one little bag makes a big difference

We started using all those Walmart and Dollar General bags for more than just garbage bags in the bathroom. Once a season I grab a handful of bags and we fill them. I go room by room and fill the bags. Junk. Recycling. Give away. Donate. It doesn't feel like you're getting rid of much if you're only filling small bags.

Fill the bags until you're out of bags, out of patience, or out of stuff. It's usually about 5-8 bags at a time. Nice and easy. After all those Home Edit shows and Marie Kondo, it's easier to find joy and simplicity in organization. It feels good to purge and remove clutter. It also helps to have a mini me who wants to help. 

We now have 6 bags to give to a friend's daughter. There are 3 bags to pass back to a friend. There is 1 bag of sheets and towels to donate to the animal shelter. There is 1 bag for the homeless shelter. 1 bag for recycling. 

Impending cold weather means that we will be sitting at home more. Sitting home means you know notice things. Noticing things means feeling overwhelmed by amounts of pure stuff. And in my case, we create a fun little bonding activity by helping each other get rid of stuff. 

Making little changes mean big things. And it all starts with boredom and some little bags. It's an optical illusion. If you thought you had to fill a garbage bag, then you'd panic or get annoyed. Filling little bags makes big impact :)

figuring out how to do it all

Every once in awhile, my cup starts to empty. It's okay. It's expected. Most days I know when to take a step back or when to soldier on. Some days, I forget and go full force. This leads to mental chaos and some negative repercussions. 

This last week has been A WEEK. I was overwhelmed and feeling pulled and stretched in too many directions. I had a moment or two and may have turned off my phone indefinitely. I definitely had some afternoon wine (that is wine in a fancy glass drank before it is socially acceptable to do so!). It got better, though.

I have this perception of myself that I cannot falter, cannot lose it, cannot have a moment. I don't know why, but I do. I fully enforce a woman's right to be a bad ass, a lazy ass, or a crazy ass. Whatever works for you. I just don't always follow my own rules.

I saw this picture and realized it was a right place, right time thing. I needed to see this. It reminds me to take a deep breath and roll with it. Emails can wait. Texts can wait. If I need to sit for 5 minutes and deep breathe, it is okay. The world will not stop turning. People can carry on without me if needed.

The nice thing is that I decided to order takeout because I just didn't want to cook. I wanted to get takeout and chill out with my kid and play with slime. So I look like fun mom because we got subs and sodas. I got cool mom points because we had more time to play with slime. I was good mom because I was able to relax and enjoy something fun and stress relieving while spending some QT with my cutie and she was none the wiser.

Don't forget to keep your cups full during these stressful times! Do whatever you need to do. We will wait for you :)