Lately...

... life has been busy, and the house is looking neglected.  The toys seem to be taking over.

... we've gone outside to inspect for things that are growing (and found some - even the rhubarb that I thought I had killed last summer is poking its head up).

... I made some all-natural solid lotion bars. I'm just waiting for them to harden right now so I can test them out.

... I went shopping with my birthday money and ended up feeling exhausted, frustrated and nearly empty-handed (I only bought 2 tank tops and a t-shirt after 2 hours of kid-free shopping).  I need some new things for spring and summer (espeically some nicer things), but more and more I don't enjoy shopping for myself.  I don't know what styles look good on me (don't want to wear anything that resembles maternity clothes) and I hate changing rooms (does anything make your self-esteem plummet quicker than being in that little room??).  That evening I came down with a fever/chills and ached all over.  I think it was a reaction to the mall. :P

... I got a new pair of ugly custom orthotic sandals (think of something your grandmother would wear).  They're just for in the house, so I'm okay with the fact that they make me look about 75, but they're actually not that comfortable!  I got a new pair because I'd been having problems with my feet and this was supposed to help, but now I've got pain in my right heel that wasn't there before.  Is it just getting used to something new?  Or should I take them back and complain?

... I've been baking more.

... the fish (Annika's birthday present) has been quite lethargic.  I'm actually expecting her to go belly-up any day now (hopefully while she's still on the 30 day warranty!).  I did some quick reading on the web and I think it may be that her water's too cold (it's just room temperature).  But I'm not about to go buy a heater for her, so I'm not sure what else to do for her.  Start knitting little fish sweaters?? ;)

... I ordered wooden peg dolls for Annika's dollhouse, and I've been scouring the web and Pinterest and Etsy for ideas for painting them once they arrive.  They seem to be quite popular as wedding cake toppers, as I've seen quite a few bride and groom dolls.  Annika was looking at the pictures with me, and loved the wedding ones, so we'll have to include those in our set! :)  They're pretty cute, aren't they?  I like the style where they just have eyes and the rest of the face is left blank.  I was wondering about arms, though - I've seen some with arms painted on the side, or some that just leave the arms out completely.  Which do you think looks better?

Source: justalittlecreativity.com via Pamela on Pinterest

Wedding couple, no arms

Source: blogtownmom.com via Pamela on Pinterest

Family, with arms (at their sides, sort of hard to see)

So that's what we've been up to lately.  I'm looking forward to May and hoping for a slower pace, good health for everyone and warmer days!

Someday...

Someday I will sit at my table and drink a cup of coffee before it gets cold.
Someday I will not have a "just-in-case" change of underwear in my purse.
Someday I will carry just a purse, and not a diaper bag!
Someday I will not have to clean up the same mess 5 times in one day.
Someday I will only have to wipe my own bum.
Someday I will not find socks in my Tupperware, toys between the couch cushions or snotty kleenexes in my pocket (or at least they'll just be my own kleenexes).

But...

Someday I will not be able to heal an injury with just a hug and a kiss.

Someday I will not carry a sleeping child in from the car, and feel how perfectly their little head fits on my shoulder, just under my chin.

Someday they will not want to hold my hand.

Someday I will not be able to peek in and watch them sleeping before I go to bed.

Someday I will no longer be called "mommy".

Someday I will not be at the center of their universe.

There are some days when it seems like "someday" can't come soon enough.  But there are other days when it feels like it will be here far too soon.

I just couldn't do it

So you all know that I've been decluttering lately and part of that involves getting rid of things.  Some things have gone in the garbage, some were given away and some were sold.  However, I found out the other day that there was one thing that I just wasn't ready to get rid of - Annika's flower girl dress.

Annika was flower girl for my brother and sister-in-law's wedding, almost 2 years ago.  She was absolutely gorgeous in her dress (I may be biased), and I was so proud of her that day, as she actually walked down the aisle with the ring-bearer.  I wasn't expecting her to do it - I thought she'd chicken out for sure.  When she made it to the end of the aisle, I was almost in tears (I was also about 2 months pregnant at the time, so I had a right to be emotional!).  My little girl, who was just 2 at the time, seemed so grown up!

As much as I loved her dress, I thought it was now time to get rid of it, as it no longer fit her (even later that summer it was starting to get tight), and there was really no point to hanging onto it (other than for sentimental reasons, but I told myself that I had lots of pictures - I didn't need the actual dress to remember the day).  So, I was going to sell it.  I didn't want much for it, since it was actually really inexpensive to begin with.  We bought it on eBay (new), and I think the shipping was more than the dress!  Also, my brother and sister-in-law paid for the dress, as their gift to us.  So I thought I wouldn't ask for much, but it would be nice to get it out of the closet and the few bucks I'd get for it would go for something like new shoes for Annika, or something that she actually needed.  I figured if I was going to sell it, I would have to do it soon, because if I waited much longer than the styles would change and nobody would want it. 

I brought it with me to the Y Neighbours sale last Saturday, and had it on display all morning.  I was quite prepared to sell it.  A few people showed interest, but no takers.  So I brought back home and listed it on Kijiji.  On Monday morning I had an email from someone who wanted to buy it.  She wanted to know when she could come get it.

And suddenly, with the reality of parting with it staring me in the face... 

I just couldn't do it.

I wasn't ready to get rid of it.  I thought if I sold it, I would regret it one day.  I would regret not being able to show it to Annika when she was older, since she may not actually remember being the flower girl.  I would regret not having it to possibly pass along, if someday my brother and sister-in-law had a little girl (even if it would be just for her to play dress-up with). 

So I emailed this lady back and told her that, unfortunately, it was no longer available. 

So now the dress is still hanging in our closet (I took it out of Annika's closet a while ago, and she actually didn't even notice that it was gone!).  I'm not quite sure what to do with it, or where to put it, but I just know that I want to keep it for now.  Is this a decluttering fail?  I don't think so.  I think defining clutter is a very subjective thing, and we all prioritize items differently.  This dress may be clutter to someone else, but I've decided that it's not clutter for me (which is maybe the problem with having a lot of storage space - you have room to be a little less discerning with what is clutter!).  It's quite likely that someday Annika will look at the dress and say "Mom, why did you hang onto this thing for so long??" (I *may* have said similar words to my own mother for keeping my flower girl dress :P), and I'm not sure I'll have a decent explanation for her, but I'll know that I made the right decision at the time - a decision that I don't regret.

Another Y Neighbours sale

Yesterday morning my Y Neighbours group put on another "used kids' toy and clothing" sale.  I believe this is the 8th sale I've helped out with, and it was the 2nd time that I also had a table (well, shared a table).  It was a busy week last week, as I not only had to do general group things to get ready for the sale (putting up posters and signs; baking - I made 2 banana bread loaves and 2 pans of brownies), but I also had to get stuff ready for my table.  I've been putting aside clothes and toys and other items that the kids have grown out of for a while now, but I had to go through everything and sort it and price it.  I didn't have anything big to sell (already sold our exersaucer and bouncy chair on Kijiji a while ago), so it was mostly just clothes and a few other things that I was selling, and I did pretty well.  I had a bunch of winter things that I wasn't sure if they would sell (since it's not the right season), and I came home with most of them, but that's okay.  I'll put them on Kijiji by fall and I'm sure I won't have any problem getting rid of them.  The one thing that bothers me about the sale is that I'm pretty sure that someone stole a pair of Robeez slippers from me.  They weren't in my stuff coming home, and I just don't recall selling them to anyone (and I'm pretty sure I would remember that because I loved them - bought them at last year's sale!).  It just irks me because I was selling them for only $5 (they're normally about $25-30 new and they were in great condition) and I would've taken $3 if they had asked, and someone steals them?  Really???  Who does that?? (*shakes head*).

Anyways, other than that, it was a fun morning, and I did fairly well with controlling my own shopping.  We're pretty much set with toys and clothes for both kids (other than a few specific items for summer), so there wasn't really anything that I needed.  I got a new movie for Annika (it's a bunch of old Mickey Mouse cartoons), and I got sandals for Emmett (which he needed, and they were only $1 in great condition) and this awesome sweater vest for $2.

I'm a sucker for sweater vests with argygle, which you may have noticed....

It'll probably be something that comes up in therapy when Emmett's all grown up... ;)

(by the way, he's not crying because of the sweater vest - he's upset because he saw me getting his church snack ready and I didn't let him have any - just wanted to clarify that).

I also got this neat little train for free (yay!) because it's missing the joiner pieces.  For now we've improvised with some pipe cleaners to keep it together.  I also got a jacket for Annika for free (at the end of the sale, people don't want to take stuff home!).



So it was a win-win-win morning - it was good for the group (this was one of our most successful sales), it was good for me to get rid of stuff, and it was good to pick up a few new-to-me things.  I also got to go out for lunch with a few of the other Y Neighbours ladies afterwards, which was fun. :) 

The birthday weekend - part 3

Last one!  Sunday...

We began the day by going to Sunday School and church.  In Sunday School, Annika got to pick a present from the "birthday box" and she chose bubbles (I love presents that can be used up and then thrown away!).  After church we went out for lunch to Boston Pizza (Annika's favorite) with some friends of ours.  Again I forgot my camera! :P  At the restaurant they sang happy birthday to us, and brought us each a giant birthday dessert.  Seriously, it was huge - 2 pieces of brownie and 2 scoops of ice cream on each plate.  Good work, Boston Pizza. :)  One of the friends we were with had also recently had a birthday, so between the three desserts, there was enough for everyone!  Funny thing was, Annika was actually upset when she saw her dessert (they brought it out when she was in the bathroom, and then came back to sing happy birthday).  She wanted the little chocolate pizza that comes with the kids' meal, and when she saw this dessert, she thought that she wouldn't get her chocolate pizza (but she did).  I think in the end she just ended up eating the chocolate pizza and Carey ate most of her dessert.  Silly girl. :P

When we got home, Emmett went down for his nap, and Annika got to watch "Shrek Forever After", which had been a present from Emmett.  It was so funny - when Emmett "gave" her the present, she was so amazed that Emmett had gotten her a present and she said "how did he know I wanted this??" ;)  So now we have the entire Shrek collection (some of you may remember her Shrek-themed cake from last year.  Shrek is a favorite around here).

After nap time we went over to my parents' place for one more birthday dinner.  My mom had hidden our presents, so Annika and I went on a treasure hunt to find our gifts.  Annika got some clothes, light-up shoes (I think her face lit up as bright as the shoes when she saw those!), a new outfit for her doll and a sticker book.  She also got an ice cream parlor Play-doh set from my brother and sister-in-law.  My gifts were a card (with a cheque) and some clear plastic shoeboxes (great for organizing stuff!  What a nerd I am. ;) ).  For supper my dad barbequed steak (my request), and for dessert my sister-in-law made an ice cream cake and my mom made key lime pie (so Annika and I each got to blow out our candles separately).  No shortage of good food over the weekend!

I have to say, I love this picture of Annika and Emmett.  It makes me laugh.  Emmett definitely noticed that Annika was getting a lot more attention than him over the weekend, and he wasn't too happy about it.  He wanted to be part of the action too.  It looks like she's about to hit him in the eye, but he snuck under her arm and dodged the elbow.  And here's finally a birthday picture of me!  (It's my blog, so I wasn't about to post the unflattering blowing-out-the-candles picture!). 

Lastly, here's a few pics of Emmett - like I said before, he definitely feeling a bit left out this weekend, but I think he still had fun.

So that was our weekend.  It was fun, but crazy, and we all needed a day to recuperate afterwards, especially Annika.  Monday was a really hard day for her (and for me).  Hopefully as she gets older this will get easier, or at least I'll get better at scheduling it all and making it work.  Thanks for those who read all these birthday posts - now onto other things (as I have told Annika several times already, when she's brought up the topic of her 5th birthday!  Enough birthday stuff already!!).

The birthday weekend - part 2

First of all, I need to go back to Friday (part 1), because I forgot one thing that happened on  Friday morning - we got to Skype with friends of ours that recently moved across the country!  Annika loves Skype-ing, and she was quite happy to see her little friend, if only for a few minutes. :)

Okay, now on to Saturday, April 14, which was the day of Annika's "butterfly" birthday party, and my birthday.  After last year, I had sworn that I wouldn't have a party for her after her birthday, because I wanted my birthday to be MY DAY, but this year it just worked out best to have her party on Saturday afternoon, on my birthday.  Oh well, next year will be different. ;)

So, I spent the majority of the morning getting ready for the party, however, I had done all the major cleaning and stuff like that on Friday already, so it was mostly just decorating, making juice, prepping the craft, etc.  Earlier in the week I had received a coupon from Starbucks for a free birthday coffee, so Carey took the kids out for a drive and picked up a coffee for me while I was getting stuff ready.  They also got me a Starbucks gift card (my favorite kind of present), so now I can enjoy a few more coffees. :) 

Waiting for 2:00 to arrive (the time the party started) was absolute agony for Annika.  I think she asked me "when are my friends coming?" about every 3 minutes, starting around 12:30.  This was her first real birthday party, and to say she was excited about it would definitely be an understatement!  We invited 3 kids (2 girls and a boy) that she knew from Y Neighbours and preschool, so it was a small party, but still big enough for me! 

Here are a few pictures:

The decorations

I bought a few butterfly decorations from the dollar store and Annika and I made the rest from tissue paper and pipe cleaners (original source here).  I had seen a few fancier decorating ideas on Pinterest, but I liked that these were something that we could do together, because Annika wanted very much to be involved with getting ready for her party.  And it was quite fun making them with her, just trying to keep Emmett from ripping them was a bit of a challenge!  The butterfly "confetti" on the table came from Florida, from the butterfly garden we visited, which is what started this whole thing in the first place!

The craft

I came across the idea for these butterfly wands on Pinterest (original source here) and I thought they'd be a great craft for the kids.  The craft was done in intervals, as we painted the butterfly shapes first, then played games while they dried, then decorated them with gems, stickers and glitter glue, then had cake while they dried again, and then finally glued it all together.  Annika and I had actually made one as a "trial run" the week before, and I'm glad we did, so I had a pretty good idea how long everything would take.  Or so I thought!!  When Annika and I did the decorating, she took a long time carefully decorating the butterfly with as many gems and stickers I'd allow her to have.  When the kids did it at the party, they were way faster, and barely used any of the stickers and gems!  Oh well!!  I think they still had fun with it.

The games

I had 2 games planned, which I thought would take a while, but just like the craft, the kids were faster than I anticipated.  I guess that's a lesson for birthday party planning - plan twice as many activities as you think you'll have time for!  The games also were keeping in the "butterfly" theme.  The first game we played was making toilet paper cocoons.  The kids had to pretend they were caterpillars and they took turns being wrapped up in a toilet paper "cocoon" and then breaking out as a butterfly.  Annika went first, and she didn't really get the concept at first.  She kept pulling her arms out whenever I wrapped the toilet paper around them.  Then she saw the other kids get all wrapped up, and she wanted another turn. :)  The other game I planned was a butterfly hunt.  I had printed out pictures of butterflies and hid them around the house, and then gave each kid a paper that had all the pictures on it, like a bingo card, and they had to find each butterfly and put a sticker on the square when they found it.

The cake

I found the idea for the cake on Pinterest (original source here), and it looked so much easier than it was!  My problem was that I didn't freeze the cake enough before cutting and icing it, so I had a really hard time getting the icing to stick to the cut sides without the cake crumbling to pieces.  Also, once I cut it and arranged it on my cake plate, it was almost too big, and when I put the cover on, it squished the sides.  But it tasted good, so that's what's really important, right?  We also had strawberries, chips and dip, and gummi butterflies and caterpillars (aka gummi worms).

The birthday girl

The dress and the butterfly necklace (which is kind of hard to see among the polka dots) were gifts from us.  Doesn't she look so grown up!

I forgot to take a picture of the take-home bags (not that they were anything fancy), but each kid got a pair of butterfly wings (the little boy got a butterfly net), a package of glowstick bracelets (a favorite of Annika's), some butterfly stickers and some gummis.  I had originally wanted to make the butterfly wings (see idea here), but it turned out to be too expensive.  I may still try to make a pair for Annika (some day, when I get my crafting mojo back!).  I had also made some all-natural lip balms that I had wanted to include, but I wasn't happy with the results (too soft) and I didn't have time to make a new batch.

So that was Annika's party!  The party ended at 4:00, and we had dinner reservations for 6:00, so that left a little while to do some quick tidying up and resting before going out.  I had told Carey a while back that I wanted to celebrate my 30th birthday by going out for supper with our friends, with no kids.  Originally this had offended Annika greatly - I didn't want her at my birthday party?!?  However, she got over it, and the kids went to Carey's parents' place while we went out.  We went to a fondue restaurant with 2 other couples.  We had invited more people, and I have to admit, at first I was quite disappointed at the number of people who couldn't make it due to other plans.  However, we had a great time with the people who came, and it was a really nice size of group, as we could all share a fondue burner and we could all talk to each other (if there had been more people, we would've been "split", even though we would all be at the same table).  We ate and ate and ate!!  We had a bread and cheese fondue, salads, dinner fondue with beef, pork, chicken and seafood and for dessert, white and dark chocolate fondues with fruit, marshmallows and banana bread.  I think we were there for about 3 hours.  It was a great time, and I'm really sad that I left my camera at home.  I don't even have any pictures of me on my birthday! 

One more day to go!  Part 3 coming soon...

The birthday weekend - part 1

Well, after 3 straight days jam-packed with birthday celebrations, I have so many pictures and stories to share that I think I'm going to break it into 2 or 3 posts.  I'll start with Friday, April 13th, which was Annika's birthday.

Actually, I'm going to start on Thursday, the day before Annika's birthday.  I baked and decorated the cake for her party on Saturday, and the cupcakes for taking to preschool on Friday afternoon.  And as always, she was very excited to lick the beaters (I think I have a picture of her like this from just about every year).  This year Emmett even got to join in on the fun.

I baked everything in the morning and then did the decorating while Emmett was napping and Annika was having quiet time.  I needed them out from under my feet to concentrate on the decorating!  These kids literally like to be "underfoot" when I'm doing something in the kitchen.  They pick a spot as close to me as possible to play, making it quite difficult to move around without stepping on one of them (or on one of their toys, or on the entire contents of my Tupperware drawer that they've emptied...).  Anyways, the cake turned out to be more challenging than it looked online, which makes me think that from now on I may just do cupcakes for birthdays.  Remember how pretty the cupcakes were for Emmett's birthday?  I can do cupcakes fairly well and fairly easily - why do I continually stress myself out doing cakes??? 

On Friday morning, Annika was so excited when she woke up.  She even told me "I'm bigger now when I stand up", now that she was four. ;)  Carey was already at work when she woke up, but he was able to make a quick stop at home while she was eating breakfast and we gave her one of her birthday presents - a betta fish!  A while ago she told me that she wanted a kitten for her birthday (no way that was happening!!), and I told her, "well, maybe a fish", so we got her a fish (I'm sure she had already forgotten about that conversation, but she was pretty excited to get it).

She's looking at her reflection in a mirror, and "fighting" herself

They were both quite enthralled.  They also had a bowl of Cheerios there between them - I probably could've gone out shopping for an hour and they would've been in the same place when I returned!!

Annika decided that it was a girl fish and we named her "Scarlet" (because she's red).  I'll admit, I suggested the name (along with a few others) and strongly encouraged Annika towards it, because Annika wanted to name the fish something like "princess alla balla" (or something like that - it changed every time she said it).

After lunch I took Annika to preschool, along with 2 dozen butterfly cupcakes.  I must say, I'm pretty proud of how they turned out.  I even put aside my need for perfection and let Annika help with putting the butterflies on top (with my assistance).  She had a great time at school, as she got a birthday crown and a card from her teachers, and everyone sang happy birthday to her.

By supper time we headed over to Carey's parents' place to celebrate with them and his sister.  Annika had requested crepes for a birthday supper, and they was delicious.  For dessert we had Dairy Queen ice cream cake (my request).  Annika received some great presents, including a box set of 3,000 stickers (she is obsessed with stickers - I always joke that she goes through them like air), a few other gifts from us, and this awesome dollhouse, handmade by Carey's dad.  I know she doesn't look terribly excited in the picture below, but she absolutely loves it.  We put it in her room, and I hear her playing with it all the time (and even at times when she shouldn't be, like when I send her upstairs to get a sweater or something!).  Right now she's just using some Little People stuff to play with it, but I'd like to get some little wooden dolls and simple wooden furniture to go with it.

So that was day 1!  Stay tuned for a recap of Saturday's events...

Happy birthday to me

Yesterday was Annika's birthday, today is mine (and I'm 30!).

I had a great idea for a birthday blog post, but I didn't have a chance to put it together in time, what with getting ready for Easter and Annika's party (which was today).  Maybe sometime soon.  For now, I just want to put my feet up for a few minutes before getting ready to go out to celebrate me (since we have thoroughly celebrated Annika, now it's my turn!!).  Come back in a few days for pictures and details of all the celebrations.

Happy birthday Annika!



My little girl is 4!

What a year this has been.  Far more "terrible" than the twos, but also a lot of fun.  It's been incredible to see her growing up - going to school, making friends, overcoming some of her shyness and becoming more adventurous (in small doses - she still have a ways to go!).  She is smart and creative and funny and silly and inquistive and sensitive.  She loves being a big sister, as long as Emmett isn't touching her stuff.  ;)  She challenges me and makes me smile every day.  I love her.

Here's how she's grown in the past year...



May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

Happy birthday Annika!



Random thoughts on a Thursday morning

Butterflies
Butterflies
Butterflies

Annika's birthday is tomorrow and her party is on Saturday (which is also my birthday) and the theme is butterflies.  I'm seeing butterflies everywhere.  Seriously, even in my dreams.  Last night I woke up from a dream, and I don't remember anything about it other than it was about butterflies...  and it wasn't good.  After that I tossed and turned for about 2.5 hours before I could get back to sleep (it wasn't just from the butterflies though).  That happens to me every now and then - I wake up in the middle of the night and it takes me a long time to get back to sleep.  Usually I'll just get back to sleep and then Carey's alarm will start going off. :P  I used to have more trouble with falling asleep at the beginning of the night, but that never seems to be a problem anymore (nowadays I can hardly keep my eyes open past 10:30!).  I know that I should get up and read or something rather than tossing and turning, but I have a hard time getting out of bed.  There's something ingrained in me that says "you're not going to fall asleep if you're not in bed". 

So, another cup of coffee and on with the day.  Today I'm baking cupcakes for Annika to take to preschool tomorrow and the cake for the party on Saturday, as well as getting the house ready for the party (Annika and I made butterfly decorations out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners).  I'm guessing that I'll be dreaming of butterflies again tonight...

The end of Lent - my adventures in decluttering

Lent is now over, however, my decluttering journey will still be ongoing.  I think I did pretty well at "giving up" clutter for Lent, but it's definitely an ongoing process.  I was hoping that I would be able to finish strong during this last week of Lent, but unfortunately due to an extremely busy schedule, I was barely able to keep up with basic stuff like dishes and laundry, never mind decluttering.  That's also the reason I haven't been posting much lately - just so busy!!  Here's what life was the past week -

Monday - Y Neighbours leaders' meeting in the afternoon (last one I'll have to go to, my term is almost up).
Tuesday - Y Neighbours in the morning, hair appointment and grocery shopping in the afternoon, worship team practice after supper.
Wednesday - Annika had preschool in the afternoon, then haircuts for both the kids and swimming lessons (which all 4 of us go to!) after supper.
Thursday - I had to go to the eye doctor in the morning and have my eyes dilated so she could check my retinas (she was a bit concerned at my last regular appointment because I sometimes see little "floaties" in my vision - which is actually quite common, but she just wanted to check everything out anyway).  Everything turned out fine with my eyes, but the process messed up my vision for a few hours, and so I spent most of the afternoon sleeping because I felt a bit dizzy and nauseous otherwise.
Friday - Good Friday service in the morning, Easter supper at Carey's parents' place.
Saturday - one day with nothing planned!
Sunday - Easter Sunday service in the morning (our worship team lead the singing), Easter supper at my parents' place.
Monday (today) - appointment at the physiotherapist to get new orthotic shoes (I have terrible feet).
This coming week is almost as busy, with getting ready for mine and Annika's birthdays on the weekend.

I'm so thankful that both my parents and my inlaws live close by (as well as Carey's sister and my brother and sister-in-law) - I'm not sure how I would've gotten through the past week without them.  Anyways, that was all a bit of a tangent (just wanted to justify my lack of cleaning and blog posting) - back to decluttering.

Here's how my list ended up:

• Recipe binder
• Office
  • Kids' craft stuff
  • Drawers
  • Filing cabinet
  • Bookshelf
• Laundry room
• Email inbox
• Annika's closet
• Emmett's closet
• Our closet
• Our bathroom
• Kids' bathroom
• Main floor bathroom
• Front closet
• Back closet
• Upstairs storage closet
• Kitchen cabinets/drawers
• Pantry
• Fridge
• Freezer
• PVR
• Kids' toys
• Guitar music binder
• Sewing stuff

I didn't get everything done, but honestly, I wasn't really expecting to get it all done.  I'm very happy with the things I've accomplished so far, and with what I've learned during this process and the new little habits that are forming.  Here's just a few of the things I've learned during the past 40 (or so) days, as I've attempted to declutter, downsize and organize:

• I have been blessed with so much.
• I feel better physically, mentally and spiritually when our house is clean and organized.
• It is hard work keeping our house clean and organized (especially with 2 little people that seem to always trail behind me, making messes in my wake).
• Sometimes a photograph is the best way to remember something or someone.
• Some things are hard to let go of, and that's okay.  Decluttering doesn't happen overnight.  Put it back on the shelf and revisit it again in a few months and see if you're ready then.
• It's hard to break old habits and make new ones.
• It's okay to get rid of stuff that people have given to you (this was a hard one for me - I feel guilty getting rid of gifts, but I just can't hang onto everything!).
• Getting rid of stuff does not equal getting rid of memories (this one kind of goes together with the photograph one and the gift one)
• Having a lot of stuff does not lead to happiness.
• Not everything you buy needs to be purchased new.

So even though that Lent is over, I will be continuing on my decluttering journey.  My next project is going through the kids' closets and toys.  My Y Neighbours used toy and clothing sale is coming up soon, and I have a table at the sale, so that will be a good way to get rid of a bunch of stuff.  Now I just need to take the time to sort through everything and price it! :P

Thanks for coming along on this journey.  I'm so amazed at the number of people who have told me in the past few weeks that I've inspired them to do some decluttering.  Keep up with it!  It really is good for the soul.

Haircuts

Yesterday I took the kids to get their hair cut.  I take them to my stylist, who is very good with children, but still it was a bit of a gong show.  Emmett was even worse than at his first hair cut (he wouldn't even sit in the chair by himself - I had to sit in the chair with him in my lap :P).  But we came out of there with everyone's hair shorter, so we'll call it a success.  Here's some pics:

Emmett before...

(we called him our little hippie boy)

Emmett after...

(he had to change shirts because he wouldn't wear the cape and there was hair everywhere)

Annika before

Annika after

Annika just had her bangs trimmed because she wants to grow out the rest of her hair, but her bangs were in serious need of cutting!  She also got some "hair sparkles" (aka hair tinsel) put in, which I was trying to catch in the photo, but it didn't really work.

Lighten up

Yesterday I got my hair highlighted (an early birthday present to myself - my birthday is next week and it's the big 3-OH!).  I can't even remember the last time I dyed my hair.  I know I did it once at home (just a wash out) a few months after Emmett was born, but that was probably almost a year ago.  It's a little more subtle than what I wanted, but I did ask for something that looked pretty natural, so it wouldn't be so obvious when it started to grow out (since I won't be maintaining it).  Even in this picture, the highlights don't really show up that well, but I thought it was a nice picture, and I don't post pictures of myself very often, so here you go.

PS.  I'm thinking about taking out my nose ring.  I've had it for 10 years now, and I'm wondering if it's time.  What do you think?