The More Stuff You Own...

My original plan for this beautiful Saturday was to attend bee school. We had everything all set up. My boys were going to drop me off and I was going to feed Logan in the car before they left. Then they were going to hang around nearby so they could come back on my lunch break for me to feed Logan again. Then they would have come to pick me up around 3:30 when it was over. We haven't really had a reason to give Logan a bottle so far so we had no idea if he would take one or not. My plan was to pump after a couple of feedings yesterday to have a bottle's worth that David could have on hand in case there was some desperate need. In between the two pumping sessions we got an email that simply said, "Bee School has been cancelled."  Glad I got the warning before I pumped again because I'm not really a fan. I just added what I had pumped already that morning to my small freezer stash and moved on... The cancellation was due to this last storm we had and I am positive that the college campus where it was to be held was probably covered. The worst part is that they have no intention of rescheduling. I am so bummed!  I am a total honeybee nerd and I look forward to bee school all year. Not to mention the fact that it was something I was going to be doing for myself and by myself...

When I heard about the cancellation we came up with a new plan for today. David would work on the house and I would go to the farmer's market and then a consignment event. As it turns out, our change of plans worked out pretty well because we were running low on local meat and our basement at the new house was flooded because of all of the melting snow/rain we have had over the past couple of weeks!

One lonely vender at the farmer's market this morning.
It was surprisingly busy...

I didn't think I'd be quite as productive at the consignment event with both kids in tow so I dropped Ayden off to play with my sister's kids at my parents house. It was just me and this guy running our errands today.

He has discovered how to pull off his socks and thinks it is hilarious.

It was nice to have time to focus on and interact with just him for a little while since Ayden is a VERY involved big brother. Most of the time Ayden likes to get in on whatever action is going on in the house so unless Logan is awake while Ayden is asleep, he very rarely gets any one on one time. The consignment event was a bit of a bust. I got Summer wardrobes (mostly play clothes since we plan to practically live at the build site/in the garden all Summer) for both kiddos and I picked up a scooter and a kid sized acoustic guitar for Ayden.

The way the sale made me feel was very interesting. I skimmed the toy section to see if there were any hidden treasures but only came away with the guitar and scooter. I was on the lookout for a pair of brown or grey Robeez shoes for Logan and a pair of Keen sandals for Ayden which I also never found (not in the right sizes/colors anyway). I got each boy their Summer clothes, Easter outfits, the two toys  and then I was done. In and out and I stuck to my challenge of only purchasing toys that were open ended, would foster creativity or would encourage physical activity. 

I feel like we have SO. MUCH. STUFF. in our home right now that it literally pains me to bring in new things. The last couple of times that I have gone shopping, as soon as I cross the threshold into our home and set down the bags, I immediately regret my purchases. This was the first time that the feeling hit me WHILE shopping which tells me that my efforts to change my thinking/habits are beginning to work. As I walked around the tables upon tables of discarded toys of all kinds I had NO desire to bring a load of them into our home. I also stopped by the Goodwill on my way back to pick up Ayden and dropped off a clothes basket worth of things. I have decided to make donating a full basket worth to the Goodwill part of my normal weekly routine. I have some pretty big purging plans on the horizon and being surrounded by all of the STUFF that the sellers from this event were trying to clear out of their homes motivated me even more to make some changes. 

I would really love to start with pairing down to only open ended/multi use toys (preferably made from natural materials) along with a small collection of long time favorites and capsule wardrobes for myself and each of my children. I think simplifying the toy and laundry situations would be a great start and who knows where that will take me next. All I know is that after recently reading the book Simplify by Joshua Becker (very short and motivating if you need it) I have a quote stuck in my head. "The more stuff you own, the more your stuff owns you" and I feel like that is SO true for us right now. Only a fraction of what we currently own is going to make it into the new house.  I am determined...

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Maternal Instincts"

Two years ago today: "Busy Busy Busy"

And three years ago today: "Jam Packed"

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