Starting over, yet again.

Today, time for some brain-dump. I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a blog for 5 years. And I have, and totally failed. So many things have held me back! When I was wedding planning I told myself I would document all of my experiences for posterity – didn’t happen! My last year of pharmacy school got in the way. I briefly started writing about my first pregnancy – didn’t keep it up! A full time job, a full time husband, moving, buying a house…there was always an excuse! I don’t think I have any more time now than I did five years ago, but I do regret not having some thoughts written down for myself to be able to look back on my thoughts and experiences.

So where am I at in life right now? I’ve been a stay at home mom for a year. Sometimes, it’s still hard for me to say that out loud. Granted, I still work as a pharmacist several times a month, but nothing compared to the 50+ hours a week I was working when my son was first born. I quickly had a realization that my dream was always to be home with my children and I had been really trying to ignore those feelings for such a long time! Luckily I am blessed with a hardworking husband who was on the same page and saw the same vision for our family. So, a year has passed of me trying to figure out the whole parenting thing, the whole housekeeping thing, the whole making meals thing. I am still quite frankly, totally bombing at most of this list. It’s a learning process, right?

Where I will start here, with this new little experiment of mine, is some goals I have for the next year. I did in fact just turn 30, so maybe it is high time I attempt to master or at least grow in some of these areas, eh?

• Meal planning. I’m constantly trying some new way to try to get myself to stick to a meal plan, buy groceries wisely and cook with a purpose. I have made improvements but I really want to be in a good place by the start of the year! I hope to document some ways I like to plan and comment on how successful they have been for me.
• Cleaning schedules. I must admit, our house is a disaster more often than not. I also had a cleaning lady for the majority of the past year, so *hi* totally guilty that I didn’t even know where we kept the mop. I feel much better when the house is clean and tidy and I experience 100% less mom guilt when my kid is licking the kitchen floor when I know it’s been cleaned recently.
• Decluttering/minimalism. All the rage now, I know. But I think there is totally something to be said for why this is currently trending. Especially after a toddler has taken over every room in your house, its so easy to feel completely overwhelmed with all your stuff. This is going to be a multi-stage effort to try to pare down what we have in the house and really start to appreciate all the things we have and not be so obsessed with what else we need or want. Leading nicely into…
• My wardrobe. It needs an overhaul. I used to have, dare I say it, style? At the very least I had a point of view! Currently it’s leggings and black tunics and pretending I am not hating my body. Really my goal here is to weed out my wardrobe of the items that don’t make me feel good and slowly invest in some pieces that do. Reminding myself to use the awesome accessories I do have to create some joy in my daily outfits.
• Budget. The husband and I have tried rather unsuccessfully to begin a Dave Ramsey-esque budgeting style to try to get our spending under control. The problem? Dave Ramsey’s plan doesn’t work unless you fully commit to it and don’t take any shortcuts. So here we go. Hopefully documenting some ways I’ll be budgeting and saving.
• Little Man Rocco. My baby! Who is quickly morphing into a grown man at the speed of light. Rocco is currently 18 months old and being home with him almost every day, I have really started to try to plan some “learning” activities when we are home. He participates in a lot of classes through the park district, as well as swimming and music classes so I feel like our weeks fill up pretty quickly with places to go and enrichment for him. Coming into winter and snow season, I would like to plan some fun activities for us to do at home and to show them here as a way to keep track and to hold myself accountable.

Whew. Wordy, huh? Good thing I am expecting no one to read this! Really though, I want to see if I can commit to spending some time writing out my thoughts, taking some fun photos and holding myself accountable to all the goals I’ve made this year. So, lets see where this takes us!

Laundry Essentials

After J moved in, I became in charge of the laundry. My mother raised me with a very specific love for laundry, and laundry done right. This is why J is in charge of dishes - we're trying to split housework as evenly as possible in this house! My mom got us two items that made my laundry nights 100x easier. I recommend these items (both bought at the Container Store) as they are lifesavers.

number one: the three section hamper

As much as I love a pretty fancy wicker hamper, this simple cloth/metal hamper has made sorting laundry so easy. We leave the left section for whites, the middle section for cold wash, and the right for everything else. This way I see which section is filling up, and I can throw a load of laundry in the second I see the bin getting full. It also cuts down on my sorting-through-dirty-laundry time, which no one likes to do anyway. The bin is also removable and washable, so if it starts taking on a stink its easy to care for too! It's also on wheels, so it can easily travel from our bathroom to the laundry with minimal complaining on my part.

number two: expandable garment rack

This guy comes in handy during laundry, and also while packing for trips. The clothes dry quicker on the rack rather than shoved hanging in a closet, so it helps my laundry turnover time. When packing for trips, I hang up clothes to be packed on the rack, and it makes it easier to visualize gaps in my vacation wardrobe. Its expandable and can be easily shoved into my walk-in closet when we have guests or want to keep things tidy.

What simple items make your life easier?

New Years Do-solution

I've never really been one to write New Years Resolutions down, or even really plan any out ahead of time. Getting married this month has made me want to think more forward into the coming year, and along with that I've started a rough list of resolutions.

The list is made out of verbs, because I think I'll do better with having to add to my life rather than take away. Do-solutions. More specifically, J and I are building a life together now, with new traditions, goals, dreams, both together and separately. It will be a year of trying new things, testing the waters and a list of verbs to guide me seems to fit just fine.

1. Do. Over the next 12 months, I want to make a solid effort to try to do more. See more, taste more, try more. We're homebodies by nature, and quite comfortable in our routines, and it wouldn't hurt to make more of an effort to get outside the house. This is really a carryover from this past summer, where we went to free concerts, had picnics and started geocaching regularly. I just want us to try things, both separately and as a couple, in an effort learn some more about ourselves and what we like. And to spend more time together doing new, fun things. Nothing fancy, no grand must haves, just do.

2. Use. Ever since J moved in, the sheer amount of products we have accumulated scares me. That, and the fact that we have a Costco membership and I work at a large retail chain. Sales and coupons haunt us, and then all of a sudden we have 13 (what?!! sick, I know) bottles of body wash. Three toilet bowl cleaners. I have countless half used bottles of lotion, face cream, tons of samples...its never ending. So until these things are all used, J and I are on use-up-or-get-rid-of-our-crap duty. Yet again, this is another carryover from the past few months. I've found if I only leave one of each item within hands reach, I can't use a different lotion every day. I have to use the one that is out, and the more I use that one bottle, the sooner it will declutter our tiny space. I'll probably set another paper bag out in the bathroom to collect our empty bottles, just to see how long it takes us so I can more properly plan on how much to buy in bulk. And for some reason, it feels really good to finish something!

3. Appreciate. Its been a very good year for J and myself. We had three very exciting vacations, we got married, we got jobs. Some around us have had really horrible, life-changing years and the majority of people fall in between. I don't want to get stuck in the rut of complaining about the little things, when big picture things really are going so well for us. I want to be thankful for the little things, the small moments, the good we have in our lives. Its an effort to stop wasting my time worrying or stressing or complaining and just breathe and appreciate my life.

So, there are my resolutions. Nothing crazy, no promise to be at the gym 3 days a week, no set up for failure. Just a list of three verbs that will hopefully keep us running through what is sure to be another busy, amazing year. Now lets see where the next 12 months take us!

Guilt

I wonder sometimes how other people deal with wedding related guilt, specifically financial guilt.  I struggle, almost daily, with the extreme generosity my parents have been giving me. There are many times I think to myself we should have done this smaller, simpler, less expensive. I find myself falling in love with pretty details, and promptly talking myself out of them, because I don't want to add to the financial burden.

I know this will be my only wedding day, my only one in my whole life, and my parents are thrilled to help us celebrate the beginning of our marriage. But their kind words, encouragement and support don't completely wipe away the guilt of spending a small fortune on me and J.

I'm constantly thinking of ways we can thank them, but our ideas always come up short. I don't think I will ever adequately thank my parents not only for my wedding and their financial support, but for the support they have given me throughout my life. The countless times I've borrowed my mom's car for interviews or for work, the endless supply of lasagna, meatballs, stuffed cabbage that my mom has neatly packed every weekend for me to take home and eat during the week, the kindness and generosity they have not only shown me, but have shown to J. How they have accepted him into our family as one of their own. How can I thank them for all that, and more? How can a picture frame, or a necklace and cuff links, thank them for their help and support for the past 25 years?

So, I will continue to struggle in coming up with some type of thank you for my parents for this wedding. The day will mark the end of one part of my life, and start the beginning of the next. And as much as J and I are front and center, this is such a big moment for us as a family as well. I love them, and only wish I could find a way to show them how grateful I am.

Homemade Italian Seasoning Mix

I’ve recently started making my own herb mixes, as the premade items are expensive at the store, and often include salt. I would rather add my own salt to taste, and I find making my own mix is fun and it gives me more freedom with flavors. Its easy, too! I recommend making the seasoning mix in a small bowl the first time before putting into an empty leftover spice container so you can create your seasoning to taste. Keep a piece of paper handy – simply write down the ingredients you added, and keep it somewhere on hand. The next time you make the seasoning mix, add the ingredients to the empty spice container and shake to combine. It couldn’t be any easier!

This week I decided to make a basic Italian Seasoning mix, leaving out what some would consider integral ingredients (sage, thyme).  I wanted to be able to use it for different uses, so I kept it simple and I’ll add other herbs as I see fit depending on the recipe.

Homemade Italian Seasoning

1 tablespoon dried basil (from my mom’s garden)

1 tablespoon marjoram

1 tablespoon garlic powder (trying to get use out of a grungy old container)

1 tablespoon oregano

1 tablespoon parsley

1. Add each ingredient, stir to combine.

2. Transfer to an empty spice container. And you're done!

Missing Vacation

J and I were on a month long trip to Poland and the Czech Republic, and then we promptly started the most "real life" activity I've ever had...full time rotation positions to finish off our last year of schooling.  The 50 hour/week position at the hospital has been a wonderful learning experience so far, but it leaves little time for indulging in fun activities, like blogging!  Eventually, J and I will figure out what we want to do here, on our little corner of the internet. But today, I have a moment to reminisce about what I'm missing most right now.

Big, open town squares, people watching, bottles of wine and sunsets. Hopefully another night like this one is just around the corner...

Flowers and studying

All we've been doing this week is studying, and taking finals. Seeing all the beautiful flowers blooming in my parents yard and on our walks to school have been our saving grace. Soon this will be over and we'll be able to enjoy much more!