts.) I especially feel sorry for teachers at Christmas time.
They also discourage creativity. Remember when you were little and you wrapped birthday gifts in inside-out Christmas paper that you’d colored with markers? Or Sunday comics? You really don’t have to have wrapping paper that matches the party theme. Remember when parties didn’t have themes? The dollar store can make all your Sponge Bob table spread dreams come true.
Oh, and Christmas- you can now put tiny red bows on even your toilet seat hinges! Before you call me judgmental please know that I’m as guilty as anyone here. Celebrating the birth of Christ (poor, in a manger, came to save the world) with a consumption-fest sickens me. How much to spend, who to spend it on, should we just back out altogether? I’m pretty sure I’ll never figure it out!
The dollar store also makes it affordable to put two (or three, or nine!) fake plastic spiders on EVERY brick of your house in October. And you can decorate for St. Patrick’s Day even if you don’t own a tavern.
“Well, if it breaks easily, doesn’t work, makes me break out in a rash, doesn’t match, etc. I’ve only lost a dollar...” Yes, the FED has reduced dollar notes to something laughable, and yet... Many people, billions in fact, live on less than two dollars per day.
I’m not saying that dollar stores are good for nothing and how dare you frequent those hell-holes. Sharpies with misprinted packaging, expired pregnancy tests that are still accurate. (If you look carefully you’ll often discover WHY an item is at the dollar store.) There are reasons to go. But I bought two plastic dollar store table cloths yesterday, and guess where they are today? :(
I hate dollar stores because they're not the problem- I am.
I once thought I’d found gold when I bought 5 toothbrushes for a buck, ‘til I brushed my teeth and wound up with a mouth full of bristles. And there was that gel candle I burned for a few hours and quite enjoyed until the red goo & glass jar suddenly burst in to flames on my kitchen counter.
Kids, even if you have only ONE dollar you can still buy SOMETHING! Spend, spend, spend! Don’t save your money for something lovely that you’ll treasure when you could have a can of half-dry off-brand Play-Doh right now! The only way to extinguish that 4 quarter burn is to buy something made of plastic that will break in 43 seconds or less.
Dollar stores encourage cheap, thoughtless giving. (Don’t get all uppity on me. I know this to be true because I’ve given some really lame dollar store gifts.) I especially feel sorry for teachers at Christmas time.
They also discourage creativity. Remember when you were little and you wrapped birthday gifts in inside-out Christmas paper that you’d colored with markers? Or Sunday comics? You really don’t have to have wrapping paper that matches the party theme. Remember when parties didn’t have themes? The dollar store can make all your Sponge Bob table spread dreams come true.
Oh, and Christmas- you can now put tiny red bows on even your toilet seat hinges! Before you call me judgmental please know that I’m as guilty as anyone here. Celebrating the birth of Christ (poor, in a manger, came to save the world) with a consumption-fest sickens me. How much to spend, who to spend it on, should we just back out altogether? I’m pretty sure I’ll never figure it out!
The dollar store also makes it affordable to put two (or three, or nine!) fake plastic spiders on EVERY brick of your house in October. And you can decorate for St. Patrick’s Day even if you don’t own a tavern.
“Well, if it breaks easily, doesn’t work, makes me break out in a rash, doesn’t match, etc. I’ve only lost a dollar...” Yes, the FED has reduced dollar notes to something laughable, and yet... Many people, billions in fact, live on less than two dollars per day.
I’m not saying that dollar stores are good for nothing and how dare you frequent those hell-holes. Sharpies with misprinted packaging, expired pregnancy tests that are still accurate. (If you look carefully you’ll often discover WHY an item is at the dollar store.) There are reasons to go. But I bought two plastic dollar store table cloths yesterday, and guess where they are today? :(
I hate dollar stores because they're not the problem- I am.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
1984: YES to the album, NO to the mousse
I also have 4 hair brushes. Some more than 12 years old, missing bristles. The hair in them's not nearly as gray as the hair that is currently on my head. Sad. Telling. Kinda gross.
Your turn- Go look under YOUR bathroom sink or wherever you keep your hair stylin' stuff. Yes, right now. Whatcha got? A 3/4 empty can of Aqua Net with a pre-scanner days real price tag from K-Mart? I really want to know. Tell me I'm not alone in pointlessly hanging on to hair fixin' stuff I don't need, want, or give a flying flip about. And go put that krizzap in the trash. Nobody wants your Debbie-Gibson's-hayday-era hot rollers.
Unaccomplished Mama Guilt Be Gone!
This blog is about cleaning up, getting free, simplifying- so we can glorify God, so we can give of the time and resources we save by having less junk in our heads and on our desks, so we can enjoy our families and the multitude of other gifts right in front of us that are easy to miss when we're overwhelmed. I guess it's a weeding project. Pulling the flower chokers and fruit inhibitors. Just a little weeding each day equals fresh air, an
opportunity
to notice new buds & growth, to catch predators & diseases before they
get out of hand, to reconsider the extraordinary little creatures of God that are squirming around
in the dirt that we ceased being amazed by a sad, long time ago.
If I'm going to do this right this blog must be clean, simple, and especially- NOT a time-vacuum. I've been known to overblog in the past, so I took a week to refocus. I have a couple of hours of kid-free nap time each day in which to exercise, read, learn French, do projects around the house, declutter, write, etc. And if you fail to plan you plan to fail. (I don't know who first said that, but way to use words, stranger!) A homeschooling mom with little kids and no cook or housekeeper doesn't have time for marathon training, serious college courses, monster cleaning binges, or career blogging. Well, some might, but I'm no such hero.
So today I'm decluttering this: feeling guilty about it. Accepting the reality that for most of us little children = little time increments. I confess my inadequacy. I give up. There. I can move on, make a plan. Decluttering & blogging gets 15 minutes per day starting tomorrow. Short posts, but frequent. No editing. Bye, bye sweet thesaurus that made me look smart! Ouch.
If I'm going to do this right this blog must be clean, simple, and especially- NOT a time-vacuum. I've been known to overblog in the past, so I took a week to refocus. I have a couple of hours of kid-free nap time each day in which to exercise, read, learn French, do projects around the house, declutter, write, etc. And if you fail to plan you plan to fail. (I don't know who first said that, but way to use words, stranger!) A homeschooling mom with little kids and no cook or housekeeper doesn't have time for marathon training, serious college courses, monster cleaning binges, or career blogging. Well, some might, but I'm no such hero.
So today I'm decluttering this: feeling guilty about it. Accepting the reality that for most of us little children = little time increments. I confess my inadequacy. I give up. There. I can move on, make a plan. Decluttering & blogging gets 15 minutes per day starting tomorrow. Short posts, but frequent. No editing. Bye, bye sweet thesaurus that made me look smart! Ouch.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Pillowflight
I have two couches and four decorative pillows. All of these items are hideous, but let's focus on the pillows for now- I hate them. They make me gag. I keep thinking maybe I'll re-cover them. Or that I'll buy new ones and then get rid of these junkers. I've looked online, in stores, even perused my personal fabric selection & patterns. (though I haven't sewn a stitch since kids) I've found multitudes of gorgeous pillows and come up with scores of lovely project ideas. But something has kept me from pulling the trigger- probably the ugly couches I don't want to attract attention to.
And now, I am so thankful for those eyesore couches. Because they helped me bide my time 'til today. When I'd finally wake up and ask myself... Why?
Why do I need two pillows for each couch? Or any number? We never use them. In fact, we have to move them if we want to actually SIT on the couch. Oftentimes they end up on the floor where they pick up cat hair and boy dirt before they're placed back on the couches by helpful little children. Then the couches AND the pillows need to be vacuumed and lint rolled. Have you seen what lint rollers cost? They're one of the world's most clever of ripoffs. 12 cents worth of masking tape on a stick. It is sooo eight dollar airport water outrageous and yet - we buy them! Personally, I buy the crap out of them. They are just so easy to use and do such an unmatchable job, and...
Sorry, back to pillows. Hubby and I always toss the pillows off the loveseat, and the boys tend to sit together on one side of the bigger couch, so 90% of the time they look like this:
Classy.
Of course I do "arrange" them when people are coming over. Friends & family who will have to move them in order to sit down. Is it possible that people have come here and suffered needlessly with a big, hot pillow on their lap because they were too polite to set it on the floor? Sadly, I think it has happened.
Four pillows to the giveaway pile. Feels good.
And now, I am so thankful for those eyesore couches. Because they helped me bide my time 'til today. When I'd finally wake up and ask myself... Why?
Why do I need two pillows for each couch? Or any number? We never use them. In fact, we have to move them if we want to actually SIT on the couch. Oftentimes they end up on the floor where they pick up cat hair and boy dirt before they're placed back on the couches by helpful little children. Then the couches AND the pillows need to be vacuumed and lint rolled. Have you seen what lint rollers cost? They're one of the world's most clever of ripoffs. 12 cents worth of masking tape on a stick. It is sooo eight dollar airport water outrageous and yet - we buy them! Personally, I buy the crap out of them. They are just so easy to use and do such an unmatchable job, and...
Sorry, back to pillows. Hubby and I always toss the pillows off the loveseat, and the boys tend to sit together on one side of the bigger couch, so 90% of the time they look like this:
Classy.
Of course I do "arrange" them when people are coming over. Friends & family who will have to move them in order to sit down. Is it possible that people have come here and suffered needlessly with a big, hot pillow on their lap because they were too polite to set it on the floor? Sadly, I think it has happened.
Four pillows to the giveaway pile. Feels good.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I'm not afraid of pumpkins any more.
When I became a Christian I immediately felt uncomfortable with Halloween. Not because I was a former spell-casting devil-worshiper, but because I had so many super awesome Halloween memories and it just seemed like Christianity shouldn't be that, I don't know... FUN. You know that thrill when someone pops out from behind a bush and yells, "Graaaawwrrrrrrr!" The adrenaline-pumped fear surge, the giggly, relieved release when you realize it's your best friend. It's just so... exciting! So how could I, now grateful for the gruesome death of my Savior on a cross, still enjoy jack-o-lanterns, black & orange, and other traditional manifestations of a holiday that is associated with suffering and death?
Over the years, we ran the gamut. For a few years we hid, turned off all lights, tried to be real quiet. "Shhhhhh. THEY'LL know we're hoome!" (Those unsaved people we Christians were supposed to be talking to about Jesus.) Then one year we turned on the lights and handed out Gospel tracts. We started the night with 100 and ended, by God's grace, with 99. (Sorry, little Darth Vader!) The next year we moved on to the gospel tract equivalent of candy- sunflower seeds & fruit leathers. It's funny, looking back, that I have always been mystified by the lack of knocks at our front door on the 31st. Now I am SO glad that God directed those poor kids to our far less holy neighbors and their evil tootsie rolls.
As I've mentioned before I am cleaning house. I started with my closet. I now own 3 jeans, 2 pants, and a few skirts. That's it for bottoms, and I don't want more. We had a cold snap this week. I wore all my jeans but the skinny ones. My only pants that weren't dirty this morning- white. Basically, I had one skirt in my closet that was appropriate for church today. Burnt orange, corduroy. And I was down to two long-sleeve shirts. Bright turquoise which would clearly clash, or... more orange. Oh my. Halloween is tomorrow- what will they think if I show up to church in all ORANGE? Yes, I am ashamed to say I worried about this.
It's simple. The holiday's associations and it's debatable origins do not represent my heart. And really, not very many hearts. I know hundreds of people who trick-or-treated as kids and/or let their kids do so now. With no thought of Satan, the powers of darkness or whatever. It's more of a block party with costumes and candy. I want our kids to know our neighbors. Because relationships are the real "in" to sharing Christ with others. And in this day and age meeting people on the other side of the fence just isn't as easy as it used to be. So I look forward to tomorrow evening, when our littles will run through their neighbors' yards, welcome in a way they aren't on most days, gathering treats and blessing others with their sweetness & gratefulness for candy (a rarity for them), simply because they're dressed as a ghost and a farmer and are willing to repeat three silly words they don't even understand.
"Trick or treat!"
God created October 31st. It belongs to Him. Use it for His glory. Lose the fear. Enjoy the silly excitement of Boo! Because no matter how badly you might screw it up He already lived that day, and every other, perfectly. For you.
Over the years, we ran the gamut. For a few years we hid, turned off all lights, tried to be real quiet. "Shhhhhh. THEY'LL know we're hoome!" (Those unsaved people we Christians were supposed to be talking to about Jesus.) Then one year we turned on the lights and handed out Gospel tracts. We started the night with 100 and ended, by God's grace, with 99. (Sorry, little Darth Vader!) The next year we moved on to the gospel tract equivalent of candy- sunflower seeds & fruit leathers. It's funny, looking back, that I have always been mystified by the lack of knocks at our front door on the 31st. Now I am SO glad that God directed those poor kids to our far less holy neighbors and their evil tootsie rolls.
As I've mentioned before I am cleaning house. I started with my closet. I now own 3 jeans, 2 pants, and a few skirts. That's it for bottoms, and I don't want more. We had a cold snap this week. I wore all my jeans but the skinny ones. My only pants that weren't dirty this morning- white. Basically, I had one skirt in my closet that was appropriate for church today. Burnt orange, corduroy. And I was down to two long-sleeve shirts. Bright turquoise which would clearly clash, or... more orange. Oh my. Halloween is tomorrow- what will they think if I show up to church in all ORANGE? Yes, I am ashamed to say I worried about this.
It's simple. The holiday's associations and it's debatable origins do not represent my heart. And really, not very many hearts. I know hundreds of people who trick-or-treated as kids and/or let their kids do so now. With no thought of Satan, the powers of darkness or whatever. It's more of a block party with costumes and candy. I want our kids to know our neighbors. Because relationships are the real "in" to sharing Christ with others. And in this day and age meeting people on the other side of the fence just isn't as easy as it used to be. So I look forward to tomorrow evening, when our littles will run through their neighbors' yards, welcome in a way they aren't on most days, gathering treats and blessing others with their sweetness & gratefulness for candy (a rarity for them), simply because they're dressed as a ghost and a farmer and are willing to repeat three silly words they don't even understand.
"Trick or treat!"
God created October 31st. It belongs to Him. Use it for His glory. Lose the fear. Enjoy the silly excitement of Boo! Because no matter how badly you might screw it up He already lived that day, and every other, perfectly. For you.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Parting is Such Sweet... Joy!
Our kids were given a HUGE tub of Legos about a year ago. By huge I mean 37 pounds. Gargantuan, ridiculous. It seemed like a blessing initially, as abundance often does. But was really a curse, as abundance often is. They just couldn't handle THAT MANY Legos. No boundaries, restrictions, pictures, instructions... It was a tub of the chaos. At four and five, they were far too young to organize it. And I sure didn't have time to do it. They dug all the little Lego men out of the box and fought over them continually. They pulled out stray wheels and threw them around the room. "Wheeeeeeee!" they exclaimed, watching them bounce. Occasionally, if heavily influenced by an adult, they'd make a house, a car, something more than an uninspired mess.
One child received a small Lego set for his birthday, which I immediately hid in a closet, knowing that the lovely castle would soon be lost, forgotten and impossible to even try and retrieve from the Lego dump. After moving our living room furniture around many times I found a home for the bin under an end table. The scratched blue plastic was an ugly eyesore against the shiny wood, but whatever, it was 60% hidden!
I hate cleaning floors, because I'm a normal, lazy human. But I REALLY hated cleaning around that heavy, hideous cat hair & dirt magnet. Then one day, a couple of weeks ago, I had this epiphany. I didn't have to clean around this monster tub that causes nothing but fights and dummyism! I could donate it, trash it, maybe even SELL it. One Craiglist post and two hours later I had $100 in my PayPal account. The next day I breathed a big old sigh of YAY when I could see under my table again. A quick swipe with the broom and voila! Breathing room. The boys surprised me by commenting on how great it felt to have 'em gone. Even my husband noticed, and, well- you know, men don't always notice stuff! I was thrilled. I began digging through my closet, drawers, and (ugh!) the dreaded garage. A friend was having a garage sale. I sold some homeschool materials I didn't particularly like on eBay. These combined with the Legos: $421.41 in two weeks. But the money was just a bonus. The lighter load- less to clean, to care for, to feel burdened by... THAT was what made my heart sing. And so my freedom from stuff began.
What's your story? Do you have a box of life-sucking box of stuff in your living room?
One child received a small Lego set for his birthday, which I immediately hid in a closet, knowing that the lovely castle would soon be lost, forgotten and impossible to even try and retrieve from the Lego dump. After moving our living room furniture around many times I found a home for the bin under an end table. The scratched blue plastic was an ugly eyesore against the shiny wood, but whatever, it was 60% hidden!
I hate cleaning floors, because I'm a normal, lazy human. But I REALLY hated cleaning around that heavy, hideous cat hair & dirt magnet. Then one day, a couple of weeks ago, I had this epiphany. I didn't have to clean around this monster tub that causes nothing but fights and dummyism! I could donate it, trash it, maybe even SELL it. One Craiglist post and two hours later I had $100 in my PayPal account. The next day I breathed a big old sigh of YAY when I could see under my table again. A quick swipe with the broom and voila! Breathing room. The boys surprised me by commenting on how great it felt to have 'em gone. Even my husband noticed, and, well- you know, men don't always notice stuff! I was thrilled. I began digging through my closet, drawers, and (ugh!) the dreaded garage. A friend was having a garage sale. I sold some homeschool materials I didn't particularly like on eBay. These combined with the Legos: $421.41 in two weeks. But the money was just a bonus. The lighter load- less to clean, to care for, to feel burdened by... THAT was what made my heart sing. And so my freedom from stuff began.
What's your story? Do you have a box of life-sucking box of stuff in your living room?
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