Happy Memorial Day long weekend to those in the U.S.! I always love the long Labor Day/ Memorial Day weekends because it’s 3 days off without actual “holiday plans”, i.e. it’s just 3 days OFF. Yay!
I wrapped up work just a little early on Friday; I think I logged off around 4:15-4:30. I noticed pretty much everyone on my team, including my boss, had gone yellow/ inactive on Teams well before 4:00, and I was like… what am I still doing here?! Byeeeeeeee!
Friday cleaning for the win
My goal for Friday was to CLEAN again. This worked so well the last time I did it on Friday, and we were due again.
To clarify, I was not looking to clean “the whole house”- just the “main part” (living room, sunroom, kitchen). The bedrooms/ bathrooms are handled by others!
I actually kickstarted it on my lunch break- I dusted and vacuumed the living room and sunroom during that time.
That meant after work all I really had to do was the kitchen!
I’d planned ahead and had it pretty straightened up already (as many of you likely know, that’s often the hardest part about cleaning- getting clutter picked up and put away in order to actually clean!).
It took me about 1.5 hours to fully clean the kitchen, including cabinets, appliances, floors, hallways, entryway, etc. According to my time log, by 6:15 p.m. I was DONE and walking Charlie, with a clean (main part) of the house for the long weekend!! 🥳
Ivan and I still went out for dinner, so it wasn’t even like Friday was “ruined” by cleaning.
Slobby teens
I never clean the boys’ rooms (this is typically a weekend chore for them). But I went into Asher’s room to put something away and was appalled. It was a literal MESS (and I know for a fact that he had just cleaned it the previous Sunday- so like, 5 days before).
Clothes strewn on the floor, clothes on the floor next to the hamper, wrappers/ garbage, bed unmade….total disaster.
Yes, it’s his room, and I know people have different opinions on kids + tidiness requirements.
But we have typically been in the camp of “your room is inside MY house and therefore MY rules apply”. We’ve always required the boys to make their beds in the morning (though admittedly, we don’t always strictly enforce it, especially lately). Ivan also makes our bed every morning.
To me, there is also a difference between “an unmade bed but otherwise a mostly tidy room” and “an unmade bed and the rest of the room looks like a hurricane went through it”.
Asher’s room was the second version on Friday. It also literally smelled bad. Just like, stuffy and teenager-y.
He was gone at work, so I made the executive decision to clean up his room for him this time. I opened the blinds and opened the window.
Then, I did a little problem solving.
I went to the storage room and found an old, small basket I’d bought in Mexico and put it on his dresser. I gathered up his lifeguard keys and some other small misc. items strewn across his dresser and put them in the basket. I put a post-it note on it that said “Put small misc. items here.”
I brought an extra, small, round laundry basket up from the storage room and nestled it next to his dresser. I put another post-it note on it that said, “Put clothes that are not dirty but that you are too lazy to hang back up HERE. When the basket is full, put them away.” I realized a big part of Asher’s problem is that he tends to re-wear clothes a lot (certain hoodies, sweatpants, PJ pants, etc.) that don’t need washing every time. But he is too lazy before bed to always re-fold them or hang them back in the closet! So they go on the floor…. I thought, hmm, maybe I don’t need to fight that particular battle, but why not just have a dedicated spot for this??? If he can just drop them in a basket, instead of the floor, the room will look a LOT neater. Then, once a week or so, he can take a few minutes and either put them away or toss in the hamper if needed.
I picked a windbreaker up off the floor and hung it on the hooks behind his door and put another post-it: “It takes the same amount of time to hang this on this hook versus dropping on the floor below it.”
I gathered some dirty socks from the floor, put in hamper and put another post-it there: “It’s no harder to put the socks in the hamper!”
I picked up a few random wrappers and garbage and threw away and stuck a post-it on his garbage bin: “The floor is not a garbage can.”
Then I neatly made the bed and left a little note on propped up that said, “I cleaned your room for you. The next time I have to do it, you can pay me with your car keys for a week. XOXO, Mom.”
😁
When he got home I think I could hear his eyes rolling at my little notes from across the house 😅, BUT I think he actually really liked the idea of the little dresser basket + the “drop zone” basket! Maybe I’m naively optimistic, but I am hopeful that these small system tweaks will have a positive impact. 🤞
Weekend plans
We have a pretty open long weekend!
Yesterday Ivan and I checked another item off my May Goals list. I visited the newly opened bookstore in town! We actually walked Charlie there, which, it turns out, was too far for him. lol. (It was about 1.6 miles each way.)
It got pretty hot out and he was done about halfway home. Ha. But he made it!
Ivan waited with him outside at a nearby (also new) coffee shop while I went into the bookstore next door.
I was excited to check out this coffee shop, too, and it actually has a really great vibe inside. I was hoping to get an iced tea to cool off.
HOWEVER, their tea selection is very lacking! For black tea, they only have Earl Grey, which I do not like! (I’m sorry, Jenny!!) I don’t like the Bergamot. The only other teas were kind of weird herbal flavors. I don’t hate herbal tea, but I don’t love it, and especially not enough to pay the highly overpriced coffee shop prices for it. So, this was sad, because I can’t really see going there if there’s nothing for me to drink! (I feel like regular plain black tea should be a staple?!?!)
The new bookstore was cute, though! However, also a mild letdown because their “non-fiction” section was pretty small. NO Laura Vanderkam books or Cal Newport books?!?! Come on!
I didn’t end up buying anything but had a nice time browsing.
Goal to walk Charlie somewhere new: ✅
Goal to visit the new bookstore: ✅
Clothing drama
I spent a long time in the afternoon while Ivan was at soccer doing my seasonal closet change-around. I feel like I spend tooooo much time every year dealing with my clothing!! 😩
I’m the classic person who has “way too many clothes and nothing to wear”. 😩😩 See that pic above? All those piles are all pants omg.
My issues are further amplified by my rather small closet + Wisconsin’s 4 seasons.
While I sorted and worked, I listened to a few episodes of the Her Style podcast for motivation, including this older episode titled “Too Many Clothes and Nothing to Wear? 5 Steps to Break the Cycle”.
A few main takeaways were:
- Having a super packed wardrobe means you’re actually more likely to chronically repeat outfits because your brain is too overwhelmed with a million choices. Our brains hate excess ‘noise’!
- “Better clothes = better options”
- Define your wardrobe goals- what do you want from your clothes? To feel confident? To feel comfortable? To feel put together? To feel trendy? To love the colors? To mix and match easily?
- Determine your signature style, what flatters your body, and your best colors. Then make sure everything that is in your closet (or you’re considering bringing in!) aligns with those 3 things. Running everything through that filter will create clarity and freedom.
- Ask: “Does this piece truly reflect my preferred style?”
- Ask: “Is this in one of my best colors?”
- Ask: “Does this actually fit and flatter my body?”
- Create some breathing room. It can be small. Go through your clothes and run them all through the above filters; if some items don’t meet the criteria, just pull them out and put them in a storage bin. No need to necessarily get rid of them right away, if you have hesitations! But at least getting them OUT OF YOUR WAY will help build momentum. Then if in 3 months you re-open that bin and literally never missed those items, they can probably go for good.
- Take note of how your current wardrobe aligns with your lifestyle. (e.g. Do you work in office only 2 days a week but have 45 work tops?? Do you need 45 work tops? Or, conversely, do you exercise 7 days a week and only have 3 decent exercise tops?)
- Identify gaps and intentionally rebuild your wardrobe, verrrrry slowly, while thinking about your style foundations. Notice what the hardest thing to get dressed for each week is (or what types of events) and start there.
- Slow down your decisions. Do not impulse shop. Make sure every item coming in has a clear job instead of just coming in to clutter up your closet (and again, make sure it matches your signature style.)
Anyway, I found this all very inspiring! I’m not sure I made drastic cuts to my clothing, but I did move some things out, and I am feeling determined to either WEAR THINGS or get them out of there.
In one of the episodes, she said something like, clothes in the closet not being worn are just freeloaders! (i.e. they are taking up space, but serve no actual purpose, if you aren’t wearing them!)
For me, I feel like I have SO many clothes and yet don’t love everything or I feel like I don’t have the “right” things. This is frustrating. My warm weather wardrobe is better than my cold weather wardrobe. I also struggle with work from home clothes that are comfortable and yet make me feel put together (and are not just constantly leggings!) Ivan commented the other day how I am always wearing “pjs”. 😩 (They aren’t pjs!!! But it’s true that I’m often not wearing “real outfits” and it does feel a little blah after a while, even if they’re “cute” leggings.)
I’m considering photographing my daily outfits again for a while- this motivates me. I also want to challenge myself to pick out a bunch of items I haven’t worn lately, wear them and then decide if I actually want to keep them or not.
I love the concept of sticking to my “signature style”. I think I’ve struggled lately with all the different trends, etc. and feeling a bit like a fish out of water sometimes, instead of just sticking with what feels best on me.
Whew that was a lot for one post!
Chime in- what are your bedroom policies for your teens?? Anyone else cleaning out a closet this weekend?!
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for some BEAUTIFUL WEATHER on this long weekend!! Sunny and upper 70s today!
Bonus Charlie pic:
GRATEFUL KAE 