Kickin' the year off!

So it's barely the 2nd week of the year and we've already had 1 child down with a virus. My oldest, Emma, quite possibly has the flu. She's battling a fever and upper respiratory infection which took her out of school for most of last week. Today, the fever is back. :( Really hoping this passes quickly and it does not wipe out the rest of the house.

Monday my classes start again. I'm taking a Contemporary Issues in Human Behavior class and based on the syllabus it doesn't look like it's going to be "fun." Honestly, I am getting very burnt out with school work since I have been going part time (with a few breaks) since I graduated high school. Education is very important to me and I will keep pushing through, but each quarter that comes up makes me want to cry.

This week I have been thinking about our budget and debt a lot. I am serious about being more thrifty this year, and using the savings to reduce our debt. It's such a hard thing to stay focused on because I have no qualms admitting that I have a shopping problem. But the future will be much brighter and less stressful if we stick to this and make it work. This evening I have been checking out bulk purchases through Amazon. Since I am a Prime member (and strongly believe everyone should be) I get free 2 day shipping on most everything I purchase. I want to start buying a lot of our household products in bulk to help reduce costs in that area.

Please post any blog recommendations you have about living thrifty and saving money. I'm ready to take a few steps down off the frivolous ladder!

That's all for now!
xoxo

Back to reality

The past couple of weeks have been nothing but relaxing and cleaning around my house. My husband has been off of work for the holidays for 2 1/2 weeks, and tomorrow he goes back to work. Surprisingly we did not murder each other during that time! The kids are back to school, except my daughter was home sick today. And my next grad school class starts next Monday. I suppose it is time to get back into the regular swing of things. The holidays feel like they went to fast, and January and February don't really leave anything to be desired.

To keep my spirits up I am going to focus on my decluttering and home organization missions (see previous post), begin yoga and meditate more frequently. I have been reading Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about Buddhism or mediation. This book was recommended to me a couple years back when I attended a Buddhist study group and I have been slow to start it. The past week I have set aside time each day to read at least a few pages and I have really enjoyed it. I am not a religious person, however I have been drawn to Buddhism for many years. Buddhism is much more than a religion; it is more of a path of finding yourself and seeking the truth of wisdom. I will likely post a review about it once I finish it. If you have other Buddhism books for beginners that you suggest, please let me know!

Steps to a Clean House

Since part of my new years goals is home organization, I would like to give you a few tips to a clean house.

Step #1: If you have kids or pets, sell them. A good place to list them would be Craigslist or eBay.

Step #2: Clean the house from top to bottom (every surface)

Step #3: Sit down and relax.

Step #4: Repeat steps 1-3 every six months.


.............easy peasy, right?

For the stubborn readers who refuse to follow step #1, here's an alternate outline.

Step #1: Clean the house from top to bottom, from point A to point Z.

Step #2: Go back to point A, where you started, and begin again.

Step #3: Finish point Z, take a bathroom break, and restart step #1.

Step #4: Pass out once the kids are in bed. Wake up and start back at step #1.

I have 3 kids, and the key to a clean house is what you'll find above. Since it's actually illegal, immoral and unethical to sell your children I surely hope you understand the first set of steps was clearly a joke. Or was it ;)


I have followed some home organization plans in the past, and they really are the best way to a clean home without losing your sanity (completely). This year I am going to follow along with some great ideas from the Home Storage Solutions 101 website and Facebook group. You can find there site here. I found this blog a few months back and started a tickler system to help organize 3 kids school papers. It's a really great system......when you remember to use it! :):) Home Storage Solutions 101 has a 365 declutter challenge, as well as a 52 Organized home challenge.

Go to their Facebook for more information!
Home Storage Solutions 101 Facebook

As I move forward in the coming weeks I plan to blog weekly about my organization progress, and I would love to hear any tips you have to share as well!


Cheers!

New Years!

It's New Year's Eve 2014. This year has flown by. While it definitely was not the best year I can't deny that it had some amazing moments. We bought a house this year, and my grandma became Cancer free! I am definitely looking forward to 2015 though. I typically suck with "resolutions" but excel with goals. So this year I'm setting a few goals to work towards.

1. Eat healthier, do yoga 3x/week (I've already started this)

2. Read 20 novels

3. Organize and utilize my home to its fullest capacity 

4. Reduce our debt

5. Explore my spirituality more in depth

I think these are all a great place to begin the year. I will more than likely be blogging about each of these as well. So stay tuned. :)

I wish you all the healthiest and happiest new year!

First Post and All that Stuff :)

So, here it is. My first post on my new blog. I've spent weeks trying to decide what to blog about, but I just couldn't pick a single niche. Which would probably explain why I changed my major 5 times before finishing. Commitment problems, folks. I mean...I do have a husband and 3 beautiful children that I'm fully committed to. Oh, and the house we bought this year. But some things I just have commitment issues with. My mind is afraid to be tied down. That's why I have named this blog Journaling with Jen. It doesn't cement my feet into a single topic--so you can bounce around with me from day to day. You just never know what I'll post! I will tell you a few of my favorite things. Then you can decide whether or not I'm worth the follow. Because let's face it, if you're here looking for articles about architecture or engineering you're obviously in the wrong place. ;)

Things I love:

• My kids and family
• My animals (and I have shit tons of them)
• Swearing ^ refer to above bullet
• Reading
• Shopping
• Makeup
• Home organization 
• Green smoothies

See, pretty much "mom stuff." I'm a stay at home mom, part time grad student, and part time advisor for a youth philanthropy board. Apparently I feel like I still have time to blog! So what you'll likely find in future posts will generally relate to the above topics. Not always, but usually. I hope you'll enjoy the posts, and I welcome any comments about what you want to see or hear about. Maybe I'll post about it, or maybe I won't. Ya just never know. ;)