Friday, December 30, 2016

Clothes....

Can you believe that I threw out another 2.5 garbage bags of clothes?! I mean, really! I threw away 12 garbage bags of clothing when I started this life simplifying journey. And after sticking closely to my capsule wardrobe this summer, I went through my clothes and threw away more stuff. Cheap stuff. Stuff that did not fit well. That did not look good on me. That hadn't fit in awhile. I was careful not to throw away too much stuff because it was too small, because my body is still changing after having Teddy.

I like to shop the sales after Christmas. Now that I live in Nebraska, I have to do most of that online. Well, this year I tried to only buy stuff that was sustainably and ethically made, and only pieces that I felt I needed to fill out my wardrobe. The first place I hit up was Madewell. I got a garnet colored silk shirt and a cream colored sweater. From PactWear I got a white T-shirt. From Everlane I got a white tank top, white long sleeved shirt, a black trench coat, a navy blue blouse and a cashmere cardigan. I may not keep all the stuff from Everlane, we'll just see. I've never bought anything from any of these companies before, so we'll see how I like them.

I just struggle to really see what I think I need. I want to make sure I'm getting quality pieces that look really good on me and that I love. And I want to make sure that I have the correct number. But sometimes it feels like I'm grasping at straws and while I have a feeling of what I want, I'm not sure what it actually LOOKS like, you know?

But I'm also trying to simplify other parts of my life. In an attempt to make me feel less crazy during the week, and to maximize the time I'm doing the important things in life, like hanging out with my boys. I've started to make a menu for the month. Meals planned for every night ahead of time, so that I don't have to think about it. We do diapers on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We do laundry on Thursdays. We bathe the boys on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. There are obviously exceptions, but for the most part, we stick to this. Then we always have clean underwear and diapers and we don't have to think about what we're having for dinner.

I still have to work on cleaning out other parts of my life, but I think I'm making process. I try to focus on the process not the end result. Because ultimately it is about living with what you need and not cluttering things up with what you don't.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Fall Capsule Revisited

My fall capsule was supposed to last from September through November. So we are now into December and I realized that I should probably start to think about my winter capsule:)

I've learned a few things. First off, it's not as difficult as you'd think to stick to so few clothes. It's actually pretty easy and makes getting dressed in the morning easy peasy. Sometimes I open my drawers and then remember about this sweater or that shirt and then I think to myself, "Oooohhh I should wear that!". But if I don't open my drawers, I don't think about it.

I am sort of using this capsule experiment to see which clothes I really like. Which ones really make me feel good. Which ones are truly good quality items. My maroon pants from Stitch Fix are all but shot after one season of pretty heavy usage. They will be retired soon.

One of the issues I had is that, in general, I go to work and then I come home and put on my loungewear. But when we went out of town for a week over Thanksgiving, I struggled to find enough outfits to wear that weren't too dressy for what we'd be doing. Because I don't normally need that many casual clothes.

I would like for this to morph into something a bit easier. I'd like to put some thought into creating a dressy capsule. A work capsule. A casual capsule. A loungewear capsule. Hopefully full of clothes that I really like and fit me well. And that are versatile and functional. And then I don't have to worry about what to do if its 70* in Nebraska in January and I have no clothes in my capsule that will work for that curveball. But I think in order to make it something effortless, you have to put some effort in to see what you like and what works well for you.

So, my winter capsule will be forth coming. I'm trying to identify holes in my fall capsule and patch them. Add things that I have been missing and take out things that aren't really working for me. Hopefully I'll have something before the end of December, but no promises, lol.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Consumerism

One of the best/worst things about nursing is that you have this time where you are required to be still. Just still. And when you are not doing much of anything at all, you have a tendency to pick up your phone. And when I pick up my phone, I tend to peruse Facebook and Amazon. This has resulted in a huge influx of packages coming to our house.

Most of it is for breastfeeding. Charlie is always amazed there are so many "booby accoutrements" that one can purchase. I'm part of a Facebook group called Dr. MILK. It is physicians who are supporters of breastfeeding, and they have been incredibly helpful keeping me calm and knowing that everything is OK with feeding Teddy. However, they also have lots of suggestions for things that can help with this and that.

So I bought Lily Pads which are reusable silicone breast shields. They work quite well, especially overnight so you aren't leaking all over the place if baby sleeps longer. I also bought Bamboobies which are bamboo reusable nursing pads that have a PUL backing. They are so much better than cotton reusable nursing pads and don't show through your bra, which is a huge plus. Then there was the Hakaa a silicone manual breast pump that you can use on the side your aren't nursing on overnight to relieve engorgement. It works well and if I can get it on right, I'll get 2-3 ounces off the other side which really does help. Most recently came Milkies Milk Savers which is a silicone thing you can put on the other side under your bra while you're nursing to catch the milk that would normally get all over your clothes or breast pad when the milk lets down. I probably keep 2-3 ounces of extra milk per day using this. It's easier to use than the Hakaa and doesn't actively draw milk off, so when you're not engorged its a quicker and easier way to go.

It all works, and works well. But then I was looking at a pumping bag by Sarah Wells. Cost about $100. I was convinced that I needed it to make pumping easier for me at work. It was big, and would make it so I didn't have to carry so many bags with me to work and to surgery. I knew that Charlie was going to disapprove. So I talked to him about it. And he said, "It's not like you have far to go. You literally walk to the garage, and then into work. There is always another thing. Always something better. But I'm not sure this is something you need. I'm trying not to be insensitive, but I just can't see how you need this."

And you know what? He was right. 100%. It's not like I live in Chicago and I'm schlepping 10 bags on the L to work everyday. It's not that bad. And I don't need it. And it's one more thing that I will not use in a few months or a year when I'm done breastfeeding.

Charlie is really good at that. At really thinking about needs vs wants and what do we NEED and if it is a WANT, is it something we really WANT, or something we would be just as happy living without? It comes so easily to him, and not so much to me. Sometimes I don't agree with his assessment, but in this case talking to him made it seem silly to even entertain spending $100 on a bag to hold pumping gear when I live 5 min from the office.

It's amazing how you can talk yourself into "I need THIS. It will make my life so much easier and ensure that I continue to breastfeed indefinitely, if I just had THIS."

Sometimes you need someone to take your phone from you while you are feeding your baby so you can just concentrate on the present. On him. And you. And this time that you have together. Because it will be over and done before you know it. So here's to trying to do that more. And shop online less :-)

Friday, September 9, 2016

Capsule Thoughts and Fall Wardrobe

So, my first 3 month capsule wardrobe is coming to an end. I have managed to stick to it for the most part, though I did take some liberty in the lounging-around-the-house clothes. One thing I noticed was that I did not think about nursing or pumping when I decided on work clothes. Most of what I chose is not very nursing/pumping friendly, which I will need to consider in the fall. I also think that I'm going to remove athletic clothes from the capsule. It's too difficult for now. So my capsule will just be clothes that I wear out of the house. I'll try to incorporate other things later.

One complaint so far about the capusle app I've been using - they must be in California or something. Because they did not give me nearly enough sweaters for the fall. One sweater is not going to cut it, lol.

So, I've been working on the fall capsule. Will technically run October through December, but may end up being end of September through early December, just depending on the weather.

Shirts - Ohio State shirt (a must for football season), salmon button up from Stitch Fix, black and white top from D. Diff, coral Nic & Zoe shirt from D. Diff, Lucky chambray shirt from D. Diff, black Rumina nursing tank, black shirt from Encircled, gray turtle neck from D. Diff

Pants - My gray dressy sweat pants from Encircled, yoga pants, black ribbon pants from D. Diff, black and brown ankle pants by Nic & Zoe, black skinny corduroys, medium wash skinny jeans, maroon pants from Stitch Fix

Top Layer - black blazer from D. Diff, Nebraska cardigan, black open front cardigan from Banana Republic, brown Nic & Zoe open front cardigan, cream Banana Republic cardigan, black Nic & Zoe sweater, navy blue cable knit sweater, Ocean Park sweatshirt, Patagonia sweatshirt

Dresses - navy and white Stitch Fix dress, Navy floral print Stitch Fix dress

Skirts - leopard print pencil skirt from Banana Republic

Shoes - black Toms ankle boots, brown riding boots, nude flats, black Tieks, brown houndstooth Toms

Coats - black Toggle coat, gray Patagonia coat, brown Eddie Bauer jacket, black Patagonia fleece

I fully expect to need a few more items in most categories. But I'm going to start with this. Then I can see where I'm wanting/needing more. And add as I go.

I'm trying to keep my final goal and motivation in mind so that I don't get too hung up in the process. And I'm trying not to worry about not wearing or using things that I've spent good money on. There were several things that I included in my summer capsule that I never wore. And I didn't want to wear. But I had included them bc they were newer or because I had spent good money on them. But then there were other things I wished I had. So I'm trying to do a better job of really looking at what I'm actually going to wear this fall. We'll see. Here's to hoping its better than my summer capsule :-)



Saturday, July 16, 2016

Capsule in Action

So now that Theodore is here, and my belly has shrunk enough to fit into some of my transitional clothes, my capsule is in full swing. This is going to be a challenging few months. Because July I will mostly be lounging around the house. August will be a bit more going to work, and by September I'll be back at work probably 3/4 time. I have to have a good mix of several different things. Also, since I'm breastfeeding, I am liable to get breastmilk in anything/everything. So things may need to be washed more frequently.

I'm up to 40 items now. I added another pair of shorts and another pair of sandals. I'm going to try really hard not to add any more items. But looking at what I have, I am mildly concerned that I may not have enough stuff that can mix-and-match. Too many different patterns and things like that. BUT, we'll see how it goes. If I find that a piece will only work with 1-2 different things, then I may need to trade it out for something else more versatile, even if I really do love it. We'll see.

I'm mostly worried that I may not have enough lounging-around-the-house stuff. And not enough workout clothes for when I start working out again, probably next month sometime.

It is a process. And I think in the beginning I may have larger capsule wardrobes, and then as time goes on hopefully I will get better at it and it will continue to pare down. It is more about commiting to the idea behind the capsule, and working to get there. Does not necessarily mean I have to be perfect from day 1...

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Must Read Book

I recently finished Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and more Secure Kids by Kim John Payne. I loved it. I seriously cannot say enough good about this book. It hit home for me in so, so, so many ways. It was like he took everything that Charlie and I have always said to each other about how we want to raise kids, and he put it into a book. Must better written and more laid out than anything we could have come up with. We have lots of ideas, but not a lot of action plans on how to get there.

The crux of the book is that what our kids need is less. What we all need is less. We need to say "No" to the rush, rush, rush. We need to say "no" to companies telling us that we need this gadget or that gadget in order to be happy. He stresses that raising kids that have too much stuff (toys, activities, sports etc...) only shows kids how to be unsatisfied with what they have. Makes them ungrateful and entitled.

He talks about how when you have so many toys you can't even do anything with them - you don't even know what you have and what you don't, that is is stressful for kids. It's overstimulating. Kids don't need toys that make noise and light up. They need toys that foster their imagination and allow their brain to develop freely, as it was supposed to develop. They don't need TV. No matter how "educational". They don't need iPads.

They do need to be bored sometimes. They do need structure. They do need downtime. They do need parents who are available and involved (but not overly involved).

He talks about helicopter parenting and how we got there. He stresses that the world is not any less safe today than it was 50 years ago, but that our perception of that has been changed by the media.

He encourages us all to cut back on TV. To increase our time building relationships with our family members and our children.

It is just so good. Everyone who has kids should really read it. It plays in so nicely to the Marie Kondo simplifying that Charlie and I started last year (and that I hope to be able to continue in the future). It re-energized me to get back to that. To clean stuff out. To only keep what you need and what brings you joy.

Just loved it :)

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Adoption

Before we found out we were pregnant with Max, Charlie and I had started down the path toward adoption. We had suffered 4 miscarriages, and we both decided that we wanted to move forward with it. We knew that it could take awhile to get through the process and that we didn't want to be 40 when we started a family. We figured that if we waited until we were really sure we weren't going to have any biological kids of our own, then by the time we would be able to adopt a few kids we would be pretty old. Not that people don't do it, or that you can't do that, we just didn't want to.

So we got our home study and paid a lot of money to the adoption agency to get started. Then I found out I was pregnant. We kept going with the process until I was safely out of my first trimester. Then I told the agency, and they were very understanding. They put our account on hold for a year after Max's due date. So in December 2015 we had to give them a decision. Did we want to continue as we were, or did we want to reactive our account? I was already pregnant with our baby #2, so we decided to put it on hold again. They gave us another 6 months.

So we had to tell them what we wanted to do by June 2016 (aka now). Our home study also expired in May, so we needed to re-do that if we needed to.

For a long time I felt like maybe the reason for all those miscarriages was to bring us to adoption. Like maybe we were supposed to adopt, and that was a way to get us there. Fairytale-esque, but made sense to me.

But we just weren't sure. I was hesitant to shut the door on it. Charlie was a little more willing. Our intention was to adopt an African American baby. But we both agreed that if we did that, it would be better to adopt 2. All of the research shows that they do better if they have a sibling who "looks" like them. But, realistically speaking, were we going to have 2 more kids? I don't know. Maybe one. But I'm already 33. Two more kids, even if they are super close together, is going to take another 3-4 years.

And then there is the craziness of having 4 children. Much of that burden falls on Charlie. And he does a huge amount of work at the office for me. Work that I wouldn't trust anyone else to do, and, let's be honest, in North Platte I could never find someone as good as him to keep an eye on the financials for me. We both agreed that if we had 4 kids under the age of 6 or so, he was going to have to stay at home full time. Tanya is not going to take care of 4 kids for us, in addition to her 3. They would have to go to daycare. Or Charlie would need to be home full time. Which means he's not at the office. Which means we'd have to hire someone. On top of paying for 4 kids to go to daycare.

And then the logistics at the office. Dr. Shreck is almost 70 now. He's been out of practice for 3 years. He may be willing to come back and help again with baby #3, but I don't know about #4. At some point he's going to want to let his license and malpractice lapse and just be retired. He has been more than generous with his time to help us for these last 2 pregnancies. I don't think he minds, and we obviously pay him, but without him we would probably have to shut down the office for a period of time. Instead of my maternity leave being unpaid (because we basically break even on costs and paying Dr. Shreck) it would cost us tens of thousands of dollars. I would have to go back to work way more quickly, and overall it would be a lot harder. So if we adopted a baby in a few years and Dr. Shreck was not willing to come back, then I'd be home for a week or two, then back at the office full time and Charlie would be home with 2 toddlers and a newborn, while no one was doing his job at the office. Kinda crazy.

It's not that we couldn't afford it. And it's not that whether or not to have more kids should be a totally financial decision, but it does weigh in. And staying at home with 4 kids is a huge task. It's hard enough to stay home with 1. I think as you get more kids it probably get easier to some degree because they entertain each other. And as they get older they get more independent. But neither of us were sure we really wanted 4 kids. Like I said, maybe 3. We'll see how it goes with 2.

But I didn't want to just waste that money. I mean, it's basically like a $10,000 donation to the agency, which I don't think is a nonprofit in the first place. Ideally I wanted to be able to gift that money to another couple who wanted to adopt but didn't have the means to adopt through an agency like we were. But, as you might expect, our deposit was non-transferrable. So I couldn't do that.

Ultimately, we decided to end our adoption journey. Every time we renew our home study it is another $1,000. We both really needed to be behind it. And I was only partly behind it, Charlie less so than me. So after talking about it ad nauseum for the last several weeks, we finally decided to throw in the towel.

It makes me kinda sad. So final. But I think it's the best for us in the long run.

Now nothing to do but wait for baby #2 to make his grand entrance. Any day now...

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Capsule is (almost) complete!

Happy Mother's Day to all my mamma friends out there! Hope you all had a good day. I know that I did. It was a much better Mother's Day than last year. Last year Max was still pretty fussy. We we were still pretty tired. So even though Charlie got me a beautiful Juki sewing machine which I love (and wish I had more time to use), it was all sort of a blur.

Today, Max chose to sleep in until 6:15, which is a HUGE win these days. I think he's sort of transitioning between needing 2 naps a day and 1. One if often not enough and 2 is too many and so he is often kind of tired and cranky and getting up early. But today he slept in!

We went to church and then to Perkins for breakfast. He was good as gold and went down for a nap. Then Charlie and I got to planting all the veggies we bought yesterday. Max didn't take a great nap, but we got the gardens planted. Which is a huge accomplishment for me at 8 months pregnant. We didn't go as crazy as we had in previous years, because we know that we may not have the time and/or energy to can as much this year. BUT, we've got several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, red cabbage, green cabbage, broccoli, romaine lettuce and red leaf lettuce. Green beans, carrots and cucumbers will hopefully go in in the next few weeks. Strawberries and asparagus are still going strong despite the snow last weekend.

I had asked for either a pair of black Tieks or a pair of black Birkenstocks for Mother's Day. I had been doing a lot of research into making ethical and lasting investments in clothes and shoes to complete my capsule wardrobe. Tieks are something I have been looking into for quite some time. I have read rave reviews on them from everyone from travel bloggers to moms to physicians. They fold up very small (which is why they are great for traveling) and everyone talks about how comfortable they are. My black flats had been looking pretty shabby, but at $175 I wasn't sure if I was ready to take the plunge for a pair of ballet flats. Well, Charlie came through and got me a pair for Mother's Day. I've worn them around the house all day and then out on a walk around the high school, and I have to say - so far they are living up to the hype. They are extremely comfortable, and offer better support then you would think from looking at them. Hopefully they last and stand the test of time, but we will see.

So, then this afternoon Charlie took Max to the grocery store while I stayed back to have a bit of quiet time. I decided to get online and finally make some decisions about how I'm going to finish out my capsule for July after baby #2 is born. I have a hard time making decisions sometimes and this has been no exception. I think I have literally spent hours thinking about the last few pieces and where I want to get them from and what colors would be best, etc...

So I bought the black Birkenstocks. Not the traditional Birkenstock style, but rather these which I think will be a bit more versatile. It's hard to say that any Birkenstock would be "fancy" but I think you could more easily wear these with a skirt or capris and get away with it. I perseverated for a LONG time on the color. Black or brown? Or maybe navy? I finally consulted with the folks at Cladwell and asked their opinion. They suggested that black would probably go better with the other colors I had chose for my capsule, so that is what I went with.

Next, I went to my new favorite travel clothing website Encircled and made some decisions. I've read a lot of reviews about their dressy sweatpantsevolve top and chrysalis cardi. While I love all of them, and if I like the other pieces, I totally plan on getting a chrysalis cardi in the future, I didn't really think I needed it to fill out my current capsule. So I got a slate gray pair of dressy sweatpants (which a few women online had said fit them well even when pregnant) and a black evolve top. Again, I've read about a million different reviews from all sorts of people, and they all seem to think it is the bees knees, so I hope so. Because the price point is pretty damn high if it isn't super versatile and phenomenally comfortable.

I still technically am short one top for my capsule. Hopefully I'll find that over time, but for right now I'm tired of looking. And if I don't find what I'm looking for, I'll bet I will survive.

So as it stands right now, my capsule for July - September has 38 items...

Tops: A white tank top (maternity), a salmon athletic shirt from Lulu Lemon, a gray sleeveless shirt I got from D.Diff a few years ago, a white lace top from D.Diff, a white sleeveless top with black polkadots from D.Diff, my gray C-Bus T shirt, a mint green sleeveless top from D.Diff, my navy blue short sleeved maternity top from my last Stitch Fix, the black evolve top and the yet-to-be found top that will either be mint, salmon, or turquoise.

Top Layers: white linen blazer from Banana Republic, black open front cardigan from  Banana Republic, gray sheer cardigan from D.Diff, and navy blue Patagonia sweatshirt

Bottoms: black athletic shorts (I have a few pair to choose from, we'll see what fits after baby is born), black and brown ankle length pants from D.Diff, gray capris from D.Diff, floral ankle length pants from D.Diff, jeans (again, we'll see which ones fit), khaki shorts from D.Diff, a pair of jean shorts (that fit), gray dressy sweatpants, and black yoga pants.

Dresses and skirts: my white floral maxi dress, and my turquoise strapless knit dress that I got years ago in college and have worn the crap out of, gray maxi skirt that can also be worn as a maxi dress from Athleta

Shoes: running shoes, my Chacos, black Toms booties, brown flats from D.Diff, black Tieks, floral Toms ballet flats, black Birkenstocks, black strappy Toms sandals, navy blue Toms, striped Toms wedge sandals

Outerwear: my brown rain jacket from Eddie Bauer and my blue NorthFace fleece

So, I'm pretty pleased. I'm interested to see what I learn about myself and my preferences doing this. I didn't really choose a capsule last time, and I also lost weight and then my clothes I chose didn't fit. Then I got pregnant and went the other way. My biggest hang up, honestly, is the seeming lack of color. I've always been someone that gravitates towards bright colors. And you can most certainly include as much color as you'd like in a capsule, but you also want to try to make sure that everything goes with everything else if possible. So you do sort of have to choose a palette. This does not include scarves or jewelry or anything like that, so I'm hoping that with those things thrown in, I don't feel too scarce on color. BUT, if I do, then I learn from it and take that forward when I develop a capsule for the fall.

Wish me luck :) 

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Capsule Update

I'm beginning to realize that this capsule wardrobe is something that takes a fair amount of effort. I should have known that, really. But I've decided to start with postpartum, because that is taking me long enough to plan.

So far I am really liking the website. It walks you through all of the thought processes that you should be going through when mindfully putting together your wardrobe. I'm trying to use as many pieces that I already have as I can, but the truth of the matter is that there are probably a handful of pieces that I'm going to have to buy.

They help you figure out what your color palette should be. You answer some questions about your coloring, and they suggest colors for you based on that. To be honest, I was not a huge fan of the colors they chose. HOWEVER, it did give me good direction as far as what kinds of colors I should choose that would look best on me and would go with each other. One of the things that I think I struggled with before was getting enough pieces that were interchangeable. The best way to make a capsule is to make sure that almost everything in your capsule goes with almost everything else. And picking and sticking to a color palette can really help with that, I think. They divide colors up into neutrals (I have black, camel and slate), mains (navy, sky and white) and accents (mint, salmon and turquoise).

Once you choose colors, they you have better define your style for them. They give you several different ones to choose from. I think I chose "Girl Next Door". Basically meaning I like to be comfortable and I'm not the first to pick up on new trends. Which are both true.

Then they have you choose how many times per week/month you do certain activities like go to work, hang out at home, weekend, date night, worship, workout etc...

Based on all those things, they give you suggestions for how many different kinds of items you should have and suggestions as to which colors they should be (neutral/main/accent). Then you are supposed to clean out your closet (I already did that, and I'm not about to do it right now as my body is going to be changing sizes so much in the next few months). Next you go "shopping" in your own closet. You fill in what you can with what you already have. I added/deleted a few items depending on what I thought I'd use/wear during July through September. Then I ended up with about 6 items that I didn't have yet. One is a pair of black flats, but that is because the ones I have are shot and I need new ones, so if you discount that, then only 5 items.

They also give you ideas about where to shop for those items. They do a lot of homework on ethically produced clothing and where to find it. They have also answered questions for me on what colors to chose for sandals, what kind of pants to get that would be the most versatile, etc... I have also done a lot of research on my own.

I'm feeling pretty motivated to do this. And I'm looking at spending a few hundred dollars on the 5 or 6 items that I need, so I feel like that is a pretty big investment. I think that if I make that kind of investment, then I need to stick with it, you know? I also have seen myself carefully deliberating over exactly which shoes I want in exactly which color and things like that. I've been more mindful of my decisions, whereas I'm usually the person that makes more rash decisions and then goes from there.

We shall see. When I have the capsule finalized, which I'm hoping will be soon, I will post it (if I can).

Thursday, April 7, 2016

I did it!

I did it! I took the plunge! For $60 a year someone is going to help me develop a good capsule wardrobe. I can even start with pregnancy :)

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Simplifying Life

So, I ran across this website when I was visiting one of my favorite capsule wardrobe bloggers website (here). It is an interesting idea. Basically you pay $5 per month, and they build capsule wardrobes for you. They supposedly take information about your style, your color preferences and what you do in a typical week, and then they build a capsule. You tell them what you already have, then they tell you what you need to be on the lookout for.

I haven't really done a great job thus far in creating or maintaining my capsule wardrobes. I find it incredibly difficult. And, if I'm perfectly honest, a little bit boring. Many would argue that is because I am not including clothes that I can mix and match enough, and that I'm not including clothes that I really, truly love. I think there is probably some truth to that. I can remember probably a handful of pieces that I've owned that I really loved. And all of them I wore more than once a week until they completely wore out. One was a lime green sweater that I got at a clothing shop in Fayetteville, AR. Mom encouraged me to get it, and I thought it was too much money. It was something like $100 or something. But it was unique, the color looked great on me, and I wore that thing OUT. Totally worth the money. I also got an asymmetric turquoise dress that day. I also thought it cost too much. But I've worn it all over the world because it packs so well, and I still own that dress. I can probably even wear it pregnant, though I'm not sure how nice the sleeveless thing will look with the extra 30 pounds.

And I think that it is really, really hard to truly try to "live simply". To try to focus your energy on what you really need and not what you want, and to clear out those things in your life that don't bring you joy. Because there is so much more room for happiness and contentment when you clear all the clutter from your life. I truly believe that. But in our society today that is just so hard to do. Everywhere you look there are subliminal messages telling you how happy you will be if you just spend money on this or that.

If you watch the intro video on Cladwell website, they will tell you that in the 1930's the average woman owned 36 items of clothing. Thirty-six. Clothes were more expensive back then, so you didn't get to own a ton of clothes. But as we continue to make cheaper and cheaper clothes, we buy more and more. "Oh, well, it was $7! Can you believe it?! How could you say no?" Well, because it doesn't fit well, isn't made well, and you don't even really like it. I can't even tell you how many pieces of clothing I had that I had barely worn. And that is what retailers want. They want you to buy more and more and more. Now the average is 110. I have no idea how many items I have, but I can imagine that even after a closet cleanout I may have close to that number.

Last year Charlie and I both cleaned out our closets. And we made awesome progress. But I still have probably too many clothes. And too many "things" in general.

So I am contemplating trying this service. For $60 a year I think it may be worth it. At least until I can figure out what I really need on my own. If I decide to try it out, I'll let you know how it goes :)

P.S. If any of you are interested, if I send you an invite and you sign up, we both get a $5 credit, so let me know :)

Sunday, January 3, 2016

New Year's Resolutions

I'm not a huge fan of New Year's resolutions. In general I think that they are usually made in good faith, but most of us give up on them pretty soon after the New Year. It's because real change is hard to make. We are such creatures of habit. But I do usually take some time after the New Year to look at my life and think about where my priorities lie, and what kinds of things I would like to change to try to more closely live the life I'd like to live.

So in the spirit of re-evaluating, here are the things that I'd like to focus on this year.

First, I want to read more. I really do love to read. I always have, since I was a little girl. But I end up spending a lot of time in front of the TV on Facebook or something similar. It's not that I don't have time to read per se, but I take time that I could have to read and then waste it on other things. Like Facebook. There is nothing wrong with Facebook, and I'm not giving it up, but I don't need to be on it all. the. time.

Second - continue to simplify my life. We started cleaning things out, but got stalled after the clothes were done. Life just sort of got in the way. I don't think we've moved backwards, but we need to keep moving forwards. So I want to take some time to continue to purge things and simplify my daily life and reduce clutter. So much of the "crazy" the I feel is due to the unmanageability of my life. I come home and there is crap everywhere. Max is always going to make a huge mess. That seems to be his main goal in life. But I don't need to have my crap lying around for weeks on end to add to the clutter.

I think that's it. No need to overcomplicate things :)

And in regards to my last post. I haven't fallen off the capsule wardrobe bandwagon. But I had lost a bunch of weight and then got pregnant, so I think a true capsule wardrobe is on hold until after this second baby comes and I can get back in shape, which could be awhile, lol.