I didn’t mention it in my Monday post but our calendar for this week is empty.

Monday:

we did nothing.  I went to the grocery store but we were all here and sitting at the table for dinner. Thought I’d followed the menu plan this week but a glance back at it and nope, not at all. Following the menus (mostly) but not the days.

We had our French Toast on Monday night. I tried to make myself a sugar-free version using a banana, almond milk, and the pumpernickel bread. Let’s not discuss that any further although I didn’t cave and eat the good stuff.

Tuesday:

Yesterday, again a slow day. My husband and I were both off work so I took him out to lunch with a gift card from my birthday. Then, we went to Wal-Mart to get oil for my car. Welcome to almost 20 years of marriage!

During the afternoon, my husband helped my oldest work on his parallel parking skills while J and I went for a walk around the block.

In the evening, we had chicken enchiladas (note to self: next time check for red sauce before you start cooking) and taco salads.

J’s binder broke during the school day so after we ate dinner, I made a run out to an office supply store get him a new one.

Wednesday, Today:

Did you know it’s International Hygge Day?   More information about it all on this enjoyable blog.

Are you recognizing it?  I’m making small attempts.

Heated up one of those pumpkin honey muffins for breakfast.

Pulled out the chocolate chip cookies (from the store, fundraiser deal) for the kids’ lunches. Been in my fuzzy socks all day except for the school run and to do a work-out video.

Made myself some peanut butter and jelly sandwich cookies using this recipe.  And put them on a pretty plate.  I halved the recipe. Can’t decide if that’s a good thing since I couldn’t stop eating them or a bad thing because I already know I’ll need to make more.

Watched a movie (this is my husband’s fault, he turned it on and of course, left but I became interested: Akeelah and the Bee, good movie).

Lit the apple cider scented candle from Christmas.

Green beans and new potatoes simmering in the crock pot.

Kind of wishing it would go ahead and rain or thunderstorm soon. Looks like we’re getting by-passed just like yesterday. Cloudy skies but no rain.

Plan to work on a little craft project in a bit or maybe read.  Time to get back to my green tea (something I drink almost every day at about this time if I happen to be at home).

What kind of week are you having?

The snow talk started with the Sunday news.  More talk about it on Monday.  Even Tuesday morning, they were still optimistic.

MONDAY:

• The grocery store seemed full and the patrons were acting nutty. The cashier asked me if Minnesota won the Superbowl. Um, what? No, they weren’t in it.  (Yep, it’s definitely going to snow, I thought to myself).
• In the afternoon, I made the boys go get their dad’s birthday cards because the roads would most likely be bad later.
• A cup of coffee at Mom’s Night Out (Actually, I had a smoked butterscotch latte, and no, you don’t want to see the nutrition stats on that one. Yikes!) because I had to get out since we’d probably be stuck at home on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

TUESDAY:

• Made myself get up and run the rest of my small errand list because the snow eta was about 2p.m.  Grumbled to myself how I’d be picking up a teenager from school right in the middle of that.
• Started a crisis cleaning of the house about noon since the kids would likely be home on a snow day today and I dislike cleaning around people.
• Don’t care for drama but a little found its way into my day as I went to pick up my high school kid and he didn’t show.  Frustrated, went home, noticed he forgot his phone. Waited wondering when to panic when he finally did show.  Next time, please, borrow a phone and CALL ME. A simple misunderstanding, he thought I was working and I thought he needed a ride. Too much drama and stress for my day. Still no snow.
• News now says IF it snows, it won’t start until 6p.m. or later but most likely it will go north of us.  And it did.

WEDNESDAY (today):

• Everyone’s at work or school
• My hot chocolate ingredients sit untouched (perhaps, I’ll make a batch this weekend) but we’ve been eating the cinnamon rolls all week. 
• Looks like I’ll get to continue my crisis/deep cleaning of the house for tomorrow (Husband’s birthday so we’ll have some family over for cake)

******

My oldest son says he’d settle for a late start at this point just he could sleep in one day.  Not me, I want a full on snow day with pretty blanket of white snow covering everything.  Just one. There’s another chance of snow this weekend but I’m not getting too excited (yet).

What about you? Do you like a little snow now and then?

Wanted to share a proper book review of How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind.

This one surprised me.  I really enjoyed it although I can’t say I enjoyed the entirely too true for me practical knowledge shared.

The proper title of the book reads as How To Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind: Dealing With Your House’s Dirty Little Secrets by Dana K. White.  Ms. White owns the blog, A Slob Comes Clean.

My Book Review:

Do the dishes.  Those 3 words pretty much summarize the book.  People like my  husband might wonder why anyone would need to read a book which summarizes such basic knowledge. He doesn’t need this book.  If you are one of those people who naturally can’t go to bed at night until the dishes are all done and the house is tidy, this book is not for you.

I’m the target audience, those of us who simply don’t understand why the house doesn’t stay clean.  I cleaned it this morning, why is it dirty again tonight? I simply need a better system for keeping it clean.  Turns out that no, we don’t need a new system.  We just need to do the dishes. AGAIN.

“House keeping doesn’t end. Ever”

The author presents this knowledge with a conversational tone and practical examples from her own house.  I especially related to her ideas of how thinking of her home as  a project added to her cleaning frustrations. It may take me forever but I love a good finished project. Turns out home management doesn’t work the same way. It’s an ongoing thing and not a single home management system in the world will work for us until we actually do the work.

I found it refreshing to read a home-management book from someone who doesn’t actually enjoy housework and admitted it. The book’s divided into four parts and flows nicely with the exception of the meal-planning chapter which felt a little out-of-place to me.  Maybe it’s just because that is the one area I have (somewhat) under control.

She also tackles the subject of decluttering in the book. Of course, it’s easier to clean when there is less clutter, the mantra of clean-loving organized people everywhere. However, I appreciate her different approach to this topic.  Her advice: Do the easy stuff first. Deal with the visible. Simply, throw away the trash. Her idea of thinking of our homes as one giant container also appealed to me. Let the space you have set your limits on the stuff you own.

Final Thoughts:

I found this book helpful and have been doing a better than usual (certainly not perfect) job of simply doing my dishes than my past attempts at “shining my sink.” The book is  for someone who simply needs to get a handle on an out of control messy house.

Another thing much appreciated by me in this book: the lack of references to other e-books and blog posts. Sometimes when I read books by blog authors, I feel as though I’m constantly  presented with a sales-pitch for their blog and/or products. None of that in this one, a friendly “this is what you have to do” conversation (that I could almost picture having in the author’s kitchen).

The end contains an appendix entitled: 28 Days to Hope For Your Home which I’m finding quite helpful as I work my way through it. It’s super simple and not at all overwhelming.

****

The Kindle Version of the book is currently on sale for $1.99 on Amazon Prime right now.

NOTE: I get no compensation from Amazon for any purchase you make through my blog (Go purchase it from another blog where the person does get something!) and also did not receive any compensation for this review. I purchased and read this book because I wanted to read it and thought you might like to hear what I thought.

Have you read this one?  What did you think?

Happy 2018!  I’m not really  making resolutions with this post so much as simply making a list of things I’d like to do in the new year. We can still call it the new year if we’re only ten days into it, right?

When I wrote my post on the 18 books I’d like to read in 2018, I referenced this podcast post (and I even listened to it!) over on Gretchen Rubin’s site.  Today, I’ve decided to share my 18 with  you.

My 18 Items For 2018:

1. Read (at least) 18 books
2. Lose 18 pounds
3. Get a new kitchen table
4. Guard my heart from negativity and drama (sorry, I know it’s vague)
5. Clean out the basement
6. Clean out the inside of the computer desk
7. Add another garden area to the front yard
8. Buy fresh flowers for the table once a month
9. Post a Happy Homemaker Monday post every week
10. Do one thing each month to get ready for next Christmas
11. Complete a sugar-free challenge
12. Join in the monthly weekly Facebook group photography challenges at Live, Love, Snap
13. Go on a fun summer vacation, maybe a return to Colorado or South Dakota
14. Make our house feel like a home again (vague again, I know…)
15. Walk in another 5K
16. Clean my email inbox out monthly (prefer weekly but I’m being realistic)
17. Get rid of 18 things we don’t love/use each month (4-5 things a week)
18. Go on at least 2 nature walks/outdoor bird-watching adventures a month

As you can tell, some of my items are super concrete and others are a bit vague and more ideals than actual things to check off on a list. Do I think I’ll actually do all the things on this list? Probably not but hopefully, I’ll do more of them than if I hadn’t bothered to make a list at all.

I may blog here and there about the items listed as the year continues. And it may take me more than one try (ahem, my first sugar-free challenge of the year may have ended in a blazing chocolate coated defeat) to complete some of these items.

What do you think of the idea of making a list of 18 things for 2018? Would you or have you made one? I’d love to hear what’s on your list!

Can you believe I only chose one word for 2018?  I have a habit of not following the rules regarding this word of the year stuff.

Last year, I had to have an entire phrase.  My phrase did work fairly well in small bursts but I found it fizzling out a bit by year-end. And then there was the year, I had to pick a new word each month.  Way too much and with hindsight, I see it missed the point of the whole one word concept entirely.

I’ve picked a single word for the year in other years though and usually with mixed results. However, each new year I simply can’t resist in joining in this tradition and linking up my one word (or ten or twenty!) over at Create With Joy where other bloggers share their word of the year.

Confession about my word for 2018: I started using it last year.  It kept popping out at me for 31 days in October.  Just a sneaking suspicion, my word changed my focus going into the holidays and helped me ward off my annual  “I hate Christmas!” meltdown.

Announcing my one word for 2018:

A funny thing happened when I started writing my series about embracing the fall season for 31 days, besides the realization I need to consult a thesaurus a bit more.  I found I actually enjoyed fall a lot more than I ever had in the past.

Also, focusing (mostly) on the positive parts of the season really helped me stay in a better mood. I found it shifted my way of looking at things as we moved into the Christmas season.  That season found a welcome with me also.  It’s usually not a favorite season of mine.

My plan moving forward into 2018 is to accept whatever it brings with it.  Accept the bleakness of winter. Enjoy the stark silence in the barren house following the removal of all the Christmas decorations.  (And then add back in some decor for winter warmth!).

Hopefully, I can squeeze some good out of whatever happens or at least acknowledge and move on past the heartbreak moments (it would be naive to think there won’t be any of those in the coming year although ever an optimist, I do hope we all have much fewer than last year.). Embracing the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything that arrives whether my mood, the weather, or a million dollars (did I mention I’m an optimist?) is my plan for 2018.

Did you pick a word of the year? I’d love to hear about your choice!