Weight Update: T + 50.

On March 2nd I posted that I was at my target weight plus 55. Today I am down 5 pounds! Yay!

I know most people would not get excited about 5lbs in 10 weeks. But remember, I am NOT dieting and I am NOT going out of my way to exercise.

I do occasionally swim laps at the Rec Center, and every Wednesday night Jeff and I have been playing racquetball. Also, with the weather warming up, we are outside more.

Let me reiterate that I am perfectly happy with this slow progress. I don't wake up every day wishing for foods I can't have. I don't force myself to go to the gym and get on an elliptical. But I do make a point to use my body everyday. I rake the lawn, pull weeds, swing with the kids at the park, take them on bike rides, and basically try and figure out fun ways to keep moving.

Also the more I cook, the less I want fast food or take-out.  I've mentioned several times that these foods are actually making me feel ill. I keep testing my limits though.... Two nights ago I ate an Arby's Roast Beef sandwich and a small order of mozzarella sticks. They were delicious but I had bad cramps shortly afterward and I won't share what happened next.

Ultra-Minimalism

I am finding the idea of this lifestyle very alluring. It's exactly what it sounds like. Live life with less. Much less. And like it. Some people go all out and even ditch their houses. I would be happy to just clear out our drawers and the crawl space.

It's not like we're hoarders though. We do a hefty purge about twice a year. But we've gone through five or six of these cleanses since living in this house, and I am starting to wonder how we still manage to get rid of so much every few months. Where does it all come from? Do the boys get that many Christmas presents?

I take some perverse comfort in peering into my neighbors' garage and seeing clutter and children's toys piled up to the ceiling. But somehow feeling superior to someone else =/= happiness. Weird, I know!

So I am going to put some new goals out there and we'll see what happens. Now I am not shooting for living out of a backpack, but I must admit I am envious of a girl who can jump on a plane and travel the globe without a care in the world.

Unless you want ideas for doing this sort of thing yourself, you can probably safely stop reading now. (I never do when anyone tells me that… but I still appreciate the thought). So let's go room by room, shall we:

I think Minimalist design is a pretense
to prepare us for living on spaceships.

Kitchen:

• Get rid of obscure kitchen appliances (replace with ones we actually want to use with our new cooking habits)

Family Room:

• Clear all the crappy, cheap McD's toys from the toy box (replace with Imaginext or Playmobil sets?)
• Bring down books and children's games so they actually get used
• Get rid of all the DVDs
• Set up an art station to use up the building piles of markes, crayons, and play-doh

Living Room/Dining Room:

• Hang the clock (stupid, I know, but this antique clock has been sitting on the floor behind the couch for months because I am afraid it will fall off the wall if I hang it!)

Basement:

• Finish selling the obscure crap in the spare room
• Sell/donate the HUGE bins of toys that we never drag out because we don't want to deal with the mess

Boys' Bedroom:

• Pare down the boys' clothes to 8 outfits each (plus dress clothes)
• Bring down some games and books to store in the Family Room

Lego Room:

• Sell off all the sets that are put up and away for "what the boys MIGHT be into someday" (pirates, castles, Batman, etc.)
• Bring out, donate, or reduce the Playmobil sets

Master Bedroom:

• Pare down to 8 outfits as well?? Put together dress outfits, buy items to match unused skirts/slacks or get rid of them

Garage:

• Set up pool; move pool supplies out to the shed (get all that equipment out of the garage)
• Get countertop for base cabinets and set up power tools

I wonder if all these lifestyle choices naturally flow from each other. Once you start thinking about one choice, you can't help but think about others. It's been an interesting process.