Week 5 - Part 1 - End of January

 January 28 - 

 Since I know I won’t have time to complete any more puzzles this month, I decided to pack up most of my puzzle gear and take it downstairs to store it. I need to figure out what to do with my puzzle board, but I feel like an answer will come with the great decluttering in February. Thus far, I really like the focus on one major topic each month. I know that’s saying a lot one month in. However, I didn’t lose focus on what I was trying to accomplish, like I tend to do with a big list of things I give myself each year. I also found that I worked ahead on other topics, but it wasn’t a major focus. For example, after finishing the boat puzzle, I realized that I had no desire to complete the other puzzles in the box, so it was easier for me to give the box away. I found a few little things to declutter around the house, like the travel mugs I don’t really use any more and I also did a tiny bit of crafting, but overall, I focused on the puzzles I wanted to try to finish. I don’t think February will have as many photos, but I may try some before and after photos of spaces in the house that I know need attention. I’m a bit ashamed of the before photos that would be shared, but it’s all part of the process, right?

 I didn’t read much today either. I had Book Club in Moberly, which is a two hour round trip plus the 2+ hours we spend together. After we finished, I hung out at my sister’s apartment, where the little guy hung out with her while I was gone. He had such a good time that he asked to hang out with her again this week. That does my heart good. Maybe I’ll drop him off and hit the gym to see if that helps the pain in my left hip. I’m pretty sure the pain is from lack of use.

January 29 - 

 The little one asked to go to the park this afternoon because it was the first day without clouds in like a week and the temperatures were in the 50s. So after a brief stop at home, we went to the park for a bit. We then picked up my sister, had some dinner, then came home and played some games. We played Apples to Apples and Cadoo. We had a very enjoyable time and the little one has now decided that his favorite game is Cadoo. LOL!

 I read some more in The Night Watchman, but for some reason I can’t seem to focus on the physical book so I ended up using an audible credit to get the audiobook. The author is also the person reading the book, she has such a quiet, kind voice. It is very soothing.

January 30 - 

 I am up to my eyeballs in pie today! Oh my goodness. I am so thankful for the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that I received from my mother years ago. It has the best pie crust recipe, which keeps people coming back for more of my pie. I made 6 pies today; 2 cherry, 2 apple, and 2 peach. I started shortly after taking the little one to school and finished about 45 minutes before he and his older brother came home from school. I did have to leave and get more flour at one point because I ran out; with ONE pie left to make. Yeesh.

 While baking, I listened to The Night Watchman. I’m really enjoying it and I look forward to seeing how it ends.

January 31 - 

 Last day of the month. Holy heck! A lot of people have complained about how long January has been, but I disagree. I feel very productive and moving in a positive direction with the success of completing so many books and puzzles along with playing games with the boys (and my sister)! I’m looking forward to February and decluttering some of the stuff out of the house, while also freeing up space in my mind.

 Also, I finished book #12 of the year (The Night Watchman by Lousie Erdrich). Gosh, I’ve read as many books in one month as some people read in one year. Crazy! Now, on to another book!

Review - 

 While not every day was a success this month, I am very thankful I broke down my goals into smaller, monthly bite sized goals. I felt it was a lot easier to hyper focus on one big goal (puzzles and games) instead of dabbling in a lot of things and losing track of what I wanted to accomplish this month. While I did dabble a little in other areas, I think they were beneficial to future monthly goals.  I also think that beginning the cross-stitch book shelf was a smart move for this month so I don’t have to try and do it all in April. I like having something that I can easily do a little work on to get my craft bug out. I think the decluttering will be quite the experience, but I have 29 days ahead of me to do some major work and find space in areas of my home that are lacking. I feel that I’ve really worked on my purchasing habits in the last year, so I don’t think I’ll fill up the emptied space quickly, but I do know that I’ll have to keep up with taking stuff out of the house when I bring more in.

 I have also tried to keep dirty dishes at bay by making sure the sink is cleaned out each night. Not every night is a success, but I tend to jump on them first thing in the morning so they’re not glaring at me all day, waiting to be done. I found it very helpful when it came to making the pies on the 30th. I actually hand washed dishes between each set of pies so I could start fresh each time. I think that helped keep my momentum going so I didn’t feel too bogged down with making the pies.  It also helped seeing minimal dishes in the sink when I was all done. Sadly, I didn’t end the month with a sink cleaned of dishes. However, I did end it with an empty washer and dryer. Along with making sure the dishes are not in the sink most nights, I also fold laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer. Now, does it get taken out immediately after the dryer stops? No. Does it get taken out that day? Not usually, but when I do make it to the basement, I work on the laundry. When the basket comes upstairs with the laundry, I put it away immediately so I can put the dirty clothes in their place. It’s definitely different for me to try and be proactive in these areas, so I expect some failure to happen, but overall, I think I’m doing well and growing in terms of making small tasks take less time so they don’t pile up while also not bogging myself down with a million things I feel the need to do in the moment. 

 With the help of my sister, I did a pretty good cleaning of the house in November and I’m so pleased that I’ve managed to keep up with it (for the most part) and I’m not stressed out over how messy the house is or how I’d be mortified if a friend stopped by. I’ve had to remind the little one about cleaning up after himself, but I think that him seeing me doing it is helping him. I’ve noticed he does better on days when I’m actively cleaning up after myself than on days when I’m being a lazy couch potato. LOL!