Well it’s already January 3rd and I feel like I’m WAY late to the new years blog post party. Everything these days is either a retrospective of the past year or resolutions about the next. I’m not super interested in either (for myself, I like reading other people’s). The look back part takes so much time, and while I do think it’s important to remember what I wanted to accomplish and think about why it did or did not happen (usually the latter), I also recognize that doing that in the past has not gotten me any closer to my goals. Mostly looking back on a year just reminds me of why I abandoned my goals, and reaffirmed their abandonment.
Having said that, there are a few things I want to focus on. Again. They are all ideas I’ve already visited a million times, but have to revisit for attempt number one million and one because I know they would make my life better.
Mostly I want to get rid of stuff because man how it has crept in again. It’s every where and again I feel like I’m drowning. And while it’s still easier to clean up than it was back when I was desperate enough to get rid of so much stuff, I’m realizing that knowing where everything goes isn’t enough to improve my life. I need to have less stuff if I want to spend less time managing it.
My kids got a ton of new toys for Christmas and I so want to get rid of some of the older toys my inlaws gave them long ago. Part of me wonders if I should give them back to my inlaws, but then they will know I am getting rid of them. Of course, they may get mad if they find out later that I just gave them away. They know I don’t like the big toys, so I suppose it won’t be a surprise for them either way. I will check in with my husband to see what I should do. Having his support in whatever I decide will help.
On other fronts, I have a few goals, but I’m not going to write about them yet. I have put some other “accountability” safe guards in place on the biggest one, and I hope to write about it soon, when I’ve actually made some progress.
Not really sure what else to say at this point. I felt like I couldn’t post anything else until I acknowledged the new year and let you all down with my stubborn refusal to participate. Maybe I will go back and look at some older posts and return with a different mindset. We shall see.
“I’m realizing that knowing where everything goes isn’t enough to improve my life. I need to have less stuff if I want to spend less time managing it.” <– I was JUST thinking this yesterday when I was putting away clothes after our trip to Mexico and groceries from the stop on the way home from the airport. The closets are out of control and the pantry is a wreck. I've done well with keeping toys minimal (on that note, I would TOTALLY give away the old presents from your inlaws), but everything else is going to shit. It's crazy how quickly things accumulate when you aren't being mindful about acquisitions.
I hope you congratulate yourself on the amazing accomplishment of your trip to S. America! Also getting your house B&B ready. Especially as clearly you are seeing now how fast re-accumulation occurs. Keeping things under control and from accumulating is constant hard work and you have so little time. For anything that came in over the holidays, ask your children to reduce two items.
RE the toys: Consider having your in-laws forward the big things to your husband’s family (n Texas I believe). I think there are new children there who will grow into them. Yes, I do mean that the in-laws would pay the shipping rather than buying new later. Raising that option would give your in-laws a voice in the disposition. Then donate the rest.
Remember and give your self grace that continuing to work at progress not perfection is key. Small improvements need to be celebrated and supported. You really have made huge changes if you look at 5 years ago versus today. We all have. You need not write about wins and plan changes or goals for the past or the new year … but we all need to look at ourselves and see that we have grown. You accomplished MAJOR TOUGH THINGS.
Hoping you have had some time to be good to you during this break and that back-to-school isn’t an overwhelming horror story. Huge support to you all.
You had a quite a year in 2018! Its OK not to be into the whole new year/new you thing every year, I totally skipped it last year apparently. and YES to getting rid of stuff. with a small house, it doesn’t take much for things to get OOC and all the new Christmas toys 100% put us there…so I am definitely going to spend some time this weekend with the boys, coming up with things to get OUT so we have room for the new.