Simplifying Life - Mark II

mary43

Just to say Hi to all and many thanks for the support - you've no idea how much better it makes me feel - well,actually, I'm sure you do...........anyway, I feel much more positive today, even my stomachs stopped churning..................lol:rotfl:
Guilty of not having done much though..............maybe when Lula starts her 9 drawer task, it'll give me a kick-start..................:rotfl:

firework

quote ceridwen "Don't forget the cleaning materials/cosmetics/bits and bobs - like lightbulbs, matches, etc.

.....and then sit back and grin broadly if it snows again.....as you dont have to go shopping:D "

heh heh , thinking of having a 3 month stockpile of non food and tinned items. so thanks for that - cleaning materials - stardrops(6 bottles should cover every eventuality - lol!
cosmetics - don't own ANY make-up -apart from a lipsyl. use e45 as moisturizer (big pump dispenser tub of docs - cheers doc!)
lightbulbs- have a dozen free energy savers on hand - they just keep coming through post every now and then .
matches - i still have the same box of cooks matches i bought when i left home 15 years ago :rotfl: think i have used about 10 of them! they are probably the only thing left that i originally took into the old house with me !!

will be doing a walk round later to check i've everything on my list, have the obvious, loo rolls, bin bags, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, sanitary items lol- how very mundane! - ooh forgot soap?!.... list gets longer, ponders where to store all this stuff, hmmm..........


edit: ps. i have the longest list of links to blogs and further reading (ceridwen, rhonda jean etc and tons of simplifying stuff) - it'll keep me busy for the next 6 months i bet...

firework

just came across this on the old thread and i think it's pure brilliance, and so very true - only trouble is we would travel miles in our cars and planes burning fuel just to see it - ironic or what? try and imagine this...


If the Earth were only a few feet in diameter, floating a few feet above a field somewhere, people would come from everywhere to marvel at it. People would walk around it, marvelling at its big pools of water, its little pools and the water flowing between the pools. People would marvel at the bumps on it and the holes in it, and they would marvel at the very thin layer of gas surrounding it and the water suspended in gas. The people would marvel at all the creatures walking around the surface of the ball, and at the creatures in the water. The people would declare it precious because it was the only one, and they would protect it so that it would not be hurt. The ball would be the greatest wonder known and people would come to behold it, to be healed, to gain knowledge, to know beauty and to wonder how it could be. People would love it and defend it with their lives because they would somehow know that their lives, their own roundness, could be nothing without it. If the Earth, were only a few feet in diameter.
Aril xx

mary43

firework - glad you found that and re-posted it...........I meant to print it our when Aril first put it on but didn't get around to it (typical !!) - now I can -and I can think of a few people who I could send it to who could do with a gentle reminder of how precious our planet is.
Thanks :j

Lula-Hula

mary43 wrote: »

Guilty of not having done much though..............maybe when Lula starts her 9 drawer task, it'll give me a kick-start..................:rotfl:

Oh Mary now I feel terrible . You should have tried the emotional blackmail earlier :rotfl: ; I will do 'top left' tomorrow morning & be back here by midday to declare the contents :eek: & completion.

I've been enjoying simple pleasures today; took DD & her friend for a walk in the woods to look for bears...they looked at me scathingly but I enjoyed myself .

Wishing you all a happy & peaceful evening.

firework

oh dear, not having a very good day here:( . we have our own taxi business, and the hours are long and hard and we don't even end up with minimum wage at the end of the week. last october we had a dispute with a colleague who shared the workload with us and we went our seperate ways after he basically tried to put us out of business. now we work more hours than ever, have only had one day off since (that was Christmas Day) and we are struggling just to keep our heads above water. we have employed more drivers to take up the strain so we can get some shifts off - even tho it means we sometimes lose money on the shift! but spare time is still hard to come by... i have tried getting up earlier to fit more things in but i'm so knackered with the long hours that i just don't have the energy.

anyway it's all starting to take its toll on our ds age 7, and tonight he's had a real cry about being fed up because his mams always at work, he has no-one to play with, he has to keep getting dumped at his nanas or granmas while we dash out to work - all true unfortunately. thats taxi life - never know when the busy spells will be. i think it's having a negative effect on his schooling too, he is tired alot, finds it hard to go to sleep at night, hates school anyway (always has mind even tho he's very bright), we have to drag there every day, and his diet leaves alot to be desired... zero fruit - won't entertain it and not enough veg - even tho he loves it i don't always have time to cook it....
...i could go on but you probably get the picture - lol!
basically i'm having one of those moments where you feel like everything is caving in on you... i just wanna jump off this bl**dy hamster wheel:eek:

guilty/fed up/guilty/fed up grrrrrrrrrrr!

wouldn't be so bad if we were making a fortune - would be much easier to pack it in half my workload etc - but at the minute we're not and with job market as it is we are lucky to have jobs at all i guess. poor poor me - feeling very sorry for self and son and OH (and anyone who had to read all this blather!)

oh, sombody just slap me!
rant over.

you're probably all wondering why i spend so much time on here - me too! - only escape i reckon.

firework

:j just finished the old thread. and as i read this one first and caught up on the old one in between i'm now up to date (at last i finished SOMETHING - LOL!)

sorry about whinge in earlier post, have resolved to get OFF MY BUTT and MAKE TIME for our family of 3... i actually just read part of a post on the very last page of old thread, by mary43 which read:

" this year particularly I've learned to prioritise better.......work our whats important to me and my family, how I must make time for 'me' and learn to say 'no' occassionally"

how totally appropriate ... thank you for that mary43. and thanks to everyone on here for some superb advice, fantastic links and real warm support whenever people need it:T .

off to get some rest - nearly 1am again...tomorrow a new day.

ceridwen

Firework - re the veg. I believe I'm right in thinking that all vegetables (except potatoes and sweet potatoes) can be eaten raw - certainly there's not just lettuce/tomatoes/cucumber in that line - theres also carrots, beetroot, mushrooms, baby sweetcorn, peas, peppers that come to mind instantly. I frequently use grated beetroot and sliced mushrooms raw in salads.

Perhaps you could make a bowl of suitable vegetables sliced up and kept in the fridge to use as crudites and something suitable to have as a dip with them and DS could help himself - perhaps even learn to make these for himself?

Lula-Hula

Hello all;

Firework : I've skimmed your post & will return later to read through properly- in the meantime have a quick ((hug))

Mary : I'm reporting in as promised ; I'm in the process of sorting through top left & middle left - turns out I cant do one without the other :rolleyes: . There's paper & stuff all over the floor & it looks a tip but by the pile of stuff already to be recycled I know this is long overdue so will get back to it & return later for a full report...I may be some time

love to all
lula

Aril

Hello virtual friends:j:j
It's been a busy weekend so far with lots of jobs done but OH is doing the final prep on the kitchen floor today before laying the new lino later on in the week. That will be my shoestring budget kitchen finished after nine months:j:jI've done it in really bright cheery colours and I love it. The kitchen is never my favourite place to be [not being the biggest cooking fan in the world:D] but is definitely winning me over and besides that's where my stash of Turkish Delight resides:rotfl::rotfl:
The small person today has disappeared into his room having first asked if he could borrow all my fluffy scarves [these are ones I've knitted in lots of different hues to coordinate with different outfits] He's just reappeared to show me what he's done with the. They're all tied together and strung across his room to make a road network....maps is another of his interests. Planet Asperger can be quite intriguing sometimes....he's having huge fun.
Firework....life/work balance. Always a tricky one particularly when you've got a family. I work full time and OH runs his own business so it can be very difficult sometimes....I probably invented maternal guilt!! One of the simple things I've found that helps is to get into the habit of sitting down to eat as a family [it might not mean that both his parents are there always] and turning the TV off. The small person is far more relaxed and chats far more readily about his day. With regards to fruit and veg....will he drink say tomato juice? Dried fruit is another way to get in another portion.
Today's quote is short and one that I've learnt the hard way sometimes over the years as I can be a little sharp from time to time:
A sharp tongue can cut your own throat
Anon
I think it was Marru who wrote about letting some things that are said to you go...[over on DFW £4000 a year thread] and deciding before you respond whether you want to be always right or happy.
Arilxx