Following my Joy!

So I've been away for a while healing from some crazy health stuff which has not made my life simple at all.

What has made it simple is the desire to "follow my joy". So what does that mean? Well, some would say it's living life on the side of happy, others would say it's delusional and that you shouldn't be joyful, you should be responsible...well I've done responsible and I mean BIG responsible. I'm talking responsible for the whole world responsible and I'm all finished with that. I am going to take care of my stuff and you can take care of yours. if you need my help, hey ask me and if you're actually willing to do something about it and just need a hand...I'm there.

In the meantime, I'm following my joy. That means kids, puppies, gardens, outside, maybe just maybe even a ride on the hubby's V-Rod from time to time. It also means that I am literally following my joy in my new fave food blog joythebaker.com. She is a goddess of food and makes simple amazing.

I think that everyone should follow their joy AND Joy the Baker....because she's cool.

Giving Feels Good!

I just gave away 2 old TV's and a gaming system to our local homeless shelter and I can't tell you how good it feels.

I have been talking to people recently about the frustration they have encountered in trying to give away old electronic like tv's etc because apparently no one wants them and no one will take them. I couldn't believe the stupidity of those statements and thought "seriously...if you have nothing isn't something better than nothing?!"

So one phone call to our local shelter and bang....they are coming to pick them up on Tuesday. The funny part is that I was thanking them so much for taking them AND coming to get them that the man at the shelter started to laugh and said "Lady, stop thanking ME...YOU are giving the stuff to US!"

I guess that is what a real win/win feels like.

Tips for clutter busting a Tween's room

As I've told you before, my children are viewing this simplicity experiment as something kindof stupid since their lives are about as simple as it gets. You can imagine then, how much support I am getting on the January Clutter Busting that is happening.

I thought that I was a fairly brilliant mother when I had my husband build cubbys for my kids at our front door so that they could keep all of their shoes, coats, sports equipment and general crap in them and for the most part it works. The issue is that they are all now beginning to turn into large human beings and their crap is getting bigger and is seemingly multiplying despite my best efforts.

This brings me to the subject of their bedrooms....HOLY CRAP. I have been downscaling what we buy for the kids for a while now in an effort to simplify and keep the clutter down and Christmas this year was no exception. They got a couple of big things and that was it. They were also happy. However, in their rooms, I am astounded to find unbelievable amounts of things that have somehow survived the regular purging that I do.

This becomes the issue because getting them to help is a horror show because really, we can't throw out their stuff because it's all so important! Even the half filled lip gloss from 5 years ago is something that my daughter just LOVES! The other issue with getting rid of kid stuff is that even a purger like me gets caught in the trap of sentimentalism. Old McDonald's toys I have no problem throwing out but the bunny that went to kindergarten and still has orange paint on her from craft time....even a hardass like me can't bring myself to do it.

I've come to the conclusion that when working with decluttering kids rooms, you are better off using a flame thrower from a distance than getting them to help or delving deeply into the memories. Maybe I should just leave their rooms alone unless something smells and they can deal with it when they move out!

The Medical System is not simple.

By now, if you've read any of this blog, you know that I have been struggling with some bothersome yet not serious health issues. Just enough to take me out of my regular life while I heal but not enough to devastate my life completely.

Being that I am a bit of a simpleton by nature and I have committed to simplifying my life, I am attempting to apply that same principle to my healing and medical care. All I can say, is that it is clear that I am an idiot. Every health practitioner that I speak to can only address one set of symptoms and only within their area of expertise. My family doc will only look for one possible option and if other symptoms are present and don't fit within a box of a diagnosis, he blames stress.

Where I ask you is the doctor House's of this world, the ones who will look for the common thread and analyze from there? Too simple you say? Well my family doc thinks so too.

What have I learned? In medical applications, they go out of their way to make things long, hard and painful and one hand does NOT talk to the other. Why you ask? Well because that would be too simple!

I will NEVER be this good.

As part of this experiment, I have been researching how others live a more simple life and over the year will have lots to share. Being that January is declutter the house month, I have been looking for people who have done some interesting things with their homes and how they have implemented the concept of simplicity, efficiency or decluttering in their homes.

Just today, I had this link sent to me about a dude in Hong Kong who has done the single most amazing thing you have ever seen with 350 square feet. He literally uses every single square inch of space to his advantage and the place is absolutely amazing. It is a true marvel of efficiency. Take a look here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg9qnWg9kak

Something I learned when I watched this and then looked around my house is that there really is something in becoming efficient and organized which I can tell you is NOT my strong suit. I couldn't believe how much wasted space I have in my tiny little house....the house that I keep saying is too small. I also couldn't believe how much crap we have even though I am a regular purger and have been purging even more.

When you watch the video, look how happy the guy is. He's in a tiny apartment but surrounded by only what he needs and everything he loves and honestly, the guy looks happy.

My birthday is coming up and I can tell you....don't buy me anything. I honestly don't want any more STUFF! 

Welcome to my first follower!

Thank you to Kristi who actually must read my posts and was kind enough to sign on!!! I thought I would only be writing to myself!

Welcome to the blog, feel free to send me your thoughts and ideas.

So I watched Hoarders....

I have to tell you that show is messed up. I've been hearing people talk about it for ages and I finally watched an episode in the name of research for my decluttering experiment. I cannot tell you how upset I was for the people on that show. I thought I was bad with my 4 year old shrimp sauce in my fridge but wow....I've never seen anything like it.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that our possessions define us far more than I realized and they seem to define us more by what we buy and what we keep than the status of the actual possession. I mean a BMW is still a BMW but I'm really starting to see that the less you have the more you seem to appreciate. I have been throwing things out willy nilly and realized that unlike those Hoarders, I have no real attachment to my stuff because I am a) frighteningly practical and b) I can't stand mess. So if something doesn't have a good use or I am totally in love with it, it goes...plain and simple. I am finding that I am looking around my house and seeing the things that I keep and absolutely loving everything I see. I am beginning to feel like my home is starting to really define me.

So to all of you Hoarders out there, hiding behind a wall of crap that you don't need and don't love doesn't make life easier, doesn't make you a better person and sure as hell doesn't give you status. Go and get some help and surround yourself with things you love and you will feel so much better about yourself!

Simplifying the Bucket List

We've all seen "The Bucket List" by now I'm sure and many of us even created our own "Bucket List" after seeing the movie but how many of us actually look at that list and decide whether or not that list really reflects who we are and what we love.

I've been dealing with some strange health issues that no one seems to be able to explain beyond "it's stress". It is entirely possible that it IS stress and that it has been wreaking havoc with my body. It was these strange issues that were a big part of me starting this blog.

What is interesting though, is that as I begin to de clutter my home, I've also had to de clutter my calendar. I've had no choice but to say no to many things, ignore chores that used to be oh so important and have even pared down my reading material which is a feat, I can tell you. The most interesting thing about all of this is that it isn't what I've gotten rid of, but what I am keeping that is starting to tell me what is important to me and more importantly is giving me clues to who I am.

I feel like I am right now working from my own "Bucket List". I know that I'm not dying but I know that I have limited energy available to me so I'm de cluttering my life and focusing on my life at the same time. At the moment, I've taken out work, much of my housework (with the exception of my de cluttering experiment), all social engagements that aren't essential and most importantly, other people's problems. What made the list is listening to my daughter tell me all about Grade 7 boy issues, listening to my son's excitement over a limited edition video game, listening to my youngest read from his new "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book and snuggling with my husband and bichon whenever possible.

7 weeks ago, when I was well and healthy, these things wouldn't have seemed grand enough for a bucket list but I can tell you with every fibre of my being, that unless you have them on your list, you've already lost your ability to live...

Good God I have a lot of crap....

Day 1 of the January de-clutter started today with the swift and tidy removal of the Christmas tree and decorations. This year I was smart. When I took down all of the decorations, I put them into separate boxes. A box for ornaments I love, a box for ornaments that the kids have made that may never go on the tree again and a box of all of those oddball ornaments that get collected in life. That box only made it as far as the recycling bin and I feel lighter already.

It's also get the kids ready to go back to school day and I have implemented a new system. I rearranged the fridge that now has a full shelf ready for lunches that will be now made the day before. As part of the de cluttering, I felt that the fridge should also get top billing. I cleaned out all of the old sauces and dips and junk that have collected over the last year. I found a jar of shrimp sauce from 2006! Totally gross.

I can't tell you how good it felt to throw out all of the ingredients like capers, asiago bread dip and 3 different teriyaki sauces that all sound the same but are ever so slightly different. It almost made me feel like I now have permission to cook more simply without the pressure of all those finicky ingredients!

So simple tip number 1....keep what you love and throw away the rest...you honestly won't miss it...think shrimp sauce circa 2006!

Simple Plan

Happy New Year. Welcome to the Simple Plan.

In keeping with my new friend Edward DeBono's idea, I decided that this project will be a big fat flop without a definition of what simplicity means to me and what I am going to do about it. So here it is...

Simplicity to me means nothing more than making things easier.I don't think I can make it simpler than that. So my aim is this..

• To look for the simple answer to everything that pops up in my day
• To pose the question, what can I do to make this easier?
• To only use products/services that make life easier
• To rid myself of anything that I own or anything that comes into my life that is not practical or that I deeply love
• To speak from my own truth and engage in relationships that nurture not ones that create drama
• To allow other people to have their own experience whether I agree with it or not.

I will also be picking a theme of the month and listing a learning of the day. January is "Simplifying My Personal Space" Month.

Starting tomorrow, I start throwing crap out. I can't wait to see what makes the cut.