It feels like I've kind of lost track of where this blog has been going. I started out with the intention of writing about being a homeschooling family that believed in a more sustainable means of living. I would cover homeschooling, sustainable habits, green living, and all of that. It seems this blog has more taken a turn towards home life as a family that wants to be green and sustainable, but somehow has missed. Yes, homeschooling is still about as much of a part of it as it was before, but I somehow have lost track, or feel like I may have.
Looking back, I see the quest for a more sustainable lifestyle is a slow progression. With each little step I take, I really am making a difference. Homeschooling is still a very slow trudge forward as I can't seem to find a good balance between all work and no play and all play-centered learning and no work, but thus far my children seem to like this swing of the pendulum. Just when they get bored because playing, nice conversations, and craft time just aren't engaging enough (though I must admit, I've kind of been failing on the craft time), they gravitate back towards book work. Once book work starts to become an annoyance, we swing back to more fun styled learning and a lack of so much structure. It seems like we're finding our balance, even if that balance is by swinging back and forth. I guess as long as we're still getting work done, it doesn't really matter how it's done, right?
I've noticed that much of my chosen lifestyle is being hindered by other aspects of my life. For example, it's hard to have a lot of homeschooling crafts when you don't have a good table or desk to work on, nor enough chairs around the table to sit there. There are alternatives to our clearly lacking kitchen table, but right now they're a little bit cluttered. It's hard to want to make a home cooked meal that saves on packaging, leaves plenty of waste for compost that other companies just toss out in the manufacturing process, and is better for my family when there isn't much of a prep surface for it. Just little things like that and so much more can really get in the way of green living.
Now, I know I joke all the time that my clutter is there for a reason. Without it the house wouldn't be so well insulated! Even so, it's just another example of what I stand against in this world, this ideal of consumerism and having a little bit of everything. While I can't do anything about the amount of stuff my room mates have, I can certainly downsize a lot of what I have. I know I got the comment that we have a lot of stuff! Well, in reality, we used to have a lot of stuff, but for a family of five, we don't have much at all, and as time goes on, we're only going to have less. The only exchange is less stuff, trinkets, and clutter for more furniture and items to actually decorate our home, like curtains.
I've decided that from here until the beginning of next year, much like I did last year, my goal is to take control of the space I live in. If I want to have clean areas for homeschooling crafts, I'm going to get off my butt and take care of it! I'm going to take the time and energy to deep clean as much of this house as I can. I'm going to make the kitchen comfortable enough that I can start making home cooked meals. I'm going to make the living room comfortable enough that I can enjoy family time without feeling lost in it all. I know it's going to take time, but it's definitely worth it. After all, it's easier to focus on goals like sustainability, making green choices, and taking good care of my family if I'm not bogged down by clutter every day.
What's the part that makes me feel best about all of it? My room mate (the home owner) thanked me for cleaning the kitchen and the refrigerator. When our other house mate got home and saw it, I could see him standing behind her, beaming! He even has his own drawer in the door for the things he's particular about having for himself! It makes this whole process so much easier when I know it's appreciated, especially by someone I was so afraid of upsetting with all the change. I know everyone warned me that he's a very particular sort, doesn't like change, likes his clutter, and wants everything to be his way. I was honestly afraid that my efforts to take care of problems that I see would somehow cause conflict or tension. I wouldn't even mind reorganizing if he didn't like the way it was organized (though, I've found most men to be fine with just about any means of organization, as long as they can find what they need), but I didn't want to upset anyone. From the looks of it, as long as I don't mess with any recognizable system that's already in place before talking to him, I should be good! Better still, he'll probably appreciate it in the end! So not only am I doing something that's good for my own family, but it's good for the whole house!
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