Attitude of Gratitude

Before I begin my witterings today, can I just quickly say a huge big thank you to each and every one of you who took the trouble to comment on my Routine post. Your words of support, encouragement, wisdom and empathy made a huge impact, you buoyed me up and made me feel that I am doing pretty OK in the big scheme of things. And that most importantly you understand where I'm coming from.

I have to tell you I am on such a roll with stuff this week, everything feels marvelously tickety-boo in the Attic. Yippee for tickety-boo-ness!!!! I've been feeling very inspired to make some changes to the way things bob along round here, I think you could say that I've experienced a little teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy sort of an Epiphany. I don't want to scare you, but I confess that this week I've actually been having FUN doing the housework, holy cr*p it's honestly true!!

In brief, this is what I've done.............

• made a schedule and written it down in a (newly purchased) diary (a Good Thing)
• actually kept to the schedule (a VERY Good Thing)
• tackled just a small, specific area of a room each day (1 hr max)
• eliminated the words work, jobs, chores from my mind (a Positive Thing)
• replaced the above words with love, happiness, gratitude (a VERY Positive Thing)

Do you see the shift in attitude?? Do you see me refusing to Tackle Chores and choosing instead to Love my Home? Does it seem good?? Happy?? Positive?? An Attitude of Gratitude?? Yessss!!!!

The other BIG mental shift I've had is to do with balancing out that one hour a day home-lovin' time with my other responsibilities, namely childcare. So rather than trying to contain/entertain Little B in order for me to go off and Do My Jobs (which never worked out), I've simply decided to involve him instead. Let him help me, make it a fun time for us both.

This week, in accordance with the FlyLady Zones we've been in the bathroom and also his bedroom. We've cleaned the bathroom together (it was already tidy), he is a whizz with a cloth. That boy love love lOVEs to Swish n Swipe, see him go!!!! His little hands are a blurrrrrr!!!

The job in my diary for yesterday was to tackle the mountainous mess of toys that had accumulated downstairs. I delegated the Tipping Out of The Basket job to Little B and he took on the task with great pleasure. I pulled out all toys/objects that weren't supposed to be there, packed away the outgrown toys and threw out all the broken toys and misc. rubbish. Then Little B re-packed his own toy basket. We went on to have a similar sort out of toys and clothes in his bedroom.

I've found the best time for s spot of home-loving is between 2 and 3pm, it's that lull after lunch/nap time and before the school run. It means that I have a definite ending point to the task in hand cos at 3pm I have to be out the door and on my way to school, no matter what. Having that time limit imposed on the proceedings makes all the difference, it really does. It's only One Hour. I can do one hour, it's not so hard. So far it's working a treat, and I couldn't be happier.

With all this feel-good happening in the house, I've been re-appreciating all that I have and re-confirming the things that I love about my home. Pottering around in my humble little kitchen, snipping stems from my market dahlias....

....arranging them in my delicious rainbow jug and experiencing that familiar rush of joy. My home will hopefully always be full of love, colour and creativity.

I baked buns yesterday too, can't quite remember what time of day it was, after lunch I think.

Yes, that's right I remember now...it was after lunch when Little B was fast asleep on the sofa. I had the radio on and enjoyed the warmth from the oven (it was cold and wet here yesterday).

I decided to save the bowl for Little B so that he could lick out the bun mixture when he woke up. He couldn't honestly believe his luck (this was a first time experience for him), it was soooo sweet watching him. He used his finger for the first few licks with lots of smiles and mmmmmmmmmm noises. Then both hands went in and his whole face became one big, happy, sticky mess with a wide grin running across it.

So that's about where I'm at.......I think I might possibly have some more to say about this whole subject of Gratitude, about being thankful for what one has, about keeping house, about balancing time and creating routines. About learning to love all aspects of home-making, not just the juicy yarn infested bits or the scrummy baking bits or the delicious baby bits or the sweet little prettifying bits.

But do you know what? Right now I'm finding my brain is too tired to write and my bed is a calling. So I shall love you and leave you for now, but may come back to the end of this paragraph to add on a thoughtful Extra Bit tomorrow. Thanks for reading, hope my words aren't too waffly. xxxxxxxxxxxx ((mwah)) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edit to add ::

A few extra things to mention.............

1. Just to reassure you here, I'm not aiming for an immaculate home, nor a show home, nor a magazine-shoot home. I'm aiming for a slightly more orderly version of what I've already created. I love the lived-in look, I love having many, many objects around the place. But I'm also a little tired of the the tedium surrounding the searching-for-objects-that-are-in-the-piles-somewhere, and the huge piles constantly falling over and needing restacking/balancing.

2. I'm using the Flylady's regime as a gentle starting point only, taking from it the elements that work for me rather than embracing it in it's entirety. I've not signed up to the email reminders as I know this would irritate the hell out of me. I'm also not into making Control Journals, nor taking on the (frankly quite scary) deep cleaning tasks. I also like to wear my worn out old crocs about the place so will not be lacing any shoes.

3. I've been delving a little into this book which you can sneaky-peek into on Amazon....the writing is inspiring and oh-so-true! I particularly LOVE the list on page 6 (go read!!), it made me laugh out loud and nod vigorously! I came to discover this book via Ali's beautifully written post on this very same subject, thank you Ali xx.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Bronchitikat]

Love your teapot & jug. As for the Dahlias!!!!

[Pam]

Lucy!
Your blog has been the inspiration to start crocheting... I guess I already told you this...
now I'm going through a hard process 'cause I dont want to work anymore (I work as a secretary).. and I can´t because we have debts and bills to pay.. and two children to educate.. This situation has given me hard feelings.. I feel overwhelmed.. my little J is 1 year and Dani is 4 and I wanna stay with them at home just like you do with your little ones. Im trying to fill my heart with "gratitude", but anyway half of my heart is grateful and half is sad for leaving kids in Day Care Centers.
Im looking forward to have a way out and have more time to spend with them.
Thanks for your words!!!
Hugs!
From Chile
Pam

[Justine]

Hi Lucy! I came across this across this really lovely Granny Square House Blanket, and can totally picture you creating your own in bright colors and just wanted to share the post with you, hope you get it.

http://theroyalsisters.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-artworkin-progress.html

[Sara]

A Portuguese blog I have just found - it will surely keep you thinking of summer just a little bit longer with all those beautiful colours! http://lidialuz.blogspot.com/

[Jean]

Hi Lucy, the absolutely best book ever written on decluttering is "Clutter's Last Stand" by Don Aslett. There is NO WAY you will be able to resist decluttering after reading this book it is so inspiring!!(very funny too). Has certainly worked for me. I bring it out when I need a decluttering fix.

[Anna C]

I wish I'd had the sense to realise this when my family were young;I was so busy that I didn't enjoy what it was REALLY about...Good for you that you've thought this through.
Wendy M mentioned the horrors of dusting; after 40 years of housework, I've cracked the dusting - leave the duster in the drawer, hoover the carpets and floors, THEN, ta-da! use the little round duster brush on the end of the hoover tube and remove all dust, cobwebs etc. permanently, instead of just moving them round the room!It's a real time-saver... Or has everybody but me always done this??

[Seaweedandraine]

YOU GO GIRL!!! I love you new attitude :) Thank you for being candid with us on how you were feeling. I was very blah with housework till a couple of months ago (Right before a rental inspection), when I started cleaning it up - and guess what? I started to love the old place too! :)Right now it's due for another lovin' session with a cleaning cloth - but it might have to wait till tomorrow - my bed is calling too!
Mwah! Sleep sweet. :)

[Alison]

You have inspired me to tackle my own housework! Managed to scale and conquer the mountain of ironing that was sitting in my conservatory yesterday!!! Xxx

[[email protected]]

Ah Lucy,you do a great job,I know how hard it is,I had 3 girls,and worked nights ,but always found the time for crafty things and baking,and those are the things your little uns will remember,it`s a the hardest job in the world being a mum but your doing great !

[Madeline]

Good for you! It's really a shift in perception -- not housework (accent on "work") but homemaking or home-keeping.

[Brenda]

What a great point of view, to spend time loving your home, I will try it, I soo struggle with keeing things tidy, even though my house is clean, tidy seems to be another thing, and impossible to achieve aover the entire house at one time. Happy thoughts to you, xxBrenda

[Annie Bookser]

Lucy, I have been reading your posts and delighting in your English lifestyle, adventures, all things crochet and your yummy eats for a while now, probably a little over a year. This is my first post to you. I feel that checking in to see what Attic 24 is up to is a real treat for my day, so hugs and a big thanks. Your GO Power is fantastic! You are great at all you do for you and yours.Your positive attitude on the daily routine of home mom chores and responsibilities is a perfect way to uplift your spirits for otherwise not so fun tasks and is such a great example for all home moms to follow. I was a bit like that, organized with certain tasks for certain days with the occasional big chore thrown in for a certain day planned on my day planner. However, every Friday was a day for me after the kids had gone to school. That day was a sanity day where I could read, bake without interruption, crochet & knit, play the piano, shop and so on. It was my time until 2:30pm when they came home.So don't forget to pencil in some time for yourself in your schedule, you deserve it and it will make all of the things you have to tackle seem that much more tolerable. I had the luxury of being a home mom for my 2 little ones from birth until they left for college at which presently my daughter is a senior and my son is a sophomore. Reading your posts sometimes reminds of what life was like with the little ones, and of course I miss those times very much, but consider myself fortunate for having a front row seat in their developing lives and being able to manage the household so things ran smoothly for the family. Well happy home moming to you!
Best regards,
Annie Bookser
San Diego, CA, US

[ERIKA]

HOLA, PUES MIRA, YA FUISTE A MI BLOG, Y YA DISTE LOS CREDITOS QUE SE TENIAN QUE DAR, ASI QUE MIL GRACIAS

[amelie]

ahhhh.....little B is so adorable with his sweet little hands in the bowl.. i can just imagine his gleeful smile :o)

[Taylor]

I don't quite know what to say, except it was a pleasure to read. The happiness is overflowing! Thank you for making my day a little brighter! What sweet pictures of your Little B!

[Jen]

I love this. I've tried to change my thought from I 'have to' do this to I 'get to' do this. I GET to do laundry, cook supper, go to work..... All these things I GET to do because I'm healthy, I own these things & Get to enjoy them. Suddenly, it's no longer work but a long list of blessings & things to be happy about.

[PinkCatJo]

I loved this post. It was warm and homely and just lovely. x

[Snowdrop]

Love your blog, love your crochet, and love your home! Beautiful and inspiring xx

[Ciara]

A friend just sent me the link to your blog. Oh my! It's wonderful!

Greeting from a fellow blogging Mama across the water in The Garden of Ireland!

Ciara x

[Sylvie ALR]

Je me retrouve complètement dans cet article, moi aussi j'aime vivre auprès des miens et faire que ma maison soit un havre de paix.
Votre blog est superbe, je suis fan de vos travaux au crochet.
Je reviendrai...à bientôt.

[Terrie]

Ooo new diary and coloured pens! My favourite things to treat myself with!

[Terri James]

I always read your posts and never comment Lucy, however TODAY, especially your pics made me feel SOOOOO happy!! I am about to take YS to uni tomorrow and when ES goes to London at the end of the month my nest will be empty:( Treasure yours!!! I know I will cope but at this moment I feel very small and vulnerable (whereas he is so very excited).
Love Terrix

[Carol]

Another lovely post, love and gratitude, much better for us to think the positive. Makes us do things with a smile not a scowl and we feel better for it too.
Crol xx

[Bernadette Edens]

Hi Lucy! Just thought I would let you know (if you don't already) that your blog was linked on Facebook by the Bernat Company! Specifically, your "Blooming Marvelous" entry! They have it posted on their Facebook page! :)

Happy Weekend!

[Bonnie]

Such a heartfelt post, love the way you talk about your home, children and interests!