Spring Cleaning

So there are a few things I thought I'd sworn to avoid in my life:

1) Spring Cleaning - I'd never let "stuff" accumulate to proportions to require any yearly purge.
2)Yard Sales - The only thing powerful enough to get me out of bed before 5am calls me "Mama"
3)Moo moos - Oh, the horror.

 Well something has happened since we've become home owners. It's like the space demanded to be filled and so we filled it. Add to that the space required by clothes that Derek has outgrown, stockpiling of coupon goods, and Bryan's never ending ability to acquire furniture and computer equipment (I mean sometimes it seems like people throw things at him) and we are full up. So while I lived on happily in denial Bryan dropped the bombshell on me.

Bryan: I think we need to talk about the schedule this week.
Andrea: There aren't any big plans for the week. What did you want to talk about?
Bryan: I just feel like we need to organize everything.
Andrea: (enters a dream trance-like state) Wha?
Bryan: You could call it (delivered in super slow motion) sssssprrrriiiiinnng cllllleeeeeannnninnnnng.

I don't remember what happened next...I just remember coming to awareness next to a pile of old magazines and plastic storage containers. *Shiver*
As if that wasn't enough to ruin a person's sanity I can't seem to just give the abundance of extra stuff we've collected away. I keep seeing the double stroller of my dreams in my head and I figured out I might actually put a dent in the price tag if I sold some of the stuff we have instead of just donating it. *sigh* What does that mean? I don't know if I can even bring myself to type the words....we....are....having.....stuff-outside-with-price-tags-on-it. Yes, a yard sale. I feel that the end of the world must be near. Prepare yourselves.
Who knows, I might make a few bucks and then I could consider both ventures to be wildly successful. At the moment I'm sore but satisfied with the work we've accomplished. It is amazing how much cleaner a room feels when you know that the closets are organized, even though you aren't looking inside them. You know?
With number one and two on my list of stuff to avoid coming to pass this leads me to greater concerns. Moo moos.

My New Alter Ego: Minivan Mom

You're eyes do not deceive you. It is true. Last week I fell into a vat of toxic waste...with our poor, dead car...and when we emerged we were both transformed. No, don't laugh. It is surprisingly easy to find and fall into such vats. I would be cautious if I were you.
Anyway, now I am officially a minivan mom. I resisted the transformation for as long as I possibly could but in the end it was the only option...you know, like that rock guy on the Fantastic Four. He could always change back but he knew his powers were for good. The embarrassing truth is that I like the thing. I like the sliding doors on both sides, I love the tinted windows, I love not having to crouch to get into it or fasten kids in. Oh, yeah, and there is the space. I have two baby car seats in the middle seat, four other seats available for passengers, and I have plenty o' space up front for diaper bags, coupon binders, etc. Not to mention the fact that I fit all my groceries by the middle seat on my last trip...That is a big deal. I mean I didn't even have to pop the trunk.
We wouldn't have made the jump so soon but our trusty Malibu decided to need about 1.7 billion dollars in repairs (this figure has been adjusted to show frustration inflation).
So there you have it. Now that I'm thinking about it though the toxic waste seems kinda ho hum...you know, been there, done that....I might need a better back story...

The Impossibility of Perfection

I currently find myself in the middle of so many projects that if they were all piled in one place...on top of me...it would appear as if I'd been in an avalanche. I think it may be time to go back to the drawing board. *sigh*
I want to do everything. Not only do I want to do everything I want to do it perfectly. Is that too much to ask?
I started piano lessons again this week. I have to keep reminding myself that just because I'm playing a one handed version of Beethoven's Ninth this week a year from now I might actually get through the real thing. That really isn't that far away in the big picture. Unfortunately the daily grind makes it seem like a lot longer and plucking at my keyboard during Derek's nap times doesn't feel all that productive. I mean I can play the songs I've been practicing much better than when I first started but then I turn the page and, guess what, there's a new song and I feel like I'm starting all over again.
My least favorite feeling in the world.
And wouldn't you know it applies to just about everything I do in a day. The dishes always get dirty again. I'm thinking we're going to go family style and start eating out of the pot/pan/bowl with our hands. Is that too savage? The laundry always has to be washed again. The bathroom never stays clean. And no matter how many diapers I change the little man just keeps filling up another one.
With all these daily tasks I wonder why I pile on so many new things. A friend told me just the other day that you need to invest 10,000 hours into something to be an expert. That is something like 416 days. 24 hours a day. Straight. So in reality if I spend 15 minutes a day on each of my crafts/projects/tasks it will only take me 120 years to be an expert at each and everyone of them. And I thought I was going to have to have patience for piano. Sheesh.

72 hours TV free

Big deal, right? Well I'm humbled and more than a little embarrassed to admit that I have a problem. A TV and computer problem. When I finish a task and my mind casts about for something to occupy my time my first instinct is usually to long onto the computer or grab the remote. I haven't even attempted to calculate the number of hours I've watched television the past few weeks. I don't dare. Suffice it to say it was way too much and I'm pretty sure the amount of time was only increasing. I listened to a speaker (I'm currently playing a series of his talks on CD in my car) and he suggested that too much TV/Movies/Video games put you in the same pot of water as a frog. I mean I never woke up and thought to myself...'Gee, what a lovely new day, I think I'll just go watch an entire season of Dr. Who.' That would have been jumping into boiling water and I would have jumped right back out. Instead I would watch one show, then another, then just one more, and next thing I know I've got a headache and the day is gone. Turns out those poor frogs do the same thing. You put them in cold water and gradually increase the temperature and before Kermit knows what hit him he's frog soup.
Well the speaker read a quote by Gordon B. Hinckley that said something to the effect of turning off distractions and taking that time back would lead to marvelous results. Just imagine what you could do, he said. So I did.
I pictured quite clearly in my mind the myriad of to do lists full of things still undone scattered about my home. I recalled how restless and discouraged I've been when I looked around at all that needed to be done and all I wanted to do and realized I was never ever ever going to have time to do it. There just didn't seem to be enough hours in the day. Well I'll tell you that the first day of no TV saw me complete, for the first time in ages, my daily to do list and then some. I actually went to sleep when I should and I woke up the next morning feeling lighter, happier, and, well, excited.
I have to say there was some surprise there. I thought it would be hard. I thought I would start sweating. Get paranoid. You know, serious jonesing. I didn't. I simply woke up and realized that all those things I'd wanted to do and had all but given up on were not only in my reach they were on my to do list. Maybe this is a no brainer but maybe someone feels kinda like me? It doesn't have to be the same media but don't we all find time wasters?
Well I'm so cheery its ridiculous and I'm on day 3 of no TV and I can't believe all I've accomplished. I made popsicles today. (I LOVE Tupperware) There was no fancy plan. I finished my to do list and just thought: 'hmmm, what should I do now?' And guess what. Turning on the tube didn't even occur to me! So I made some freakin' awesome popsicles. Never made 'em before but I had the mold and the time and a desire to experiment. You know what else? I'm learning how to play the piano, and brushing up on my Spanish, and I put together a cookbook of my favorite recipes I've been wanting to compile for like a year now. Holy cow.
Does it sound like I'm on speed? I promise this is a totally natural high...though we did pick more blueberries today and I did have to taste test quite a lot of them...
Bottom line is: I'm so pumped that I've got all this time to do the things I've always wanted to do that I'm not even interested in being bummed that I used to waste time on worthless stuff. I don't have to imagine what I could do. I'm doing it. Oh, and you know what else this speaker mentioned? Apparently some university somewhere did some study (yeah my factual recall is mind blowing) that found your metabolism actually slows down when you watch TV. Not to mention other studies that have shown that we tend to eat more when we do so while watching television. So the past 3 days my horrible eating habits have drastically changed. I don't snack all day. I take time to make healthier food and as a result we've had some delish dinners if I do say so myself. And the last thing I'm going to barrage you with is just this, why watch someone else living the life of their dreams when you could go live your own dream?
I'm not saying I'm not going to watch some key matches of the world cup or that I'll never have a Pride and Prejudice marathon again. I'm just surprised at how duped I was. I was completely clueless that the funk I was in stemmed from me wasting vast amounts of time that I actually thought didn't exist. 
Something to ponder. For now I'm off to share one of those popsicles with my little man and do something exciting, whatever we want, away from media devices.

Laundry Day Discovery

I never had to use a prewash treatment until Derek was born. It seems like everything that comes out of his body stains! I don't like to use chemicals and we use fragrance free earth friendly detergent. I started using an oxy cleaner on towels and really dirty loads but I've found that some stains require a tougher tack. My uncle used to wash his stains out with a combination of Spray and Wash, Formula 409, and Resolve. My aunt told me this trick and I tried it on one of my favorite Onsies that had been stained, washed, and dried. To my surprise it came out good as new! Derek is our first and I plan to use his clothes for our future children so it is a big money saver to keep his clothes looking nice. It also helps not to have to throw his clothes into the washer as soon as they are soiled, a quick rinse and pre treatment and they are good until I have enough dirty laundry for a full load (not that that takes very long!). I'm always on the look out for new tips and tricks. Especially if that means a less chemically based laundry alternative.

The Renaissance Project

Ever since high school I've loved the idea of being a Renaissance woman...well not a woman living in the actual Renaissance period, but a woman who is well rounded and knows about, well, everything. Since Derek was born I've really recommitted to learning and working on a lot of skills I've always wanted to acquire. I've been learning a lot looking at the blogs of clever and crafty folks so I thought I'd start posting my attempts. Any feedback is welcome as I strive to hone my homemaking skills. Right now my big projects are couponing, exercising, organizing, making homemade baby food, and this blog.
Right about now is when the deep voice movie voice over guy starts playing in my head saying things like "Andrea is learning how to juggle. Will she be a hit or will she drop the ball? Find out, this Christmas."
Okay, writing witty preview lines is waaaaay down on the to do list so I'm afraid we'll all have to make do until the big projects are finished. Anyone else get the voice over guy in their head? Very The Holiday.