Using Lent as a time for Pruning

For some odd reason lately, I've been connecting back to my Catholic roots. Expecially when I look at the calendar to see that today is Fat Tuesday, and tomorrow, is Ash Wednesday. I once knew someone who'd gourge himself silly on this day, only to fast all of Ash Wednesday. Hmmm... wonder if he still does that?

In any case, I'm realizing that tomorrow is the start of Lent. You know, that time when you're supposed to give something up, to symbolize God giving up his only son, who rose on Easter Sunday?

I once had a friend of mine who shared a beautiful image of Lent, an image that I think I'm going to honor, and give serious thought to. You see, her old priest once gave a wonderful sermon about how we should use Lent to prune ourselves, to get rid of all the negative aspects in ourselves, to really take stock, and cut out what's not longer useful, or that which is harmful to the rest of our growth. That leaves space for new growth just like a fruit trees. Besides, as most know, a well-pruned fruit tree bears a lot more fruit.

Besides, I don't give up chocolate.

So, with this lovely image in mind, I think I'll plan to do some pruning. I've got a lot going on, but I think this is important, and something I really need to give some thought to. Ironic to, in that I'm going to a discussion this weekend on The Simple Life.

Hmmm... it's like, decluttering your mind and body. Yup, there's that decluttering theme again. :)

What are things you would prune from your life?

BLLLLL---AHHHHHHHHH---EEEE---RRRRGGGGG!

That's just what I feel like screaming outloud to release my stress. It's actually been a good week, with very productive work results, but that's also the frustrating part. I feel like I've been living, breathing, eating work for the last three weeks. And, I don't like that.

Of course, just when I think I get some free time from work... there seems to be more work to do. Hmmm...

Gotta find a balance or harmony for this somehow.

Of course, Dove Chocolate industry's been loving me lately. Hope y'all own stock in it. :)

Happy Birthday to...

Stacie!!!!

Hope you are having a great day!!!

Motivation = Nil

I have been having serious issues being motivated as of late when it comes to my paid job, and I totally know that it's because I have been feeling run down and burnt out, based on the workload of the last two weeks. Logically, I know that if I shift my perspective, and have some serious ME time, I'll be doing fine. Don't ya just love when you know what would benefit you, and it seems so simple when you type it out, but then there's the whole "taking action" to do what would benefit you?? :)

But you see there are other things that I want to be doing. Like reading, updating blogs, updating and condensing files in order to make my life simpler (yeah, really)...

And, we mustn't forget the beloved Pooki-kins.

But really, I just want me time. As in, time alone to take a hot bubbled bath, or to curl up with a good book and hot tea within reach (as opposed to out of pookie's reach). So, instead of taking the opportunity to have me time for a good few hours today, I opted for family time (just as good, but not quite motivational).

I did, however, manage to get a lovely afternoon nap while snuggling with the hubby. (I'm a big afternoon nap person! I just love it!) And, as me and the hubby've been a wee bit disconnected as of late, it was just what I needed in that department, however, as a result, the work part was again postponed and I still didn't get time to let my brain drift off in a good book.

So, here's to thinking positively about tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be motivated and get a lot done.

Longing for Simplicity

It's a lovely, bone-chilling, Sunday. I think the high here today has been 3 degrees. We had breakfast with the ILs at Cracker Barrel, and I've spent the day updating a website, cleaning out my email, and looking at ways to simplify my life.

This week, I'm hoping to meet with my boss. Work has gotten really hectic as of late, and though the extra money's been lovely, the extra hours (when a mother of a delightful almost 3-year-old) are not so lovely. I don't like when I don't have time to pitter about, leisurely read (books and blogs), leisurely write (blogs and journals), and to piddle around if I so desire.

I do not like feeling rushed, and that's what I've felt these last two weeks.

So today, as I finally buckled down to get some minor things caught up around the house, I had time to piddle about. And it's been lovely.

So, I've been thinking of things that I could do to simplify my life, aside from decluttering (Ed and Stacie, I'm envious!) which I haven't really been able to do lately, because I've been working or playing catch up (or mom for that matter!). So, I've been playing with the idea of streamlining and refocusing my life.

I've got a website I maintain from my old business - should I keep it? Or, should I revamp my current business, which I need to rename anyway. That in itself I'm not looking forward too, because I do so many things, so, I don't know what to name it. Hmmm... So, for now, I keep this other website going, at least until I decide what to do with it. Blarg.

Apparently too, I've got various accounts, for various things (mostly stuff I buy). All with various names and passwords, many, I admit, that I don't remember. So, dare I streamline with a gerneric username and password? It would be simplerer...

So, these are the little things I've been piddlin' bout.

I want a simpler life. I really do. It's just a matter of decluttering and simplifying the life I have, and that I've managed to complicate in my own little way through the years.

Hmmm... off to piddle a bit more.

Alive... just barely though.

To say this week was hectic, would be a understatement. This week had it's good points and incredibly crazy points. I work from home, which is great. But, I have a 24-48 hour time slot to complete work during the week. On Friday this doubles, as I need to complete all that comes in by 3 pm before the weekend starts.

If I keep up with this, the week flows by in a comforting rhythm, and I can even start my weekend come 3pm on Friday afternoon. However, if I end up doing other things during the week, work gets put on hold (or I loose sleep), and then, I'm left to work with a Pook on my lap. I have busy seasons in my work: the early fall, right before Christmas, and the end of spring/early summer. During these times, I can put in 8 hours or more a day. The rest of the time, I put in anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a day, which, when you get up at dawn, and have the time in the evenings when hubby comes home or Pook is napping, still allows for Mommy-Daughter playtime. Plus, I can break up the time, and keep my brain from going num.

This week, however, I've been spending 8 hours or more per day, while enjoying the week with unexpected pleasures. I feel as though I've been chained to my computer, and haven't really had the time to settle in an enjoy the blogs that I have discovered bring me a certain comfort, like checking in with old friends (which some are!), or just reading about life in the English or Australian countryside, or up North in the US.

The unexpected pleasure were well worth it, and very much a priority. Monday was Pook's Kindermusik class, followed by a play date. Tuesday was a last minute arrangement to make the most of the snow before it melted. L has a mountain in the front and one in the back. The one in the back has a huge hill for sledding. It's the type of hill that you get to a certain point, your sled spins around, then your go down it backwards, and have to stop, or else make a super long walk back to the top. The snow was perfect, and by now, wet enough to make a small snow man on the hill.

Da Pook wasn't too fond of the sledding, but me and L had a blast. It was then, I felt a call to climb to a certain spot on "the hill" as she calls it. I then climbed to a certain spot on the mountain, where a cement Buddha (the one who smiles with his arms above his head) watches the grandfather oak tree who over looks the farm. It's a very sacred place.

I went there on my own, before Pook decided she wanted to walk there too, and while trying to find the path, I got the message, "Sometimes, you just need to make your own path." To put this moment into words, is challenging, because there aren't really words to describe the power I felt or the double meaning behind it. It was one of those "WOW" moments, where things click, and you know that everything is a part of everything else, and if you listen closely, you'll get all those answers you've been seeking. So, if you aren't into this stuff... just skip the next paragraph or two...

As I made my way to the tree (ironically I'd found the original path, but didn't know it), I put my arms around it, and just hugged. I've hugged trees before (yes, I know, I'm an occasional tree hugger), but this one was different. He was old, wise, and very calm. I wanted to cry, and shed my fears and stress. I felt as though I was in the arms of a wise old grandfather, who stroked my hair as I told him my woes, my hopes, and dreams. Again, I heard, that "sometimes, you just need to make your own path." I knew then, that I was on the right path; my path. It was the path I'd been following the last few years, the one where you learn how to listen to that inner voice, that intuition per se, that guides you with a love and compassion that is just incredible.

Now, I've got an incredible and very vivid imagination, as anyone who knows me can tell you. It's this blessing that let's me take things a step beyond in some areas. My imagination has brought my comfort through the years, it's provided interesting information in regards to past lives, it's very valuable for reading tarot, and in some cases, it's even been right on in regards to situations that haven't happened yet. And then, there have been those times, when it's also been quite off. Usually, that's where the human judgement or ego muddles it. But when I'm connected, to whatever you'd like to call it, it's amazing.

Okay, we return to me watching L and Pook climbing the "hill" to join me. This spring, I plan to renew my vows to my hubby here, in the presence of a few other people and grandfather oak. This time, the vows will be our own, written by us, said in jeans and hiking boots in the woods. I feel that this year is a new level of the relationship. In any case, when Pook got up to the spot, she wanted to climb higher, further into the trees. Her connection to this place is amazing. She found L's favorite spot, and there she proceeded to move the snow for the grass to grow.

Hmmm... I believe I've digressed quite the bit, eh?

We ended up climbing down the mountain, and the 3 of us sledding down the hill, together, laughing and screaming all the way down, especially the backwards part, and enjoying a lunch of fresh soup, cheese and crackers. Pook liked it so much, she asked for seconds. (A record if you know how my child usually eats!) It was a delightful day. Sunny, and warm, but with enough snow for sledding. We ended our visit by gathering eggs, and Pook falling to sleep on the drive home. L's is like my second home. But that, is another story for another day.

By the time I got home, it was a made dash to get dinner together and get work done. Wednesday was a day of work, and Thursday was a birthday lunch for my friend C, who watches Pook for me twice a month. We had a lovely time, and it was a perfect springlike day. So, when we got home, I saw my neighbor walking with her daughter, and a beautiful baby boy. Make note, the last time I talked to this neighbor was last year around this time, and she'd just miscarried. So to see her with her son, I had to stop and talk to her, while our two little ones played and laid in the grass. It was awesome.

Of course, when they left, Pook wanted to draw on the sidewalk, and since I didn't know how long the weather would be so calm, I said yes. Which, set me up for a horrid evening of working, and a crazy day yesterday, with no time to check email or blog (which I really, really missed. It keeps me amazingly sane for some odd reason). So last night, I went to bed grumpy, filled with a ton of horrid foods I'd eaten all day yesterday from stress.

I've learned valuable lessons this week. I need to simplify my work, and find give something up, or else come spring, I'm not going to get any sleep, and I'll have a really grumpy Pook on my hands. No more than one scheduled outing a week, this way, if there is a nice day, we can enjoy it, without a stressed out Mommy. When I focus on my work, I can get a lot done. When I have too much work, I rush through it, and in my eyes it suffers, and that is not cool.

I'm still feeling off, but, this snowy afternoon, hubby and I are going out to lunch, while the ILs enjoy the Pook. It's our Valentine's day thing I suppose. But then, that's another post, and right now, I need to get ready to go out and spend time with the hubby, sans Pook.

Thankfully, it's snowy out, but not too bad. It's all the things I usually enjoy, although today I'm feeling rushed and still stressed from my week. Hopefully, this week I'll be able to simplify a few things by talking to my boss.

So, here's wishing those who read this, a lovely and realxing weekend. May your weekend be blessed with all types of love. And, as Ed points out, there are many types of love. (Ed writes the most fascinating stuff in his blog. I find myself either in deep thought, or cracking up hysterically! Thanks for being one of those blogs I'm addicted to Ed! Be sure to check out the other blogs on my list as well!!! They are all great!)

Okay, and now I really do have to get out of these PJs! Hubby's already got the car warming up, and it's no fun going out on a "date" with your hubby, when he (or you) are grumpy for that matter! (Ed - make sure you and your lovely bride ENJOY date time together now. Once that Lentil arrives... it's a whole new ballgame!)

The Declutter Revolution

I sit here, at my desk (supposed to be doing work), cracking up, because the last 3 blogs I've check, have all mentioned intentions to decluter their homes. I find this to be quite humorous.

Actually, over on Ed's Blog we've been having a lovely discussion about what is clutter, how houses reflect who you are, and why we appreciate the show Clean Sweep... or, something along those lines. :)

In any case, I loved Phil's comment about, "Don't let things own you. Take pride in what you have, live with your things, and let them be a reflection of you." You couldn't have put it better Phil.

Lately, I've mentioned my desire to just get rid of things. Last night, I told hubby about my urge to throw away my old writings, and not have the guilt of "one day I'll go back and rewrite this the right way!"

His response, "Why not just let go of the guilt?"

Now there's a thought. :) Actually, I have been caught up with the urge to simplify my life, and I'm not just talking about clutter here. I'm talking many other aspects. According to Mr. Taxman, even though I work from home, it's more like I own my own business. Which, means comes tax time, I'm very thankful for any refund on my end. So, I want to simplify my tax work. I already have an accountant (I failed accounting - both classes in college), which helps immensley, because he's just awesome, and I don't give a hoot that he's expensive.

I also want to simplify my email. I've got more accounts than I care to admit, some I don't even use any more. I want to create a list of the websites I'm registered on, and passwords, because I'm one of those people who always uses a different password, and then, promplty forgets it, and always has to be reminded of my password, or reset it.

I could go into the paper work, the material items, the crafting stuff, the mental gunk, the excess office supplies... In any case. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of all the extras. I'm tired of overscheduling and spending time at events or with people that drain me. So, I've been thinking, and, I've been planning.

And the plan is to declutter and simplify my life. Baby step, by baby step, I plan on going through and figuring out what I really enjoy (oh fun!), the "have to's", the "should's", the "wants", and the "I want it done but don't want to do its".

So there! I'm on the declutter band wagon to. Me and others will be working on the decluttering of our homes, selves, etc.

What do you want to declutter? Why?