Keeping it Real | This is the Opposite of a Clean Slate

So a few days after Christmas I posted this glorious iPad photo of the living room in all it's glory... freshly picked up with the sun shining through!

And then I posted these lovely sentiments about getting the Christmas decorations down and having a clean slate before New Year's.

#yeahright

In the interest of full disclosure this is what my house looked like on the first day of 2015...

If you're thinking it still looks a lot like Hurricane Christmas in my house you are absolutely correct.

But what can I say? I am dreading dragging the Christmas tree outside because of all the needles it's going to drop. I had a few work deadlines come up so I had to put chores on hold. We got a TON of packages from our generous families so we basically had a second round of Christmas last night.

All in all, our New Year's Day looked pretty chaotic. 

But it's okay. I got the papers and boxes all put away in the garage and J is home for the weekend so he'll be able to help me tackle the tree and rearrange the living room. And I spent time reading with my girls and hanging up their new swing and getting out some fabulous sticker projects for them.

Who cares if there's still confetti on the floor!

I just wanted to make sure you don't think my life always looks like this...

...in fact, that's actually pretty rare lately!

But my life did look like this last night... 

Germany sure knows how to bring in the New Year with a bang! I hope you all have an awesome start to 2015. Even if it's a tad messier than you had hoped for ;-)

Post-Christmas Week = Bittersweet

I feel bad for the week after Christmas. That poor week in between the sparkle of Christmas and the champagne of New Year's.

At my house, that week is a strange mix of things... it's messy and a bit dirty cause I give myself permission to clean as little as possible. I usually also give myself permission to stay in my pajamas for a few days. I stuff my face with the last of the cookies and I read and drink coffee and watch movies and drink wine. The Christmas decorations seem a bit out of place, but I can't quite bring myself to take them down yet.

I have that strange fussy feeling of not wanting to do anything but knowing I'll feel better if I just do a little something. Like a workout. Or a tidy. Or some laundry.

It feels so refreshing to take a hot bath and cook a healthy meal. But equally refreshing to stay in yesterday's jammies and eat Lucky Charms for lunch.

After the mad dash to Christmas, and knowing that the fresh start of a New Year is approaching, it feels equally good to do absolutely nothing all day.

Like I said, the week is bittersweet. Lots of conflicted feelings.

I'm happy that the New Year is coming, but sad that Christmas is over.

I'm ready to pack the decorations away and swear off sugar for a bit, but I'm sad that I won't be listening to Nat King Cole's album again till next December.

And I feel like I have to make it "official"... this whole saying goodbye to Christmas thing. If I can procrastinate, it doesn't happen, right?

But I don't like to mix Christmas and New Year's, so alas. I need to start undecorating today. I need to dust and vacuum and do some laundry. I need the grounded feeling of a clean slate in my home... the clean slate that matches the coming of a New Year.

So this is my goodbye to some of my favorite details of this Christmas...

When Fireworks, Mud, and Hippie Carpet Cleaner Collide

Guys, this is Otterberg at midnight on New Year's.  Isn't it just amazing?  Photo credit goes to Kirsten, who was so smart and set up her camera on a tripod... this is a two minute exposure from our side patio.  We all watched in amazement as Otterberg went up in flames... until we got distracted by setting off our own fireworks...

Please imagine with me a group of about 10 guys who are seriously enjoying their alcoholic beverages on New Year's Eve. Then imagine with me that they live in a country where you can buy fireworks at just about any German store to celebrate.  Now imagine that it has been kind of wet and rainy that day, some of them have never lit off fireworks before, they are setting them off from my garden, and they are ecstatic!  AND imagine that I forgot about the champagne so we all frantically run inside to get it and toast to 2013.  With our shoes still on.

I'm seriously kicking myself for not taking a picture of my floors before I cleaned them!  The majority of my flooring is tile, which obviously cleans up pretty easy (though the mop water was black in about two seconds) but the carpet in the living room was just covered in mud!  Oh, and we've also been dumping ash from the fire in the garden, so it was sooty-mud.  Yum.

So what do I do?  Check out Pinterest for a DIY cleaner, DUH.  We only paid $50 for this floor rug but I still don't want to spend the next 15 months enjoying a stained carpet!  Also my kids sit and play on it, so I wanted to clean it without harmful chemicals.  Also I'm cheap frugal so I didn't want to have to rent a steam cleaner or what-not.

Here's what I used.  Baking soda, vinegar, and water... why am I not surprised?  Seriously, this recipe worked like a charm.  It was only two-day-old mud, but still.  Came right out!

Quick!  Someone go spill a mug of coffee or a glass of red wine on your carpet and let me know how it works! Bonus points if you let it sit for a few days and test how it works on a real set-in stain ;o)  You are so welcome for the tip and thanks in advance for your dedication to experimental carpet cleaning!

Here's to a Great 2013

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope your celebrations were fun... I know ours were!  We had a bunch of friends over to enjoy the Otterberg fireworks with us.  Including setting off our own for the first time!

I was so impressed that Lily stayed up until midnight!  I had intended to put her down with Sam for a pre-fireworks-nap, but she was having so much fun playing with Mila and Riley that I just let her stay up!  We're all still in the process of catching up on our sleep, ha!  Long naps and early bedtimes for all last night.

And now it's the New Year!  I just love the feeling of a "fresh start" that each year brings.  The other day we had some gloriously warm, sunny weather... so I spent about 20 minutes in the afternoon sitting by myself, soaking up the sun while I thought about the upcoming year...

It was so weird to be out in the sun on December 29th with just a sweatshirt.  But living in Germany has taught me to enjoy each sunny moment as it comes!  I hate the cold dark winters and can already feel my tendency to whine about how "solar powered" I am and to let the "winter blues" creep in.

The key for me is to remember the power of my mindset.  When I think negatively, I feel negatively. The same for thinking positive.  It's much more of a struggle for me here, where the sun will be seldom seen in the upcoming months. But I have big, fun goals for 2013, so I have a lot to keep me busy and happy as I invest in myself and others...

We can't get magazine subscriptions to our APO so my mother-in-law always sends me Real Simple... and look at the add on the back of January's!  How fitting as I rattle off my slightly ambitious list of New Year's Resolutions/Goals.  

Fitness...
I want to run my first 5k race.
I want to be able to do 20 push-ups in a minute.  Technically, I want to pass the Air Force female PT test.  So I have to be able to run a mile and a half in less than 16 minutes, do at least 18 push-ups in a minute, and at least 38 sit-ups in a minute.  But the push-ups will be the hardest for me since I can currently do -3 push-ups.  You think I'm joking.

Creativity...
I want to utilize Pinterest on a weekly basis to do more fun stuff, creative stuff, crafty stuff, and yummy stuff.  Trying new things really makes me happy!  I am going to make sure my home life is full of awesome creativity and fun.

Romance...
We want to try to implement a weekly "date night in."  Our dates out are fun, but predictable (what can we say, we love dinner and a movie!) and they are also sporadic.  We usually go out once a month, but some months not at all and some months twice.  Some of my friends do "date night in" successfully on a regular basis, and I love the idea!  I'd like us to try for one night a weekend... we'll unplug and pull ourselves away from the tv (our go-to entertainment most nights) and we'll do something different together.  Work on a puzzle, cook something new, look at old photos, play a game, etc. These kind of things are cheap, fun, and great for bonding/memory making.

Peace of mind...
Read, read READ!  I have a long list of great books to read and re-read in the upcoming months.  J will be on the swing shift again soon (4pm-midnight) so I'll have some extra time in the evenings... books battle loneliness.  And make me feel like I'm still using my mommy-brain.
I'd like to tackle a few de-cluttering projects around the house.  The craft cabinet is a disaster and the toys need to be reorganized and sorted into manageable boxes.  Bringing order to the chaos makes me say "ahhhh!"

Cross something BIG off my to-do list...
We need to decide how we want to educate our children.  It's a decision that causes me frequent panic attacks and is constantly pushed to the "to-do later" list... but Lily is growing up fast and before I know it she'll be kindergarten age! Time to figure out which "kindergarten" she'll go to.  I've wanted to homeschool my kids for awhile... ever since I met some really normal homeschoolers in high school.  Then there's the whole marrying a relatively normal  slightly normal almost normal homeschooler-turned-successful-adult... I really do like the idea of teaching my kids at home!  The problem is that I'm also terribly afraid of the idea.  I don't love being a SAHM nearly as much as I dreamed I would... and I'm scared that I can't commit to being a stay-at-home-educator. I have a lot of research to do and it's time to get on it.

Invest in my imaginary future business...
I really do want to start a photography and doula business sometime in the next five years.  So I am going to look into taking an online photography class, take a photoshop class (courtesy of my resident architect and photoshop pro Kirsten!), and build my portfolio by using friends as guinea pigs.  And I want to attend a few births with Leah... though this is going to be extremely difficult depending on whether or not we buy a second car this year.  But even if we don't, I'm sure I can make it to two or three.

And that's all... nothing too ambitious, right? ;o)  I like sharing my list with you each year... helps me feel more accountable when I get them out in the open.  What are your New Year's goals?  Do you still make resolutions?  I think it's fun!  Gives me something clear to work towards!

Happy Happy New Year!

The Year's About Halfway Over, Right? Do I Even Remember My Resolutions?

Ambitious resolutions for a busy Mom = wishful thinking? 

My New Year's Resolutions: Sometimes I feel like I'm doing good, sometimes I feel like I'm treading water.  And sometimes I just want a nap.  Being a Mom of two toddlers is so much more exhausting than I realized!  There are times where I just want to toss that whole "New Year's Resolution" idea out the window.  (Along with every other ambitious thought in my tired brain.)

But then... I want to be better.  Smarter.  Stronger.  Healthier.  More creative.  So I'm not giving up!

Resolutions that I'm currently sucking at:

1.  Educational play with the girls.  I don't know why this is so hard for me.  Sometimes I think it's because I spend so much time in the kitchen.  Because it's certainly not because my house is always spotless ;o)  But seriously, there are so many fun and educational ideas out there for the girls and I to do together.  I need to start using all those resources!  Maybe I'll give myself a small goal (3 cool crafts or activities a week?) since this seems to be something I just forget to do regularly.

2.  Rosetta Stone.  I'm pretty close to giving up on this one because it's causing me a lot of stress. You might not understand why... but it really isn't easy to learn German in this area.  Everyone and their mother speaks English, so it makes it so so so easy to be lazy and just fumble along with what little German I've learned so far.  It's hard for me to cut into what little free time I have each day with Rosetta Stone when I don't really feel like I need to learn German.  You following?  Like, since I don't really know any Germans who don't speak English, it's just very hard to be motivated to learn.  And ESPECIALLY since we're leaving in two years... I just don't see how I can make a dent in all there is to learn of a language.  I feel like I'm copping out a little.  But I'm just going to say it:  I might not be able to learn German in this season of my life.  It makes me sad, but it might be true.  Chasing two small kids around (and managing a hippie home as best I can) doesn't leave much room for language classes :o\

3.  Drawing.  I'm on the fence about this one.  On the one hand, it kind of feels like a chore and so I usually just don't do it.  On the other hand, it's relaxing when I DO do it.  And it's fun.  And Jesse's going to start swing shift again soon... so that'll leave me with more time to be bored and draw in the evenings.  So maybe next month I'll pick up the pencil again.  But I'm not being too hard on myself with this one because I feel like my blog is just as much a creative outlet as my sketchbook. Plus, I'm really trying to improve my photography skills.  So I'm still working that part of the brain, right?

Resolutions that I'm on a roll with:

1.  Trying new meals every week.  This is such a piece of cake for me (pun!) that it isn't really fair to brag that I'm keeping up with a resolution ;o)  I just love to cook and I love to try new things.  And I LOOOOOVE to take pictures of food.  So it's kind of natural to experiment with new recipes.

2.  Exercising four times a week.  I'm so relieved to catch the workout bug again.  I'm exercising about every other day.  At least a little.  I even started jogging again last week... one LONG and torturous family run with Jesse (all the way to Otterbach and back!) and then one shorter run by myself with the girls.  I'm feeling like crap when I do it but I feel really proud of myself when it's done.  Hopefully my saggy mom parts will thank me soon ;o)  But I'm also getting out for long walks.  Or doing some P90X (either the ab workout or yoga).  So I'm mixing things up a lot and it's kind of making exercise fun!

3.  Reading.  I recently finished The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen.  It was a reread for me, but so good to be reminded about some of the lessons I learned from him about where our food comes from.  Other than that... it's been taking me awhile to complete a book so I don't have a long list to wow you with ;o)  But I have been reading a little on most days.  So that counts, right?

Here's to working harder to be a better wife, mom, friend, photographer, and cook!  No matter how slow the progress... I really feel like God is blessing any forward motion here ;o)

Resolution Check Up

So how am I doing with my ambitious list of New Year's Resolutions?  Okay :o)  I'm reading a lot of great books... and revisiting some I've already read.  I just finished The Happiness Project this morning and am on to start The Hunger Games at some point today! 

I'm trying new recipes weekly.  But this is becoming a little bit of a problem... as I've added more and more "new" menu items, I'm also seeing an increase in our grocery bill.  Oops.  So I'm trying to reel in the excitement a bit and keep it to one or two new things a week, while making sure to prepare at least two meatless/frugal meals to help stretch the budget money out a bit ;o)  We'll see how it goes.

Some of my recipe trials have been successes, some failures.  But I'm trying new things and am very happy with that!

I'm drawing a little.  I wish I was making myself do it every day like I said.  But I haven't been able to.  Because it's one of those complicated things (I really want to do it but I really don't want to work at it) I'm definitely struggling to "get going".  But here's a simple sketch that I was proud of after a week of working on various cups and mugs.

I'm doing absolutely terrible about exercising!  I think the last time I did yoga was three weeks ago.  My motivation for exercise is not even zero... it's around -10!  It's hard, too, because I know that if I exercise I'll have more energy.  But I'd rather be lazy and go with the lie that I don't have energy to exercise ;o)  Oh well.  I hate working out at home... what can I say?  I'm holding out hope that the weather will break in a little less than two months so we can get out there and get moving again!

"Do daily activities with Lily" has turned into "do daily activities with Double Trouble"... and it actually has been a bit of trouble to figure out how to manage both of them.  Sam is no longer napping twice a day... a change that I encouraged for various reasons.  I just wasn't thinking about how hard it would be to, oh for example, paint with Lily while keeping Sam occupied with something else.  Tricky.  So I'm adjusting expectations in that department a little.  And getting more time with both girls together each day isn't a bad thing :o)  Especially if it means they will both take a good, solid two hour nap each afternoon... sometimes a little longer if I'm lucky!

Overall, I feel good about what I've been accomplishing, though I am always up for doing better.  I read this quote by Ben Frankin in The Happiness Project and I couldn't agree more:

"On the whole, though I had never arrived at the perfection I was so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet as I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been had I not attempted it." 

You don't always accomplish all your goals, but in striving to attain them you get farther than you would have otherwise!  So I may have been ambitious in my New Year's Resolutions, but hey, I'm okay with the process of trying.  And besides, it's only February.  I always feel more motivated in the warmer months... so maybe I'll revisit my list come Spring.

How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions or goals?

New Year, New List(s)

photo credit

Before I talk about my resolutions, we need to have a word about New Year's fireworks in small German villages... HOLY COW!  I was so unprepared for the awesomeness.  I guess it's only legal to sell fireworks in some parts of Germany around New Year's.  And they don't mess around man!  Jesse and I sat on the bench along our windows and literally watched 25 minutes of over 40 individual fireworks displays across Otterberg!  It was so romantic and so fun!  I can't wait till next year... we're gonna wake the girls up to watch them :o)  Jesse wants to buy a big one to set off in the street but I'm not so sure about that ;o) 

Anyways I think it became uncool to make New Year's resolutions awhile ago... but I'm kind of feelin' it this year.  Maybe it's because I haven't left my house since Christmas Eve and have also been in my pajamas that entire time ;o)  Definitely feels like I need a breath of fresh air, productivity, and new goals around here.  Oh, and to get better... that one I'm still working on. And here's my list(s) of other things I'll be working on this coming year...

Big Picture New Year's Resolutions:

1.  Try new meals every week.  I have so many recipes that I want to try, so I'm going to give a "recipe to-do list" a try :o)  I'm making a list on my iPod (probably by category of dish) of all the recipes I want to try... and when we try them, they get checked.  Then I move on to a new one.  This should keep me from the meal plan rut, and also help me systematically try new recipes on a regular basis!  Yay!  I think my goal is two new recipes a week.  We'll see ;o)

2.  Clean out/organize one space per day.  A friend of mine in NY told another friend about this little trick and I'm just now going to apply it to the out of control corners of our house.  When she had small kids and little time, she would clean/organize one drawer, closet, bin, etc. a day until she had her organizing task complete.  I love that idea... because I have a lot of disorganization going on (HOW does that happen in less than a year?) and it's overwhelming to think of trying to do it all at once.  But I love to get organized, so once I start little by little, I'm sure by the end of February I'll have all those corners sorted out... and hopefully we'll have a little less stuff laying around in piles (Airman's Attic here I come!).  Should make Spring cleaning easier (yeah right like I ever do an actual Spring clean - ha!)

3.  Exercise four times a week.  This is so not happening till I can breathe through my nose again.  But I'm looking forward to when it does, cause I'm feeling so gross and lethargic from the lack of exercise.  Jesse's working evenings (3-11p) for Jan/Feb, so I'm looking forward to giving a "routine flop" a try.  Instead of getting up early to exercise and read before the girls are up, I'm going to stay up late till J gets home and sleep until a little closer to the girls' wake up time.  In the evenings, when J's at work and I'm all alone (after Double Trouble start snoozing at 7) I'll have plenty of time to exercise, shower, read, do some chores, or draw.  Hopefully.

4.  Hand-write letters/cards to family and friends.  I love love love getting "real mail" in our mailbox.  And I know I'm not the only one who likes to read a good old fashioned letter sometimes.  I have a few Air Force wife pen pals from here and there... but I want more :o)  And though I love that facebook/blogger/email keep us all in touch on a day to day basis... I still love the idea of surprising my Mom when she goes to the mailbox every once in awhile.  This one is going to be harder to stay on top of but I'm thinking if I sit down and send out a bunch of letters, then all I have to do is be disciplined about responding asap to any return mail I get.  I usually find that works best... when someone writes me I usually try to sit down that evening and get a reply out.  Especially since I only hit the APO once a week... then the letter is ready to be mailed the next time I hit the post office.

5.  Regular, focused times of educational play with Lily (and eventually Sam).  Sam is still taking a morning nap, which leaves Lily and I alone for about two hours on the days we're home.  That is usually prime "get stuff done" time, which is broken up by Lily's whines and my periodic breaks to read her a book or play for five minutes.  I want to make it a more fun and focused time for us.  Half that time will go to an activity (or activities) with my girl (the other half she can follow me around while I do chores.)  I have a host of great resources at my fingertips for amazing crafts, games, activities, and other stuff that will make the days more special (and more fun) for my girl.  I might also add afternoon "activity times" as I find stuff that Sam can join in on.  Let the fun and learning begin!

Every Day New Year's Resolutions:

1.  Read.  I got a pile of great books from my family for Christmas... which I added to the pile of great books we already own that I either want to read or re-read.  So I'm going to continue to carve out time every day to snuggle up with books, which I love.

2.  Rosetta Stone.  Learning the German language fell by the wayside a bit after our trip to the States.  And then the holidays came around.  So I definitely haven't done much and need to refresh my memory a bit.  But I want to be ready when summer comes and we're out and about more in this lovely country.

3.  Draw.  Yep, that's right!  Jessica's gonna start drawing again!  My Love surprised me big time for Christmas... he got me a pretty wooden box with all sorts of pencils, charcoal sticks, and a whole bunch of stuff I'm unfamiliar with (all used for drawing I assume!) plus a cool little stick figure man you can draw :o)  THEN he got me a brand new big beautiful sketch book that is so bright and fresh and clean and full of possibilities.  AND THEN he got me a HUGE drawing how-to book.  It's apparently all the rage for budding artists who could use a hand figuring out the basics!  I'm super excited.  He's been wanting me to get back into art again for a long time.  I dabbled in painting before Lily was born but I got discouraged and gave up again.  So I'm determined to work at this and enjoy the process of relearning something I once loved!

Well, that's that.  A fresh new year to fill with fresh new habits that make my life better, more productive, more enjoyable, and more German-speaking.  And no.  I don't ever overestimate what I can accomplish.  Ever ;o)

I hope you all have a great New Year!