by Jennifer Farlin | Jan 18, 2016 | Happiness at Home
I pretty much have just enough time to maintain the status quo, meaning I can get what NEEDS to get done–done, but beyond that, Oy Vay. I have to remind myself that life is too short to obsess about the unfinished petty stuff–dusty baseboards, scuffed up walls, a playroom that looks like it was “tossed” by the Feds, etc… It’s all just a byproduct of a much loved home, right? I, do, however, constantly try to find ways to minimize extra angst in my life. I mean life is not always very easy. The last thing I need is my own home to bring me down, stress me out, and be a giant buzz kill when sometimes everyone and everything else is jockeying for that position.
So I keep hearing about this book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo.
Her essential question is ‘Does this spark joy?’
“Keep only the things that speak to your heart, then take the plunge and discard all the rest,” she advises. “When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too. As a result, you can see quite clearly what you need in life and what you don’t.”
Powerful words.
Fans say her advice frees them from the guilt that often comes with discarding an object given by a loved one. She advises readers to thank their clothes for their service–or for teaching them that pink isn’t their color–before letting them go.*
She rejects all organizational products (the horror) and storage bins. “A booby trap lies within the term ‘storage'” she writes. “I can honestly declare that storage methods do not solve the problem of how to get rid of clutter. In the end, they are only a superficial answer.”
Huh. It’s food for thought.
Reading this do you think to yourself–“Self if I get rid of everything that does not spark joy in my home will my home look like an abandoned warehouse?” And the storage bins? Eek. Is she crazy? I see her point, I do. Moving all the clutter to a fancy labelled box is not cutting clutter–it’s just putting it off.
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But let’s get back to this lack of time thing we all seem to have. Don’t go crazy–set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes, do NOT multitask, and purge. Additionally, think about these items from Amy Volk’s Simplified Living:
“Does this spark JOY?” is an amazing question to ask yourself for anything and everything.
*The Wall Street Journal The Cult of Tidying Up February 27, 2015
by Jennifer Farlin | Nov 10, 2015 | Life Reflections
For a brief time, which lasted about 17 years, I was in a hurry. My active duty husband was always on the heels of a deployment or trip or an extended trip or a training or new orders that would mean lots of hours or tons of travel or something and it was always something. (I hear you saying Amen.)
My life was defined by these catch phrases-
…hurry up we need to get this in before you deploy.
…hurry up we need to get this in before we move.
…hurry up we need to do this before you leave.
Time crawls for those who are missing someone. I know firsthand. And yet, how is it when the clock is counting down for the next departure–time speeds up and moments move at lightening speed?
On our 10 year anniversary of being a couple I did the math and realized that in over 10 years—10 consecutive months was the longest we had ever been together, the rest of it was long distance.
And all of that is normal for a military family.
It’s been 20ish years now and we’ve slowed down. We still have our “hurry ups”…you just never know with the military…but for the most part my life isn’t defined by it now. My kids have stopped using Daddy’s deployments as markers of time when describing their past and Disney World isn’t associated anymore with farewells and welcome homes.
After all we’ve been through as a military family I am forever grateful for my husband’s presence. It is a present. A gift. I do not take it lightly. I do not take it for granted. I cherish even the snoring that comes with it.
And I want to say Thank You to him and to all our Veterans today.
Freedom is not free, Thank You to my husband, and all our military past, present, and future for paying the price.
by Jennifer Farlin | Nov 6, 2015 | Art
Darn you inconvenient budget. Darn you fickle design trends. And darn you expensive-complicated-high-maintenance-picture-framing projects. I was trending once. Several years ago I carefully framed all of our family pictures in white mattes with wide black frames and artfully hung them on our stairwell in a manner that would make Pottery Barn proud. Then we moved, twice, and everything went into boxes. Now the whole mess sits in two large dish pack size moving boxes in the basement. Those heavy black frames are sooooo 2005. Insert eye rolling. I almost started replacing the frames with white wood but that would have been SO 2012. It’s maple now. If you don’t have maple on your walls then just quietly keep your drapes drawn.
Zillow.com
Pottery Barn
West Elm
Found on elle.es
It’s not maple but I will look the other way-
Found on lunchlatte.tumblr.com
If you want to see more love:
Inspired Decorating, Your Walls are Boring, Paper Source
by Jennifer Farlin | Oct 26, 2015 | Life Reflections
Let’s review my weekend. I was vomited on, bled on, and I carried fox pooh in my hand. I asked a child to please not put worms in his ear. And I was told that hot chocolate and fritos was a “good bwekfest cuz you get the milk and corn dat way”. I got up early and stood by while rambunctious boys sold popcorn outside a grocery store for cub scouts. I was an innocent bystander in a cub scout camping trip. I volunteered for a very fun fall festival involving a chilli (spilled on top of the vomit, blood and pooh) cook off contest, corn hole competition, face painting, DJ, moon bounce, and ghetto beer “tent”. I toured two homes for sale, one of which I will never be able to unsee, try as I might to scrub the images from my eyeballs. And I closed the weekend with a load of laundry which entailed pulling out 5 candy wrappers, 4 empty frito bags, half of a marshmallow, a stick, one used bandaid, and something that I think might have been bait out of one 8 year-olds pants.
It is now Monday and my house looks like it has a hang-over. I wish I could help it but I am somewhat paralyzed in the overwhelming minutia of it all.
On days like this, like every single Monday, it is a no win situation that I think mothers across over-scheduled America struggle with whether they work full time or not. Part of me wants to walk out the front door and do something else. This is the Monday morning part of me. The Sunday night part thinks I would freak out if I had to work on Monday because nothing got done in the house over the weekend.
Monday morning me says I want to live a bigger life than the hunt for matching socks, or pick up wet towels, or wonder if this child’s pants are clean or dirty. I don’t want to go to the flipping grocery store–AGAIN. I don’t want to do all the things that no one will appreciate but will drive me crazy unless they get done, and of course no one is going to do them except for me–mom. I will spend the whole day dealing with mind numbing details, piles, and messes.
Sunday night me thinks thank goodness I will be home to fill the bare cupboard, replenish the empty underwear drawer, and take the dog to the vet. Sunday night me says it’s ok–leave the debris I will deal with it tomorrow.
Monday morning me says what were you thinking?
I swear the two of them might get in a slap fight any day now.
I am at complete odds with myself and what I should be doing. When I live a bigger life it feels like my family life becomes smaller. My kids still need a lot from me and I realized, before, in one of my other lives, that when I am too busy I’m not the best mom.
Finding the right balance between big life and small life, between busy and stalled, between self and mom–is difficult at best.
Making peace with wherever you are at the very moment is an epic battle, the quest, the goal, the finished to do list, the prize.
It is now Monday afternoon me.
Peace be with you Monday Moms.
Jen
Post-posting update–it has come to my attention that some readers believe the title should have been: Fox Poop–The Struggle is Real. Thoughts?
If you liked this post then read: Camping, Airstream Camping, Puke is My Kryptonite
by Jennifer Farlin | Oct 4, 2015 | House Tours
I’m pretty sure that the opposite of living in a Parisian Apartment is Annandale, Virginia, but whatever, we have a great DC commute.
Lindsey Tramuta; Carams
Dreambookdesign.com
Found on garancedore.fr
Shelterness.com
Elle Decor
Elle Decor
Found on thisisglamorous.com
Just a picture of my laptop and my view…of Paris Annandale as I write this…
You Gotta Have Art, Inspired Living, Cottage Love
