Posts Tagged ‘family’
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Simple Family Fun
1As part of our cleaning-because-visitors-are-coming frenzy over the long weekend, we (finally) unpacked the table tennis table that we gave the kids for Christmas. That’s right, it has taken us almost 6 months. In our house, we like to unwrap our gifts s-l-o-w-l-y (either that or we are simply chronically disorganised).
Note the 7-year-old foreman supervising from the comfort of the cushion-covered lounge
The kids loved helping to put the table together and then spent all Sunday afternoon playing. When our guests arrived for a BBQ lunch on Monday, the table quickly became a focus of attention with children and adults having fun challenging each other with lots of laughs all ‘round.
My three children were playing table tennis again this afternoon after school. Their technique leaves a lot to be desired, but they are had a great time and they have already improved quite a bit since the table was put together only two days ago. They aren’t quite as good as they think they are (I think I may have heard one of them mention plans to play ping pong at the Olympics), but they are having fun, they’re active and they weren’t arguing. Sounds like a triple win to me.
I can remember playing table tennis at a friend’s house as a child and in recent years we’ve had lots of fun when we have visited friends with table tennis tables at their homes. I guess in these times of electronic gadgets and complex computer games, it’s kind of nice to have some simple fun. Don’t get me wrong, I love the gadgets too (I’m still waiting for the iPad2 Fairy to visit me) but I think this gift is going to help us create some great memories with family and friends.
As an added bonus, I can now cross ‘get table tennis table set up’ off my To Do list. Yay!
Do you play table tennis/ping pong? Do you have Forrest Gump-esque skills or are you usually giggling so hard at your own ineptness that you have very little chance of hitting the ball (like me)?
1
It Started With A Missing Button
1
It started with a missing button
A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to sort through a pile of mending that had been pushed to the back of the cupboard for quite some time. In amongst a few random items, I found a summer dress that belonged to my daughter. It was missing a button and had been put aside to be mended. Unfortunately, it was now 2 sizes too small and no button was going to make it possible for my daughter to wear it again.
Finding this dress was the final sign to me that the lack of organisation in my clean but cluttered home needed to be dealt with. Unlike some people, I don’t tend to find clutter visually distressing, but I am frustrated by the time I waste looking for misplaced items and the money I waste either buying items that I already own (but can’t find) or buying items that I then never use because they aren’t where they are supposed to be (like the button-less dress).
It isn’t the first time that I’ve decided to do something about the mess.
The Never Ending To Do List
Every six months or so I have a week of soul searching where I decide I need to set myself some goals and get my life in order. Clearing the clutter always makes it onto the list, but that’s about as far as it gets. One week of frantic list making and then five and a half months of inactivity and the whole process begins again.
I’ve decided that I need to acknowledge that I’ll never get on top of things by myself. Despite the fact that I feel like I should be able to create an organised, uncluttered home and simplify my life, the evidence suggests that this isn’t the case. I have a shelf full of organisational books, most of which I’ve read, but I tend to get all fired up and write lists and set up routines then collapse under the weight of my own unrealistic expectations.
Working on the principle that if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had, I have decided to do something different this time. This time, I’m asking for help. I’m acknowledging that despite the fact that I am a competent, intelligent woman, I just don’t seem to be able to conquer the clutter on my own.
This time I am enlisting the help of professional organiser Adele Blair of Blair Lifestyle Management and Green Apple Organising. Adele assures me that with some basic guidelines, a desire to make a change and a little elbow grease, I can reduce the clutter and create a tidy, organised home that I can enjoy with my family. Adele will be both coach and cheer squad for my decluttering adventure as well as keeping me accountable. I’m confident that with her help, I will finally be able to deal with the clutter that has plagued me for so long.
On a more personal level, Alison Triffett of Style Counsel Online will be helping me work through my wardrobe clutter. Time to shed the fashion equivalent of multiple personality disorder that my wardrobe represents and gather clothing and accessories that are co-ordinated, functional and stylish. Alison has already given me some awesome practical style tips and I’m looking forward to the wardrobe makeover process. No more Frumpy Mum!
Living Upside Down will be a record of my attempts to declutter my life – physically, mentally and emotionally. I’ll share stories about my efforts and review products and services that claim to simplify, organise or simply make life better somehow. Adele and Alison will be sharing tips, there will be giveaways and I’m looking forward to having some fun as well – after all, the point of all this hard work is to make room in my life for enjoying time with family and friends.
So, fasten your seat belt, return your trays to the upright position and prepare for a bumpy ride. This might not always be easy, but it will definitely be worth the effort. I can’t wait to share the journey with you.
PS I’ve created a new Facebook page for Living Upside Down (please visit and click ‘Like’ to keep up to date with all the latest posts and events here at Living Upside Down) or you can follow me on Twitter (@ReadUpsideDown).
PPS Did I mention that the images of me in the header were drawn by my (then) 9-year-old daughter. Aren’t they cute? 
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