Author: Cheryl Wilcox

Decluttering Checklist: Week One

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This week I checked off:

  • Cheryl’s clothing
  • Hannah’s clothing
  • living room
  • laundry room (1/2 bath)
  • upstairs bathroom

I purged quite a bit of girl’s size 10 hand-me-downs that we would not likely use. I also got rid of a few bath toys with Mary’s permission and some play make-up with Hannah’s permission. After years of decluttering, the bathrooms are really down to just items we use regularly.

I wrote about our purchasing new living room furniture in January. Back then we took away our old entertainment center cabinets where we stored DVD’s, and purchased a new TV console that had less storage space in it. I went through the DVD’s with most of the kids and purged several of them. Then I stored most of our DVD’s on a bookshelf in the nearby foyer closet. (See photo below.) My saints DVD’s, our Wii games and accessories, and electronic components are stored in the TV console, and Christmas DVD’s are stored elsewhere.  The living room is also home to most of Sarah’s sheet music (near her piano) and the girls’ Kindle Fires, which are stored inside of the loveseat and in an end table drawer. In another end table drawer, we store all remote controls.

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Operation Joyful Space 2.0

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Operation Joyful Space, my plan to declutter my whole house in six months has failed. Halfway through the six months, I have barely completely the tasks of the first month. I have my excuses. There were March birthdays, and three nights of Footloose the Musical. There was the announcement that the high school where my son is a junior and my daughter is a sophomore will be closing at the end of this school year; and the efforts made to try to keep the school open. (Which have succeeded, for 2018-2019 at least.) And there was my mom’s 70th birthday dinner, and my brother and his wife and son stayed with us, and Easter….

And maybe there was also some procrastination going on. Sometimes it’s hard to get started. Six months sounds like a big commitment.

So today I got back to it. I made a new checklist Decluttering the Whole House. I’ve sorted the areas in my home by the amount of time I’m guessing it will take to declutter them. There are small projects, larger projects and major projects. I intend to pick at the smaller ones daily for at least 15 minutes a day. During the upcoming April school vacation, I plan on tackling the larger projects and maybe a major one. I want to focus on this and GET IT DONE!! I also want to post my progress on this weekly, on Sundays, to give me some accountability.

Today I knocked off the first task: Cheryl’s clothing. I packed my out-of-season clothes in a bin, and stored it in the basement. What is currently stored in my dresser and in my closet? My Spring Capsule Wardrobe, pajamas, work-out clothing, yardwork/cleaning clothes, my movie popcorn T-shirt, and my bathing suit. I’ll do a Spring Capsule Wardrobe post soon. And I’ll be back on Sunday.

How I Found My Passions in 15 Minutes

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If you could do anything, what would you do?

This was today’s reflection question on Dynamic Catholic’s Best Lent Ever.  I immediately thought, I can’t think of anything.  I had just woken up.  I texted my sister about it and she didn’t think she’d come up with anything either. I told her that because I don’t have much free time, I don’t really know what I love to do. I’m just trying to keep up with what I think I have to do.

So a little later, I got out my journal and I wrote reading and writing. I know I like those.  To dig a little deeper, I imagined I was single and I didn’t have to work. What would I do if I had plenty of money and no responsibilities to other people? I assumed I would have a tidy, minimalist home and just hours in the day to fill up with whatever I wanted. I set a timer for 15 minutes. Ideas began to come.  It seems I would like to:

Read, Study or Learn

  • languages, maybe French, Spanish, Italian, Latin
  • certain historical subjects, like Church history, or Colonial America
  • the Bible
  • about the saints
  • spiritual classics
  • my family geneology

Go Visit Places

  • pilgrimages, such as famous Marian shrines, or back to the Holy Land
  • Europe, especially Italy and Paris
  • Private beaches, maybe even live on or near one

Do a Few Activities

  • hiking with other people (don’t want to be alone in the woods)
  • go to Broadway plays, especially musicals
  • take walks on the beach and watch the ocean
  • a 30 day Spiritual Exercises retreat (and other retreats)
  • write and illustrate children’s books

I also had a couple of more personal answers that I don’t want to blog about today. It was only 15 minutes, but this was a good start. I was happy to learn that I do have some interests, and some I could pursue in the near future or even now.

The motivation for simplifying my life (Operation Joyful Space, capsule wardrobes, streamlining home management, reducing distractions …) is so that I can spend more time on things that are important to me. I have been taking care of my family and home for many years. More recently, I have been doing the meditation, eating better and exercising. These things are very important, but that doesn’t mean I always enjoy them.  I plan to share these ideas with Bobby, pray about them, and see what happens. Some of these ideas would seem like work to me at this season in my life, so I would need to choose wisely.

 

 

Planning the Spring Capsule Wardrobe

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I recently wrote about my Winter Capsule Wardrobe and that I was eagerly awaiting The Stay at Home Mom Capsule Wardrobe ebook on the blog, Classy Yet Trendy. It turned out that I wasn’t attracted to it. I don’t care for the colors blush and coral, which I could have substituted with other colors, but I also don’t like to wear leggings. I really liked the French Minimalist Spring Capsule Wardrobe. So I bought the ebook!

This is a whole new style for me. Last spring, I mostly wore boot cut jeans or old tan cargo-style capri pants, along with T-shirts that Bobby brought home for me from foreign countries. And everyday I wore black Teva athletic sandals. When I was cleaning or mowing the lawn, I wore my Yoda T-shirt. (I’ll probably still do that.)

So I planned my Winter Capsule Wardrobe without an ebook. I had loads of winter clothes, and I only purchased a few items. This spring one is the opposite. I only have a few items, and I needed to purchase loads of them. So that’s what I’ve been doing this week. I bought some online and I did a shopping marathon yesterday. I didn’t even eat or use a restroom for about six hours! Crazy!

I’ll be interested to see if these items will last for a long time. In fact, I have beaucoup (That’s French for many.) questions:

Will I not need to buy anything next spring?

Will some of these items be used in the summer capsule wardrobe?

Should I buy the black handbag and beige tote? They look cool, but if I get them, what would I put in them besides my money belt? What does a French minimalist carry?

Can I pass on the other accessories? Necklaces and bandana scarves might be too over the top for me. I feel like I’m going to be high maintenance enough with ballet flats.

Will anyone notice a difference in my appearance? Going from boot cut to skinny jeans seems drastic to me. And I haven’t worn a denim jacket since 1989.

Will I actually use the outfit guide to create all those combinations? Or will I wear the same few favorites over and over and realize that I only needed half of what I purchased?

Will this be simple? Setting it up is taking me more time than I expected. Some things didn’t fit well. I needed to look for a substitute shoe because Bobby didn’t like the loafers.  I’m waiting for some expensive white pants to go on sale…

Will I actually go out in public with the substitute shoes I chose? (See below.)

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These are some things to ponder on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I’m sure my questions will all be answered during the coming months. But for now, there are still several more weeks of winter.

 

Winter Capsule Wardrobe

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I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe!

It seems silly that I look forward to new posts on a blog called Classy Yet Trendy because I consider myself to be low maintenance when it comes to health and beauty aids, and definitely fashion. Yet here I am waiting for her to come out with her Spring Capsule Wardrobe for Stay at Home Moms. My explanation is that I have experienced the benefits of having one.

If you’re not familiar with a “capsule wardrobe”, it is a set number of clothes that can mix and match with one another to create many outfits.   Typically, you wear a capsule wardrobe for 3 months, then at the end of those 3 months, you update it for the next season.  (Leanne from Classy Yet Trendy)

I made my first one in the fall, and then I continued to wear it in the winter. This week, I took out the items I haven’t been wearing, and I’m going to share it with you now as my winter capsule wardrobe. I love that you set it up and then it’s done for three months. No need to shop for anything else or declutter until the next season comes + I love or use everything in my drawers = peace of mind.

When I made mine, I followed the steps in this post. I was able to use so many of the clothing items that I already owned because most of my wardrobe was made up of neutral-color coordinating essentials. Maybe they were old or not the perfect fit, but it was a good start. I tossed all the items that I didn’t love or that didn’t coordinate with what I had. I made a couple of purchases in the fall that helped round it out. So here are the steps I followed and what mine looks like.

STEP 1: SELECT “NAVY” OR “BLACK” AS YOUR BASE COLOR

I selected black.

STEP 2: SELECT YOUR NEUTRAL-COLOR COORDINATING ESSENTIALS

I selected 2 pairs of blue boot cut jeans, 1 pair of black straight leg jeans, 1 pair of black dress pants, 3 long sleeve T-shirts in white, charcoal, and black, a black turtleneck, a black and a charcoal cardigan, a grey pullover sweater, and a charcoal turtleneck sweater. I owned all of these items before last fall except for the black jeans. I made it through the previous cold weather months with just 2 pairs of blue jeans, but I likely doubled the number of outfits to choose from by adding the black jeans.  Thank you capsule wardrobe!

STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR ACCENT COLOR (OPTIONAL)

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I chose deep purple, and I guess olive because I bought a new olive colored cardigan in the fall. I do not like the color of the green shirt on the left, but I keep it because that is my popcorn shirt. I wear it whenever I go to the cinemas and plan to eat movie popcorn. I don’t want to get butter stains on any of my other shirts. Bobby has a bright red Red Sox popcorn sweatshirt. I guess you can do this when you’ve been married for twenty years.

STEP 4: ADD A FEW PATTERNED ITEMS AND LAYERS

I added a color coordinating flannel shirt, a grey striped turtleneck, a fringed cardigan, and my Les Miserables T-shirt. These were the patterned items.  The layers were: a navy hoodie, a grey hoodie, a black raincoat and a NEW black winter coat. I previously wore Bobby’s old one. I feel so feminine wearing a fitted coat. It’s super soft and warm, and very much appreciated here in Western Massachusetts.

STEP 5: CHOOSE YOUR SHOES AND ACCESSORIES

I chose black sling-back dress shoes, hiking boots, black suede flats, black western boots and black snow boots. By the way, this capsule doesn’t include pajamas and work out clothing. So I didn’t take photos of my slippers and running shoes.

These are my winter accessories. I chose 4 scarves and one tote bag. I don’t own a purse. I usually carry a money belt and my keys and iPhone in my pockets. I know this is neither classy nor trendy.

The Stay at Home Moms Spring Capsule Wardrobe I was waiting for came out today. (I started this post awhile ago.) It looks good, but I prefer the colors in the French Minimalist one. Maybe I’ll have to make up my own.

Self-Care

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In 2018, I resolved to make some changes. I wrote about them in my first post. I completed my Whole 30, and then from Superbowl Sunday until Mardi Gras, one could say that I took a break from healthy eating. So I decided to recommit to my resolutions for Lent, which began on February 14th this year. Here is what I’m doing:

Eating healthy.  I’m doing another six weeks of eating Whole 30 compliant foods. Maybe this time I will be able to do the reintroduction of foods when it’s over and see which foods affect me negatively, if any.

Exercising.  (5 times a week for at least 30 minutes) I have only been doing the Couch to 5K weeks one and two so far. But I think I might step it up with Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I know that it will work my arms and abs (and everything) much more than the walking and running.  I also own her Ripped in 30. That is super hard for me.

Daily meditation. I usually start by reading from a book called The Language of Letting Go. A friend gave me a copy of it years ago, before I met Bobby, at a time in my life when I was trying to take better care of myself.  I loved it, then passed it on. I recently purchased a second one, and it’s as good as I remember. I’m at another time in my life when I am trying to take better care of myself after years of letting my physical and emotional needs be low priority. I’ve also been watching the daily videos from Dynamic Catholic’s Best Lent Ever. So far, they seem to go right along with this theme of self-care. I usually do some journaling and spend about 15 minutes talking to God (like a friend) and listening in quiet.

Continuing Operation Joyful Space.  I’ll admit, progress has been slow. I need to remind myself of why this is important to me, and stop the time-wasting distractions. I visualize this project as taking things off of my overflowing plate, or taking a weight off my shoulders. I long for a calm, orderly, peaceful environment.  My ideal home is tidy. There are places for everything. Only what we love, use (or will use at a specific time) would be in it. It would be beautiful… with candles, flowers, art, music and space. Everything in it would be in good repair, taken care of, maintained.  It would be comfortable and cozy. In addition, my life would have rhythms or routines, balance, and time for what’s important. (satisfied sigh sound)  That’s why I need to persevere!

The Menstrual Journal. (shown above)  This is not for Lent. I’m doing this for three months as recommended by my OB/GYN. This is a new interest for me. Science was my least favorite subject in school. In fact, I liked every subject except for science. I’ve said for years that I have a mental block when it comes to medical things. And I used to get bored when anyone would talk about food and nutrition. And food talk, channels, shows, allergies, photos and foodies seem to have increased over the years. Food talk seems trendy now. BORING! Then I found out I was having problems with my hormones. Suddenly, I’m reading about medical stuff.  Around the same time, I began to have a desire to take better care of my body, mostly to have more energy, but also to stop the night snacking. I believe eating when I’m not hungry dulls the mind and can numb feelings too. I may be getting off track here….but my point is that now I’m interested in hormones, and my menstrual cycle, and how food affects it, etc. I’m considering that being aware of my cycle may be a key ingredient in self-care. So I’m actually enjoying keeping this journal. And I’m tracking my food, sleep, exercise and feelings in it too.

I will continue to read, learn, pray and act in ways that will make me physically, spiritually, intellectually and emotionally healthier.

One Month Update

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I started this blog almost a month ago. Since I haven’t posted in over three weeks, I am writing a little update about what I’ve been doing.

I successfully completed my Whole30. It’s way to early to tell if it will change my life or not. I did lose 7 pounds, learned to cook many new recipes, and improved my food label reading. And I did often feel like my mind was clearer and I had a good amount of energy, but I also found out this month that I have a uterus related medical problem. I had to temporarily take hormone medication that I believe made me tired and nauseous at times, screwing up my Whole30 results. I’ve continued to eat many Whole30 compliant meals and I’ve reintroduced food occasionally without being able to tell if the way I felt was related to food or other changes in my body. I also have kept up with my plan to exercise at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes. The Greatest Showman was my go to music almost daily, but I did listen to Something Rotten a few times.

Operation Joyful Space is in progress, but I am behind in my schedule. This is partly from sickness, and partly from an unexpected project that came up.  Bobby has been wanting new living room furniture for quite some time now, and last week we shopped, purchased and rearranged the stuff in our home for many days and nights. I don’t think we are finished yet. We might be changing the wall hangings or end tables, but I can get back to my decluttering project now. I hope to write about my progress soon.

Operation Joyful Space

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What a goofy title! But I had to call it something, and Bobby liked it better than “Totally Organized,” which was the first simplifying book I ever read.  It was 1998.  I was pregnant with my first child. Our five room apartment looked pretty tidy, except for the SPARE ROOM, which was filled with all of those things we didn’t know what to do with. It was my dream to be totally organized before the baby arrived. It didn’t happen.

Fast forward twenty years. We now have six children and instead of five rooms, we have ten rooms! (Not counting the three bathrooms, the three car garage, the shed, and a basement the size of eight rooms.) Yikes!

Our house looks pretty tidy, (if you don’t go in the pantry or garage or basement or upstairs).  I feel like I’m working my butt off to keep up with the main living areas and any extra efforts I put into those “spare rooms” are short lived. I know it can be so much simpler.

I’ve seriously read at least 30-40 books on simplifying. I know the FlyLady. I’ve Konmaried. I always stop somewhere in komono and never reach that elusive clicking point. I’ve been an aspiring minimalist ever since I heard of the concept in 2009.

But back to Operation Joyful Space. I got the “Joyful Space” from Rachel Jones, founder of Nourishing Minimalism.com.  She calls herself the Joyful Space specialist. I just finished a free five day Minimalist Mindset course she offered. (You know I like these kinds of things.) As a result of that, I set a goal to declutter my entire home in six months. (I’ll write more specifically about this goal, criteria, and assessment in a later post.) I’ve made a handy-dandy checklist, titled “Operation Joyful Space”, designed for my unique home and schedule.  Operation Joyful Space I’ve also made decluttering checklists, which break the tasks down into smaller chunks. And while I was at it, I made a checklist for the normal monthly tasks that I try to do in addition to daily chores and weekly cleaning. Monthly Checklist

 

I realize I’m going to be busy. One of the tasks in the course was to decide exactly what you are willing to give up to complete your goal. I decided that I’ll give up DVD’s and Netflix on weekdays, time reading my iPhone in bed and fiction novels. This doesn’t include going out to the cinemas with Bobby during the week. I’m just giving up sitting around on the couch at home. And by the way, I don’t know the FlyLady in real life, just her ideas.

Whole30: Week One Notes

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Day 1: 

7:30 2 eggs, red pepper, onion, tomato, broccoli, and a banana

11:00 feeling hungry

12:15 arugula, baby carrots, tomato, 1/2 avocado, 2  1/4 lb. burgers, mustard

3:00 C25K week one, day one

4:00 Larabar

5:30 feeling hungry

6:00 pulled pork,  salad, steamed carrots

Day 2: 

5:55 slept 7 1/2 hours and super tired

6:45 Whole30 Breakfast Bowl

12:30 leftover pulled pork, carrots, 1/2 baked potato

3:15 Larabar

3:30 C25K week one, day 2

5:45 burger, arugula, tomato, baby carrots, cucumbers, avocado

11:00 Larabar (saw Downsizing with Bobby, disappointing with some funny parts)

Day 3:

 

10:30 Whole30 Breakfast Bowl

2:50 Chicken and Prosciutto Salad

3:30 C25K week one, day 3

6:00 ground beef, romaine, cucumber, grape tomatoes, walnuts, cauliflower rice

Day 4:

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11:30 Whole30 Breakfast Bowl

12:30 C25K week one, day one

1:00 Larabar

5:00 Chicken and Prosciutto Salad

9:00 tuna, arugula, part of an apple, celery (only ate 1/2 of plate)

I went to bed early and had the most horrible night’s sleep.

Day 5:

8:00 I met my friend, Karen, at Crepes Tea House in West Springfield, MA. I ate 2 hard boiled eggs and drank one of their fruit and vegetable power drinks.

12:30 Chicken Salad

3:00 green tea

5:30 ground beef, romaine, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, guacamole

9:00 seltzer water

Day 6:

11:00 Whole30 Breakfast Bowl

2:00 Chicken Salad

6:00 Easy Chicken Fajitas

10:30 1/2 of a Larabar (saw Father Figures with Bobby, we laughed like crazy)

Day 7:

6:40 2 hard boiled eggs and Sweet Potato Applesauce Mash (didn’t like for breakfast)

12:00 leftover pulled pork, steamed carrots, salad with nuts

3:30 C25K week one, day one

5:30 Garlicky Shrimp, cauliflower rice, baby carrots, salad with nuts, apple slices

2018

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I’m beginning this year with a BANG! I’m making lots of changes around here, such as starting a new blog and making it public. Here is where I’ll write about all the other changes I’m making too.

In 2018, I started doing a Whole30. This is drastic for sugar-loving me. I’ll admit my biggest reservation about starting it was giving up eating movie popcorn, “with extra butter layered,” as my husband requests it. So far I’m doing well. I’m cooking my butt off; and cooking, for those of you who know me well, is not something I do frequently. Unless you count popping frozen food into the oven.

I’m also exercising. No killer workouts for me. I’m taking it easy, but committing to doing it almost daily. Let’s say five times a week for at least 30 minutes. Last week I did the Couch to 5K (week one) five times on an old treadmill we have in our basement.

The next thing I’m doing is not much of a change. I’m decluttering my home. Yeah, I know I’ve been trying to get totally organized for 20 years now, but I mapped out a plan to finish my whole house in six months. This means that by June 30, 2018, everything in my home should have a place, and all of my own stuff will be used or loved (or both), including sentimental and digital clutter. That is the goal. I plan to take baby steps daily to get there.

Finally, I’m making daily prayer and meditation a priority. This, more than any other thing, will be a change for the better.