We All Make Mistakes

So one of my resolutions this year was to use no plastic straws.

Seems easy enough? 

Just don't use them.

Yeah well today, 9 days into my list of resolutions and I've made a mistake...I used a straw.

I had a gift card to Starbucks so I decided to get a coffee (didn't break my resolution for this part) but then without thinking grabbed the straw on my way out.

As soon as I popped it into the drink I realized what I had done...now the quandary was what to do about it?

I couldn't put it back in the paper and return it to the shop...so I decided instead to make a $5 donation for each straw I take.

I don't mean this to be a way for me to keep using straws and then paying off my debt with a donation...but I thought I should have a stiff reminder.

I looked around and decided the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center would be my charity of choice.  They do some wonderful work to help out the local population of sea turtles in South Carolina (turtles can have some very sad injuries from straws).

I am going to keep a tally on my resolution spreadsheet so that at the end of the year I know how much to donate (I am hoping that it is only $5).

So this is the first expansion to my resolution list but it is also a reminder that I need to stay on top of my selections for this year.  One item I was going to take care of was to sew a pouch to carry my stainless steel straws...looks like I need to get on that tonight.

What have been your remedies for not keeping a resolution?  Do you give up?  Or do you find a way to work with the error?

Hopefully you aren't too harsh and show yourself some grace.

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KonMari Craze is BACK

Yesterday I shared a snapshot of some of the resolutions I wanted to work on this year...one of those items was to minimize my possessions, and if my family cooperates, hopefully many of their possessions as well.

Just when I wasn't sure how to get my family on board enter Netflix and the Marie Kondo 8 episode series titled "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo."

Years ago I read the book "Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Ms. Kondo and was very inspired to go through my house using her techniques and also sharing it enthusiastically with anyone who would listen.  I think in the end I was probably a little bit of a pain to people ("Sorry Mom"), but that's what happens (at least to me) when I am so excited about something and think people will benefit from the knowledge I've gleaned.

Netflix has harnessed the book and brought it to life.  You see people who have varying degrees of clutter that need to be addressed and you get to observe as they apply KonMari methods.  The series does a great job of getting a variety of situations and people so as to show that the methods can be utilized in so many different ways and that they can be adapted to work for everyone.

My husband watched two episodes with me and we kept pausing the show to reflect on our own house and things we wanted to accomplish this weekend, this year, etc.  

I think the series could really provide something for everyone and so to that end I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone.

If you don't have a Netflix account...perhaps snag a free month and then binge on the episodes.  I know January can be a month where many embark on "no spend" challenges.

If you've watched the show, or read the book, what were some takeaways for you?

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Happy New Year...Bah Hum Bug

The new year is upon is...we will be writing 2018 on paperwork for a couple of days at least...AND it is the time of year where people make resolutions to a fitter/better version of themselves.

My husband and I were walking on the beach yesterday and he asked "What is your new year's resolution?"

My flippant answer was "Nothing...these are just promises you make that you know you are going to break."

The conversation moved on, but I kept thinking about his question.  Perhaps I should be so crass with my answer and perhaps there are things I could do all year long to enhance the person that I am.  Perhaps I don't need one singular resolution perhaps I need a list of ideals that I could complete monthly (cum Gretchen Rubin) or perhaps I just make a list and take the year to make my way through it.

So I sat down and started to think of things and included a few doodles along with it because that made it a little more visually interesting to look at (I mean after all I am going to have to keep referring back to this to make sure I get everything in).

My illustrations are not spectacular but I think it helped my creative ideas flow and helped me make a list longer than I originally anticipated.

One of the resolutions I selected was to spend one month doing Kindness Tasks (a separate list was made for those).  I am most excited about this one and foresee it being an all year long list that gets added to as new things come my way (i.e. ideas from my kids who I want to incorporate in some of these activities) instead of just concentrating on it for one month.

My daughter read over my list and was excited to do a volunteer activity together at a local animal sanctuary but was shocked that I want to give up Starbucks for a year...she begged that that one only be a month.  I do love take away coffee, but I feel like I need this time to be more intentional with my purchases and what I consume (both food and products).

To that end to be more conscientious about my purchases I plan to purchase no new clothing, only second hand items this year.  I have whittled down and made a very minimalist wardrobe for myself but I can anticipate that I may possibly need to have a new to me item sometime this year.

As a family we will continue to minimize our possessions and work to have a home that we love and enjoy...not one that we dread having to take care of all of the items.  

So what are you doing this year?  Did you decide to make a resolution or two?  I would love to hear the things you are doing and if you have any suggestions for "Kindness Tasks" I would love to hear them as well (as I said I hope that list grows throughout the year).

I will continue to make posts and updates and let you know how various tasks and ideas are going.  

Until then Happy New Year my friends!

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