#peacelovespringcleaning

My sacred book of lists.

Some of you might believe in spring cleaning...some might not. I pretty firmly believe that, for me in my season specifically, taking care of our home to the best of my ability is part of my SAHM Job Description...and that means spring cleaning. Ugh.

This spring I'm not making excuses, I'm doing the whole flipping house, not just stopping after I've finished the bedrooms (the easiest rooms to start and finish in one day).

Here are a few things that help me...

Lists. Preferably in a cute notebook. Sometimes it's the simple things that keep me motivated. Even stupid simple things. A few nights ago I started making my master list of each room I need to clean...then in the pages that followed I broke down each individual task in each room. Right down to 'wipe switch plates/vents/door knobs'...the more you write...the more you get to cross off! See what I did there? The weird thing was...after I made all those dang lists, I was super excited to take on cleaning our bedroom the next day. And today I woke up JACKED to clean Mav's room. Lists do weird things to me.

Focus. Don't flit around mindlessly from room to room. Stick with what you're doing from start to finish. It's sooooo easy to go look for batteries for the smoke detector that's not working in the bedroom and an hour later find yourself organizing the kitchen junk drawer. Nothing will kill your productivity quicker. Even if you're tempted to throw all the sheets together in one load because that will be more efficient...fight that sensible (misguided) urge. Yesterday afternoon I came SO CLOSE to taking down curtains in the whole house and washing them at the same time, which would have resulted in mass chaos trying to hang up curtains at 8pm in rooms that were still too dusty for clean curtains. I fought that urge and am happy to report Master Bedroom and Maverick Bedroom are both completely FINISHED.

Momentum. Do whatever it takes to keep the momentum going. There have been many years where I've started strong, and fizzled out after I finished the bedrooms and my bathroom...never making it across the rest of the house to the most important (and dirty room)...the kitchen. I like to start with the easy rooms so I feel really good about myself for 'getting so much done'...even though they are super easy. When I've started in the kitchen, I almost always quit after the refrigerator is cleaned. I absolutely loathe emptying and wiping out the refrigerator. I'm saving that gem for last. This way I have a week to mentally prepare myself for what's coming.

Fun. I don't care what it takes, figure out a way to make spring cleaning fun. Buy a new book to listen to. Find an excellent podcast to keep you going. Things I hate seem to go a lot quicker for me when I'm listening to something I love. Last summer when I put our IKEA dresser together by myself, I listened to Katy Perry all afternoon and couldn't believe three hours slipped by. When Kitchen Day arrives, I plan to activate the Katy Perry Station from start to finish.

Reasonable. Do not bite off more than you can chew...errr...clean. I'll say it again, it makes so much more sense NOT to tear into the whole house at once. It's less overwhelming and way easier to complete one. thing. at. a. time. I cannot live in mass chaos for a week, maybe some of you can. Multi-tasking is my mortal enemy. Today I finished cleaning and putting Maverick's room back together by 1:00, felt like I was on a roll, and wanted to start in on the bathroom. However, that would mean loading the dishwasher and finishing my Bible Study homework would be put off. Given that those are things I like to balance INTO my day, I chose to forgo tackling another room, so something else that's a priority wouldn't fall by the wayside.

Complete. This means my list is complete to the point that I'm finishing unfinished projects in each room; touching up paint where I've noticed places need it; testing and replacing batteries in our smoke detectors; putting odd things away that belong in other rooms; and organizing and donating items from closets/drawers/cupboards/shelves that need it. It ALL gets put on the list for each room and it ALL gets done before moving on. No corner is left untouched, no furniture is left unmoved (is that even a word?) Maybe you're better at spring cleaning in a less strict, more organic way (heaven forbid you clean the top of your refrigerator weekly...go you)...I have to make it a 'thing' to get me excited.

Rewards. Last night my reward for finishing our bedroom was Pinteresting and writing a new chalkboard. Ha. Today my reward for finishing Maverick's bedroom is going to Lowe's and finally buying some blackout blinds to install (he currently has three sets of curtains/fabric pinned together to make his room dark enough for naps and night...it's pathetic and I'm so over it). Create a simple, yet motivating reward for each room. It seriously helps.

Yesterday I realized the bed skirt I purchased for our bed at some point in the past five years had never been taken off and washed. CANNOT EVEN BELIEVE. Getting a queen-sized bed skirt off by yourself is hard ok?! Our showers have been neglected for far too long...this spring cleaning bit I pull is literally the only time this weird annoying stuff gets done. Please do not mistakenly think I'm amazing at any of this. It is HARD for me to WANT to clean Josh's toilet with a toothbrush. But I will because I believe it's part of my job and I want to do it well. Or something like that. Ugh. Toilets aren't coming for a few days, that's future Mollie's problem.

MmB

My 200th Blog Post + BLC's Spring Mailer

This is GLITTER AND GRASS POST NUMBER TWO-HUNDRED!

I've been doing this random-rambling-and-writing for FIVE YEARS now.

time. freaking. flies.

So apparently I've written 200 blog posts. And some of them are lame and way too long and some probably aren't very interesting to the average person. But Glitter and Grass readers are anything but average. ;) It's been fun for me to read back through...remembering the past five years of our life documented randomly and perfect right here. Enough of you seem to be reading...which keeps me interested in writing...so thanks for that.

Anyway...this isn't the mind-blowing amazing 200th blog post I had in mind, but whatever. I've been working on our BLC mailer and finally got it sent out today...posting it to the blog is on my To Do List and I want to cross it off. TADA! Here's the BLC Spring 2017 Mailer for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading...you keep keep me rambling my opinions for the world wide web to hear. :)

Mollie

Spring Things I Love

For no particular reason, and in no particular order...these are things I'm loving right now. I've had some things to say (it's been a month since I last wrote anything?!) but this was easy to pull together and informative for you lovely readers. All in a naps work. More groundbreaking blog stuff is in the works (if organizing a closet after a trip to the Container Store; potentially moving to our acreage + farmhouse; and dealing with Mav's fourth molar breaking through is the kind of stuff you consider to be 'groundbreaking').

Boxwood

I just want ALL OF IT. Sprigs around the house. Tiny wreaths on every window and door. Real or fake, doesn't matter. It's the perfect symbol of spring and I've gone off the deep end about it. If you find me in the Threshold aisle at Target call for help because there is a $50 wreath there I DO NOT NEED. This stuff is seriously the prettiest.

Armor of God Study

This is a good one, you guys. I'm currently going through it with a group of ladies at church, and we're doing the video series along with it. It's technically a seven-week study, but we're spreading it out over 12-weeks and I really like that. It gives me more time to go slowly through each day instead of just speeding through it to get the homework done. Grab a group of girls and do it. Or do it on your own...either way, I'd highly recommend it.

New Girl

We're a little late to the party on this one, but is anyone else on the Netflix-New-Girl-Binge? We started watching...ohhhh I'd say about two months ago and we're almost done with the five-season-series. Oops. What did people do in the winter before Netflix???

Silk Flowers

Being careful to not cross the line into the "G'ma's Cemetery Flowers" realm...stores are stepping up their game in the silk flower department, aren't they? I like checking the Dollar Tree for the flowers I stuff in my farm trough feeders outside (because they take more of a beating), and Hobby Lobby has tulips I've been eyeing to buy next time they're 50% off. They'll be going in my looooong feeder trough that sits on our dining room table (you read that right...I pulled a feeder trough straight from our barn, barely wiped it off, and it sits inches away from where we eat...fine, right?) and I love the fresh spring-ness they bring INTO the house.

Magnolia Everything

You already knew this, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm ob. sessed. But they're worthy role models, are they not? Chip and Jo only have two episodes left in season four, and since Netflix kicked them off last year, it's a darn good thing Mediacom just suckered us into a two-year-Tivo contract. Because I have all. the. new. episodes. Also? The spring magazine dropped a few weeks ago. Also? Pier 1 will soon be carrying the Magnolia line. Also? These white corbels (that can either be bookends, shelving, or just used as decor) are $39.99 at Homemakers and yes they're fake, but they're a goooooood kinda fake...but would you have expected anything less from Joanna?

Risen Motherhood Podcast

This podcast-app stuff is fairly 'new' to me...even though it's not new to the rest of the world. These 20-minute 'shows' are great and I love that I can follow along with these gals on Instagram all week too. Always encouraging, uplifting, informative, Gospel-centered, and funny...their latest show was on hospitality...so they totally speak my language (and cover a variety of topics!). Plus, it's easy to clean a bathroom and listen at the same time. 

Le Photo Design

When our beautiful Libby moved to China a few months ago, we had to figure out which of our talented friends would be our new family photographer. Lori is a friend from college who first took our pictures after we bought the acreage. She has a kiddo close to Mav's age, and is super talented when it comes to those squishy babies and busy toddlers. Having her snap pictures in our living room this morning went great and it felt totally natural...which is important when putting Josh in front of a camera. ;)

Tivo

Again...yearsssss behind on this, but after paying Mediacom $180/month for basic cable and wireless, I called demanding a better price or we would be switching. And what do you know, we now pay $120/month for better, faster, Internet, cable + guide, and Tivo. Not to mention the install guy came within DAYS of my phone call. Good grief. What. a. life changer. This is a first world problem for sure...but it's really nice not to have to throw Mav in his crib and race to the couch by 8:00 for Fixer Upper.

Sesame Street

The 9:30-10:00 Sesame Street time slot is suddenly so perfect for the schedule and season Mav and I are in. We have time to get up and going, eat breakfast, and Mav plays happily on his own for a while before I turn on the TV...and then I have a beautiful, uninterrupted half hour to work on stuff for Josh, get laundry going, clean up the kitchen, or hit my Bible study homework before we head out of the house. I've kind of started to build it into our mornings, and I'm not feeling guilty about it. It's been so good.

Cyclone Basketball

There's something about March Madness that just brings me and Josh together on our couch to cheer for the Cyclones. Of course this tragically came to an abrupt end last week...but we spent a couple beautiful nights together enjoying SPORTS while it lasted...which isn't normal for us. :)

As I approach my 200th blog post, I've started to re-evaluate what I do around here. Is this a lifestyle blog? Is it a mom-blog? Do I just ramble about nothing while 300 people stand by and watch this train wreck (who doesn't love a good train wreck on social media)? What's my purpose? 

Figuring all of that out, as well as giving Glitter and Grass a serious ambush makeover (KathieLee and Hoda style) will be happening soon. If you've been a reader around these parts for any amount of time, I think you'll like what's coming. And thank goodness you'll no longer be stuck reading my posts on a gold glitter background I saved from Google Images four years ago.

Like, really. I'm sorry about that, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

MmB

The Story of a Babywise Baby Who Doesn't Sleep

We do a little rocking to sleep when it's a teething-week (or two...or three) and it's kind of amazing.

This post has been a long time coming...18-months in the making, actually. It became clear fairly early-on that Maverick would not be the poster-child for Babywise, despite my best efforts. So I'm going tell you alllllll about it. Even with all of my rule-following and crying-it-out and ZERO sleep props...we have a kid who still has his bad nights.

But don't we all? Last night I didn't fall asleep until after midnight. I didn't cry about it, but it was annoying.

Here's The Story of a Babywise Baby Who Doesn't Sleep...his name is Maverick Wesley James Boersma.

Before having Maverick I was sold on the scheduling approach Babywise offers. I knew I wanted to set Mav up for sleeping success from the get-go, read the book, and was ready to take this part of mothering ON. I knew I did not want to nurse around the clock, rock him to sleep, or have him sleeping in our room longer than a few weeks. I'm wired to work well on a schedule, and while it can be rigid, there is so much flexibility and freedom within that rigidness. I love it. And even though it hasn't been a raving success in our house this first time around, I can't imagine doing it any other way.

The first few weeks I focused on getting Maverick to eat well, followed an Eat-Wake-Sleep schedule, and encouraged sleeping/napping on his own in his crib or his swing. If I'm being honest, I rarely held my newborn when we were at home. In fact, I loved going to church because if he made a noise in his seat I got to hold him. Weird, right? But in my mind, it was a bad habit I didn't want to start! I'll be holding our next baby more. lol.

Anyway...after we had a couple months under our belt, it seemed like Maverick was well on his way. He was sleeping in his crib, eating once in the night, and a pretty decent napper. Yay! Right?

Wrong.

The three/four month sleep regression hit and there were no survivors. None of us slept. For like a month. I was feeding him two-three times in the night and he would STILL cry when I laid him down in his bed (it wasn't hunger, he was perfectly happy to be rocked and I didn't fall for that). It was exhausting. A couple months later...the same thing happened. The kid has no bad sleeping habits to speak of except that he just WON'T sometimes. I was a big fan of letting him cry for a while before I fed him because sometimes he would whine himself back to sleep and I was like, "VICTORY IS MINE!"...but there were weeks where I'd give in because nothing I tried or tweaked or changed made a difference.

Babywise doesn't EXPLICITLY TELL you that developmental leaps, ear infections, teething, regressions, and colds happen and your kid might not sleep. Or that exclusively breastfed babies sometimes have a harder time sleeping through the night (and I TRIED to offer more ounces + supplement with formula to get him to sleep, believe me!). When they learn to roll, they might not sleep. When they learn to sit up and can't figure out how to lay down, they might not sleep. When they learn to stand up next to their crib railings, they might not sleep. When they learn to climb, they might not sleep. And when they transition into a big kid bed, they might not sleep.

WHAT?!

It wasn't until I joined an amazing Babywise group on Facebook that I started to really get a handle on things.

My expectations were this: Follow the schedule, the rules, and advice from wise other mom's, and Maverick will be sleeping 12 hours through the night by 12 weeks like everyone says.

If you find yourself in a similar situation to mine...I'd recommend lowering your expectations right now. You might have insane success with Babywise principles, but also...you might not and you have to be willing to accept that (I'm still not sure I'm ok with it). Expect nothing from your baby, but plan to meet their unreasonable requests...expect less than nothing from your newborn.

A few things I love about BW...it's easy to communicate Maverick's needs and schedule to family and friends. We're pretty strict about being home for Maverick's 3-hour nap (unless a special/fun day warrants sleeping elsewhere) and we are almost always home by 8:00 for bedtime. It's just cut and dry. As Maverick's schedule from newborn to now has changed, it's been met with some comments about us being lame for not staying out late or joining in on a big event...but honestly? Once you're a parent (unless you have a babysitter and are OUT for the evening!) it's time to grow up and get your kid home for bedtime. And we LOVE having people over to our house because Mav goes down so easily. We had a group of Salt guys here last night until almost 10:00 and they weren't quiet but it was totally fine!

A friend with a four-month-old texted me a few weeks ago and said, 'Dude God reveals so much sin at 3am.' and it. is. true. Maybe that's why I have a kid who is a terrible sleeper...God has more sin he would like to show me and that is the only way He gets my attention. Yikes. (insert hiding monkey face emoji x3)

Besides many nights that were just downright weird and bad and God only knows the reason...I noticed Maverick's night sleep would suddenly be horrendous when he was ready for a big schedule change. Last February when he was five-ish months old, he was 'telling me' he was ready to drop his evening catnap (I didn't figure it out, a friend did). It was a struggle, but almost instantly his night sleep got better. Then again last summer when he was around nine-ish months old, he was apparently ready for a shorter morning nap. I started cutting it to 45 minutes and again his night sleep instantly got better. When he was nearing one year things started getting wonky at night yet again so we dropped his morning nap altogether and after a couple weeks he was consistently doing 11-12 hours at night and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. It's a pattern I noticed for Mav almost totally after the fact every time it happened because it's not obvious until you put it all together...once your a YEAR in.

In reality, Maverick probably IS a decent sleeper. He DOES have many good sleeping habits I overlook because I just expect them. I didn't struggle with 30 minute naps like many mom's do. He has no problem putting himself to sleep, which I love. He'll nap or sleep almost anywhere. But when your kid is awake in the night crying and there is nothing wrong and nothing you can do about it but let him work it out on his own...it. is. frustrating. Like..."I want to punch every mom who has a perfect sleeping child in the face" kind of frustrating. Because I followed all the rules! Why is this happening?!

It's those d%*$ expectations. Get rid of them. I gave my 17-month old a bottle a few weeks ago at 3am just to get him to FLIPPING SLEEP. I texted a friend the next morning and said, "WHAT IS MY LIFE?" And it wasn't until a veteran mom of (almost) six told me, "Honestly, if a bottle in the middle of the night calmed Maverick down, I say 'good job giving him a bottle!" Wait, what?! He's not supposed to be needing a bottle at this age! He's supposed to be a perfect sleeper! He was supposed to be sleeping 12 hours a night by 12 weeks!

Nope. Just stop.

Maybe nothing about this post was encouraging, especially if you're in the trenches of a sleep regression and the only advice I have to give is, "JUST GET THROUGH IT." But I do want to leave you with this quote from one of my new, amazing, wise, mom-friends (she's the one with five, almost SIX so she is a goddess and a professional mother by my standards):

"Babywise is only a jumping off point; at the end of the day, it is only a tool to help you parent Maverick, your individual unique kid, who hasn't read Babywise and therefore doesn't know the rules yet. Babywise isn't your boss. It's your employee." - Paige VV

Umm...that's really all this blog post needed to say. I should have started and ended there. If nothing else, at least now you know you're not alone during those sleepless (sometimes for no reason!) nights. Lower those expectations and stay confident you're doing a great job. These punk kids of ours will sleep...eventually.

MmB

Declutter: Need - Use - Love

Aside from the three baskets of laundry I need to fold today, our living room almost always looks like this...give or take some toys depending on the time of day. :)

I know I've talked a lot about how to assess if you should get rid of something (do you love it? is it necessary? is it useful?) and I've posted a lot of bossy healthy encouragement about getting your house organized...but I thought this week maybe I'd post a few practical ways we live a decluttered life..especially in our 1,200 SF home with only a small basement storage space.

Let me tell you...sometimes getting rid of your stuff is painful (I just said goodbye to a Hidden Acres sweatshirt I had in the top of my closet and hadn't touched in nearly five years) but the end result is so worth it! Closets that aren't jammed full...drawers that aren't spilling over. It just eliminates the stress STUFF can so easily cause.

As I look around the main living area of our home (kitchen/dining/living) every surface is empty and clear of unnecessary stuff. Things are put away in their place. I keep things in arms reach that we use daily and if it's not something we use daily, I'm always evaluating if that item is really even necessary in our home. Maybe I've said this a million times, but I feel like spring is always a good time for a refresher course. :)

When I say 'every surface is empty and clear' I don't mean it to be like I'm bragging and my house is perfect all the time, I'm just verrrry diligent about putting things away...which isn't that hard if you stay on top of it. I also cannot speak to you full-time-working mom's on this topic. There is no way I'd want to come home at 5 or 6pm and then tackle dinner, laundry, bathtime, and also organize a closet. I salute you for doing what you do. Seriously. Spending a day helping my sister-in-law who has been back at work full-time for a month was enough to show me how easy I have it. And made helping her tackle her garage and the basement on a Saturday a super fun project I was happy to help with!

This week I found some new motivation to fill my trunk with stuff for Overflow and I sit here completely dumbfounded that I was able to fill my trunk with stuff YET AGAIN. Why do we have 20 beach towels taking up valuable space in the hall linen closet? Why is the black bike I've had since I was 12 (and not ridden for 7 years) taking up ULTRA-VALUABLE space in Josh's shed amongst his mowing equipment? I haven't used red serving bowls in two years, they should clearly be donated. I'm not sure why, but this week I was looking at everything with a fresh set of eyes.

My best friend and I were talking yesterday about how small houses are actually kind of a blessing. You WILL fill the space you have. And sometimes that can lead to becoming a 'slave to your stuff.' Because we live in America and stuff seems to be really important, it's so easy to get sucked into that mindset and just go about filling your house with All The Things whether you need them or not. So I spend a fair amount of time FIGHTING AGAINST that mentality. I want our house to be a sanctuary of hospitality, rest, peace, and beauty. Not a place where we're surrounded by so much stuff we can't even enjoy where we live.

Even looking at this post-Christmas picture, I see something I decluttered last month. The big, gray, paned window on the left side of the picture was given to my sister when I decided (after studying this picture) that I thought it cluttered the focus I wanted on the architectural statement the corbels make. I liked it, but I didn't have another place for it, so it was fairly easy to get rid of.

So I said I'd explain all of that a little more practically...more than just tell you to fill your trunk and get your butt to Overflow. :) What do I do with the stuff that's leftover that we DO really need to keep around? Besides creating a perfect, sensible place for each item we own (which usually means it's put away in a closet, bin, basket, or drawer) here are a few of my other tricks that might help you.

In our house now, it means our furniture has room to 'breathe' a little...it's not jam-packed in next to each other to fit more stuff in each room. I like to keep end tables an inch or two away from the couch so things don't look so visually cluttered. I leave space to let curtains hang behind furniture (in our next house I'm planning to eliminate curtains in all living areas, if possible) and I spend a little time each week 'adjusting' our furniture pieces that have gotten bumped around out of whack.

Along with that idea...I pick furniture that fits easily and makes sense in our space. YES I try to choose versatile pieces that will work from home to home, but I believe that means smaller, neutral items that are easily moved in and out, can stand good wear and tear, and be easily adjusted if we end up with a living room that's a different shape (ie: a leather sectional is something Josh has always wanted that I've adamantly steered clear of...or a 10-foot farm table that is my 'dream' but is NOT sensible or practical for most people). The shelves we have in our living room are on the smaller side, but if we had anything bigger I think the space would be overwhelmed with too much BIG furniture. Plus, with more shelves, it's easier to collect THINGS! And that's not what I want to be doing.

Like I said, all of our surfaces are essentially empty. There is only a centerpiece on our dining room table at Christmastime so we can fully use it in our day-to-day life without always disrupting an annoying fancy centerpiece. The only item I keep on each of our two end tables is a lamp. And our third small end table usually sits empty. This just makes entertaining easier (nothing to knock over, always a place for a coaster and a drink!). The coffee table in the middle of our living room has a galvanized metal Magnolia tray to corral the books and mags I'm currently reading, and if I'm being honest, to add a little 'pretty'.

Be strategic with gallery walls, focal points, and texture pieces. This one took me quite a bit of trial and error, but I think I've finally hit my sweet spot. You can scroll back through my Instagram if you'd like to see some of the felonies I committed on the walls in this house or you can just take this advice here and now. ;)

If it's 'ugly' but also useful and necessary...I try and figure out a creative way it can be stored inside a basket or bin or a jar of some kind. Keeping alike things together is still my go-to phrase in this area and I'll tell you...storing colorful games and awkward purses and baby gear is HARD. It's taken a ton of time for me to get my head around how to store those things an efficient way. I find when we have LESS stuff overall, it suddenly makes storing what we need/use/love that much easier. Just yesterday I went to town on our guest bedroom closet and I was somehow able to free up an entire shelf of space. My ultimate goal is always to declutter and consolidate to the point where I find myself with empty drawers and shelves in the house. Then when birthdays and Christmas and another set of sheets are purchased, there's already a stress-free spot waiting for them.

Aside from the crazy pillows and the crazy man playing with his toys, this space is easy to pick up and keep clean because we keep it so simple.

If it's something special...or it doesn't fit right now but you love it...or you honestly, without a doubt plan to use it someday...just box it up and put it away. That's allowed. For me, that means a $4.99 tote is purchased, filled with alike seasonal decor/baby gear/pre-Maverick pants, labeled, and neatly stored in rows and piles in our fairly small basement storage space. I force myself to go through these totes from time to time because even our space down there is limited and I know I need to be smart about it.

Did I mention all of these suggestions will make cleaning a breeze?! Ok, that's a lie...cleaning always takes a little effort if you're doing it right. But when there is less stuff to dust around, it literally takes 5-10 minutes to dust every surface in our house. The countertops, island, buffet, and table are empty and easy to wipe down and keep clean. I'm living proof you don't have to sacrifice the design/decor/pretty element in order to have a clutter-free home.

You guys I could go on and on but this post is already way too long. And I'm not even sure I imparted anything new and helpful but do with it what you will. Now that we're decluttered here, I'm planning to take on a couple projects I've put off (the kitchen island is calling my name) so stay tuned for before, during, and after pics of that. ;)

MmB


If you're interested in any of the other blogs I've posted about getting organized...here they are:

How I keep Maverick (and all of his crap) ORGANIZED
House Organization: A Love Story
12 Organizing Commandments