I used to be a perfectionist, then I had kids

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
I am stepping into new Weight Watchers territory.  I am weighing my goat cheese.  The perfectionist that used to live in me before my children killed her just rose from the dead and found an old kitchen scale in my china closet.  I guess if I am going to complain about WW not working, I should actually try to do it correctly. 

Seriously, though, I used to have a clean house, files in order, kitchen cupboards neatly stocked.  (But I've always had a messy junk drawer)  Then I had kids.  Notice the s at the end.  I kept it up with one kid, but after two, forget about it.  And nowadays, I often don't even see the point in cleaning or tidying, because 15 minutes later, it's all a mess again.  Right now there is actually a HUGE pile of clean clothes all over my bedroom floor because there's no time or motivation to fold them (why fold people?  they never stay that way in the kid's drawers!) and put them away.  Sometimes I cannot believe I live like this.

So, I guess it makes sense that I fudge the WW points a little.  Sure that soup was probably 6 points, and that's not a pile of clothes on my floor, it's a new version of those awesome pouf cushions.

Not only am I now going to weigh everything to see exactly how many ounces it is, I also learned that you can add a recipe into the Point Tracker.  So, like last night, Jamie made this yummy Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (He really did learn something during "Teach Your Husband to Cook Month"!!) and I had no idea how many points it was.  I typed in "thai coconut chicken soup" and the range of options were from 4 points to over 10 points per serving.  When I entered my recipe into the Recipe Builder, mine came out to 9 points per serving.  If I hadn't have done that, I totally would have picked the 6 point version.

Any other WW tips I should know about?  Tomorrow's the next weigh in!  I don't know about Amy, but I think from my side of the scale, we can get under 300.

Project Simplify: These Are the Drawers of my Life

Posted by Melissa Baumgart

In my kitchen

It has been so great going back to water aerobics.  After the fearsome cramps of Monday evening, Tuesday's noon class at Medgar Evers pool was an energetic relief.  I had no cramps, I worked super hard and I felt like I really had a good workout.  The instructor was awesome, very enthusiastic and with great attention to form and technique.  These last two weeks of March are going to be filled with pool time, since today is my last final of the quarter,  Yay!

In the bathroom

The last two weeks of March are also going to be filled with more Spring Cleaning with inspiration and guidance from Simple Mom.  This week's challenge, or "hot spot" for Project Simplify is "Closets, Countertops and Drawers."  I think I mentioned earlier this week, how I am super excited, given the state of the junk drawer in my kitchen.  This is my week to really shine and make some progress.

One step forward, two steps back, three steps forward, one step back...and so on.

I recall the analogy of my life being a junk drawer.  How I can be so on top of my life, internally and externally.  And then, things start unravelling; my inner joy is replaced by a mess of darkness and my outer fitness begins to shake like a bowl full of jello if I attempt any quick motion.  The thing is, it's all OK.  It's all good.  We are not perfect.  I mean, maybe ya'll are, but I certainly am not.  I want to be the kind of person that can let herself unravel, and have the courage to untangle that mess of yarn as soon as it starts becoming a problem.

In my desk

You can't ignore it forever.  Someday you are going to have to clean out that junk drawer, start eating healthy again and get your butt outside for some activity.  It might not be today.  But the day will come.  And if not, then where are you?  You're hidden in the mess of pens and screws, Nag Champa, old birthday candles and barrettes in some junk drawer...and before you know it you're lost.

Right now, it is my time to tackle that drawer, again.  And maybe a lot more along the way.

Here's to life!
Melissa

Half-Way Homesteading

posted by Melissa
It's Wednesday.  Half-way through the school week.  Half-way through the work week if you are lucky enough to have a job.  "Hump Day", some people call it.

Maybe half-way through, maybe.

I am at the crest of a couple of other humps at this moment.

Half-way through the drawer organization.  And I F'n hate it.  If it were another month, I would just throw everything away.  But no, it is homesteading month, and I made a commitment to recycle and not make extra trash.  What do people do with batteries?  And why so I have so many in so many drawers?  I don't even know if they work or not.  That makes me want to just quit right there.  Never fear, I will trudge on.

Spelt and wheat bread, half-way through rising.

I know I was supposed to do this drawer yesterday, but the day got away from me.  I blogged, chatted with Amy about some upcoming excitement for the blog, picked the kids up, took Tallulah to soccer and then had to make dinner. (Recipe coming up in my next post! Yum!)  We didn't eat til nearly 8pm, and then it was bedtime.  So, here I am today, at noon, still wading through the quagmire that is my junk drawer.  I hope I get it finished; unlike the laundry that I keep throwing out onto my bed everyday in the hopes that I will fold it, and then shove it back into the hamper every night at bedtime.

Half-way through baking bread!  Now that is exciting.  I finally found a recipe that Lily brought home with her from Baltimore.  She spent some time baking rolls this summer with her Grandmom's neighbor, Miss Emily.  I am going to see if it will also make a couple baguettes for a potluck I am attending this evening.  I was almost finished mixing it when I ran out of flour this morning.  So, I quickly ran up to the market and grabbed some more.  I hope that pause in mixing doesn't affect the outcome.  I don't usually have luck with yeast breads.

Lunch: spiced quinoa, kale, beets and zucchini.

And I am half way through my lunch.  I made the time to take care of myself today.  One of the personal, my-life-is-junk-drawer things I am going to incorporate is clearing out the quick crappy food, and replace with whole foods.  It was one of my rules of the month, but somehow after the first two days, I lost track of my intentions.

That can be a challenge with this blog.  When I have set up goals, and then I put them out there for the world to see...and then I don't live up to them.  It can create a lot of guilt for me, which leads me down a dark spiral.  Feeling bad about anything is one of my go-to emotions, and feeling bad about myself is even easier.  Perhaps another life junk drawer item to pitch?

So, while I don't feel like a rock-star in the homesteading department, I am going to slowly pick myself back up and start again.  After-all, the month is only half-way over.  I still have plenty of time to get back on the homesteading horse and ride.  (Sometimes I wonder where this crap in my head comes from?)

-Melissa

My life as a junk drawer

My kitchen junk drawer, tagged (like lots of things in my home) by Tallulah.

posted by Melissa

I was just thinking that sometimes my life feels like a junk drawer.  And not my friend Kate's junk drawer, hers is all neat and orderly.  I bet Amy's are too.  No, more like my junk drawers, everything just thrown in until it can barely shut.  And then I go start another one.  I think I am out of drawers.

Once in a while, I tackle them and clear it all out.  It's reaching that time.  I think it may even have been on my list of what I wanted to accomplish this month.  If it wasn't on there, it should have been.

And perhaps I need to do that with my life as well.  Clear it out, keep what is useful, toss what isn't.  Behaviors, thought patterns, habits, people?  I wonder if that is what all this unsettled feeling is that I have been carrying around the past couple days.  Just enough discomfort from there not being any more room to "shut the drawer".  If I can't shut the drawer, then there it is.  And I can't just keep walking by it, or walking through my life pretending it isn't there.

All that junk.

So, today I will clear out one of my junk drawers.  Maybe tomorrow I will do another.  I want to be accountable, so I am putting it out there.  Expect an update with photo tomorrow.

And as far as my life, well, that may take longer than one day to sort out.  It's not that heavy, I hope you all aren't thinking something major is going on at the Baumgarts.  Just time to slow down, isn't that what this month is all about, in a way?  If I clear out what isn't useful, maybe I'll feel more capable of slowing down.

Oh, and I plan on making either fresh pasta with my new pasta maker (Thanks, Jamie!) or potato corn chowder with my new food mill (Thanks, Amy!).  Because, even if the junk drawers of your life need a cleanin', you still gotta eat.

Wish me luck,
Meissa