A new beginning

Maybe it's the SAHM thing. Maybe it's the new year. Maybe I'm just maturing?

I feel very cluttered. My house, my cabinets, my mind... Everything is cluttered. I have a lot to do, yet so little to do, it seems (which, in itself is totally contradictory.... see what I mean about my mind?).

I need more organization in my life. I've always been a planner person. I have my planner by my side everyday. It all started in junior high when it was mandatory to have the school's planner...

But, that's not all I need now. I was getting so down on myself towards the end of December because I wasn't living the SAHM experience I expected. A talk with Brandon really helped me figure that out. I was overwhelmed with what I wanted to accomplish and what I needed to accomplish. This week, I broke down the week by day and divided my house cleaning chores among the days. Now, instead of expecting myself to clean the ENTIRE house, top to bottom, Martha-style, I do one, maybe two, things each day. I have achievable goals. I have everything crossed off my list by the end of the day... and I love it.

We've started using Quicken for our finances. Oh, I was organized about it before. But now, instead of paper reminders and post-its all over with due dates, I have a program on my computer. I don't have all this crap on my desk all the time.

But now I need more. I read these blogs that make me want to be creative and organized. But, it seems like I make myself think that I'd have to spend money to do that... or I don't have the time to do this...

I need calmness. And as much as I LOVE the color of our living room, it isn't calm. I mean, it can be... but not usually. So, I'm tossing around the idea of painting that room. And keeping in mind this time around that just because I love the color doesn't mean I have to paint my living room walls that color.

I also feel like that room has too much furniture. Especially now with baby jumperoos and bouncy seats. I love the entertainment center that was a hand-me-down from my parents, but it really makes the room look crowded... and that's the only thing we can get rid of in there.

Ideally, we'd love to get a flatscreen and mount it on the wall, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. (I know, we're behind the times.) We have a smaller entertainment center, but it is too small for the room. I have an idea or two that Brandon probably won't like, but we'll see. Until then, I'll be dreaming of color swatches and organizing shelves...