homemaking

In my previous post I mentioned that we've had a flu virus circulating through our family. It's still here, but I think it's hopefully on its way out. Fingers crossed.

In that post I mentioned that as I was resting, so my body could heal, I was thinking about what is really important to me. One of the main things that came up for me was a reminder that when our home is tidy, clean and uncluttered, I feel more relaxed and at peace.

This is something I've struggled with over the years. When my husband and I were first married we didn't have a lot of material possessions. It was easy to keep our home tidy and clean. As the years progressed, and we became parents, we naturally accumulated more materials goods. We are not big spenders, but the small amount of things we gradually purchased, as well as the presents for our boys from us and relatives, slowly accumulated. You don't notice it at first, but before you know it you're left with more than you can handle. Then comes the decluttering. I do this sporadically, but we still got to the point where there was too much stuff for our humble little home.

As I wasn't well, I kept looking around our home, and although I started a major declutter last year, there was still too much stuff. I longed for some energy so I could start again on my decluttering project, and so I could tidy and clean.

Each day now, I'm feeling a little bit better and I'm gradually getting my energy back. With each little bit of energy, I've been juicing and preparing some simple, healthy food. I've also been doing small amounts, ten minutes here and there, decluttering, tidying and cleaning. Each time what I've done has made me feel happier and lighter and I'm sure it's helping me heal from the virus.

Today I was thinking about the saying:  "A job worth doing is worth doing properly." I do believe this saying is true, but for a perfectionist it may not be the best way to think, especially a perfectionist who isn't feeling well.

I've come up with my own saying:  "A job started is better than a job not started at all." For me, this is a better, more constructive way to think. For example, today I wanted to clean our shower, but I didn't have the energy to do it all and I certainly didn't have the energy to do all of it well. So I decided to just scrub the floor. Tomorrow I'll clean one or two walls and the following day I'll finish it. My previous way of thinking could of been, "I don't have the energy or the motivation, at the moment, to clean our whole shower, so I won't even start." As a result it could of been days before I got to it and by then, well......let's not go there.

I think "A job started is better than a job not started at all." is also a great one for parents with small children, who often get interrupted and who may only have a few minutes here and there to get stuff done.

So, we're making progress. We are slowly regaining our health and we are slowly, but surely creating a less cluttered space to enjoy.

Happy homemaking beautiful people.

Much love,
Julie
xo

time to reflect

There's been an annoying flu virus going through my family for a few weeks now. It's been frustrating, and with it, have come lessons in patience. There is so much I want to do at the moment, but we've felt lethargic and we've just had to rest. It hasn't all been negative though, because with rest comes time to think, time to evaluate what's really important to me and my family.

I've realised that, at times, I still place too much emphasis on what I think I should be doing and what I think society expects of me. I forget to push all these thoughts aside and to just listen to my own heart.

So, what is my heart whispering to me? It's reminding me that I love spending the majority of my time at home with my family. It's reminding me that healthy, plant foods make me feel happy and healthy. It's strongly suggesting that a tidy, clean, uncluttered home makes me feel relaxed and at peace.  It's reminding me that I love quiet and solitude. It's telling me that these things are the things I NEED to be happy, healthy and strong. They are NOT negotiable, they are how I NEED to live my life.

Sometimes I think we get sick so that we have to stop and rest. It forces us to let go of what's not important and to focus on what we have to do and what really matters. Maybe if I tune in to my heart and pay attention to what it's really telling me, then maybe I won't need to get sick??? Mmmmm.......that's food for thought.

Much love,
Julie xo

a fresh start

Hello and welcome to my new blog. At the moment it's plain and simple, but we'll work on that as time progresses. It's all about baby steps. When I was thinking about starting a new blog, it felt like a big task to set things up and so I procrastinated. But with anything, it's all about those little steps, and with each little step something new forms.

I've missed writing. I've missed the beautiful people I connected with in blog land. So here I am. Thanks for being here. Welcome! I hope you enjoy your time here and you come back to visit again.

Much love,
Julie xo