Clutter...and obesity

I have a thought: if we had to clean and itemize and categorize and organize every single item in our houses, we would have a lot less stuff.  Likewise, if we had to grow and process and preserve and bake and mix and cook and broil and serve every meal, we would eat a lot less. 

My mother gave me 6 weeks of housecleaning as our "baby" present when A. was born; and then she gave us another chunk of housecleaning for Christmas.  This was AWESOME.  A true sanity and sleep saver.  But I am happily back to cleaning the house again (honestly; I kind of like cleaning) and realizing how much stuff we have.  We have lived in this house for 4 years, and doubled the size of our family, and wow, does it show.  We have major decluttering ahead of us in the coming months.  Purging and decluttering takes serious effort, and it is quite tedious.  But in the end, if I can shave two minutes off my dusting time, that would be so worth it!  I do not like cleaning enough to do more than I need to.  And with two small daughters, I certainly don't need to look for things to clean.

I am also, even more happily, back to cooking and baking.  Roast chickens, muffins, apple coleslaws, yogurt, etc, are once again emerging from my kitchen.  R. and I are even going to make mayonnaise this week, which will be an exercise in experimental cooking to be sure.  It's a lot of work.  I mean, it's not terrible; the chickpeas are bubbling away in a crockpot on the porch so it's not like I'm stoking a woodstove and chopping kindling in my spare time.  But it's certainly not drive-through fast food.  When I am the one mixing the breading, dredging the raw chicken through raw eggs, and frying it in loads of coconut oil, I am certainly going to enjoy the organic homemade goodness of chicken strips.  And I am certainly not going to overeat.  I'd rather save a few strips of chicken for lunch tomorrow...and save myself a little bit of work then!

Less Stuff, not More Storage!

Miss Minimalist recently wrote a blog post about the fallacy of organization and pretty storage.  Which is funny, because I have been thinking about writing my own blog post about that same topic for the past week, so now I'm finally getting around to it.  :-)

Too many times, I have fallen prey to the thought that ARGH!! What I need is more closet space!  I solved this problem by consigning and donating a lot of clothes.  In my (very small) closet I now have room to hang my skirts, sweaters, shirts, pants, shorts, dresses; as well as Rachel's dresses and sweaters.  Yay!   Much better than continually grumbling about the lack of closet space...just make more closet space by making a smaller wardrobe!

Recently, I announced to Steve that I wanted to purchase a bread box.  My grandmother had one, but honestly, I haven't seen them in ages; even at thrift stores!  So I resolutely started searching Craigslist, and nothing really turns up within a one hour drive of me.  I make our bread, and am tired of having bags littering my counter top.  A bread box would certainly solve that problem.  But you know what else did?  The cupboard!  I rearranged the cupboard a little bit, composted some old beans and barley that I unearthed, and stuck the bread in its big bag up there.  Voila!  No bags of bread on my counter; no bread box on my counter; and heck, I already paid for the cupboard, right?

We were also thinking about purchasing one of those nice shelf/cupboard things that stands/hangs above the toilet in the bathroom so that we had more space for things in the bathroom.  Thankfully, a minimalist drive seized us before we made that purchase, and instead, we cleaned out--and I mean, REALLY cleaned out, the bathroom cupboards and drawers.  Steve has this (unfortunate) habit of picking up ever. single. shampoo/conditioner/lotion/soap from hotels.  He says that he uses them when he has duty at work.  Thankfully, he agreed to take them all to work, and grab what he needs from there, rather than storing them in our bathroom drawers until he has a duty night.

I am going to write entire blog post someday about the wonderful things about living in and owning a small house.  I used to think that the lack of closet and storage space was a major detriment of small houses, but now I think it is a bonus.  It requires some work, and some more creativity, but it sure does keep you from easily accumulating stuff!  So when you find yourself thinking "I need more storage!" try to rephrase that into "I need less stuff!"  Good luck!

Breastfeeding: it's the minimalist thing to do!

Rachel very excited to be breastfeeding on a hike, Colorado, 2011

Breastfeeding is the minimalist thing to do!

Just think of all the stuff you don't need: bottles, bottle brushes, formula cans, nipples, nipple caps, nipples in different sizes, bottle warmers, bottle coolers, pacifiers, pacifier holders. 

You just need...you!  And your baby, of course.  Which is good, for someone as forgetful as me. 

The only real breastfeeding equipment I needed was herbs and medication to overcome my low milk supply issues, and an SNS.  But I made my own tinctures, and all the packaging for my medicine, for the 14 months I used it, probably amounted to 2 cans of formula.  The SNS was equal to less than one bottle.  Plus, I just discovered that Nordstroms will alter any bra you bring them to turn it into a nursing bra--how cool is that?

I believe that mamas and babies are a true dyad for the first year, and so I never left Rachel for longer than she could go without nursing.  I am fortunate to be a full-time, stay at home mom, and so we never needed bottles or a breast pump.  I tried to convince her to take a pacifier so that I could get a bit more sleep, but by that point she was convinced that the real deal was the only deal in town, and she wasn't having any substitutes!

Simplification leads to a more genuine life.  Nursing Rachel, and forgoing all the paraphernalia that could have supplanted or supplemented breastfeeding, has been wonderful for us.  Rachel and I share a bond and a connection that could not be the same if I had not nursed her--was still not nursing her. 

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

The Past is not in Your Possessions

October 2008

When it comes to decluttering, downsizing, editing, and minimizing our lives, we can get hung up pretty quick by the past.

Having an item links you to a special moment.  It is the past made tangible.  It elicits memories, smiles, and stories.  It helps you remember what you do not want to forget.

And I say, it isn't necessary!  I (still) have my high school letter jacket.  I never wear.  I never plan on wearing it.  I do plan on cutting it up and appliqueing the letter onto a quilt I am going to make.  But if the letter jacket disappeared into thin air tomorrow, it would not negate my experience of marching band.  It would, however, give me a bit more room in my closet.

lighting unity candle at our wedding October 2008

I recently went through our living room bookshelves.  Again.  I feel like they are my nemesis in decluttering.  This time, I threw away the unity candle from our wedding.  I donated to  the birth center a Willow Tree figure given to me by a friend, depicting a mother and her newborn baby.  Ditching the candle (a large, petroleum, carcinogenic fragrance-laced affair) does not mean that I am not married.  It does not mean that I love my husband, or that I wish to be less unified with him.  I do not think about our wedding any less.  Giving away the figurine does not mean I no longer value my friend.  It does not mean I forget what it is like to hold an infant.  It does not take away from the fact that my friend thought of me, or that I dearly love my own baby.



December 2010

My possessions do not contain my past.  I am not embodied in them.  And I prefer to remember the past in other ways than things I have to dust or rearrange.  I talk with my friends and reminisce with my family.  I create an annual photobook of our family, that contains maximum memories at minimum space.  Just because I don't own it, doesn't mean it didn't happen.