Moved in. Now back to blogging.

Well, finally I can knock one item off my 'to do' list.

Yes, after months of planning, we are living in our new home.  The whole thing was exhausting and, really I suppose will continue to be so.

The move itself went smoothly but the stress associated with the organisation and the length of time it takes to unpack is really not fun.  There are plenty of other things I should, and would rather be doing than searching through boxes, unpacking boxes, moving boxes and so on.

On the upside, once things are settled in properly, I shall have some real space to put my files and thoughts and finally get on with the grand plan of a Working At Home Mum (WAHM).  I rather suspect that the onslaught of winter bugs and the depletion of financial means will ensure that my plans for world domination may take longer than I would like, but I am eager to get going at least.

Another advantage of the move is that since each evening there has been packing/sorting/moving heavy furniture/manic searching for things, both me and husband are feeling a bit fitter, trimmer and all round less interested in sitting on the sofa watching TV and eating snacks.

I wrote a post earlier in the year about doing more and moving house has reminded me not to fall back into bad habits.  I have put a note in my diary to remind myself again at the end of the year as it seems without a kick every now and again I have the tendency to seek out the solace and comfort of the sofa.

Blogging will be back on the agenda slowly as I still have a huge list of stuff to get on with, but for now, it is just great to be logged back in.

Maroon 5 and their bid to get me fit

Ok, so my moves are not exactly like Jagger* but thankfully the little one is happy with me jumping around the room like a loon as long as I throw in some country dancing-style moves holding his hands.  I love the song and can't sit still when it comes on the radio.  We have fun and dance around until we have to open the window and have a sit down.

Apart from making me realise how little cardio exercise I usually get, it also makes me realise how much I miss going out dancing.  When I lived in London I'd regularly spend 4-10 hours a week in a club dancing my high heels off.  These days, I can't remember when I last wore heels, let alone kicked them up.

Am I too old to be seen in a nightclub? 

*I am too scared to find out if they mean Mick - if not, then I really am too old and out of the loop!!

Cutting the Clutter

One of my main goals this year is to do more.  Over the past few months I have realised that a lot of this is to do with productivity – using my time more effectively – so I can fit in the things I want to do and stop wasting time on things that don’t help me to enjoy life more.

I am really pleased so far with what I have achieved and I plan to report on that soon.  For now though, I wanted to share with you a great find.  Idly browsing the magazine shelves in my local WH Smith’s I found a gem of a magazine book.  Called “Organizing” it is part of ‘The best of Martha Stewart Living’ series.  Now, being British, I barely know who Martha Stewart is, and really don’t care either.  However, she appears to be one organised lady.  It took a while to absorb all its loveliness at once but I just couldn’t put it down.  I am someone who does love organising:  people, stuff, I don’t really mind what.  I like things to have a place.  I like tidy rooms and believe that it does influence my state of mind. 

As someone who is trying to work from home, I am finding this truer than ever.  I am not lucky enough to have a study or home office so I have to find a space in the usual living area of the house.  It is difficult to clear my mind and settle down to something when there is clutter everywhere.

I think that’s why this appealed to me when I saw it.  Being back at home with the little one after being in the office is opening my eyes to ways the house doesn’t work as well as it could.   After reading “Organizing” I managed to get the motivation to tackle some specific key areas of the house and I was surprised by how quickly I was able to do it and, more importantly, how much difference it made.

Back in January I persuaded husband to help me reorganise the kitchen and I am really pleased that we did it.  Once I realised how much easier things would be, it was a no-brainer to give up an hour or so to change things around.  However, after reading my Martha Stewart treasure, I have taken it one step further and re-discovered an unused drawer in the kitchen.  Then I made dividers for another drawer from tubs and boxes I already had in the house.  This won’t save much time when cooking, but may save a lot of swearing and scratches on my arm as I wrestle with utensils to find the right measuring spoon. 

I have also organised the hallway spot where all the keys and bits and bobs get left (you have one too, I know you do!).  I have made husband put another shelf up in the lounge, allowing me to put more things away properly.  I then spent 20 minutes making two caddies for the table out of an old box.  This got rid of a box that was lying around ‘in case we needed it’ and now husband and I each have somewhere to put the cr*p we accumulate on the dining table.  At work, this might be called a ‘pending ‘ tray.  Now, when there is too much ‘pending’ we know it’s time to have an empty out and they can be quickly removed to the new shelf when we need space on the table instead of having a wobbly pile.

For the rest of the book, I will just dream about having a house that has so much space to organise. 

Overall, my fiver was well spent as this is a publication I will keep for a long, long time.  I will aim to revisit it every year just to make sure I am doing as much as I can to keep my house in order.

Springtime fitness

Well, the sunshine certainly gives me the feeling of more energy and I want to get out there and get some exercise. However, I have noticed that it really does help.  This week has been full of sunny walks with the little one, bending and stretching putting the washing on the line, gardening and running up the stairs to shut the windows on my way out.  Let's hope the sunshine stays so I can eat more biscuits guilt-free!

Bathtime fitness

In my determination to fit more into my day, I decided to use the time that the little one is in the bath to do some stretching.  Now, our bathroom is not big and I only have an 'L' shape to work with.  This does mean I have to have a certain level of flexibility and my legs are wedged between the bath and the loo when I sit down.  Standing stretches are also a bit tricky due to the number of cabinets, door handles, sink, etc.  However, I do have plenty of places to rest my book of stretching and I can at least follow most stretches for my shoulders and back.

So far it is working out just fine and the little one is actually quite encouraging.  The only downside is that bathtimes are now just calmer.  I stretch, we chat, he plays calmly.  This sounds good, I hear you say.  This is true, but I do miss the more raucous, splashy fun bathtimes. 

Do you have any other suggestions of how I can fit in more fitness?  Aside of course from heavy lifting (little one) and running up the stairs?

Aisles of desire

In many ways I am fortunate.  I live very close to some very nice department stores.  One in particular is very easy to park near, has great toilets for both me and the little one, has good lifts for the pushchair........and is full of beautiful things. 

The only thing is, every time I walk through it I am filled with the desire for a bigger, better home with a bigger, better bathroom for bales of bouncy towels, for a study with empty bookcases to fill with gorgeous stationery items, for a huge dining room to store several sets of matching crockery, for a living room the size of a mainline station to accommodate the enormous clock that I am currently coveting and six sofas so I can fill them all with exquisite cushions.  The store designers are to be congratulated as they are truly experts in their field.  I feel inadequate in my home furnishings and that I have somehow failed in life that I do not have the perfect home to put all these perfect things in. 

So, I have decided to avoid the temptress of dreams.  Buddhists believe that desire that can never be satisfied can only bring suffering.  I shall park elsewhere, pee elsewhere and hopefully feel happier and more content with my home as a result.