Filling up the Love tank

I'm pretty sure my toddler J. is running on empty. He has been more grumpy and aggressive than normal. He starts sobbing whenever the baby cries, and has even tried to push the baby over from time to time. We have had a couple of really stressful weeks and I am afraid they have taken their toll on his emotions. Yesterday I started giving J. focused attention, without the baby. I made a point of putting S. down when J. needed something. I spent quite a bit of time sitting on the couch and snuggling, and we had a great rough-housing session with him jumping off of the couch and into my arms. I did notice a bit of difference in his attitudes by evening. He nursed for a shorter time, and went to bed without any problems.

This morning he only snuggled for about 5 mins, as opposed to his usual 15 and then he went off to play by himself. He is now happily coloring with daddy and has left me alone to finish this blog entry (which usually never happens, I quite often type to the sound of crying)

Several years ago i read a book titled "The 5 love languages" which has a theory that we all give and receive love in 5 basic ways. J. is most definitely a "quality time" child. He doesn't really snuggle much--he prefers to play with you or read together. When he is given enough attention he becomes a much more peaceful happy child. when his tank runs low he begins to act out in order to get attention. The more I work with this theory the more convinced I am that it is a good one. It also puts a lot of behaviours into perspective. I don't feel right in punishing him for a behaviour that I, ultimately, helped to happen.

If you haven't read the book yet, give it a try, I believe there is a version for children now. let me see if i can figure out how to put a link in:

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Children/dp/1881273652/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248880271&sr=8-3

This is the book for kids, which I have not read yet, but am assuming it has the same stuff as the original, only with a different focus.

Here is the original: I highly recommend it for married couples, however you can use the principals for any relationship, really, if you change things up (certian recommended activities just don't translate, but you can substitute others in.)

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Love-Languages-Heartfelt-Commitment/dp/1881273156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248880271&sr=8-1

Early to rise

I did it!~ I actually got out of bed at 5:30 today! Okay, so it helped that J. had woken up and wanted to nurse and snuggle a bit. So I puttered about and got myself a cup of coffee and here I am! I often feel that I can get so much more done in a day if I just get up a little bit before the rest of the household. Of course, sometimes it means that I spend all my time at the Computer, checking my favorite blogs and online mommy communities. Either way, at least I don't feel desperate for "me" time later in the day. The Boys room is completely re-done now. I have finished cleaning it out and re-organizing. We started unpacking our boxes now, so J. has all of his toys back. I have found it is incredibly hard organizing toys with a toddler and a crawler wanting to help--and by help I mean play with whatever I just put into the bin.

I was also able to sort thru my half of the closet and gather about a large trash bag full of clothing I can donate, which is quite a lot considering I did the same thing 6 months ago and gave away 3 bags. I am starting to only retain the clothing I absolutely love-it feels quite good actually!

i have also discovered I am better at doing chores that don't require much forethought in the morning, as I am struggling in vain to make a point to all of this. I guess I can do my "goals" list for today.

Tidy Kitchen
re-organize food storage areas
Clean out Under the sink (its really cluttered)
Re-arrange spices (put ones I actually use in the rack and toss the old stuff)
Take a shower (when the hot water kicks in)
Wash Kitchen Mini-blinds
Do some laundry (If I say "all" it will never happen)
Fold some laundry
Put some laundry away

Whew! Alright, just for fun I will track what I actually did today and update this post later on this evening.



UPDATE: Here is my refined list of what I actually accomplished:

Cooked and served Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Held and calmed 2 very fussy babies S. is teething and J. is feeling left out
Cleaned out and re-organized food storage cabinets
washed, dried and folded 1 load of laundry (didn't put away, neglected large mountian of clean laundry sitting in chair)
Cleaned the Kitchen, twice
Cleaned out under the fridge (with help from Garrett)
Cleaned up living room (twice, not vaccuumed though)
mailed off important paperwork
Blogged
Researched a weekend getaway for our anniversary
Watched a James Bond flic with hubby
Showered, even got my hair washed.

whew! Didn't actually get my list done, but did alot anyway!

NCC--1701

Things are settling down around here. It seems the plumbing issue is resolved for now. Plans are going forward to fix it permanently. I am still de-cluttering and cleaning out my home, and have been quite happy with the results. My book collection has been minimized. We got rid of one shelf. and my wonderful husband Garrett used the pieces to build me a smalll shelf for the kitchen, which now holds my sewing machine, project supplise, Home management binder as well as my plant and radio. The front hall closet now has space to hold the vaccuum, The giant pile of laundry now has a home in seperate sorting baskets its making it easy to grab a load and wash! The boys room is now free of all of the excess junk we were storing in there. It feels so open and bright now!

Today was Garrett's birthday. We have had a rough couple of weeks and decided to keep things simple, so I surprised him with a cake. Some of my best birhtday memories were of mom handmaking me a cake so I thought it would be a nice gift for him. I was feeling creative after watching the Food Network yesterday so I made him the Starship Enterprise. I don't know how to use fondant, so I did it with Grandma's frosting recipe. I was quite pleased with the results as was he. Here is a quick step by step photo montage...






First I started with cake! I used an 8 in circle and an 8 in square.














I covered a piece of cardboard and my inverted cake pan with foil, as well as two hot cocoa packages. As this would be a 3D creation.





Then I shaped and placed the cake.











Lots and lots of frosting









I used store bought frosting in a spray can for the detail work...It was terrible! So I put it in a piping bag, it helped but not by much....next time I will just settle for (home-made) gray instead of the black.












Here it is with the Nacelles




















Ta Da!













The final look, as it goes down in flames!










Overall it was a great little suprise, and all it took was creativity and time. Garrett has already put in his order for his 30th--he wants the Battlestar Gallactica. Thankfully I will have a couple of years to figure that one out!!

We will round out the birthday celebration by going out to see a local minor-league baseball game tonight. The boys will have a great time bonding over that, I hope!

Blessed Releif

It seems that the plumbing issue may actually be fixed. The HOA called a different plumber who offered to do it for HALF the price and take payments! The line is unclogged at this point and the puddles are gone. I have decided to leave most of our possessions boxed up and clean/re-organize the entire house! And this time, Garrett is on board as well!! He helped me sort through my books, and even took my broken bookshelf and used the materials to make a smaller shelf to hold my projects in the kitchen. I have to go now, we are clearing out the boy's closet. Currently it is stuffed with our projects and things, we hope to get at least half of it useable before G has to go to work.

Radical Decluttering

On Thursday evening, the plumbing lines for the condo units backed up into the storm drains and flooded the yard and common areas. We were basically informed that the buildings could be condemned for this, and we would all be evicted untill the problem was fixed. Hoever, the HOA is broke as nobody is paying our dues. We spent the weekend packing up our most treasured possesions, as if we get a "404B" from environmental health, we may only have hours to evacuate. Sigh. Just as I was settling in it seems I may have to make new adjustments. Contentment is really really hard right now, especially with so many offical loooking vans and trucks going in and out today....I just need to know if I need to find another place to live permanently, or if this will get fixed. Either way I am doing a massive de-cluttering, and have really had an opportunity to see what it is I really value. For example, If I had to leave in a matter of hours I would take my spinning wheel, but leave the couch.
I'll post more as things happen.

Beginning the journey

At last, both of my little ones are down for a nap, and I have about 10 mins of "quiet time" to myself. I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately on how cluttered life can get, both physically with possessions and activities as well as mentally and emotionally. This year I am attempting to Simplify my life, and learn how to be satisfied with what I have...hence the title of my blog "Simple--Satisfaction"

When I think about living simply it conjures up images of rolling country side and sheep scattered about, a large flock of hens scratching through a garden, long lines of freshly laundered linens drying in the sun, along with lots of children running about climbing trees and swimming in creeks.
I do not have that.
I have quite the opposite of that.
We live in a condo, an upstairs condo, with a sun-deprived balcony in a smallish city that has more than its share of violent crime, foreclosures, and the distinct honor of being one of the top five "most miserable places to live" in the USA. We do, however, have a cat, and two beautiful little boys, and I am the proud owner of a mostly sturdy drying rack which will hold exactly one small load of laundry at a time.

This lack of the ideal setting will not stop me in the journey towards simplicity, however. I believe that a simple life can be lived anywhere under almost any circumstances. So here I stand the woman living in the fine line between city and suburbia seeking out what Simplicity means to me, and to my family.

The current focus is "Clutter" I am going to go through my house and get rid of the clutter. not just bag it up and set it by the door to sit for months on end before I get back down to the Goodwill, but actually bag it and give it away.

Today I cleaned out the medicine cabinet and tossed quite a few empty bottles and expired medicines. I also re-organized the area under the bathroom sink and found I had more than enough shampoo, sunblock, toothpaste and cleaning supplies to last me through the Apocalypse. In adititon to thet, I had an overwhelming feeling of peace and joy, and need i say, Satisfaction? Now when I open my cabinet I am no longer privy to a hail of perscription bottles, I am instead greeted with cheerful rows of boxes and bottles organized on shelves, one for each family member.

So, what are you going to do today? What one simple step can you take to de-clutter your life?

So, as I have been overwhelmed over the last month or so, I am going to joinn "Down--to--Earth" in a simple home audit and a "no spending" week, in which I will not spend any money from july 3 thru the 9th. I am currently in the process of re-simplifying.... Join in!