find balance in my life

I haven’t been on 43things in a year! I’ve made progress on a lot of my goals – slowly but steadily. Instead of waiting for things to happen (or someone to do things with me), I’ve taken more of an initiative. Finding and maintaining balance has been a large part of my life during the past year. I’ve learned to say ‘no’ more often – and to follow through with it. I’ve learned to set aside time for certain things, to follow through with one thing at a time despite interruptions, and to take time for myself. I’ve learned to set boundaries when it comes to family time as well.

Decluttering seems to always be a work in progress. I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff but there’s always more (of course). My clutter corner is gone (!). The apartment has been arranged and rearranged a handful of times. I’m pretty content with the way our home is arranged right now. It’s definitely a place that’s lived in but it looks spacious and comfortable without being too cluttered (most of the time).

I’ve also been making progress with bringing my spirituality more prominently into my life. I’ve been reading a lot of books that have helped me move forward. I’m at the point where I’m starting to incorporate simple but meaningful ways of expressing my spirituality on a daily basis. I’ve also been able to introduce some environmentally-friendly practices into my home. It all seems to be meshing together nicely.

You know, it’s great to see how far I’ve come. :>

I’m excited. I’m making some headway with this goal.

We’re moving into a 2 bedroom apartment soon (we’re currently renting a 4 bedroom house). I’ve been really cleaning the place over the past couple of days. Not only do I have to worry about potential renters viewing the house but I really need to give away a lot of stuff. Time to purge, purge, purge!

I told my husband that I want to get rid of everything that isn’t necessary—furniture, knick-knacks, books, clothing, pots and pans, toys. I know this is going to be difficult but there’s a lot in our house that hasn’t been used in a long time. After we’ve reduced our collection of material possessions and gotten settled into the apartment, we can start pulling our home together by replacing our not-so-good furniture with necessary, quality pieces (probably found at garage sales and flea markets) and making sure we don’t buy objects just for the sake of it. The last thing I want to do is add to our possessions just as I’m simplifying them.

We’ll also save a lot on heating bills this winter—we’ll be paying the same amount in rent but heat is included in the apartment. My husband will be closer to work and we’ll be closer to grocery stores. We’ll be a bit closer to interesting places and to a couple of friends as well. I’m hoping this will reduce our monthly expenditures so we can start getting a handle on our finances (part of the mental aspect of balancing my life!).

And this move potentially ties into several of my other goals as well: Make a home for my family; Become more of a homemaker; Keep my house clean; and Reduce debt, save money, spend wisely.

Lots to be excited about….

For me, the balance I’m trying to find is in every aspect of my life.

Things I need to do to find and maintain balance:
1)live a simpler, more frugal life (physical): declutter my house, get rid of material possessions, keep only what I need, move into a smaller and more manageable place. Go walking, hiking, camping.

2)Don’t get lost in being a wife and mother (mental): balance my family’s needs without ignoring mine, encourage my children’s and my husband’s interests while making time to explore and develop those I have, take time for myself. Get a handle on finances.

3)Bring the environment/nature into my life more often (spiritual): reduce-re-use-recycle; go walking, hiking, camping; minimize my (and my family’s) ecological footprint.

4)Find a happy medium between work and play in all areas of my life: with my kids, in my marriage, around the house, when learning new interests, etc.