....CONTINUED

So I explained how I like to get rid of things, and clear my house of clutter HERE. But my husband isn't quit on the same page as I when it comes to ditching the "things".  So how do we compromise on things that stay and things that go?  Umm, well, typically I'll tackle a job when he's gone and if I know he hasn't used or worn it in the past year, I kind of just assume that he won't notice it missing anyway.  And 9 times out of 10, my judgment is spot on.  I bet he'll never miss the 8 cloth belts (you know, the ones that come with men's shorts) or the dozens of old shirts that sat folded in the bottom of the closet, or his pairs of work boots that have accumulated over the years.  Because why would anyone resort to the old things, when you have since replaced them with new things? 

But remember how I said I'm right 9 out of 10 times?  Yeah, so there was this ONE time that I went cleaning crazy and gave away all his racing coats that have accumulated over the past 10 years.  They were given to him for various track championships and state/national championships.  Now mind you, these coats are stored in a closet in the hallway and not in our entryway, which means they are not/have not been used in years, so it was fair game (in my mind) to get rid of them.  But I forgot about the second part of my rule... is it beautiful?  Because what I see beautiful vs. what my husband or kids see, is different.  Not so much that he thought his coats were masterpieces of art, but he enjoyed having them and looking through occasionally.  How did he even notice them missing, you ask?!  Of all things, he went in the closet to get the vacuum..... Who'da thunk?!? ;)  *I was thoughtful enough to keep a few coats.  But my lesson here is to maybe get permission before you get rid of someone else's things!

Someday, we'd like to move.... To the country, to a farm, live in a hauler, travel the country racing... who knows.  But when the time comes to pack up this house, I'll have fewer boxes to move, by moving them now!!

Have a happy week!! Maybe do a little spring cleaning!!

 

 

Are you a hoarder or a minimalist?

I googled "the opposite of a hoarder" because I didn't really have a name for what I routinely do, which is get rid of stuff.  And a few articles later, it turns out I might have a psychological disorder, called obsessive-compulsive spartanism.  Of course, the internet exaggerates everything... Like the time I googled Mason's stomach ache symptoms, and then made a doctor appt fearing it was a stomach tumor or appendicitis or some life threatening illness.  Nope, turns out he was just constipated.  There's a big difference between all the scary stuff I read on the internet and just needing to take a shit!  Long story short, I don't actually believe I have a disease of decluttering, but it doesn't even bother me if I do!

 

The older I get, the more I realize I don't like "stuff".  Having things that don't serve me, actually makes me feel burdened and overwhelmed when I see it.  So I purge it.  And I enjoy it (which is where the disorder may actually be true:)).  Usually once a month I go thru cabinets, drawers and closets and get rid of things that accumulated that I no longer use (or no longer fit...kid's clothes).  This month's basket had things like: winter hats/gloves, dvd's, flower vases, home décor, and kitchen appliances.  Yes, I love a homemade Belgian waffle topped with strawberries and whip cream, but I haven't made myself one in over 3 years so the chances of using the waffle maker are slim.  And last month, I debated ditching it, but told myself I'd use it and never did. 

 

 

I have a couple rules when clearing the clutter... One is that if it's not beautiful or useful, I don't keep it.  Even if it has sentimental value (gasp!).  I mean, what's the point of keeping your great-grandmother's china set if all you do with it is keep it in a box in your basement?  You are getting absolutely no enjoyment or pleasure or use out of it if it's stored in a brown box in the dungeon of your house.  If you indeed find it BEAUTIFUL, then keep it.  But try to display it somewhere so that when you walk by it, you will be reminded of your great-grandma.  Or USE it! And if giving sentimental valuable things to strangers (Good Will, Salvation Army, etc) makes you feel uneasy, offer it to other family members who may find a use or beauty in it. 

 

*Of course, there's always exceptions to rules, and I do keep a small box of keepsakes for each of my 4 children. 

 

My second rule is, if I don't have room in my dresser or a hanger for it in my closet, then something needs to go.  If I come home with 4 new shirts but only have 2 open hangers, then 2 old shirts need to go.  And to be honest, there's 100+ shirts hanging in my closet, but I always resort to my current favorite 10 or so.

 

And so I've decided that I'm bordering a psychological disorder of getting rid of things, who's married to someone with a psychological disorder of keeping things.....  :)

 

THIS POST (on how one lives with the other) TO BE CONTINUED....

So God Made Girls

My recent few posts have been all about Mason; his birthday, his room, his racing.  I figure I better give a little update on the other child that roams this house!  Some facts about Braelyn:

 

She is 4 years old

Favorite color: pink and red

Favorite food: noodles

Favorite restaurant: Buffalo Wild Wings

Favorite animal: Pig

Favorite friend: Wyatt (from daycare)

 

She is strong willed (read: refuses to wear socks, and pants that aren't just the right length and looseness).  She wants to be a pig farmer when she grows up, or a doctor. I told her to be both!  She wants to move to a farm and have pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and kittens.  I agree, and would add chickens and cows! 

 

She is carefree and confident, and really teaches me how awesome our inner child is. Before we let culture/society dampen our spirit; before we let fear of failure or people's opinions hold us back.  She has dance parties and sings her heart out.  She compliments strangers; from bright pink hair to full-arm tattoos.  She sees beauty everywhere. She wears mismatched things in public and shoes without socks.  And sometimes stays in her pajamas all day.  She rarely brushes her hair, and I don't care.  She is good for my soul!

 

 A random day's choice of wardrobe (swimsuit and dress up heels)

 

And sometimes, you can never have enough accessories.

 

And if you like cottage cheese on pizza, eat it!

And sometimes there are no words. 

I found her "relaxing" one morning with her feet on the massager, cars lined up the upper half of her body (including one over her eyes), and a dumbbell laying across her waist with a hippo on top.

 

Mason's New Bedroom

For the past 4 years the kids have shared a bedroom down the hall from ours.  Well, actually 3 because I think Mason slept on the floor in our room until he started Kindergarten. (I'll address that later.)  They had bunk beds and Mason goes to bed at 8:30pm by himself and Braelyn would get carried to bed around 10pm (my bedtime) after falling asleep on the couch or in our bed.  They couldn't go to sleep at the same time or they would sit and chat and keep eachother awake.  Finally we decided it was time for Mason to get his own room upstairs, but I was in no hurry so I said I'd do it gradually and shoot for Springtime to move.  One thing I've realized about myself though, is that I don't like having an unfinished job/project in the back of my head.  So what was intended to be a gradual process turned into a 4-day ordeal of painting, sanding, staining, nailing, screwing, stud finding, online shopping, and several trips to Home Depot.  And although I've already considered myself a pro at painting (not for preciseness but for speed), I can now add wood working to my resume! ;) HA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mason just loves it and does awesome being on a different level of the house.  I think it's quieter up there so he isn't yelling "TURN DOWN THE TV" a gazillion times while we're trying to watch our shows (Chicago Fire, Chicago PD & Parenthood).  And like I mentioned earlier, he did sleep on the floor of our room for maybe a little longer than recommended.  Heck, I'm pretty sure "they" recommend your child never sleep in your room.  But you know what? It always seemed to bother people who didn't live in our house more than it bothered any of us.  And I always knew he wasn't going to willingly want to sleep in our room when he got older, because, who wants to have friends over and say, "Hey, this is where I sleep" while pointing to a crib mattress next to their parents' bed?  I knew it would be short lived (in perspective), so I enjoyed it while it lasted.  And now it's such a vague memory that I don't regret it a bit.

 

Be Brave

Last night I was helping Mason with a school project. He is Star of the Week in his class next week so we had to make an “All about Me” poster and fill out a questionnaire of some of his favorite things. We got to the question of What's your favorite sport? He said “WWE is a sport, right?” Then he went on to write “football”. I told him both were sports and that he is really smart about football. A few questions down it asked Who do you admire most? I thought I had it figured out, but he didn't say anything, he just wrote “Papa Steve” and I asked him why he chose him, and he said “cause he makes sure everyone is safe, like when I drove the golf cart on the wrong side of the road” and I said “Okay, I thought you'd say something else, but that's fine.” He erased it and simply put “Grandpa”. AND THEN, (here comes the point of my story) He said “well, I had a different one but it sounds dumb”. I promised I wouldn't think it was dumb if he told me and he said “John Cena...but everyone will laugh at that”. Then he went on to tell me about kids noticing and commenting (neither good, nor bad) when he wears a John Cena shirt and he didn't like everyone talking about his shirt, so he just wanted to put Grandpa because that's what everyone else did and they won't laugh at that. Now, I'm not saying that John Cena should be admired more than Papa Steve or any Grandpa, but changing your mind for the sake of keeping your classmates happy made me sad and bothered.

I don't want my kid (or any kid) to surrender to normal, when the normal is boring. To be plain and do/say what everyone else does/says just to avoid ruffling a few feathers. I want them to be bold and be brave even if it goes against the norm. I want them to admire whomever they wish, and wear whatever they find fitting. And I want to teach them that's it okay for others to do the same. But he's 8, so I let him keep him answers and told him someday you'll realize that it's better to say what you mean and be yourself rather than trying to be like everybody else.

I'm sure a time will come where John Cena will not be the ruler of his universe, but after our chat, if someone comments negatively about his shirt, he will tell them “That's okay if you don't like it but I do”.

 

Mason turns 8

We celebrated Mason's birthday last weekend.  It's hard to believe 8 years have gone by so quickly.  Mason is in 2nd grade and enjoys: 

• WWE wrestling 
• Playing video games
• Snowmobile racing
• Roller blading
• Bike riding
• Watching & playing football
• Shows on tv: Kickin' It, Austin & Ally, WWE, Crash & Bernstein, Lab Rats
• Swimming
• Bowling
• Wrestling mom and dad on the living room floor
• Board games (trouble, twister & family feud)
• Watching movies
• Sleeping in

 

His favorite place to eat is: Buffalo Wild Wings or Texas Roadhouse

His favorite foods are: Pizza, chicken nuggets and ribs

His favorite home-cooked meal: fresh caught fish the way I cook it with my potatoes :)

His favorite drink: Dr. Pepper

His favorite color: Red

 

His least favorite things are: going to school and going to bed.  Such is life!

 

Of all the things for his birthday (Air Maxx, Pizza Ranch, gifts), the first (and only self-induced) thanks he gave me was for making him that cake.  The bakery actually made the base and it was just plain black and white (they couldn't do WWE because it's a trademark). I have no issues breaking the law when decorating a cake ;) so I did the ropes, guys (John Cena and Brock Lesnar) and the W.  He loved it!

The cousins that were old enough to come with: Skyeler, Owen, Mason, Ava, Madi, Sophia, and Braelyn

Fishing and Snocross Racing

 

It's been a crazy fun last few weeks! I only had to work 4 of the last 16 days... It was super awesome and I love that my daycare parents had flexible schedules over the holidays to allow me extra time off too.  We spent Christmas with our families and then headed to Red Lake to do some fishing for a few days.  The fishing was rather slow, and I got quite bored.  I think I ate all the food we brought the first night, because when I'm bored, I eat.  We watched movies, the boys played PlayStation, and I played Nintendo DS to pass some time.  Next time I'll know better, and pack a book or two, some magazines and word finds.  There was no service for our phones so that thing was basically useless.  The kids were actually really well behaved and didn't seem as bothered as I was about the lack of fish!  Me and Brae rode home with Shane's parents and Mason and Shane stayed another night (and moved the fish house).  Of course they found an awesome hot spot after I left! :) Ha!

 

On New Year's Day we took Mason to ERX race park in Elk River, MN to give snowmobile racing a try.  Shane went to Speedwerx and got a clutch kit for it, DJ bought him some goggles and racing gloves, we dug out some hand-me-down safety gear and off we went.  We were all pretty pumped to watch him and Mason was excited too!  He says he wasn't nervous, but I could sense he was a little anxious before his race started.  He took the lead on the first corner and never looked back... well except when the flag man forgot to give him the white flag and he knew it should've came out!  Shane said he was more proud watching Mason's win than he has ever been of any of his own wins. I asked "Even Mod Nationals?" and he said "I've never wanted to cry like a baby over any of MY wins."  That's how cool it was!  He went on to win both rounds of his group (Beginner 120 age 4-12), which gave him the first place trophy!  He was so excited and can't wait to do it again.