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Sanctuary: Have We Succeeded?
We are now 8 1/2 months into 2014, getting ready to bid farewell to summer and work our way into the fall. Seems like a good time to do a check in on our goals for the year.
Do you even remember the goals or resolutions you set? I can remember the gist, but even so I had to go back and read my 2014 word for the year post to jog my memory a bit!
So this year was supposed to be all about creating sanctuaries. Not talking about building a religious space, but rather intentionally creating personal space that feels good. That means a lot of different things for us, and I’ll break down how it’s going in each area.
Area #1: Decluttering
MAJOR WIN. We are getting rid of stuff that we don’t use, don’t wear, don’t like, or just don’t have the space for left and right. I take a trunk full of stuff to my favorite thrift store every single month. Our house is still FAR from being clutter-free, but we can feel the difference. The house is more calm and peaceful, even with all those LEGOs and My Little Ponies all over the floor.
Area #2: Organization
Fail/Win: We hired a professional organizer who gave us AWESOME ideas. And then we struggled to actually implement those ideas. If you want my advice about getting really and truly organized, it’s this: set aside the money so that you can pay the professional organizer to do it with you. We just couldn’t swing more than the first session (and doing one session is better than doing no sessions, so don’t misunderstand me! Go for one if that’s all you can afford!), but in hindsight, I wish we had saved a bit more so that we could have had more hand-holding. Focused, ruthless organizing is hard to do and easy to put off for another day.
With that said, we are making progress in this area. It’s just slower than we’d like it to be. Decluttering is a big part of that, as you can’t really organize clutter. We are also slowly but surely making some larger purchases that our home needs to help it be more comfortable, more grown up, and more spacious. This year we bought an outdoor storage shed, a more comfortable couch (total game changer…we all hang out in the living room together much more now that there’s somewhere comfy to sit!), a new bed, a new mattress (we are sleeping better!), a new dresser for our youngest who was outgrowing her old one, and we have a new dining room table and chairs on the horizon. Perhaps those items don’t really fall into the organized category, but I do see them as relevant to helping us find the right homes for things, by having the right containers (even if what they are containing are our selves!).
I still haven’t hired a housekeeper, though it is my goal to have that piece in place by the end of the year. Sometimes it can just be really hard to take that leap, you know?
Area #3 Taking Care of Our Bodies
Still in pre-launch: I’m not calling this a fail by any stretch. But I am going to be honest and say that we are still in pre-launch mode on this one. We HAVE done some really important things that are helping us all, physically, such as replacing many of our medicines with essential oils. I have also developed the habit of having iced water first thing in the morning (it’s what I have to do to earn my first iced coffee, so I’m dedicated to the pursuit!). I’m also all stocked up on ZonePerfect bars (my very favorites being the Perfectly Simple bars…they taste AWESOME and have limited ingredients. I used to be awake for 2-3 hours before having breakfast; that was SO TERRIBLE for my body and for my metabolism! I’m pleased that I have made that change, and I do feel the difference in my energy level early in the morning.
But the trips to the gym still elude me. I do have a plan, though! My girls will both be in school 5 days a week by the end of this month, and I’ll be headed straight from their drop off over to the gym (it’s on my route home…perfect!). It is being incorporated into my work schedule as part of my job. While I won’t get paid for my time in the gym in income, I have realized that the benefits to being in better shape will be worth more than whatever I could have earned in that extra 45 minutes. I’m excited to get started and to invest more in myself, because when mom feels good, everybody wins!
How are your goals for the year coming along? Take a moment to revisit them and see what you can nudge along. It’s never too late to get started!
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