Simple Eating

I was going to call this minimalist eating, but with a middle schooler and high schooler, we do anything but eat minimally! Last night I made a pot of black bean soup for them and a friend, expecting leftovers to last the week -- I didn't have enough leftovers for today!

Simple eating is having quality food available in the kitchen ready to feed my growing family when I need it. Simple eating is NOT running to the store because I realize I am out of an ingredient half way through dinner prep. Simple eating is not driving for pizza because I'm too tired to come up with an idea for dinner (and the pizza guy gets lost on the way to our house). Simple eating can be ready in the crock pot, waiting for my family to come home from an outing (reducing the temptation to eat out on the way home), but more often it should be about the ordinary days.

In order to improve my schedule and reduce shopping trips, I am making weekly menu plans. I have done this in the past, and they have not worked for me. We ended up not being in the mood for what was planned (soup on a hot night). Too often food would get wasted because I planned something, we didn't eat it the night it was planned, and the food went to the back of the fridge to die.

So far I'm pretty happy with my plan for last week, and the coming week. I didn't make everything I had planned for last week because my avocados didn't ripen in time, so they got pushed to this week's menu. We have dance class Wednesday night, so we have tea before class to get in some family time.

Sunday, January 1st: Black eye peas, kale and cornbread
Monday: Dinner loaf, mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli
Tuesday: Pasta with avocado pesto
Wednesday: Afternoon tea, with sandwiches, stuffed mushrooms, scones
Thursday: Spaghetti with red sauce (by request)
Friday: 10 Spice Vegetable Soup
Saturday: Birthday party, so I'm not cooking
Sunday: Farmer pie

Dinner loaf and Farmer pie are vegetarian adaptations for meatloaf and shepherd's pie. Dinner loaf makes yummy sandwiches the next day (if I double the recipe!) and shepherd's pie is marvelous for using up any leftovers lurking, including the leftover mashed potatoes and gravy from the dinner loaf.

I'm hopeful to test out this week's plan. We have dance class two days this week, so we're easing back into some of the challenges of going back to real life. The following week will be the real test, with school starting up again. Hopefully this plan will work, because I really want to simplify my home time!

New Year's Eve

The new year is a time to look forward to what people want to change and improve. I started a little early with this project, and I have been writing a good bit of public introspection. I have been making positive changes, but I also wonder if I am too focused on the physical objects around me. Am I making myself anti-minimalist by focusing so much on stuff? Would I be better off just donating things, getting them out of the house, and ignoring my third goal (of paying off the car early and getting ahead financially)?

I'm pretty sure I need to work all of my goals together. I won't feel completely at peace if part of my brain is still concerned about finances. I'd like to come up with a plan that makes more money than I get from ebay, but that would take too much from family time (and my unpaid profession of chauffeur to my kids). I've already cut expenses as much as I can (and keep our level of comfort), so that doesn't seem like a viable direction.

So no new goals, no new resolutions. I will continue trying to make the decisions that need to be made (hang my sweater in the closet now, don't leave it for later; figure out what to do with the hand lotion I was given at Christmas and get it off the counter). I will work on developing a schedule as soon as the holiday is over. I want to be focused and present when at home, and better planning should reduce my mental distraction. And sell off the excess, providing a clear space and financial boost.

What are your goals in the new year (or what are your goals a year from when you are when you read this)?

Minimalist Day

Today was low-key. I spent most of the afternoon plying my daughter with hot tea, while keeping her company on the sofa, reading books. Sometimes this parenting thing is rough.

Seriously, I enjoyed having downtime with my daughter as she suffers through the cold we all sincerely deserve. We've been eating poorly, staying out late and generally not trying to stay healthy. So hot tea this afternoon, and black bean soup tonight. Black bean soup is powerful, and will cure a cold with the strength of heartiness.

My husband, my son and my son's friend are in the other room playing a terribly complicated board game. I'm glad they have enough people to play without me.

This morning we put away our new DVDs, and we got rid of several we no longer watch. I bought Disney's Beauty and the Beast when I was in college (because, you know, it would go into the vault) but we've watched it once. And she's in middle school now. So some other child can enjoy it. Things like that, to make room for movies we actually will watch (or that we think we will watch. I can go the rest of my life without seeing Finding Nemo again, but apparently that's just me.).

This is the sort of day I want from minimalism. Being able to focus on my family. A quiet day, taking care of ourselves, and no need to go out for groceries or other necessities, is the heart of minimalism for me.

I hope you are enjoying your school holidays, or weekend, or snow days this winter!

It's not about the Stuff..

...Or at least, it's not supposed to be. I feel I've been focusing a lot on the physical stuff right now. I'm keeping track of what comes in, and what goes out. (I haven't been taking pictures because I have a not-very-fancy camera and I don't have a smartphone. Plus, I'm not sure a picture of my donation box is really something that needs to be recorded for posterity.) I hope I can develop a less material focus after a little while. I hope this "Stuff"-focused period can be temporary, after which I will enter a Zen-like period of life where I am unaffected by material goods and instead spend my time playing games with my children and serving simple, nutritious food to my family. I'm not counting on it -- nothing like that has happened so far -- but I'm hoping it will magically occur this time.

For now, though, I will continue to move the physical objects out of my way. I decluttered a basket I received for a gift. I could keep it for 12 months and regift it to someone else, but I'm not wild about how it looks and I'm not wild about storing it for a year. So I'll let someone else discover it at the thrift store. I donated two books I didn't even use much when homeschooling. Washed one of the new sets of sheets so it can become useful rather than leave it sitting on the table next to the other new set (the one my son still needs to approve). I carried out all the craft and wrapping supplies to the storage shed, which is not quite the same as getting rid of them but they are no longer clutter I have to look at. For the first time in over a month!

Put my Christmas gift from the kids, a Totoro car decal, on the car window. Crazy, I know, when I could have just shifted it around the house for a month or two, trying not to damage it. Clutter is delayed decisions!

I continue my efforts against the cookies.

I cut up a loaf of bread and some dinner rolls to make bread pudding, rather than my usual plan of ignoring them on the counter until they become fuzzy. I no longer have ziplock bags on the bar (hate those!).

I have not needed to go to the grocery yet this week, and I'm feeling pretty good about my shopping expeditions last week. A quick run to Target yesterday remained a QUICK run to Target, and not every other shop in town. I'm optimistic that menu planning and a better plan for my shopping list will improve my scheduling of household errands and leave me more time for family time. (I have spent so much time decluttering yesterday and today because the kids spent the day and night with their grandparents. Tomorrow will be much less productive because I will be doing things with them, which is why I am working to deal with my physical goals today.)

Daily Minimalist-ing

I hope decluttering works if you do it randomly, whenever something catches your eye. Because that seems to be the strategy that appeals to me. I have a small basket by the front door that is supposed to hold dog supplies -- leashes, combs, training collars, chicken harness. But the basket was starting to sag from it's handle, and frankly I was concerned about it breaking. Now I know why. I got rid of two pairs of scratched sunglasses, gum, candy, an extra leash (we only have two dogs, we don't need three leashes!), a flashlight that didn't work (replaced the battery, now we have a working flashlight) and other miscellaneous items. The basket now closes completely and the poor handle is no longer bending. Was it as high a priority as decluttering the bar (again)? Probably not. But I tell myself that baby steps are forward steps.

I cut up the Thai peppers my mother brought over, and added them to a jar with white vinegar. We will now have hot sauce for the year, and one of the items on the bar is gone. I also tossed a few cookies to the chickens (they were no one's favorites, and the kids are out of the house so no one will complain) and washed one of the containers.

I did clear up my workspace in the garage yesterday, and I am living the American Dream. I parked both cars in the garage! The garage is very full of packing materials, though, so I'd appreciate ebay listings selling so I can move both them and the packing materials out.

I donated a tea cup that was replaced by a cup I got as a gift (my cupboard only fits so many cups) and I shifted camping gear from a broken tote to a new one I bought. This counts as decluttering because I didn't know where the broken one was (we have several camping totes), but when I found it I removed it. This was a double benefit because the new one was constantly in the way in the garage because it didn't have a home.

In the other column: things coming into the house. I went to Target to shop the after-Christmas sale. Not exactly a minimalist activity, but I'm also not made of money and I like to pick up things fifty percent off. I think I did pretty well. I got a desk calendar for my daughter, flannel sheets for me, flannel sheets for my son, and a box of Christmas cracker. The calendar is on approval: if she likes it she can buy it off me, and if not I will return it to the store. Our sheets are wearing out. They are not all worn out yet, but looking thin. I don't know if this year or next is the last one. My son needed a new bottom sheet because the dog ate one. I don't know if those are all real needs or justified wants, but I don't think they will be clutter.

The last thing I bought, the Christmas crackers, are not clutter. They are actually part of my goal to simplify next Christmas and I am really thrilled I was able to find them. This year my husband had to sneak out after the kids were in bed to buy crackers at the only Target nearby that still had some, and I wouldn't mind missing that experience next year.

(I have a new title for the daily tally. I hope it will be more interesting than the old one.)

Christmas 2016: Scorecard

Before it gets away, I thought I'd record the things that worked this year, and the things that didn't. I hope that I can be better prepared next year (I hope that every year!) so the holidays will run more smoothly. This year I had more time than usual to work on gifts, and I really liked being able to make so many gifts for friends and family. I think they were well received, and if not my family is very good at pretending!

Win: Gift wrap packages as gifts for teachers, club leaders, etc. I had one person thank me on several different occasions for the gift of gift wrap, tags, ribbon, and decorations to tie on to the packages. I loved creating the gift tags, and I am very happy to give a gift that won't be clutter for anyone else. Best of all, it is consumable, so I can make these up again next year, and it will still be useful!

Lose: I need better boxes (or something) for giving cookies to our neighbors. I used one-pound strawberry boxes, but I'm not happy with how that turned out. I need something better for next year. Hopefully it will something cheap and reusable or upcycled. I haven't received any returned tins or plates in recent years, and I avoid disposables and plastic wrap, so I will need to get creative. Fortunately I have plenty of time.

Win: We cut a tree from the back yard. It is very natural looking, but I like the way it displays the ornaments. I like the bead garland we have that loops from branch to branch. I especially like how we used a tree that was growing too close to the house, so it would have to be cut down anyway, and this way no tree was wasted.

Lose: I need an old-fashioned Christmas Eve church service. We tried another service this year, and I was disappointed without the traditional carols.

Draw: Playing charades with my parents Christmas night, after dinner and after the gifts had been opened, was definitely a win. I need to organize this a little better next time, to make sure both my parents and my kids know the words to guess. My parents knew "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," but didn't know "The Bridge to Terabithia." (BTW, for fun, try to act that out to people who have never read/seen it. Sounds like...tear!) If I make charade slips months in advance I should forget everything by Christmas morning.

Lose: Forgetting certain stocking stuffers until the week of Christmas. Running to the store at 9:00 at night to pick up crackers is no fun. I need to get them now, on clearance, or early next season.

Win: I stuck to what the kids asked for on their Christmas list, for the most part. I felt that I didn't get them enough, but Christmas morning they were excited and grateful for what they got, and excited about what they gave. I didn't need to overwhelm them with a lot of gifts just for the sake of having a lot. Not having clutter and guilt is definitely better than spending $50 last minute for Star Wars ships that my son never asked for, doesn't know about and never will miss.

I hope your holidays are more win than lose this year. I hope next year is even better and more peaceful.

Back on Track

Today is sunny and beautiful here, and my family (more or less willingly) is getting back on track. My husband is fixing a leak in the roof over the deck. The kids are cleaning their rooms and weeding a patch of the yard. I am catching up on laundry and generally tidying the house.

We are all valiantly trying to reduce the cookies that are cluttering up the counter. To a greater or lesser degree, we are all pitching in to the best of our abilities.

We dropped off five (copy paper) boxes of  donations at Goodwill. With a minimal amount of tidying, we should be able to park in the garage again. I think I will do that while the next load of laundry is washing.

It feels good to have a holiday, but it also feels good to be back on track. The clutter and general disorder has been making my family cranky. Each person (myself included) has had a day or afternoon of crankiness and general ill-temper. Restoring order to our physical environment, our diets and our schedule must help.

If you're tidying up after Christmas, let me know how you are progressing.