De-cide to De-clutter...

"You are not your stuff, and if your stuff is not helping you create the life, mood and harmony that you want, then what's it doing in your life?" -Peter Walsh

Spring time is almost here, and we have decided to get a jump-start on our "Spring Cleaning." We were encouraged after our recent visit at a friend's house who, upon moving to a smaller home, has pretty much gotten rid of everything and started over. It was so nice to walk into their new home and to not feel overwhelmed with "stuff", which is the feeling that I get everyday in our home. As I began to walk around the house, I started to pray that God would help me and give me wisdom on what I really need and don't need, and I can't begin to tell you how much He has opened my eyes. In my recent research of how clutter effects us, these are some things that I have learned:

1. The clutter in your home can make you feel tired all the time... For instance, if you have clutter on your bed, then how can you get a good night's sleep? Or you may have clutter in your family room that is getting in the way of your quality family time. The kitchen is a good place for clutter to pile up. It tends to be our "catch all" place for mail, bills, magazines, backpacks or unwashed dishes. Maybe it's a case where everything that should be inside the cabinets are sitting on the top of the cabinets. Clearing that space allows you to be more organized during mealtime, and will increase your space. Your desire for a larger kitchen may just come in de-cluttering the kitchen that you already have. Once you de-clutter, you may find that you actually have the energy to go on that walk after all. Especially now that you're getting a good night's rest and can actually find your walking shoes.
2. Clutter doesn't allow you to live in the present or travel to the future... When all the space that you have is filled with clutter, it doesn't allow anything new to come into your life. Your clutter can constantly be a reminder of the past, either good or bad. Clearing out your old clutter allows you to take control of your past and move forward to your future. Keeping special memories does not always require for you to keep all the things pertaining to that memory. You can get rid of the stuff without getting rid of the memory. Take pictures of your stuff, and put them in a picture album. That way, you can see your memories and even share them with others without having to clutter up a room (or home) with all those things from the past.
   
3. Clearing clutter can be an emotional release... The environment that you live in can reflect your inner environment. If there is chaos in your life, often there is chaos in your living space too. A cluttered home can reflect confusion and overwhelming feelings not only in yourself but also in the people around you.
4. A cluttered area can lead to an unsanitary living space and severely affect physical health as well as mental health... Staring at mounds of dirty dishes, clothes or piles of paperwork visually stimulates the brain to have negative feelings; just as looking at a beautiful painting or image of the ocean can fill someone with a sense of freedom or happiness. De-cluttering your home helps eliminate germs, dust, dirt and mold that could be contributing to the health of you and your family. Dust and dust-mites can contribute to respiratory problems such as increased allergies and asthma. It can even contribute to the common cold and flu. Studies show that holding on to the past can also contribute to deeper health issues including depression and even heart disease. So when you clean your home, you're actually cleaning your body as well.
5. Less clutter can actually save energy... Did you know that your heating and cooling system has to heat and cool all the things in your home as well as you. The theory is that the less you have in your home, the less your home has to work to keep you comfortable; therefore, saving on your energy bills each month, which is good for both you and the environment.
6. The less you have, the less you have to clean... Everyone wants to save time and money cleaning our homes. To save time, we hire a cleaning company which costs money. To save money we fire the cleaning company and do it ourselves, which takes time. Having less stuff could actually free up both time and money for us to enjoy other things that we may not have had the time or money to enjoy before.
7. Helps us take inventory of what we have... Just last week, I mentioned to my husband that I would like a pressure cooker. This week, we have spent a lot of time clearing out our home. In the kitchen, pushed way back under the cabinets, I found a pressure cooker that I didn't even know we had. We were planning on purchasing a pressure cooker until I found that we already owned one. That saved us money! If you are constantly having to purchase something over-and-over while thinking that you've already purchased it, you may not be losing your mind after-all. It may just mean that you need to clear out some of the other things that you are not using and get organized.
8. Puts money in your pocket... Some of the things that you would like to get rid of may be of great interest to other people. There are some great outlets of getting rid of your stuff, and sometimes you can make a little extra money at the same time. You could make a charitable, tax-deductible donation to many organizations around town. Some of those organizations will actually come to your home and pick it up for you. Some other great places are: craigslist.org, ebay.com, or having a yard sale. You may also find that you really like the new space that you have created by clearing out. Because of this, you may not want to buy more stuff to add to it. That way, you're not spending more money on more stuff; therefore, keeping more cash in your pocket, and that always makes us feel better.
   

I deeply encourage you this year to take control of your life and home by taking that extra step that you have been wanting to take for so long. De-cide to De-clutter! You could even start a De-cluttering Party, and invite some friends to join in. Sometimes it's good to have an outside opinion if we are on the fence about a particular item. It also holds us accountable. After you're done with your home, go to the next and so on... After a while, you and your friends will feel the freedom of a de-cluttered, happier, healthier lifestyle.

Sleeping Like A Baby...

The best advise that I received after becoming a mom for the first time was this: "You didn't go to live with your baby, your baby came to live with you." -Dr. Denmark

Recently, I had the fabulous opportunity to help another friend get her newborn baby to sleep all night using Dr. Denmark's incredible, infamous routine. Dr. Denmark is a local, retired Pediatrician that is going to be turning 112 on February 1st, and is the 57th oldest person in the world according to the Guinness book of world records. From referral, my friend came to me to seek out any help that I could offer to get her baby to sleep. I was honored, and we immediately began the baby on a new day and night routine. This "schedule" involves a feeding and sleeping pattern that also helps the baby feel secure and happy, because he learns what to expect throughout the day. We are all creatures of habit, and I believe that it is our responsibility as parents to show our children the right way to live each day, and I also believe that this starts immediately at birth. The first day, the baby accepted the schedule well, and actually slept a little that night. The second night was horrible! It turns out that the baby was colic; however, the mom told me that her pediatrician would not diagnose him as colic because "there is no cure." There is a cure! You see, the mom had been feeding the baby every 2 hours, and according to Dr. Denmark and Northside Hospital in Atlanta, if you feed a baby more often than every 4 hours for longer than 20 minutes, you drastically increase the chances of your baby developing colic and reflux. The mom decided to go ahead and feed the baby again at 2:00am and lay him back down. They finally made it through the night, but it was extremely difficult. The next day and night went very well, and then by the 4th night, the baby was sleeping 8 hours. He has had no more colic and has been continuing to sleep all night since. The baby hardly cries, even throughout the day, and has become a very happy baby boy!

The routine that Dr Denmark suggests is as follows: Feed only at 10, 2, 6 and then again at 10 for no more than 20 minutes at a time (10 minutes on each breast.) After the 10:00pm feeding, put the baby down in his crib, on his belly (she also tells how to make the crib safe and comfortable.) The baby should stay there until 6 the next morning. At that time, you pick the baby up, feed him and then put him back down until 10:00am. I have read accounts and personally witnessed this schedule working with all types of babies and personality types. I have used this schedule with both of my children. My first son was 5 weeks old when I was first introduced to her routine. I immediately started it, and he was sleeping all night within 3 days. With my second son, I started it immediately after birth. He began sleeping all night when he was 10-days-old.

My first son was in the NICU for 4 days after birth, and when we brought him home from the hospital, the NICU nurses had already put him on this eating schedule, and he was following it very well. I also bottle-fed my first child and nursed my second. Neither one had any problems following the 4-hr-schedule, and neither did my body. I adjusted even throughout the night.

Dr. Denmark wrote a book called "Every Child Should Have a Chance" that is no longer in print. It has now been revised to "Dr. Denmark Said It!"

Welcome!

Hello friends! I am so excited that you have decided to join me! I have finally decided to start the blog that I believe God has been putting on my heart to start. In these blogs, I am going to write about the things that are close to my heart or what I feel that God is speaking to me about at the time. Once-a-week, we will be talking about things like: home school, health, mommy-hood, family life, saving money, or life's big adventures. So let's sit back, put on our seat belts and get ready to enjoy the show...