No.120: New Habits, Little by Little: A Seven Changes Update

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The more I think about this, the more “time” is really just shorthand for “self-care.”  My perfectionist tendencies had me believe that if I couldn’t have it exactly how I envisioned it, it wasn’t worth starting at all.  And that’s so not true.  Here’s what I’ve been working on:

• I read Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done and it really helped me identify my problem areas and to get my perfectionism in check.  I have carried a lot of his ideas with me since – sign of a good book!
• Starting small, I asked myself, “What makes you feel alive?”  And for me, that’s running.  I started getting up earlier, going as far as 30 minutes will take me, and I feel like a completely new person.
• GOALS
1. Create a routine for prayer & Bible study.
2. Put a monthly “day out” on the calendar and stick with it.
3. Sign up for a race in the fall.

In my research, I stumbled on an entire “zero waste” community and woo, are they both inspiring and intimidating!  “Less waste” seems like a more reasonable goal for me right now.  Here’s what I’ve been working on:

• Our plastic containers were looking pretty bad (and we were missing a third of the lids – how??) so I invested in some glass ones.  I love them!  They don’t stain, clean easily and look super cute stacked in the fridge.  
• I joined a local group on Trash Nothing, a freecycling website.  You can offer or request items and everything is 100% free.  For example, right now, people are offering a charcoal grill, sports equipment, even a desk and dresser!  I check in frequently just to see what’s available.
• I’ve been saving vegetable scraps to make bone broth.  Onion skins, celery leaves, carrot peels, and leftover fresh herbs!  I keep them all in a big bag in the freezer and when the bag is full, I plan a whole chicken for dinner, which will then be used to make broth.  There is something so satisfying about making something delicious from scraps.  My grandmother would be proud.   
• Flexible meal planning has been helpful in the waste department as well.  When I feel like we have too much in the fridge, I bump my planned dinner to the next day and have a “Refrigerator Clean-out Night” to use up all the half-eaten odds and ends.   
• GOALS
1. Research composting.
2. Get rid of old couch on Trash Nothing.
3. Finish reading An Everlasting Meal.

3 // SLOW FASHION 

When everyone is ruthlessly paring down their wardrobes into capsules, I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum: I have very little!  This is mostly due to my constantly fluctuating midsection – being pregnant and postpartum for over a decade hasn’t inspired me to shop beyond the bare essentials.  But I’m ready to work on this and I want to do it the right way.  Here’s what I’ve been working on:

Education is on my mind a lot, but I really haven’t had time to think beyond the daily grind.  Summer break seems like a good time to work on this area before we begin again in the fall. 

• GOALS
1. Read Know and Tell.
2. Brainstorm new ways for creative narration for school in the fall.
3. Start writing in my commonplace book again. 

We haven’t quite shaken our “indoor people” habits, but we’re making progress!  The past few weeks have been tricky with allergy-ridden children and never-ending rain, but I’m hopeful we’ll get back to our routine soon.  Here’s what I’ve been working on: 

• We started the 1000 Hours Outside challenge in March.  At this writing, we’re at 63 hours.  The pollen really put a damper on our fun – one of my kids in particular is especially allergic with swollen, itchy eyes.
• I’ve tried to be intentional about seeking out nature, photographing plants that catch my eye and researching their names.  
• The birds hatching on our front porch fan have been fascinating to watch too.  We joined Nest Watch and are helping scientists with our data.  
• GOALS
1. Read How To Raise a Wild Child.
2. Determine what the trees in our backyard are.
3. Plant new shrubs in our front flower beds.  Maybe ones that attract birds and butterflies?

I’ve found that this change is a natural consequence to #5: more time outdoors equals less need for screens.  Lately though, as we’ve been stuck inside with days and days of rain, I’ve found the opposite to be true.  So much begging for a show!  Here’s a few other things we’ve been working on:

• Mark and I don’t watch television on weekdays.  This sort-of evolved naturally because we were both reading books we couldn’t put down.  Now in hindsight, we didn’t realize how many hours of our life we wasted scrolling through Netflix trying to find something to watch!  I’m reading more than I ever have before simply because of this small change.  
• Mark downgraded to a “dumb” phone.  This seems like a social experiment (can he do it?  and for how long?), but he says that he’s seeing a lot of benefits already.
• I’m trying to only scroll when I’m alone instead of in front of my kids – I am rarely alone, hah, so this helps with time management for me as well.
• GOALS
1. Make a plan for screen use during the summer and stick to it.
2. Read Hands Free Mama.

I’m in the thick of parenting, but I haven’t really touched the intentional part of this change yet.  Putting this one on my summer to-do list.

• GOALS
1. Complete the gallery wall of family photos in the living room.
2. Read Siblings Without Rivalry.
3. Prioritize one-on-one time with each child.