What are your goals for the remainder of summer?

What are your plans?

Do you hope to accomplish something special?

If you are still "Not Buying It" or compacting how are you doing?

Are you decluttering? Simplifying life?

I cleaned the basement! Whoo--oooo. It is your typical ancient, rather icky basement. Nothing all sweet and airy...but there is an area with a rug and some good lighting and I sent that up with all the playmobil, dress up etc. It's not my old place...lol but ok, it's workable and pretty nice, as far as old basements go. Of course, I still need to work on the laundry room, and it needs a lot of attention...but still, it's in the agenda.

Our outdoor pen is built, and we trimmed some trees. We moved a shed, and a little coop-y thing so the chickens could have a place to hide when free-ranging.

Dh took apart a 30 x 30 ft ageing metal boat shelter. Wow, What a job.

We got a new silkie roo, and I am hoping for babies at some point. :lol: Silkie grandbabies, I guess.

we turned off the air--want to try to continue without it
have been hanging as much out to dry as possible
waiting for our new chickens to be old enough to lay eggs--that will be 6 more eggs
have de-cluttered 5 garbage bags worth and donated them to local clothes closet
shredded and froze zucchini
dug up potatoes--now need to use them
picking our own tomatoes and using them
big one SOLD THE VAN!!!!!!!!! Woohoo
re-financed the mortgages into 1 payment

need to get back into the habit of making pizza instead of buying frozen
need to make pickles
have to build an outdoor kennel for the dogs
need to get back into the habit of not spending money--and saving money

What are your goals for the remainder of summer?

What are your plans?

Do you hope to accomplish something special?

If you are still "Not Buying It" or compacting how are you doing?

Are you decluttering? Simplifying life?


My goal for August is to jump off the crazy train and get ready for school. This is the last week of swimming lessons. I am almost sure I am not resigning them for second session. We will wrap up summer reading. I really need to organize and get everything manageable for me at home before baby gets mobile. I really want our homeschool this year to be fun and productive. I need some time at home. So far this summer has not been relaxing at all. Summer is never very enjoyable for me anyway. I don't know why that is??

Right now I am fighting a really big urge to buy things on credit. I feel like there are things I want for my home for it to "work" better for me and all of us and there just isn't money for it. Even getting things on craigslist wouldn't make it affordable. (like bunkbeds for my two girls that share a room, area rugs, that sort of large thing :eyes: ) So aside from praying that somehow these will be magically gifted to me I need to be at peace with not having them. I have caved to the evil plastic empire and bought rubbermaid storage bins for the toys. I would love for them to be in lovely canvas bins in those adorable cubby systems. But rubbermaid bins it is. :wah:

I am feeling slightly sorry for myself today. I just need a break and someone to come vacuum for me.

I am also having a hard time planning enrichment activities for the kids without breaking the bank and without giving up our family meal time. Seems like everything is at the dinner hour. Family dinner is really really important to me. But I know it's also important that my kids get out of the house and around other people.

What are your goals for the remainder of summer?

To buckle down and get into a great work groove.
To stick fairly close to home and low-key and relax when not working.
To get a few family cooking sessions happening and develop some meals and snacks that everyone will eat. (I have finally found a way to get everyone on board and the kids' diets are getting healthier and healthier...)
To finish decluttering.
To continue with garden and herb harvesting...
In Sept I want to make elderberry wine. But I swear I can't think about September right now.
Oh and we need to get another truckload of wood mid August and cut and split it, and get gravel put in our driveway so it's driveable and hopefully plowable through winter, and put sand down and level a spot for the easy set pool, get a drainage swale dug and hope that dries the basement, and I guess that will do it for winter prep this year.

What are your plans?
Basically the above. I have some child care lined up so I can work, and dh is going to SF to help his mom with an art show for the first two weeks of August, which will, ironically, help us get more done - we are spending this week getting all the basement decluttering *out* of the basement through the bulkhead - ugh. Including the two worn-out machines (washer and dryer). And when he's gone, I know I'll just end up doing projects all day to while away the time.

Do you hope to accomplish something special?
Um, not sure any of that is particularly special...in a way I want to get all that done, and in another I want to make sure I'm slowed down enough to enjoy summer and all it has to offer, so if we get half of that list done, I'll be happy.

If you are still "Not Buying It" or compacting how are you doing?

Off and on in spurts! The only things I'm slipping on, are buying a few snacks and drinks on the go. And clothing for the kids - they seem to be growing like weeds and needed a whole new wardrobe mid-season, plus camp gear, sunscreen, bug spray. It's not so much that I bought the clothing, but that I would have liked to have not had to buy any new. I just am not yet set up to sew. But I have made progress...see below...Anyway, I have spent a lot of money but all on necessary things. But things like, I have not had the wherewithal to search out bulk EOs and make my own bug spray, or sew the clothing that was needed. I did decent thrifting and shopping sales, but did have to spring for some new-new clothes. I am finding it really hard to find decent kids' clothes in the larger sizes, probably because they are so hard on them. However, I feel like I have kept things very reasonable and thrifty. I'm just astonished that there are constantly *so many* things everyone requires on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. I'm trying to simplify that as much as possible.

Are you decluttering? Simplifying life?

Yes! I have just about decluttered the basement. We just have to actually move all the garbage and donations out of it. The garage is about 80% decluttered as well. After I get round one moved out, I am going to declutter what's on the shelving in both places and what remains in bins on the floors. I think I will end up with the bins ON the shelving and the floor clear.

The nice part is that even though the basement is still flooding when it rains, I am now able to get the whole stream of water with the squeegee we have and get the dehumidifier running in all the musty corners, and nothing gets wet or ruined because of water. It makes it easier to see what's leaking and will tell us if we have succeeded more clearly, once we have the drainage dug on the land that will hopefully dry out the basement.

We have been in clean/purge/get stuff done mode, because it has not exactly been the kind of weather that takes one to the lake. But the few days it has been, we have wanted to drop everything and soak up sun and swim. What a weird summer.

I have a lot of goals for the next month. More than I could realistically accomplish in the next 3 months, and I'm going out of town twice... Anyway, I'll get done what I get done I guess. I definitely need to plant my 2nd summer veggies and start the fall ones. We've really enjoyed the garden.

Compacting? Well, I did just buy a new stove. I shopped used and scratch n dent sources first, and this was the option I chose in the end. I'd say that the large majority of the time, I find compact friendly solutions, like the reclaimed heart pine flooring I need to install (one of the projects).

Decluttering. Oh yes indeedy. I had a stack of clothes as tall as I am that I added to the swap. More to come. A stove will be going on freecycle tomorrow, for instance. And my neighbor says she wants to buy the daybed I don't need.

A fun little simplifying thing: I get to do a vegetarian OAMC thing tomorrow with some friends. Dinner is solved for the month, and it's not going to be expensive, either.

I just did another round of decluttering for a yard sale to benefit a very good friend. I was able to let go of some things I wouldn't have let go of ordinarily, to help her.

I'm working on finishing up the kids fall wardrobes. I made 5 shirts, 2 gowns, 3 pairs of pants and a hat today. LOL 4 kids down 5 to go. :drop: :) Actually I'm pretty well set with my clothing storage boxes for most of the kids, so I just have to fill in the blank spots. But I don't want to buy anything if I can avoid it.

I'm doing a pantry challenge these next two weeks too.

I got rid of a fridge (it died) and a freezer (for the yard sale) so that will help bring down our electric bill I hope.

My plans are:

Sell items on ebay to make some extra $$
Continue pantry challenge and eat very frugally
Send lunches with Keith consistently
Cut back on the swaps
Hang clothes out instead of using dryer
Keep air conditioner off when Keith isn't here
Stay home (not usually a problem LOL)
Start making and collecting up Christmas gifts

:) Aileen

What are your goals for the remainder of summer?

Let's see; I actually have them written on a card right in front of me:

1) Reading. The boys have come so far this summer; DS#1 is actually an honest-to-goodness reader now, evidenced by the fact that he reads and eats at the same time. DS#2 is sounding out all kinds of words and is reading very easy books. I am so glad I was patient and gave them time and now they love reading. So we're going to keep reading; me to them, them to me, to ourselves, DH to them, etc.

2) Integration of Living and Learning. I don't think these are separate things, actually, but there are things the boys want to learn or need to learn, and I'm trying to find a way to blend Enki and unschooling. Right now I'm just observing. My boys need a strong rhythm to the day or they fall apart at the expansiveness of it.

3) Stress reduction and elimination. This probably should have been #1. I need to lower my stress response and get rid of things that unnecessarily cause me stress. I feel like my life has been a pressure cooker for over a year now. I also need to stop having imaginary confrontations in my head (rehearsing) as a response to a situation. I need to make peace with my decisions and accept them without needlessly worrying about how everyone else feels about them (a big stressor for me).

4) Connecting to our community and cultivating a sense of place.

5) Opening ourselves to the natural wonder of the world.

6) Creating and maintaining health.

7) Working on our rhythm and environment.

What are your plans?

Our weekends have gotten busy again, so after the big homeschool conference (8/10-12) we're planning to take the trailer up to the private campground and leave it there for 2-3 weeks, spending most of our time up there. While we're gone we'll have some termite work done.

We need fencing installed. I need to start planning the fall garden.

Do you hope to accomplish something special?

Peace. I am hoping to reconnect with the peace that used to be more abundant in my life. I want to slow down. I want to prune out the unnecessary things in my life (be they objects, worries, relationships, etc.) and give myself room to grow. I want to deepen some of my relationships and I want to feel whole so that I can give of myself freely to my children and have that enrich me rather than make me feel like I am being spread too thin.

If you are still "Not Buying It" or compacting how are you doing?

I'm not doing as well as I would like in terms of following the "rules", but I do think I've become much more mindful of my purchases, and I shifted almost all of my book and clothing buying to used items. I'm definitely feeling more remorse when I buy something without thinking about it first, and most of the time now I can stop and not buy whatever it is I'm considering. I think I've become very resourceful, finding new uses for things and improvising when I need something. At the same time, when I do buy something new that we truly need, I do so knowing that I have already tried to use something else, make it, or find it used.

Also, I decided that it was too much for me to make every gift when they are so unappreciated and unwanted by some people. Since we aren't in debt and can afford to buy gifts, I've returned to buying consumable gifts for some people. At some point I had to realize that I am one person, and while I should do as much as I can for the environment, I was becoming so obsessed that I was trying to do more than I could, at the expense of my own self.

Are you decluttering? Simplifying life?

Yes, and yes. Always.

What are your goals for the remainder of summer?


What are your plans?

Do you hope to accomplish something special?

If you are still "Not Buying It" or compacting how are you doing?

Are you decluttering? Simplifying life?

UGH...Can I use this as an opportunity to whine? We have been doing something every weekend (usually into the week) since the end of June. So, a month straight of not being home on weekends (or DH not being home on weekends). Usually, by weekend, we're talking Saturday-Monday night. Our house is a mess, though it was very clean at the beginning of our adventures. At the moment, DD is about to start scooting and crawling, and my house is a death trap for her. DDs and I are going to a Hi-5 concert tomorrow with my neighbor, DH is going to be gone all day Saturday to play in a basketball tournament. So, I still don't feel like I'm going to be able to get started catching up yet. I am hoping that we can lay low and take it easy for the next few weeks. The end of the summer is going to get crazy as DH's brother is getting married, and the festivities are going to take up much of the last week of summer vacation and Labor Day weekend. One weekend is going to be spent in DH's hometown to attend a wedding shower, and that leaves us 3 weekends. I am going to make every effort to keep those to ourselves. I am also imposing a ban on video games except for Nintendo DS's in the car.

My main goals are to get the house in order and safe for a crawling babe. I wold really like to convince DH to let me keep the boys home this schoolyear, but I don't think that will happen.

I have to prep my class to teach.

Decluttering? No. I did a tremendous amount of decluttering last year before DD was born, and I struggle with getting rid of anything else at the moment. Not that I wouldn't like to eliminate more stuff.

I just want to enjoy my kids, have fun here at home with them, stay home so DD can focus on finally completing her potty training. (She's finally doing really well, but the travelling makes things a little crazy.

I need to stock my pantry and fridge and plan meals.

*What are your goals for the remainder of summer?
To watch money carefully. It's been a weird month financially.
To finish planning the school year for the kids (so much as possible).
To continue my reading with the kids (similar to Kimberly's post).
Attend all of my remaining boxing classes, meaning being mindful of my health. I'm having nasty thyroid problems and I'm exhausted all of the time.
Help DH not to procrastinate.

*What are your plans?
None, yet. The kids officially "begin" school on Aug 20. Meaning I really want to have our rhythm down by that time, have the house organized, meals planned, etc.

*Do you hope to accomplish something special?
Lose the last 6lbs that I really want GONE. :) For me this has meant biking, jogging, hiking, swimming, weights and boxing class every week. It's time consuming but the results are worth it.

*If you are still "Not Buying It" or compacting how are you doing?

I'm being mindful of who I'm supporting when I do buy things and DH and I find ourselves talking one another out of purchases. We no longer have a credit card at all which really prevents non-necessary purchases because I like having a cushion in the bank account so I won't buy anything with the thought of, if there's an emergency I can use the cc. :eek: I never realized I thought that way until the cards were in itty bitty pieces and I was finding alternatives to things I usually saw as necessities.

Are you decluttering? Simplifying life?
As someone else said: always. :)

Also, I decided that it was too much for me to make every gift when they are so unappreciated and unwanted by some people. Since we aren't in debt and can afford to buy gifts, I've returned to buying consumable gifts for some people. At some point I had to realize that I am one person, and while I should do as much as I can for the environment, I was becoming so obsessed that I was trying to do more than I could, at the expense of my own self.

Kimberly, this makes so much sense - you said it so well. I have been working on this too, especially in the context of "not buying." I really have decided for some things it's just worth it to spend a little money and have it done. You can't do everything all the time, we have to be reasonable. Thanks for sharing this and saying it so beautifully.

Wow... with gas, milk and all grain-related products prices on the rise; dh and I are looking at every aspect of our outgo and income. We don't have a/c so that isn't a concern but three different tv's going, along with the computer and all of those electricty vampires add up. I have been pretty strict with the kid's tv's. If I find them on with no one in the room, you get one warning. Then, you lose it. So far, so good.

I am filling the freezer with garden produce and water jugs. We have decreased our meat purchases by nearly half over the past year :) which is great but the freezer is not even half full. I need to run that thing for bread and produce at least. So, each time we finish a gallon of milk (liquid gold, as I have nicknamed it) I fill the jug with water and put in the bottom shelf of the freezer. It's an upright, so energy saving in even more important. I am just way too short to have a chest freezer!

The remainder of my summer will be spent in food production. My peach tree is sagging with fruit, so that's this week. I have a gajillion green tomatoes so soon, I will be juicing and salsa-ing. I have been freezing the summer squash and zucchini (first I grill them outside with olive oil, salt and pepper, cool then freeze) and I have put up 11 jars of sweet refrigerator pickles. Collards, spinach are going in the freezer while we eat the swiss chard and lettuce fresh. My peppers are having a bad year. I have one red bell and 2 green. That's it and I am not sure why. The jalepano's, red chili and banana peppers are all doing well.

My pumpkin patch is bee-u-tee-full! I always buy a few pie pumpkins and put up pumpkin puree for bread and pies through the winter. This year, thanks to my own patch, I will have puree to freeze, pie filling to can and I even want to try dehydrating pumpkin slices and then pulverizing it into pumpkin flour. The pumpkin flour can be added to muffins, pancakes, breads etc. for added vitamins, color and flavor. I am also hoping I have enough pumpkins to have a little road side stand :) too.

Kimberly, this makes so much sense - you said it so well. I have been working on this too, especially in the context of "not buying." I really have decided for some things it's just worth it to spend a little money and have it done. You can't do everything all the time, we have to be reasonable. Thanks for sharing this and saying it so beautifully.

Kimberly always says everything beautifully. LOL I love reading her posts, they are always like gold to me. :)

Kimberly would you mind sharing what kinds of stresses you are cutting back and so forth? I'm sure we are all right there with you and I'd love to read more specific thoughts.

Aileen

goals:
exercise and eat less to lose weight
go to bed early to eat less, have time to exercise in the morning, and to just be able to be a better me, i think.
improve our diet/nutrition

our biggest project is keeping this house clean and maintained and get it sold! once it is sold, i will have a huge project...packing and finding a place for us to rent.

i was not being very strict about not buying for a couple of months. mostly, i was going out to eat with friends, getting coffee and lunch out, etc. dh started his own business and has less than a third of what we need coming in for now, so that has kind of stopped me in my tracks as far as any extra spending goes. the other day, i actually stayed home to save gas...lol! i am incredibly thrifty, but i love to go, and i don't usually worry about spending money on gas. it's actually felt good to be forced to change that. combining trips and staying home simplifies life a bit.

i threw away everything in the house with HFCS. i cringed, but i decided that our health was worth it. i was planning to give it to people...snacks, ketchup, salad dressing, choc syrup, pancake syrup...all things my friends could/would use, but as it sat here, i was still eating it. i had to get that stuff out of my life, and i am just taking what we eat super seriously from now on. ds did not bat an eye at the plain organic yogurt, organic milk, honey and blueberry sauce on his waffles, and lentils and brown rice for dinner. i am lucky that he pretty much eats anything. i am proud of the changes.

Summer... Ah.. finally summer.

What are your goals for the remainder of summer? What are your plans?

I am doing a homeschooling program with my daughter for the rest of the summer. These two weeks are dedicated to poineer days, and so we have done the 20 century equivilant of making a patchwork quilt, making hot crossed buns, and planting a winter garden. Some tasks are the same, some are much different (like the quilt). Next week she is going to her first horse back riding lesson of the year. She can't wait!

We have a different plan each week for the rest of the summer (human body, life cycles of animals, and astronomy are three that are coming next).

As far as frugal goals, we are sticking to a cash budget (and trying not to make any more dumb mistakes), not putting anything on credit, and being careful with our rescourses.

Do you hope to accomplish something special?

It would be something very special indeed if Don and I could get to not use the CC for a whole month. That is my goal. Now we are putting everything back on it before the month is out, so we arn't moving backwards... but it would be nice to be moving FORWARD. :)

Are you decluttering? Simplifying life?

Simple goals have been going on since early June. I have been decluttering slowly (at first I got a boost, but now it is moving slower), and moving through each room. Alex, Cyan's and our bedrooms are done. The livingroom is mostly done. The dining room and kitchen look great! Next is the closets... Alex and Cyan's are done, but ours is needing a make over BADLY. So that is my goal for this weekend.

Kimberly always says everything beautifully. LOL I love reading her posts, they are always like gold to me. :)

Kimberly would you mind sharing what kinds of stresses you are cutting back and so forth? I'm sure we are all right there with you and I'd love to read more specific thoughts.

Aileen

:heart: Aileen, you make me blush.

I've been working at identifying the stress in my life and determining if it can be eliminated, or if not, how I can change my response to it.

One huge stress for me is family, both family issues and family gatherings. As far as the issues go, I can see that I need to protect my own little family and myself from the craziness that surrounds us. One thing I have decided is that I don't really want to hear about all of my siblings' problems, so I am working to re-establish boundaries with my mother. She will at times use me as a dumping ground, which helps her but hurts me. I am working to keep the conversations shorter and more positive.

It might sound selfish, but I just can't spend so much time worrying about problems that aren't mine and that I can't solve. This mostly involves my siblings, but I've also had to accept that my grandmother is sad and lonely right now, and I can't change that. So I open myself to the fact that it is a sad situation, and then I let the worry go because I can't change it. There is no reason for me to take on worrying about my mother; I am not her doctor and he and she need to take control of her health. If they choose a path that I would not take I must accept that and let it go.

As far as gatherings go, one thing I am trying to do is just stick to the gatherings that are "mandatory" and reduce voluntary visits for the most part. I have to stop doing what i think everyone else wants when it isn't what I want, because it is tearing me apart. Some times I have to ask myself, "Is this what you would do with your time if you had 6 months to live?", because often it isn't.

I recognize that my children want to see their grandparents, so I seek balance. One thing I'm not going to do anymore is "make-up" visits. If the family is gathering for a party and someone can't make it, I'm going to stop feeling like I owe them a make-up visit, and likewise, if we are too busy for something I'm going to stop thinking that I have now created a deficit that I have to fill with a previously unscheduled visit.

I've come to realize that I make decisions, but then feel guilty when what I decide might make my mother, father, ILs, or sister unhappy (I seem less concerned about pleasing my brothers or my siblings-in-law.) So even when I make the choice that I know is best for us I let it eat at me. I have to work through that. I also have the same problem with groups; if I can't please everyone it creates tension within me. I hate to disappoint people; including my husband and children.

It isn't like everyone else is crazy and I'm the only sane one; I realize that I create a lot of the stress I feel by trying to control situations. I worry about and rehearse confrontations that don't come. I often live in this state of defense because I am so different from everyone else, and I always want to be prepared for the questions and criticism that come up.

So...family stress.

Also, within myself I am finding my issues with perfectionism to keep me from accepting and loving myself as I am. I always feel like I am failing at something. Issues like peak oil, global warming, drought, etc. threaten to topple me over with their enormity, and if I'm not doing every possibly thing I can think of to help then I fall apart. And I also worry about a multitude of other issues: poverty, hunger, animal abuse (especially factory farmed animals), resource depletion, disease...you name it, I've probably worried about it. Empathy can be a blessing but also a curse, and learning to keep yourself open but not overwhelmed takes lifelong practice. I think that is one reason so many people shut down completely; it is easier to not care than to care so deeply.

So I am trying to learn to be open and yet also gentle with myself. I have to forgive myself if I get behind on the laundry and resort to using the dryer. I have to forgive myself if 80 degrees is the highest I can comfortably set the A/C to. I have to forgive myself when lessons don't happen, or a meal doesn't get cooked. I am not perfect, and I have to stop believing that I can be.

There is stress in my life that I can attempt to reduce, but that I can't eliminate (again, because I'm not perfect and life isn't perfect). Both of my boys have special needs, and I have a chronic, incurable medical condition. We're still in the murky waters of finding answers and solutions.

So, I am actively trying to create more peace within myself. I stretch (some yoga and some old dance stretches) to help release tension in my body. I listen to music and to guided meditations to help release tension in my mind and my body. I am rediscovering mindfulness meditation, and am looking into Tonglen meditation. I am trying to support my body with nutrition, rest, and exercise. I am working on my friendships and with connecting to my community.

I'm also seeking a return to a very rhythmic life, not a clock-forced schedule but a strong container for our days. I need the comfort of a simple environment and a rhythmic flow to our days just as much as my children do. And thus it is all intertwined; decluttering to create physical simplicity as well as mental space, finding joy and wonder, spending time in nature.

Most people today say they experience stress, but don't go so far as to identify why and what can be done. Many people don't acknowledge that the culture we live in is stressful. As a culture we have broken families and broken communities. We believe we can connect over television programs and video games. We eat junk, don't exercise, and never give our minds a moment to rest. I recognize this and try to make myself whole, but I am always trying to do so within a broken culture. It's hard; I don't have support.

Oh, it is all so long and complicated; I could never type out every stress and how I plan to work on it. I eliminate one source of stress only to have another pop up. I do think though, that I finally believe that the key to peace is to create it within myself rather than to attempt to create it out in the world (although I don't think that a home in chaos is a place to create inner peace).

Simplifying...it is so much more than reducing possessions.

Simplification - continued decluttering, getting toys sorted and thinned out some more

Bringing more of nature into the home and living by the seasons

Getting a routine for the laundry and cleaning established

Budgeting - pulling cash for grocs each check and not going over

Getting upcoming homeschool stuff figured out - what I want to launch my 12-year-old on, especially

Planning for the next 2 birthdays and Christmas and getting things made early, trying to do makes and trades more than purchases

Living through my black belt test in 3 weeks :lol:

Simplifying...it is so much more than reducing possessions.

I just saw this. Thanks for sharing. I've dealt with some of those things the last year and had to make some of the same decisions.

I'm always trying to simplify my life, outside of possessions and searching for peace. It is amazing how much I allow other people to affect that. I totally agree that we have to find it within us. Why is that so hard? :lol: I don't think our culture equips us for that either, so it's like breaking fresh ground.

Hugs,
Aileen