UNrushed School Mornings!

It's back to school season, so I'll apoligize now for all of the school related posts!

Our kids are into their second week of school already, and I wanted to share what's been working for us to have the 'not-quite-so-rushed' morning routine:

1.  Lunches are packed the night before.  Every. Single. Time.

I usually wash out their PlanetBox lunch boxes as soon as they get home from school.  Then right after we finish supper, I pack their lunches.  If they're taking some leftovers, it's the perfect time to pack them up--before they ever make it to the fridge!  

 (P.S. That's not an affiliate link--these lunchboxes are just *that awesome* that I wanted to share!)

I mean seriously, how good does that look?!  

All one piece: easy to pack, easy to wash!

2.  Everyone is bathed at night.  

This is an absolute must.  There is certainly not enough time to wake up AND wash off in the mornings.  Ever.

3. The youngest wears her clothes to bed.  For real.

When I tell people this, they usually have one of two reactions:

They either look at me weird--or they say "That is SUCH a good idea!"  

Our daughter has to feel comfortable in her clothes.  If something doesn't feel quite 'right' she has to change.  Sometimes more than once.  This does not make for a speedy morning routine.  So, after she gets out of the tub, instead of pajamas, she puts on her clothes for the next day.  I have less laundry to wash, and she's ready to go as soon as she stumbles sleepily out to the kitchen for breakfast!  Win-Win!

4.  I get up WAY before the kids (as in at least an hour or 2),  

and have breakfast ready and waiting on the table for them.

This helps keep things moving--there is less temptation to get sidetracked by Legos when breakfast is ready as soon as they wake up!  This also helps make sure they can get a hearty breakfast in their bellies, since we're not just grabbing something as we run out the door!

These are a few things that have helped our family the past couple of weeks.  Sure, we still get rushed in the mornings--if I can't stand to wake them up when I should, because they're sleeping so soundly!  But for the most part, this is working out nicely--and hopefully it can help you too!

Off to school...

Why do we not talk about how emotional it is to send your child off to their first day of Kindergarten? 

Just like other 'quiet topics' surrounding children {miscarriages, infertility, postpartum depression, etc.}, our culture doesn't do a very good job preparing parents--especially mothers--for what it's REALLY like to drop your child off (or send them on the bus) for their first day at school.  

  

Those of you who've already sent your child off to school probably know exactly what I'm talking about.  For those of you who haven't experienced this yet, because your children aren't old enough--or you don't have children (yet)--or for those of you who don't or won't have children, but are still reading just for fun, let me try to explain it...

As soon as you become a parent, your entire life is devoted to someone else.  You eat, sleep, and breathe parenting philosophies, caretaking endeavors, nutrition, hygiene, and life skills of another human being.  It's extremely easy to forget who you are--your individual self--because of the amount of attention and care that is required by this other being.  And while all of this time and effort that is given to this little human that you're raising is more than worth it--it's still mentally and physically depleting.  

After 5 continuous YEARS of living your life almost entirely for someone else, you begin to find yourself yearning for that 'me time' that comes with shipping your child off to school.  You think about the abundance of money that comes when daycare bills end.  You daydream about eating lunch sitting down, while simultaneously having an uninterrupted adult conversation....and twirling through a field of daisies with the wind gently blowing your hair...

Ok, maybe not the daisy part.

But you get what I'm saying: the start of school seems to be the light at the end of the toddler-stage-of-parenting tunnel.

And here is what actually happens when you let go of that tiny little hand and reassure them that they'll have a great first day of school:

You suddenly have an overwhelming feeling of guilt.

You think "I should've played more games with her!"

and, "Oh, she really is so sweet and polite!"

and, "A full day of school is really long!"

and, "I wish she could stay home just one more day!"

When just the day before, you were thinking "school can't come soon enough!" as you were refereeing a fight between siblings, or answering the 500th "why?" question of the day...

And because of this extreme pendullum swing of emotions, you feel the tears well up in your eyes--and you're grateful that it's a sunny August morning and you're wearing sunglasses.  

You wonder what is wrong with you, and why you feel so sad about this milestone that's been written on the calendar for weeks--for which you had a mental countdown ticker running.  And you try to hold the tears back, to be 'strong' for your child.  You don't want her to see you upset, because you fear that then she'll be upset--which will make you burst into tears right then and there.

Well, I'm here to tell you: there is nothing wrong with you.  

Every mother feels this way.  Even to some degree.  Sure, there may be mothers who don't feel it as strongly as others--but I'm pretty sure we're all in the same boat.

If you're a mother (sorry fathers--I don't think it's as intense for you!), and you have a kindergartener this year--I see you.  

I see you and I don't judge you.  

If you need to run to the car and unload all of those feelings--please do.  

Cry for the toddler that graduated to kindergarten today.  

Cry for the moments that weren't the most pleasant for you or your child.  

Cry for the last 5 years that you were a mother before your individual self.  

Cry for all of the mothers everywhere who share this pain silently.

And then go get yourself the biggest, best cup of coffee you've ever had, and pat yourself on the back for a job well-done on raising an awesome human being that just entered the school system.

If you're not a mother {of a kindergartener} but have a friend who is--give her a hug.  Or take her that awesome cup of coffee and have an uninterrupted adult conversation with her.  

It'll make her day more than you'll ever know.

To all the mothers out there: keep up the good work.

Can you tell we sent our youngest off to school this week? 

The 'Not-So-Tiny' Tiny House Jamboree!

(View from the stage before Zach Giffin and Andrew Morrison spoke.)

Wow.  Where to begin...

I was invited to speak at the first national Tiny House Jamboree in Colorado Springs, which took place last weekend (Aug. 7-9th), and originally I was also going to have a booth for Simplify Your Stuff, as well.

And then we moved 6 hours away.

So, I decided not to have a booth since I wasn't "local" anymore...and boy, am I glad I didn't have to man a booth by myself for 3 days--at an event that brought in 40,000+ people!!

Instead, I got to take in (almost) the entirety of the event.

I had amazing conversations with some of the leaders in the Tiny House movement.

That's right, it's a movement, folks.

This isn't an 'Adkins diet' fad for living in a small house.

This is here to stay.  

It has to.  

Our planet and its resources can't take it anymore.

We need to stop consuming on such a large scale...and a pleasant side effect of dialing back our consumption is not needing to work 40, 50, 60+ hours per week to pay for our ginormous houses!  We can have more time to enjoy life.  What a concept!

What if your monthly electric bill was in the 10's of dollars?  or...FREE?

What if you weren't 'stuck' in utility bills, mortgage payments, and upkeep of a huge house?

What if you knew what every single item in your home was? 

(Can you even fathom that right now?!)

And that's where I fit into all of this.  

I was at the Jamboree to talk about how to simplify your stuff.  

How to get rid of stuff so you can fit into a tiny house!

To speak on a stage that also held individuals who are on TV was quite surreal.  Some people were overheard saying "Oh, Molly--I want to see her speak--she's that organizer girl"...while others were literally wondering why I was there to speak in the first place!

I felt a bit out of place at first.  I was the 3rd speaker on the first day of the event.

There were probably about 150 people listening to me speak (way less than what is pictured above!)--and by no means were people taking pictures of me the way they were of just about everyone else!  (Which is good--that would be weird!)

I recognized some of the other speakers from their blogs, and Facebook pages--but couldn't necessarily tell you their names!  I was kind of on the 'outskirts' of the tiny house movement, I guess.

After my nerves calmed down, when I was finished speaking, I got to mingle and just hang out with people the rest of the weekend.  It was awesome!  To be surrounded by SO many people who share common interests is really invigorating (and a bit overstimulating, too--even for an extrovert!)

My speaking session:

To be honest, most of what I spoke about was a blur...I blame that on nerves.

But, it was also because I sort of followed my note cards, but I improvised too.

And I'm glad I did.  

I spoke from the heart about how we--as a society--are buried under too much stuff.

Our 'good stuff' is under the "got if for free" stuff.

And the "so-and-so gave it to me" stuff.

And the "it was on sale" stuff.

And the "I might need it some day" stuff.

I spoke about how I started Simplify Your Stuff: I helped a friend organize her playroom (4 hours of non-stop, pure bliss for me!)...and how she encouraged me to do this as a 'business.'  To which I never thought anyone would pay for!

I talked about de-owning--not necessarily down-sizing your stuff--but getting rid of excess--and how it truly is freeing.

I gave tips for most areas of your home and how to get started with declutting and de-owning in those areas.

I saw people taking notes, and laughing, and, really 'getting it.'

And that made all of the anticipatory stress of my first public speaking event worth it!

I want to thank Darin and Coles with EcoCabins, for getting this even together!  Their amazing team of employees and volunteers--oh, the volunteers!--made this event spactacular!

I also want to give a big virtual hug to all of the 'tiny house' friends I have now, thanks to the event!  There really is nothing better than feeling connected to people who share a sense of 'common good' for humanity and the planet.

My heart is full.

Here's to living more sustainably, following our passions, and healing the Earth!

In simplicity,

Molly

"SIMPLE"

Have you made it a goal to get organized?

One drawer?

A few rooms?

The whole house?

Use this method to systematically get through your stuff once and for all!

S--Sort

I---Imagine

M--Move

P--Prepare

L--Let go

E--Enjoy!

SORT: When organizing your stuff, it's imperative to sort through the items.  

Buying cute containers and putting every item you own inside of them is NOT organizing your things.  It's just boxing them up!

Sort your items into categories by what you use:

1.  Often

2.  Not so much

3.  Never

Items in #3 can be sold, donated, or trashed (only for true trash please!).

Items in #2 can be stored away (if you don't have space for them, consider getting rid of these too!).

Items in #1 will stay.

IMAGINE: Picture your 'perfect space' and see what's where.

MOVE: Place your items in their 'new home' as you imagined it, and keep them there.  

When you use an item, put it back in its 'home.'  This will keep clutter at bay.

PREPARE: Now's the time to get mentally prepared to send your stuff away.  

The items from #3 above will go away for good and you need to be ok with that.  No one but yourself can give the ok to get rid of things.  It's a mental game for some of us, and once we're prepared mentally, we can get rid of our clutter once and for all.

LET GO: This is where you physically get rid of the unused stuff--for good! 

ENJOY: Sit back, kick your feet up, and enjoy your newly simplified space!

Decluttering and organizing can be a challenging task.  

But if you keep it 'simple' it can be a wonderful thing!

The genders and their 'stuff'

I know there will be people who fall outside of these generalizations that I'm about to make, but for the sake of simplicity in this post--here goes:

Women tend to have more 'fashion-oriented' stuff, and men have more 'hobby-type' stuff.

And here is what we do about that: 

Women--realize that nothing you put on your body will ever change who you are inside.

Men--realize that nothing you have to use for  ______  {fill in the blank} will ever change who you are inside.

Once we realize that who we are is not based on what we wear or what we own, life gets a whole lot simpler.

I recently read this article and it summed it up nicely.  Women tend to buy more to try to BE more...and that's exactly what our consumeristic society wants you to do.  But the message we receive from advertisers is that we're inadequate {without whatever they're selling}--not because that's the truth--but because that will make the companies a buck. It's always about profit.  Always has been, and always will be.

Once you can read between the lines (and realize the lie that you're being fed), everything makes sense and it's easier to NOT buy things thinking they will make you someone you're not.

I stopped wearing make-up over 5 years ago.  

(I didn't wear a lot to begin with, but I did actually put something on my face every day.)

No one has ever said a word to me about not wearing make-up.  Even if someone had, it wouldn't have made a difference anyway.  Sure, my skin gets a bit shiny here and there, but besides glaring a flash from my face in a random picture--it doesn't reduce my quality of life one bit.

And it saves me a whole lot of time and money every day.

{I can hear some of you gasping as you read this right now!}  

It might feel scary to do it--but I challenge every single lady reading this right now to go somewhere without any make-up on (a place you would normally wear it)--and see if you survive.  (Also, take note of how much faster you get ready!)

Then move on to clothing.

See if you can simplify what you wear for one week--then two--then three.

{And leave me a comment on the Facebook page so I know you did it!}

And now for the men...

Since I'm a woman, I can't speak from personal experience, but from what I see when helping clients organize:

Men want to keep memorabilia from their childhood--but hopefully they've grown a bit since then!  Sure, it's a nice reminder of fun times, but if it's not serving a purpose now--get rid of it.  (And please don't keep it because you're "saving it for the kids"--because they'll just keep it stored in a box and won't want to get rid of it because you gave it to them!)

Men also want to keep "manly" things like tools and gear and 'guy' stuff--even if they haven't used it in YEARS.  It doesn't make them any tougher (or smarter or stronger) just by having an accumulation of things they don't use.  

So let them go.

Like I said before: I realize these are very broad generalizations--but if you fit into one of these categories, do yourself a favor and evaluate what you have and where you'd like to spend your time.

It's worth the hard work.  I promise.