Three 5Ks in 2012 = accomplished!!!

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

WAY back when in January, I set some goals for myself.  One was to run in three 5K races in 2012. Well, I'm thrilled to say that as of last Saturday, I've accomplished that goal!  

In July, I ran in the 5K race that's part of the annual town celebration.  It was the first 5K I ever ran back in 2010, and I was nervous about it this year, thanks to the heart oddities I'd been having, but even in the heat I managed to keep my time under 30, so I was very pleased.

Then in August, when I didn't feel like running on my usual Friday evening schedule, I thought, "Hey, let's see if there's any 5Ks in the area tomorrow!"  Lo and behold, my across-the-street neighbor was in charge of one right in downtown Appleton!  So, of course I ran... and even placed for my age group  - did I mention it was a VERY small race?!  Still, I happily accepted the medal!

Finally on Saturday I ran in the area YMCA's fun costume-friendly annual 5K.  I'd done it in 2010, and figured if I wanted to make my goal before it got any colder, that I'd better hurry up and do so.  That meant I got all dolled up on a lovely middle-to-high-30sF morning and got my final 5K of the year done!  My 2010 costume was more flattering, I think, but here's how I looked this year:

 

You don't usually see too many mermaids competing in a running race, I think! :)

New Year's Resolutions - 2012

(c) 2012 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Happy New Year! Let's start this year out right! I've already run this morning & now I'm posting, plus I did a bit of decluttering/sorting. Don't worry - I'm not working so hard that I'm going to burn myself out the first week or anything, but well-begun is half-done, right?

My resolutions for 2012 fall into three main areas.

Improving Myself - I think I'm far from the only one who wants to get more healthy and/or lose a bit of weight.  My third one is more about getting out of a rut...and being a little vain.  :)

• Run in three 5K races this year.  I've done two in each of the past two years, so I see this as reasonable.
• More water; less alcohol.  I'm going to drink water with more meals, particularly supper. (Breakfast, of course, gets coffee!  *grin*)
• Do my hair a different way at least once each week.  I always just do it the same way, so maybe a headband or straightening it or a barrette or ponytail or anything.

Improving  My Relationships - I think I've become more isolated this year, so I want to make a point to counteract that.

• Post at least once a week... and not just pictures.  I began this blog back when we lived overseas as a way to keep in touch with the folks back home, mostly in MN.  Well, now we're in WI, still far away from any family & our old friends.  I'm not one to pick up the phone and call, so this is a good tool for me.  Plus, it helps me keep a record of memories.
• Mr. Kluges and I have started trying to reserve Saturday nights for "us time."  Sometimes Rarely it's a date night out; often it's a movie or board game together.  The point is if we don't set aside time, we don't take it.
• Spend time with my children separately doing fun stuff.  They are growing up quickly & I tend to do stuff with them together.  I'd like to do more one-on-one time with them each - at least every other month I'd like to do something with just one of them.
• Speak up - respectfully, assertively, & in a timely manner - when I need to to get my needs met.

Improving My Environment

• Keep going with Flylady.  I do a fair amount of her routines & such already... and they help a lot.  Specifically, I want to spend 2 minutes on a hot spot every day, and 15 minutes of decluttering at least once a week.
• Speaking of decluttering, I'm going to make a point to get the decluttered STUFF out of the house sooner.  I've got STUFF waiting to be brought to the resale shop or to get posted on Craig's List or to be donated or that I just don't know what to do with but we don't want it anymore.  It might be sorted, but it's still in the house.  Let's get it gone.
• Get the attic room into shape so I can USE it.  That's going to be my away/crafting/sewing/project area, much like my husband has a basement workroom & a garage stall work space.  Sure, I have to take into account some filing cabinets and stuff, and it's a tiny room, but it's going to be MINE.

How about you?  Are you making any resolutions this year?

2010 Resolutions Reviewed

(c) 2011 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Yeah, so, I DO know it's March... I just kinda never did get around to reviewing 2010's resolutions & making new ones. Well, now that I can sort of type with my no-longer-sausage-y fingers, let's just take care of that postponement, shall we?

My 2010 Resolutions focused on two areas: weight/exercise and tidyness/organizational/housekeeping.

• Exercise most nights of the week - I was pretty good at this most of the year. Most weeks I had belly dance (and tap, too, for part of it), so I just had to run 2-3 times and/or do a DVD once & I was grand. C25K really helped with this one!!!
  
• Do the Couch-to-5K Program...and run in a 5K race - I rocked this one by running in TWO! See?! Once my arm doesn't mind getting all jiggled and jounced around, I'm planning on getting back to this again, though there will definitely be a need to spend some weeks reconditioning!
  
• Reduce/avoid empty calories - Ok, so I was more aware... but evenings are still a trouble time for me when you'll find me snacking/having a beer. That's probably why January 2011 weight was a mere 1 lb. less than my January 2010 weight. *sigh*
  

• Keep following the Flylady - I did, and still am, and recommend her for motivation / encouragement / a (gentle) kick in the butt to just do 15 minutes 'cuz it really will help.
  
• Spend 30 minutes per weekend on the attic room - I probably got this done about half the time. It got HOT up there in the summer, so sometimes then I did my half-hour in the lovely cool basement. Still, progress was made.
  
• Paint the small area behind the radiator in our room (in the summer) - done! And it makes me smile whenever I notice it. Yay!
  

Ok, enough of that. Maybe I'll manage to get my 2011 goals finalized & up before the end of April, hey?

NaBloPoMo #15 - Life List Movie Help?

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Some of you might already follow Maggie from Mighty Girl. She's amazing! I love her verve and her sense of fun and her creativity.... She just seems really amazing. I wish I really knew her.

ANYWAY, she does this thing, and encourages other to do so as well, that's called a Life List. Basically, you put a bunch of stuff on it you'd really, really, really like to do. Things that would bring you joy. Things you've always dreamed about, but never dared to do. Wishes and hopes and happiness.

And then you do them.

No, seriously, even just putting them together into a list is fun. It gives them weight. It makes you take a look at what you enjoy, what you miss, what you dare to dream, things you always meant/mean to do.

I realized while making my life list (I'm only up to the 30s - I want to give myself room to put the things that I discover I want to do still! But yeah, running a 5K is/was one of them!), that I really want to get caught up on movies. I mean, you know how there will be references to famous books or movies or events in TV shows or ads or just everywhere? Well, there's a lot of movies out there that I feel like I should have seen, that everybody else has seen, but that I just, for whatever reason, haven't.

Sure, I've seen ET and Dead Poet's Society and Gone With the Wind and Wrath of Khan and Wizard of Oz and Star Wars and Thelma & Louise and Independence Day. Mr. Kluges made me sit through Planet of the Apes and 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining (ok, that one was good). I just watched Steel Magnolias for the first time this summer.

So, I'm adding to my life list to watch 10 cultural significant movies that I've missed out on. But I need your help.

What should I watch?

There are a few I'm already considering. It's approaching Christmas time, and I've seen neither Miracle on 34th Street nor It's a Wonderful Life. So, at least one of those is going on the list. But what else should I include? I'd LOVE to hear your recommendations for movies everybody should have seen so I can use them as I make my list.

Who knows - maybe I'll have to up it to 20. :) Thanks every so much!!!!

NaBloPoMo #4 - In which I run a 5K, again.

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

WAY back in January, I resolved to run a 5K this year. Several of my friends & some family members have run 5Ks and/or 10Ks and/or half-marathons and/or marathons (scary impressive, those ones!). I figured, "hey, exercise for exercise's sake can get boring, so maybe if I've got a goal - a published goal, at that - AND a deadlines (my town's annual festival's 5K), well, then I'll do it!"

And so I did. See! Many thanks to the insight & support & encouragement from y'all, btw with that! Also, yay for the Couch-to-5K program!

Then, as I kind of expected I would, I started slacking off. I was running usually twice a week still, but not three times like I had been. Sure, with dance class (oh yeah, remind me to tell you about my extra class!) I was still getting in three good sessions of exercise a week, but I had been doing more.

Solution? Another 5K. I wasn't willing to preregister way in advance though - I'd done my 2010-resolved 5K already, so I wanted to see what the weather would hold before I committed.

But that bright, sunny, chilly Saturday morning, October 30th, found me up early and on the starting line (ok, back in the middle of the pack that is) for the local Y's annual 5K.

Looking like this... except with more people & pavement and fewer leaves.


Yes, there is a jingly coin scarf under that racing number. Also, leggings! A big shout out to Nectarine for the headband - I HATE having my hair in my face when I ran, so her stretchy sparkly headband worked GREAT for functionality & prettiness. :)

Hey, I figured anything I could do to make it more fun was good. Sure, I didn't win (the race OR the costume contest - somebody came as a box of popcorn, with white bath puffs as the giant popcorns attached to her painted cardboard box costume... but I dunno if she actually ran in hers) but I had fun...

...and I beat my old time by more than a minute! Go, me!

7/12th of the Year Over Resolution Revisitation

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Doing a periodic check-in to keep myself honest & accountable... and also to celebrate the ones I've got DONE!!!

• Exercise most nights of the week -Eh, I'm doing 3 consistently, sometimes 4 or 5. Now that I've run my 5K, I'm often ending up only running 2 times a week instead of 3. With belly dance troupe every Wednesday, I've always definitely got 3 nights in of some kind of exercise. I need to start doing something else once or twice a week - weights or the Shred or DVDs or something - because I've noticed a decline in arm strength since I just focused on running.

• Do the Couch-to-5K Program...and run in a 5K race - Done, and DONE!
  

• Reduce/avoid empty calories - Cheetos, I wish I knew how to quit you. Still working on this one, but all the summer veg around does help.
  

• Keep following the Flylady- Fluttering along. Not doing everything, but with baby steps I'm definitely making progress. More decluttering needs doing, but the house is in general much more company-ready and clean than it was a year ago.

• Spend 30 minutes per weekend on the attic room- I'm officially now adapting this one to be *Spend 30 minutes per weekend on the attic room OR the basement. It's really, really hot up there right now. And the basement gets just too chilly to want to spend much time in it in the winter. So, I'll split the difference & spend time in each, which is just fine. With people over or busy weekends or whatever, I'm probably getting doing this one 67% of the time, but that's still a lot more time spent on them than I ever have before & it helps a lot.

• Paint the small area behind the radiator in our room (in the summer)- And DONE! As of about 10 days ago. I had to give it two coats, since it's hard to get a brush down in there behind it, but now it looks good! Yay!

WW - My First 5K!

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I did it! aka My First 5K Race

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Hot weather, "where do I go," first time jitters and all... I did it!

I've now run my first 5K race! And I did run the whole thing... except for when I grabbed some water 'cuz I'm not coordinated enough to run and grab an open glass & drink it all without falling down (probably).

I even turned in a EXCELLENT time for myself - my official time was 28:25, which is faster than I think I usually run, which explains why the last mile was so hard.

But I did it! Yay, me! And thanks to all of your for your support!!! Pix sometime later, 'cuz Mr Kluges & the girls came to cheer me on.

A case of the nerves

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I'm supposed to run in my first 5K tonight. I'm totally nervous. What if it's too hot? (I'm used to running in the basement or after 8:30 pm.) What if I can't find where to sign up? What if they fill up? What if I'm late to get there? What if I'm early & spend the time waiting feeling like I'm going to puke 'cuz I'm nervous? ARGH!!!!!!!!!

Couch-to-5K Week 9, Day 3 - Completed!

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I did it.

I just finished my Couch to 5K Week 9, Day 3 workout. I ran outside, so I can't tell you exactly how many miles & tenths I ran, but on the treadmill I usually run about 6.2 mph. Which is about a 10 minutes mile.

I ran 31.5 minutes straight today.

Not that it was easy. Easier than Sunday, because it was a bit cooler & rather less humid, but still not a stroll in the park.

Since one of my goals for this year was to run in a 5K race, I'm well on my way. I'm still getting used to running outside, what with the earphones & the ipod & water. And the hills. And the bugs. And the warmer-than-65F-like-my-basement temperatures. And while listening to music helps, it's not nearly as distracting as television.

But since I don't think anybody's planning a 5K race to be held in my basement, guess I'd better keep it up & keep running outside!

5K Goal Progress

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Sorry for the brief/only photo posts. Spring gets busy, what with all the outside projects, end of the school year stuff, outside projects and spring cleaning. Oh, and outside projects. Plus, who wants to sit at the computer inside a non-air-conditioned house when at least outside there might be a bit of a breeze.

Wanted to share with y'all a bit of progress on my goal of running a 5K this year. (And actually, the related goal of exercising most nights/week.) It's going great! I'm in Couch-to-5K's Week 8, which has a 5 minute brisk walk to warm-up, then 28 (TWENTY-EIGHT) minutes of running. Which I can do! In fact, on Tuesday, while running in our nice cool basement & watching the Lost finale, I kept going after those 28 minutes 'cuz I only needed less than 2/10 of a miles to get to 3. WHICH I DID! So now I've run 3 miles!

Granted, it was in our nice cool (high 60s) basement, on a nice flat treadmill, while watching a very engaging show. I know that outside will be warmer, hillier, and less distracting - and therefore harder.

But still! I did it once! And that's the the start of doing it more!

This Couch-to-5K thing has definitely helped with the "exercise most nights each week" goal. If I don't do my 3 runs each week, I can definitely tell. I fall behind & have to repeat at least part of a week to catch up. So, between 3 runs and 1 belly dance class each week, I'm golden!

I do have to say I'm a bit annoyed by one factor (well, one in particular). When I made this a goal, I thought that focusing on this exercise, making sure it was regular, looking toward a very measurable goal would help with losing a few pounds as a side effect. Well, apparently exercise makes me hungry. No magical poundage decline, but I AM in definitely better shape & can run for minutes and minutes and minutes at a time! 5K, here I come!!!

Menu: RICE followed by BRAT

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I'm much better, thanks to RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). My foot/ankle were feeling well enough that I ran yesterday after taking the week & a bit off thanks to my twist & a visit to MN. I had finished two of the three Week 4 workouts for the Couch-to-5K program, but I did a Week 3 one this time due to the break & it felt so good that I did a bit extra at the end. Yay!

In "boo!" news, I do believe Penguin has picked up the icky, bad, terrible intestinal bug that her 1 year old cousin had in MN. I'm soon off to the store to pick up some jello and such to supplement her BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast). Wish us luck that it passes quickly & less dehydratingly than his did! Also, that Pumpkin doesn't contract it as well!

2010 Resolution Check-In

(c) 2010 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Since we're now about 2 1/2 months into 2010, I thought I'd do a brief check-in as to how my 2010 resolutions are going. Gotta keep myself honest, you know!?

I have 6 goals - 3 health/weight and 3 organization/decluttering/tidying:

1. Exercise most nights of the week: Doing pretty great with this one! It's becoming habit to exercise (most) evenings once the girls have been put to bed. It's the Shred or belly dance practice or now running! Not that I'm usually very gung-ho to get started, but once I do begin, I'm fine & finish it out & then am glad I did.
   
2. Do the Couch-to-5K Program...and run in a 5K race: Last Saturday I went to our local Fleet Feet & got fitted with shoes (very impressed with them, the time they took, their expertise!). Also, bought a treadmill from one of the moms in Pumpkin's dance class, who'd mentioned in passing on the previous Thursday that she had one to sell and did anybody know anybody who was looking? Hauled it home last Sunday, managed between Mr. Kluges and I to wrestle it down to the basement & it's all set up! I've started the Couch-to-5K program & have done all three of the first week's workouts. So, it's begun!
3. Reduce/avoid empty calories: Still a struggle. They're just so tasty! But I decided to give up alcohol for Lent, except for 6 days of my choosing (like St. Patrick's Day! Gotta have a Guinness then!). 'Cuz technically Lent is the 40 days before Easter but starts 46 days before because the 6 Sundays don't count because they're mini-Easters/celebrations of Christ's victory over death. So far, so good, but I think I'll run out of optional-drinking days before Easter comes. :)
4. Keep following the Flylady: Oh, yes, I am! I find her routines and encouragement and 15-minutes very inspiring and motivating.
5. Spend 30 minutes per weekend on the attic room: Doing well with this. Skipped 2 weeks so far, but those were because we had people over and/or I'd gotten 4 boxes of hand-me-downs from the neighbor, so I sorted those instead. Still need to do it this weekend, but I've gotten a lot of papers filed/sorted and every week a tiny little bit more gets done.
6. Paint the small area behind the radiator in our room (in the summer): Still in the works! :)

So, in general, progress in most areas, even though there's still plenty to do in each of them. Yay for moving forward!

2010 Resolutions

(c) 2009 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I've been reflecting on my 2009 goals for a while now. I knew which ones went well... and which one didn't. And of course I've been trying to figure out what I'd like to make for 2010's resolutions. While there are a ton of areas where I could improve, I need to keep my focus more narrow... or I won't actually get anything done! :)

Last year I focused on two area: weight and organization/tidiness/cleanliness/decluttering. Ok, well, in my head that long slash-y one counts as one. :) I'm choosing the same two areas this year, but I'm going to hit the health/weight one a little harder!

In order to get in better shape (and get down to my goal weight & BMI of 24), I'm going to:

• Exercise most nights of the week - right now that means practicing belly dance or doing the 30 Day Shred or one of the other exercise DVDs we've got. Since we bought a new tv, we now have the old one in the basement, in what will be the exercise room. Now, all we need is an elliptical (and/or treadmill) and that'll be another option. And it's nights because, based on previous experience, I will NEVER get up early enough to do it in the mornings. (But if I do, it would totally count.)
  
• Do the Couch-to-5K Program...and run in a 5K race - totally stealing this one from All-Knowing Jen. I was impressed when she did it before, and inspired enough to give it a go this year. I'm going to wait until it's a bit nicer out before starting this, but there's a local 5K in July... can't sign up yet, but I will as soon as I can, so that I HAVE to keep it up. Also, if I get better about exercising regularly now, I'll be in better shape to start that, and exercising will hopefully be more routine/habit than it is now.
  
• Reduce/avoid empty calories - we eat pretty healthy meals, well-balanced, not too fatty, rarely very pre-processed, and nearly never fast food. But oh, do the empty calories sneak up on me! So, once again, I'm going to try to reduce my munching after supper, avoid buying things like chips that I cannot leave alone once they're in the house, and keep an eye on soda/beer/wine empty calories (which means drink fewer good beers, 'cuz I'm not switching to something tasteless!).

In the organization/house-keeping/cleanliness/tidiness arena, which is more secondary for me this year, I'm going to:

• Keep following the Flylady - Oh, how much easier my life has become since I've started her (free) program. I know I've gushed about her before here, numerous times, but I'm one who sometimes needs a little kick in the pants to get going... and her emails and routines really, really do help me. So, since I'm already enjoying a cleaner/tidier/(slightly) less cluttered house with her help, I'm keeping it up!
• Spend 30 minutes per weekend on the attic room - I'd love to get this space more organized and actually usable. I see it as becoming an away space for me, where I can have a craft project (like, oh, maybe an unfinished mosaic...) set up so I can work on it without having to allow for all the set-up/take-down time. Plus, it's a really cool space with a great view out the front. I've done this the past two weekends, and a half hour is the perfect amount of time for me to work on it - long enough to actually get something done, but I'm about ready to be done with the mess/dust/temperature by the time the timer beeps. Also, thanks to Mr. Kluges for making this one in particular possible since it's definitely NOT something I can do with the kids underfoot!
  
• Paint the small area behind the radiator in our room (in the summer) - not a big deal by any means, but it catches my eye more often than I'd like since right now it's white behind there. Not going to happen until the radiators aren't hot anymore and I can open the windows to let it air out. It'll probably take me less than a half hour in all, but hey, if I put it on this list, it should actually get done... and I could use a bit of a "gimme" here!

So, there we go. Here's hoping for progress with all 6 of 'em! And if you're doing any resolutions/goals, too, best of luck to you.

2009 Resolutions in Review

(c) 2009 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Ok, yes, I AM going to be doing resolutions again this year. I just find it helpful to reflect & review on last year's first.

So, here are the old ones... I had three big ones:

• To finish getting down to my goal weight and BMI of 24.

• To get better at tidying up and cleaning.

• To get rid of 365 things this year.
  

I totally rocked the second two. Thanks to a few recommendations, I started trying out the Flylady system and it made a WORLD of difference. I love her routines, & permission for "good enough" instead of (unreachable) perfection, and 5 (or 10 or 15) minutes can really make a difference. Following her routines, missions, and challenges has helped me tremendously with the tidying up, the cleaning, and the decluttering. If you are making something like this a goal, by all means, check out her website. It's all free, even though I find the website a bit difficult to navigate, and even if you only pick up a few habits, they can really make a difference. I'm totally sticking with her this next year for sure!

And as for getting rid fo 365 things, I did that by the end of September! Hip, hip, hooray! I kind of stopped keeping track after that in my sidebar chart, but I'm still gradually setting things aside for charity and/or my nephew and/or tossing things. I think doing this has really helped me realize the world will not end if I don't keep something, and that mental adjustment will really help me keep (gradually) going.


...and let's just not talk about that first one. Not only did I not meet it, well, I gave myself more to work with in terms of my 2010 resolutions, you might say. :P

Now, time to finalize my goals for 2010!

365 Things (and MORE!) GONE!!!!!

(c) 2009 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I don't know if y'all noticed a ways down in the right sidebar (probably not and that's fine), but I managed to finish off my Get Rid of 365 Things Resolution a week or so ago. I know! Yay, me! Yup, I've gotten rid of (sold, donated, gave to somebody we know, tossed, returned, etc.) more than 365 things this year and it's only October! Hooray!

Things I've learned doing this:

• A little at a time adds up. I keep a large plastic bag under my bed (handy place, not in the way, easy to get to) and as I come across an item I know I don't want anymore I just stick it in. Then, when it starts seeming fullish, I don't look in it ('cuz if I would have really wanted it back, I would have been thinking and thinking about it and would have pulled it out sooner), tie it up, throw it in the car, and bring it to Goodwill (or similar) the next time I'm out and about. Or, when a charity calls looking to pick stuff up, I can pull out that bag, find a few more things to add to it, and set it out for pick-up.
• Do the easy stuff first. Really. Seriously. Chucking/donating/setting aside a few things that I KNOW I don't want/need anymore often makes it easier for me to get rid of a few more things as well. If I start with stuff I'm not sure about, I waffle about it for ages... and often end up just putting it back where it was and not looking at anything else. Even if there isn't carry-over that makes it easier to get rid of some stuff I wasn't sure about, I still have those easy things gone... and they count just as much as the hard ones.
  
• Giving stuff (esp. nice stuff!) to somebody I know is way easy than just donating it. We're lucky enough to have two children of the same gender, which means most clothes get reused already. But there are some ADORABLE things the girls have worn and have now both outgrown, that I don't feel the need to save... (not that I'm not saving some of their cutest stuff, 'cuz I am!) but I don't just want to chuck in the Goodwill bag either. Enter Pumpkin's last year's teacher, who had a girl baby towards the end of the school year. I've been able to pass along grocery bags full of stuff to her. She's grateful (and uses it!), Pumpkin enjoys knowing their old stuff is being worn by Mrs. M's baby, and it's easier for me to send some of those cute little outfits along knowing they'll be enjoyed & appreciated by someone we know. I'd think if you had a favorite charity/issue to support (Epilepsy Foundation, women's shelter, animal shelter (they often need old towels/sheets), etc.), donating stuff to them specifically might also make it easier since you could focus on the good they (and you!) are doing.
  
• You can try to sell stuff, but it's a lot of work/lots might not go/but the extra cash is nice. Decluttering has included bringing things to our local Once Upon a Child and selling stuff via Craig's List. I haven't wanted to keep stuff around for a rummage sale (or deal with having one, for that matter) but that could've been an option, too. Lemme tell you, you don't get much at OUAC, they only take some/a little and I usually end up buying at least as much as I get back, but it is a bit of change. With Craig's List, it's been interesting what gets snapped up right away and what just doesn't go. Which reminds me, I've got a few more things I should list pretty soon & see if they go...
• It's still HARD! It's crazy, I know, but I sometimes feel bad for the things I get rid of. Like, I'm sorry for them that they didn't make the cut. Or, "Oh, I've had you for so long! I can't just cast you aside! Don't feel bad; you're not junk!" Between this resolution, and Flylady's "Bless somebody else with your stuff that you don't use/need," it's gotten easier, but it's still really hard for me sometimes.

If you struggle with clutter, too, are trying to simplify, or are wondering why in the world you've been keeping X around for so long, take heart! You, too, can rid yourself of 365 things in (less than) a year! All it takes is a little at a time (and a fair amount of self-encouragement!).

Spring + busy + FLYlady = blog neglect

(c) 2009 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Sorry I haven't been around much, folks. Looking over the last, well, quite a few posts, the photo-heavy ones much outweigh the wordy ones.
What can I say? It's spring!

Seriously, we've been outside a lot.

Now that it's nice, I'm walking Pumpkin the mile to school (each way) to drop her off and pick her up most of the time. Pros - Great exercise, less car use, and a chance to get outside and enjoy the spring. Cons - it can take a LOT longer, especially when we return from 4K with the little girl I'm watching after school. That mile home is with both girls (ages 4 1/2 & 5) walking with me pushing Penguin in the stroller (under protest sometimes as she thinks she should get to walk, too). So it usually takes 35-40 minutes instead of the 15 or so I take to get there (or the 7 minutes it'd take to drive back home, which includes strapping them all into their carseats!).

And hanging up the laundry outside on the clotheslines? WAY more time-consuming than just tossing it into the dryer. It smells nice though, and our energy use has dropped some, and as long as the birds don't poop on my stuff hardly ever (*shakes fist* Stupid birds!), I'll keep it up.


But hey, outside! Spring! :)

***************

This past weekend we got the garden put in. Over the past week or two, Mr. Kluges carted MOUNDS of compost from our huge inherited compost pile over to the garden (that he also tilled). I helped some with raking and such, but he did 99% of the garden readying. It's good we've got so much compost because it looks like there was a parking lot or driveway or something where we're going to try to garden - lots of similarly sized small rocks and a layer of packed gravel. So, we'll see how the root veggies & potatoes do. But hey, it's all planted! In fact, the sweet potatoes came today & then all we'll have left are the tomatoes and some basil we want to pick up as plants locally. Woo-hoo!

***************

TWO weekends ago, over Mother's Day, my parents & my aunt from TN came down to visit and to attend Pumpkin's first ever dance recital. ...Oh, my.... Imagine any preschool dance recital video you've ever seen, where the little kids are all adorably dressed alike, with matching hairdos and all, but they've not got a lick of an idea between 'em all exactly how their dance is supposed to go. But that's not stopping them, oh no! :) I think Pumpkin was more concerned with trying to stay on her tape mark than getting any of the steps right. And I'm glad none of them did the "oh, look at all the people I'm scaredletmeOFFTHISSTAGEWAAAAAHHHH!!!" In fact, Pumpkin was comfortable enough up there to stop during one of their two number and wave at her grandpa 'cuz she had spotted him in the audience. Ah, if laughter adds years to your life, the audience added at least a decade for each song her class did. Cute, all of 'em.

I asked Pumpkin how she thought her dance went, if she like doing the recital, etc. afterward, just to let her do a little reflecting on it all. She liked it; it was fun; "and I did my best and didn't even mess up one time!!!" :) Me: "Well, honey, I'm glad to hear you had fun and did your best; those are both important." Her favorite part: "Getting the real rose at the end!" Too bad it's looking pretty darn wilted by now...

***************

Since we had company here for Mother's Day weekend, I told Mr. Kluges I'd be happy enough to push my traditional breakfast in bed back a week. I got to enjoy it this Sunday instead. I told him I'd be happy with whatever, but that I wanted my coffee and the Sunday paper to read in bed while he and the girls did whatever cooking/prep was involved. It was wonderful. When I woke up, I made a point of making a little noise so that he'd know I'd arisen, and it wasn't long after that when early-rising Penguin came running down the hallway with my (empty) coffee cup, "Mommy! Toffee!" followed by Mr. Kluges with the juice of life. After a wonderful, quiet interlude of coffee and paper, I was treated to a breakfast of a wonderful omelet (Mr. K: "I made it Julia Child-style." Me: "What, lots of butter?" Mr. K: "Yup, and a really hot pan.), bacon, homemade toast, hashbrowns, and oj. Much of which ended up being shared with my two daughters who thought breakfast in bed was a grand idea and that they should partake as well. :) Definitely a "life is good" morning.

***************

Two of my resolutions this year involved decluttering/thinning our STUFF and getting better at tidying/cleaning. (We won't talk about the other one. Bad scale!) Syl mentioned FLYlady in the comments there and I'd heard about it through a few other people, so I figured I'd give it a try. Well, I've been babystepping a while now, taking on the things for which I felt ready, and it's helped TONS! The house is normally tidier and cleaner- and therefore more relaxing to be in! - than it ever was before. That FLYlady's so sneaky though! Just 15 minutes of this or a 5 minute room rescue or a 2 minute hot spot fire drill or a short mission of the day - they don't sound like much, (and they're well worth the time!), but I gotta admit they cut into my blogging/surfing time a bit! Anyway, I've found it to be very helpful in building simple, small habits that gradually build up and make life a lot simpler and easier and more relaxing. So there's my 2 cents about that!

***************

So there you go - a huge download from my brain to the page to make up a little bit for all the lack of regular posting we've been having around here. I'll try to say things more here at Musings & Mutterings besides just document our life with pics, but dang, outside sure has been looking nice!

Progress

(c) 2009 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

I'm sure you're all just dying to know how I'm doing on my 365 Less Things Resolution. Well, you might notice down a ways on the sidebar over there to the right that I've got a running tally. I'm ahead right now, but that's because I sent some neutral baby stuff home with my folks to bring to my youngest brother & his wife who are expecting a new baby in early March.

Today, because I felt ahead of the game since I'd done all my Flylady Weekly Home Blessing tasks yesterday, I pulled a box of knick-knacks out of the basement. It doesn't reflect in the tally yet, but I'd wrapped a lot of the breakables in clothes that I wasn't sure I wanted to keep in the first place, so I'm expecting to put most to all of those into the Goodwill bag once it's all washed & I've made sure I can live without them. :)

But my bonus category on there will definitely go up, since I've now pulled out of storage our glass boots (for beer drinking), a couple of shot glasses, some pottery I'd made (in a class) that can replace the empty tin can I was using on top of the frig to hold scissors, pencils, etc., and some other odds and ends.

It's so nice to feel a little more caught up. So far, I'm finding that I like the balance in the Flylady system - just do stuff for a while (set a timer!) then go ahead and be done for a while. You really can get more done in 5 or 10 or 15 minutes than you'd think!

I'm putting some of the photos & knick-knacks in the built-in display case in the living room for now. It had looked kind of funny ever since Mr. Kluges relocated the photos in matching frames from there to the mantle. So, while those are technically "bonus" items, I'm not counting them because they're not useful. Which makes sense to me, even if it doesn't really. :)


In other 365 Less Things business, I think we've now gotten rid of one of the the ickiest things in the entire house. You see, when we moved in, the previous owner had left a LOT of stuff, aka "treasures" behind. Some were useful, like the really tall ladder or the gorgeous big antique mirror that happened to match our dresser. Others, not so much. They'd left the LR and DR rugs behind. Since they're plain and match the stairway carpet exactly, I think they were just plain carpet cut and bound to size.

Well, the PO had at least one dog. And the previous renters had a least one cat. And the LR rug had been peed on at least one time.

We tried to clean it with Gramma Yori's help and carpet cleaner. We spread it out on the driveway and cleaned it three times. Didn't matter. Yuck.

So, for some unknown, incomprehensible reason that made sense at the time, we rolled it up, tied it up, and stuck it in the attic.

Yesterday, we hauled it out (which involved removing the storm window from the upstairs hallway window so we could bring the cumbersomely long and heavy thing down the attic stairs, out the window, and toss it over the back balcony, before carrying it all the way to the curb).

Today, the garbage men came and took it away. Yay!

2009 Resolutions

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Ah, the new year... time for resolutions.

Here are my 2009 Resolutions:

• To finish getting down to my goal weight and BMI of 24. I was so close last year (within a pound and a half!), then I slacked off on exercise & started eating too much junk food. The good news is that I still weigh less than I did last January, plus I know I can get there again, it's just going to take regular exercise & less junk food snacking.

• To get better at tidying up and cleaning. This means trying to clean up more as I go, incorporating clean-up times into our routine (before meals, bedtime, etc.) with the girls helping, closing the cupboard doors (Hi, Dad! *grin*), doing the dishes more than once a day, etc.

And here's my big one...

• To get rid of 365 things this year. They might be sold, donated to charity, given away to somebody we know, recycled or thrown away. They just won't be mine/here anymore. Bonus points for things that I put into use that had been tucked away in boxes or otherwise not used even though we own them.
  

Yup. I've got a bit of packrat tendencies. You just never know when you might NEED something! 'Course, if it's packed away in a box or put away in a closet & I can't find it or don't remember I have it when I want/need it, well, then it's useless to me. So I'm hoping this resolution will help me pare down my closet of some of the unworn, ill-fitting, out-of-date clothing, get those old college textbooks off my shelves, and pass on to others things that they can use that I'm not. I'm not talking about anything I love or use or value... just the "stuff" that accumulates over time.

I'm hoping one thing a day doesn't seem to overwhelming. Of course, it'll probably be in streaks as I tackle the bookcase or a closet or a box from the basement, but the sentiment is there. One a day. Hmm... today's the second, so I'm starting out behind, but that's fixable! :)

(BTW, I'm hoping my brother and his wife have a girl in March, 'cuz that'd really help with this resolution! *grin*)

So there's mine. How about you?

Edited to add: First thing eliminated... a old bottle of spruce essence, used in a grand total of ONE batch of beer, years ago, that we didn't like AT ALL. Not that I'm going to regularly post specifics with this 365 Less Stuff resolution, but I thought that one was funny.

1 down! Hooray!

(c) 2008 Ms. Huis Herself at musenmutter.blogspot.com

Hullo!

So I figured I'd better write something 'cuz it's been a little bit again & I want to save the bitstrip comic I made on Saturday, staying up way too late while Mr. Kluges had to work until 1 am, until Friday so I can call it a "Friday Funny," so here we go with....

...what, like, the longest run-on sentence ever? Ok, wow. I thought I made decaf coffee this morning, but maybe I was mistaken.

I know I've talked about my 2008 Resolutions a few (too many) times already this year, but if I don't keep them in front of me so to speak I won't work on them. Sad, but, true.

But now? Now I've accomplished one of them! Hooray!!!!

5. This one's a late addition to my list: To read at least 4 nonfiction books this year. I enjoy reading, but I practically always read fiction. Mr. Kluges recommended The Omnivore's Dilemma to me, and it made me realize I should be at least reading some more nonfiction. And since I'm in-progress on it, I'm going to be counting it as my first one for 2008.

It's only the middle of May, but I've already finished my 4 nonfiction books. I read:

• The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
  
• Siblings Without Rivalry (Both of which I talked about here.)
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• (on Pusher's recommendation) The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

I've even read nearly all of The No-Cry Sleep Solution as well, so I've averaged about 1 nonfiction each month. Yay, me!

Gotta say, I found good ideas in all 3 of the child-rearing books. Some definite contradictory opinions between Healthy Sleep Habits (cry it out) and the No-Cry Sleep one, but food for thought in each. Lots of similarities in areas like the importance of sleep, establishing a bedtime routine, overtired = the devil (ok, paraphrasing!), etc.

And LOTS of food for thought in the Omnivore's Dilemma. (*grin*) It does make me think a bit more about my food choices and look at ingredient labels, that's for sure.

And The Professor and the Madman was intriguing. I wished they would have given more examples and fleshed out more of the dictionary making process, but all in all it was very interesting. Um, if you like language and dictionaries and odd coincidences and insanity and such like. Also, I learned a new word that ends in "-otomy." Bizarre stuff in that book.


So I'm glad I made the 4 nonfiction books one of my 2008 goals because (woot!), I've already accomplished it and enjoyed/was edified by my reading. Also, I'd say I'm much more likely to seek out some more nonfiction for both education and fun in the future as well.