So Sweet

4 year old to mom (with Bible in hand and sister at his side): MOM! I'm trying to read about Jesus and Madison is making it hard to learn about Church. She keeps saying read, read, read.

I'm Raising Chickens!!!

Well, not literally but definately figuratively. Tonight I watched in amazement as two children (ages 4 and 2) literally ran from room to room singing Christmas songs - just like Chickens with their heads cut off. Well, actually my son, the four year old, sang the songs. My two year old daughter just ran around and scream sang key words in the song - such as "jingle bell" over and over. I am not joking when I say that they did this for at least 30 straight minutes. I'm not sure at what point, but I began watching the clock wondering how long they could possibly go. I am convinced that they would still be running around on their 48th round of the Christmas reindeer song my son learned at preschool had my husband not walked through the door to break the monotony.

Afterward, my son goes and gets on my bed with a different pair of pajamas. When I walked in he said, "Mom, can I wear these pajamas (pointing to the ones he was holding). These (pointing to the ones he was wearing) are making me tired."

It's All For Sale

I have told you how I am selling all my clothes on ebay in an effort to start over and clean up my horrific closet mess. (which I am finding out is really about cleaning up my own life) So, in an effort to get out of debt and pay bills, I am selling it ALL! Well, okay not exactly all. We are going through the house and purging our cabinets, drawers, bins, spaces, and storage of things we don't necessarily need. Some of which we probably shouldn't have purchased anyway. So, eBay purchasers should be pleased that our loss will be their treasure. We need to finish Dave's baby step #1. We are selling stuff to reach our first goal.

Here is a short list of things going up for bid: DH's textbooks, my ipod video, my palm pilot, toys, movies, a digital picture frame, makeup, and much much more.

Woah! That somewhat sounded like a television add. I feel like I should be adding the proverbial "thats not all". Call in the next 5 minutes and you can have the kitchen sink too.

It feels good to clean up the mess and help out the family. Isn't it an odd phenomenon that purging yourself from things feels so good. These "things" I am getting rid of are the very "things" that I purchased in an effort to make me feel better or make life easier. Interesting thought!

Living Like No One Else

In line with my life clean up, I have begun looking at the "biggies" in life. For me, the "biggies" are those things that are so big that you MUST at all cost do it the best you can and with all the vigor you can. I have already mentioned my spiritual life and how I working on that. The other "biggies" in my life are my marriage, my children, and my finances. These are things that cannot be left alone and without attention or parts of my life WILL die.

Long story short, my husband and I decided to sit down and write out and tweak a new budget. In the spirit of money, I felt the urge to break out a book by Dave Ramsey that I had not previously read, The Total Money Makeover. About 5 or 6 years ago I read his book called Financial Peace but have not to date revisited his material (we have been doing the Dave Ramsey plan to the best of our ability since that time). I found this book very motivating and real. I really do want to live like no one else so that some day I can live like no one else. (You really need to read one of his books to fully understand that sentence.)

Wow! Isn't it amazing that when you start to really clean something up you start finding all these messes you never saw before. It is like cleaning out our linen cabinet a few months back. I am meticulous about how towels stack - that they all are folded exactly the same, stacked the same way, and placed in the cabinet a certain way. I wanted to re-stack towels and sheets (mostly the sheets). As I pulled my clean linens from the cabinet, I was shocked to find some sort of white dust lurking in the back. I think it must have been breeding on the spot because it felt like the more I cleaned the more I found.

Let me tell you, when I looked straight faced into our finances I was shocked, saddened, happy, excited, overwhelmed, depressed, and blessed all in a matter of minutes. I was shocked to finally put a number to my husband's school debt - much more than most people's homes. I was sad to see that our money wasn't going as far as I had hoped. Happy to know that although we have made some mistakes financially, we really weren't so bad if you took away the house and school debt. Excited to see that we can and will get out of it. Overwhelmed with what to cut, how to arrange the money so that it works, and putting numbers to everything. I was depressed to find out that until we get debt paid for we cannot have many extras that we had been planning for. And last, I am blessed to be married to a man who is willing to stand by "us" without blame and move forward.

I know many of you are thinking how did it go wrong with the Dave Ramsey, iron clad, tried and true method. Well, just as Dave would tell you LIFE. Thank God (literally and not in a derogatory way) that we had the knowledge from Dave before life's circumstances. We have debt; we aren't perfect. We have put life on hold for my DH to finish his training. We made hard and at times not perfect choices that we felt would put us right where we would want to be at the end of his school and training. We knew the risks; we understood the consequences. But, re-armed with a fresh take on old methods, we are ready to move forward. It is time to stop living in our self-made time warp and step into our bright future.

Although it may look weird, we are making the choice to live like no one else today so that someday we can live like no one else. It is funny how big of a role society plays on you. When people find out that we don't have cable TV we get many gasps. That is just one example of how we don't live like most people. I hope to make a change that will literally change my family tree permanently. I didn't come from money. In fact, my mom was a struggling single mom for years. She built my life on her back. Just as my mom gave me a leg up in life, I hope to leave a legacy for my kids that is routed in the word of God and one that is founded upon the idea of how to use money and not become trapped by it.

How I configured my Over-Simplified Wardrobe

If you have been following my Over-Simplified Wardrobe, I am going to explain how I came up with the numbers. Hopefully, you can do something similar and customize your very own OS Wardrobe. :) Enjoy! If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. I will do my best to explain further.

In a typical week I do these things:
Sunday - Church
Monday - SAHM
Tuesday - SAHM (errands) and Seasonally Bible Study
Wednesday - SAHM and Church
Thursday - SAHM
Friday - SAHM and Date
Saturday - SAHM
(SAHM - includes all my stay-at-home-mom duties such as chauffeur, cleaning, trips to store, bank, etc.)

So I figured on any given week for the most part I would need:
Sunday - Dress or a Skirt and Top & Every day Top and Bottom
Monday - ED (stands for Every Day) top and bottom
Tuesday - ED top and bottom
Wednesday - Dressier top and bottom & ED top and bottom
Thursday - Day Dress
Friday - Skirt or Dress Pant and Top & ED top and bottom
Saturday - ED top and bottom

In a typical week I would need:
6 Every day tops
6 everyday bottoms
1 dress
3 dressier tops
3 dressier bottoms
1 day dress

Here is what I thought. I would combine the tops to get more uses (Bible study days and errand could use a dressier than normal top). Hence the 9 tops with 3 being a little dressier. I could use one of the skirts for everyday and dressier occasions. So, I only needed 5 pants (shorts, capri's, jeans, etc.). I would do 2 dress pants which would leave 1 more dress bottom which I chose to make a skirt. Hence, the 2 skirts. A wanted to make sure that I had at least 1 great pair of jeans. In the summers where I live it gets well into the 90's and even 100's for many days straight. I would not normally wear jeans as part of any outfit. But, it would be nice to have at least 1 pair available for various purposes. Also, I wear a lot of yoga and athletic style pants. That would ensure at least 1 pair of jeans. The 1 day dress is self-explanatory - just a good dress for everyday purposes. The 1 dressier type dress is for church. I reserve my specialty capsule for occasional evening wear type garments. I added a jacket to each capsule as a layering and functional piece. I will need at least 1 shoe for every day and 1 shoe for dressier outfits. I wanted a minimum of 1 handbag (or purse - I guess that is what some people call them) that could go with all outfits if possible. The jewelry was just a reminder to accessorize. I am terrible at adding the small touches. If all things coordinate in my capsule then I am hoping that 2 necklaces, 2 earrings, and 1 bracelet will be okay. I could add an ankle bracelet for the warmer months.

The rationale behind the rotation is that I didn't want to have 4 separate wardrobes (one for winter, spring, summer, and fall). We get all 4 seasons each year. It is too difficult to try to change out every 3 months. Also, both spring and summer can be seasonally warm or seasonally cool or there other extremes. So, to simplify I decided to switch out only 1 capsule every 3 months leaving another to finish the transition from one extreme to the other.

The Phone Call from a 4-year old

After putting my daughter to bed the other night, I walk to the front of my house to find my adorable 4 year old on the phone. ???? Yes, puzzling indeed. It went something like this:

Son: I hurt my leg.
Other caller - no idea, because I cannot hear them
Son: Yeah, it hurts. It is my big foot.
Other caller
Son: I am not at the hospital.
Other caller
Son: I'm just at home.

Translation - My son was running through the house. Skinned the bottom of his big toe on the tacks that hold the carpet down between the carpet and tile. I put a band aid on it and all is well in the world again.

Kids can be so funny!

Why I am in a HEAP of Trouble?

Continued from yesterday. . . I decided it was time to regroup the external. I began a closet clean out. I am getting rid of all but about 15 pieces of clothing in my closet. It all started from a website I found while researching my new wardrobe attempts. (read all about it here: Jennifer Skinner's First Step to Wardrobe Planning) Okay, I know that sounds crazy, but I am going to do it. I am going to start by pulling out everything that either a) doesn't fit right or b) doesn't look great on me. Wow! I was amazed at what I found lurking deep in the hidden abyss. I am still hording things from when I worked. I am never going to wear those dress pants. Besides, every time I put them on, I feel like a teacher again. I want new emotions to go with my clothes.

So, it all MUST go!!!



This is just part of the pile. I decided that I am going to try to sell most of it on ebay. Well, at least the stuff that is still in good condition but may look better on a different body. So, I began photographing and folding.



Hopefully, I will recoup some much needed money to start from ground up. Well, my husband walked through the door late at night to catch me clearing out the closet. All I got from him was a slow uttered, "oooooo-kkkkaaaaayyyyy" with a hint of bewilderment.

The reason I am in trouble is because I am not going to have much to wear. Hopefully I can get to sewing and/or shopping to fill in some gaps.

I am in a HEAP of trouble!

Yes, pun intended. I really am in a heap of trouble. Let me start from the beginning.

A statement has been going through my head for a while now. It started well before my wardrobe worries. Someone stated almost in passing that a persons closet really shows the state of a persons life. That completely rocked my world for two reasons. The first is from a former employer. She told me that she always walked applicants to their cars after an interview so she could see inside their car. She always said it showed something about them.

Second, it the fact that both my closet and my car (or soccer mom mini-van) are disaster areas. I can blame it on the old "that's just who I am". But the fact of the matter is that I have always had a meticulous car and for the most part closet. Those were always two things that were always together. I cannot put a finger on when or where, but that is not the case anymore.

So, if I am going to make a change, it must start from within, first. And, I must begin to clean the external mess along with the internal mess. I am a born again evangelical Christian. I am a sinner saved by grace. I do believe that the Bible is the truth and the 100% word of God. So, I must start there. In fact, the Bible talks plainly about getting back to your first love. If I were to be honest, I would have to say that my life problems started with a foundation problem. Somewhere, my foundation has been allowed to deteriorate. I must at all costs renew and refresh my relationship with God the father.

So today begins a new quest. I am going to on purpose put God first in all I do. Seems simple enough. The Bible says that if we put Him first, all the other things will be added unto us. In Him, I live and have my being. What a great start!

Stay tuned tomorrow for why I am in a HEAP of trouble now!

The Over-simplified Wardrobe

As a self-proclaimed OS (over-simplifier), I have come up with an idea of wardrobing. This is 100% not scientific. I am not a fashionistic person. I have no real experience in wardrobing except a phD in google wardrobing searches. So without further ado, here is my wardrobe theory.

• It contains 4 capsules.
• Each capsule contains a set of clothing that will coordinate with each other. I do not subscribe to the belief that every top must match every bottom or vise versa. I do believe that each piece should be able to be worn with at least 3 things. No orphan separates are allowed. Clearly a dress doesn't have to match much except a jacket.
• Each capsule consists of: 9 tops (3 of which are slightly dressier), 5 bottoms, a pair of jeans, 2 dress pants, 2 skirts, a day dress, a dressier than day dress, a jacket, a pair of everyday shoes, a pair of dressy shoes, a handbag, 2 necklaces, 2 earrings, and 1 bracelet.
• Each capsule will be worn for 6 months. With at least one capsule changing every 3 months. So, at any given time, you will have 2 capsules to choose clothes from.
• Capsule #1 - Winter into Spring (warmest clothes I own) worn from November until April
• Capsule #2 - Spring into Summer worn from February until July
• Capsule #3 - Summer into Fall (coolest clothes I own) worn from May to October
• Capsule #4 - Fall into Winter worn August to January
• Specialty Capsule - This isn't really a capsule at all be a collection of a few extra items that every wardrobe isn't complete without - a little black dress, a trench coat, and a swimsuit.
• Every capsule could contain more items, but must contain the basic items. I really don't expect to only have 2 pairs of shoes to wear for everyday. But, that would be the minimum that I would need.

Much thought went into this. I took into consideration that most days are spent at home with the kids (from playing in the floor to cooking dinner to riding bikes to scrubbing bathtubs). I go to church a minimum of 2 times per week. Last, I will go on dates, family get togethers, mom's night out, or other low key social events.

The reason behind the added pair of jeans separate from my other bottoms is that in the dead of summer I will not be wearing jeans every day. But, it would be nice to keep a pair of jeans for an evening out or a morning bible study. Also, I separated dress pants out because I would wear dress pants on a date, but not necessarily during the week. This set of clothing works for me. You could change it to meet your needs.

The idea is that if you wear everything in your capsule in a given week that you only have to wear it every other week because you have 2 capsule available at all times. So, in theory you should only have to wear a top 13 times per year (each capsule is worn for 26 weeks - each capsule only needs to fill half of that because of the other capsule - so that leaves only 13 weeks). If you get creative, you will always have something fresh to wear - Year Round!

My Breakthrough Task

So, I am a huge fan of FlyLady. She has a whole method of things which I subscribe to in some general consensus. If you have never heard of FlyLady, you have to check her out at flylady.com. As part of her get organized theory, she asks that you get dressed to your shoes each day. A seemingly easy task for most. But not me. Since deciding to stay home with my kids, I have put my "look" or style on the back burner. The biggest reason is/was money. And couple that with the identity crisis of a on-the-go, never stop, ALWAYS going person. I immediately one day just stayed home. Again, a simple and rewarding task for most. However, it was a death sentence to me.

Fast forward three and a half years later, and that brings us to now, the present day. I have conceded to the fact that I am in fact a stay-at-home anything - not just mom. But nothing else about me has adjusted accordingly. Stupid I know. I would love to be one of those women that I envy who has it all together - clean house, decorated house, clean kids, fashionable kids, put together, never appears under pressure, knows the latest news, has the latest scoop, can sing all the songs to HSM 1, 2 and 3, you get the picture.

As per FlyLady rules, the first step is shining your sink. I have perfected the shinning sink to the point of true sink shine stardom. Nothing else in my kitchen may be clean (including all pots and pans and for some reason spoons) but the sink is spotless.

The second step is where her whole system leaves me in the dust - get dressed to your shoes. This simple step is the one place that keeps me stuck in the mud and muck of life, I am convinced. I have tried and tried, but no matter what I do I get stuck on number two. I am not a stupid person (actually self-proclaimed genius). I am a reasonable young woman who should be able to do a reasonable task. I truly believe that this one single step could be my breakthrough step.

FlyLady and all her minions proclaim that this one step has changed there life. I subscribe to the Tim Gunn theory of your outside is really a mirror to your inside. So, what does my outside say? Tired. Stressed. Blasè. Uninterested. Boring. A literal mess. Yes, these things all describe me at some point in most days, but they don't hit on the REAL me.

Over-Simplification

So, I was thinking this morning about how I spend so much of my time trying to simplify things so that my day is more streamlined. It is amazing that I keep myself going all of the time and never have time when I couldn't tell you what was taking up my time. I'm not sure if that last sentence made sense to anyone else but me.

I am a stay-at-home mom. I work around 91 hours per week. So, I have tried to do things, organize, come up with new methods, etc. all in an effort to gain back some time lost on "must do" things. Like most families, we have school to get to, church functions, Bible studies, dinners to cook, bikes to ride, laundry, general house work and all the other "typical" and most likely "atypical" family things. I will literally spend hours trying to come up with a system that will save me 5 minutes every other day only to abandon the system within a week or two.

My life is a series of over-simplifications. Hmmm . . . how to simplify the simplified. For the over-simplified-a-holic, I am sure I will find a way. It should be a simple task. And once accomplished, a real time saver for sure.