Category Archives: Philosophy

Creative Play

1 Comment

Today I want to share a tried and true toy with you.

Construction set
This is a construction set which my parents bought when Belle and Missy were young.  They enjoyed creating things with it and the set was used by other children as well.

When my mother was downsizing a couple of years ago, I brought it home.  Last year I brought it out for Miss O and Izz.  It has been really interesting to see how their use of the pieces has developed and increased in complexity over that time.  They love this set and it is almost the first thing they ask for when they come to visit.

Packed in a box
It packs away easily into a masonite box and I keep it in the wardrobe in my sewing room.

This set is about 25 years old and was made not far from where we live.  I suspect that it is no longer produced, however, it is a very simple principle and one that you could do yourself.

Instruction sheet
This is the instruction/ideas sheet which is very fragile and unfortunately was ripped by a bit of juvenile enthusiasm.

There are many simple, self-directed play ideas which are valuable for pre-school children.

Making Progress

1 Comment

It is amazing the difference that a couple of days and a written list can make.

I feel as though I am making some progress now.

Buy travel pants – hopefully The Duke can do this tomorrow
Book appointment to have our tax done – DONE
Arrange remote access to the business network
Buy enough cat and dog food for when we are away – Dog food is DONE – will buy the cat food tomorrow
Check and stock up on my medication – DONE
Complete first draft of information for the house-sitter and email it to her – DONE
Attend specialist appointment re my injured knee – have x-rays, referral and Workcover info ready for appointment on Monday
Cancel another specialist appointment
Pack for trip to Melbourne next week – 3 days of work then 3 days of holiday
Stocktake of food in the freezer and plan meals to use up as much as possible before we leave
Finish quilt for Izz’s birthday
Write list of birthday/Christmas gift ideas for Miss O and Izz
Measure Miss O and Izz with a view to buying clothes while we are away

Here are a few more things that I have thought of and added to the original list.

Organise to borrow a travel clothesline
Book car hire for trip to Melbourne – DONE
Arrange accommodation for trip to Melbourne – partly done
Collate all of our paperwork for tax appointment
Change the linen on the spare beds – DONE
Organise to borrow an electrical adaptor – DONE

Being able to cross things off the list adds to the sense of achievement and produces a sort of calm.  I know I can do it.  I will be completely organised and ready to leave in a little over 5 weeks.

A New Adventure

6 Comments

Today marked a totally new experience for me and one I am not sure I wish to repeat in a hurry.  I took my 2 grand-daughters to a birthday party at an indoor play centre. There were numerous birthday events running concurrently as well as casual users of the centre.  It was impossible for the birthday girl to even greet the guests and it seemed to be a matter of quickly opening the gift and then all running off to play on the equipment.

These facilities did not exist when Belle and Missy were children and I am quite thankful.  I can see the appeal because they offer ‘playground’ facilities in an indoor environment but the noise and action is just overwhelming.  I found it daunting so I cannot begin to imagine how young children must feel.  Miss O who is 4 & 1/2 seemed absolutely shell-shocked.

The birthday party is a fixed price per child and that covers their admission (normally $9) plus party food, cake and a bag of goodies.  Each child received a hot dog (frankfurt in a bread roll), french fries and a small packaged juice drink.  The cake was a doughnut stack and the bag of goodies contained some lollies (packaged), balloons, whistle, a pair of socks, pencils, and a mirror/comb compact.  Each item was individually packed in plastic.

I remember my daughters going to a couple of birthday parties at McDonald’s and was amazed to hear parents singing the praises of not having to arrange and prepare a birthday party at home.

Belle has organised birthday parties for Miss O and Izz at home or a local park and I am sure they were not deprived by this.  There was a range of party food which included healthy options and a cake decorated specifically for the occasion.  I do not think they have been deprived because of this.

What are your experiences and thoughts of children’s birthday parties?

March to a Different Drum

2 Comments

I was reading the Down to Earth blog  last week and Rhonda actually re-visited an earlier post from 2009 about how to start out living simply.  You can read it here.   In it she speaks about making your own choices rather than following a specific prescription for living simply.

The idea of being an individual and not slavishly following others really resonated with me.

It constantly astounds me how people are influenced by fashion and trends. It is not necessarily just about clothes but encompasses style of houses, interior decorating, colours and so much more.

Magazines are not generally part of my reading material, but occasionally I will flick through one when I am waiting for an appointment at the doctor or dentist.  The constant, subtle pressure to conform and consume jumps out from every page.  It is not only the advertisements but the articles with titles such as, “Gray is the New Black” which insinuates that you can’t possibly wear the black trousers you bought last year.

Everywhere you turn there is evidence of what is ‘in’ and heaven help you, if you actually consider breaking the mould.  Several years ago we were re-building our kitchen and we decided to have a look at some display homes to get some current ideas as it was many years since we had looked at what was available in kitchen design.  We headed to a display village of new homes – I think there were about 40 homes and we looked at the kitchens in at least half of these.  I was totally disillusioned as they all featured the same basic layout with the kitchen as part of an open-plan living area divided by a long work bench which often contained the sink.  The drawers all had over-sized rectangular handles with minimal variation and the decor was universally a bland grey/mocha palette.

People make fun of the 1970’s lime green benchtops which were ‘in’.  In fact, if you want lime green laminate or any other colour of the rainbow, you can get it in 2012.  However, you need to be prepared to do your own research and choosing by going to the suppliers rather than going to a ‘one-stop shop’ where you will be presented with a range which is really just a selection of variations of the current trend.

Whatever the product, idea, attitude or philosophy, do not feel obliged to follow the crowd.  Be an individual, buck the trend and make your own decisions about you and how you want to live your life.  It does not have to be based on the latest colours, mobile phone or gadget.

Do you swim against the consumerist tide and make decisions about how you live your life in an independent manner?

The Sun Rose Today

3 Comments

Despite all of the gloomy predictions about the impact of the carbon tax which begins today, the sun still rose  and life goes on.

The aim of this tax is to move Australia towards a more sustainable future and I support that wholeheartedly.

I have previously written about this topic and  my original post is here and Part 2 here.  I also wrote a follow-up post 3 months later which is here.

This is a You-Tube video I found today which is well worth viewing.  This is a compliation of comments from several prominent Australians.  Check the associated videos of the individuals speaking in more detail about their support of tackling Climate Change.

Routines

7 Comments

Much of what I write about on this blog is one-off organising projects but today I want to tackle a different subject.  What about the routines? The simple everyday things that you do regularly and consistently.  Why have routines and what difference do they make to the running of a household?

Many of us have routines imposed due to the constraints of going to work and school each day.

I love this quote from a colleague with whom I worked.  When asked about why he worked a particular way, his response was, “I always do this the same way because then I don’t have to waste time thinking about how I am going to do it”.

This really sums up the essence of a routine.  It becomes so ingrained that you do not really think about it.  This does take time, so in the interim you need to set up a plan to incorporate new routines.

The routines I am working on are ones to simplify and streamline my time during the week.  Here are a couple of examples:

Every Sunday I refill the tablet dispenser for my medications for the week.  This takes about 3 minutes to do once a week.  The tablets are at my finger tips and I do not have to open several bottles twice a day.

Menu planning – On the weekend I generally do at least a rudimentary plan of evening meals for the week.  I cannot afford the time to spend thinking about what to have for dinner, when I am out of the house for about 13 hours each day.  By having a plan I can take food out of the freezer the night before and start cooking the minute I arrive home.

Wardrobe planning – My morning preparation is 40 minutes from the alarm going off until I walk out the door so there there is no time to waste on thinking.  Before I go to bed I decide what I am going to wear for the following day.  I do not set it out but with a relatively uncluttered wardrobe I can simply open the door and grab my pre-determined outfit.

Naturally, you need to seek a balance between routines and flexibility.

My routines are based on my need to minimise the time wasted during the working week.  What are some of your routines and how do they help you?

Book Review – Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

2 Comments

I have just finished reading the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver.  I had seen it mentioned at times on the Simple Savings forum but there was no real detail of what it is about so I had forgotten about it until recently when I finally remembered to download it to my Kindle.

This book was first published in 2007 and documents the attempts of one family to eat mostly local food for a full year.  It is a substantial book and full to the brim with detail and information so is definitely not a light read.  I think I will need to read it a few times to extract the maximum benefit from it.

I found some of the detail quite confronting at times, especially the descriptions of CAFO’s (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) and the harvesting of the chickens and turkeys which they raised for meat.  This is not necessarily a bad thing as it forces us to examine our feelings about how our food is produced.  Out of sight should not mean out of mind.

Although it is written from a North American perspective there are many universal truths for everyone, no matter where you live.  By the time I had finished the book I was inspired with renewed enthusiasm to seek out as much local produce as possible.

During the course of the year, they travelled to Italy and also on a road trip north from Virginia, through Vermont and into Canada.  The local food that they ate and people encountered makes fascinating reading.

I also intend to apply the same principles to the food we eat during our upcoming trip to the USA.  Since we will be in the north-east states during late summer we will have an excellent choice of fresh food.  One of the things we had planned to look for is Farmers’ Markets in the cities and farm gate sales in the more rural areas.  My goal is to eat as much locally-sourced, organic and unpackaged food as possible while we are away but more about that another time.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle contains numerous recipes based on seasonal produce which are also available on their website.

The book contains an engaging mix of passion, theory, humour and science related to a topic which is the essence of every one of us – our food.

I would strongly recommend that you read ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’ and take the time to really think about what you are eating and how it came to be on your plate.

Follow The Sun

Leave a comment

Generally our winter months are drier and mostly sunny but we have had a couple of weeks of quite cool, wet weather.  This has meant that we have not generated much solar power from our panels and have also had to turn the booster on the solar hot water on every couple of days.  I also used the drier once or twice to finish drying clothes.  They would at least partially dry on the airer indoors.

However, today is a return to the winter weather that I love.  Sunny with a cold breeze – perfect weather in my opinion.

2012-06-14 01I am making the most of this sunny corner of the verandah in the early morning.  The portable clothes airer which was indoors has been wheeled out  to finish drying the clothes in sun and wind.  The hanging frame with pegs has socks, underwear and plastic bags hanging out to dry as well as 2 woollen sweaters on hangers out to air.  The doormat was washed the other day and is draped over the railing to dry.

I have a rotary clothesline in the backyard which I rarely use and my everyday clothesline is at the other end of the verandah under cover.  That is great for wet weather and also in the summer to help prevent the clothes from fading but at this time of the year I definitely follow the sun.

Meanwhile, the solar panels are generating power which is being exported to the grid as we are using very little power here at the moment.  The only things that are turned on are the computer, refrigerator, small freezer and the bedside clock radio.  The hot water is heating up thanks to the solar hot water system.

The sun is beginning to stream in the windows and warm the house, the winter vegetables are thriving because of it and the chickens are out in the yard searching for their breakfast in the sunshine.  And all of this for free!

Decluttering – How & Why

8 Comments

Tonight I have copied a piece I wrote and posted on the forum at Simple Savings.

I was intrigued at what seems to be a sudden and exponentially increasing interest in decluttering.  This does not seem to be confined to a particular generation or socio-economic group.  I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

I am not sure of the reason but lately there have been many, many posts from people wanting to declutter or who are overwhelmed by their stuff and do not know where to start.

I have written this in order to lay out my thoughts and experiences in a logical manner. I am also happy to answer any questions.

  • I am not a professional organiser
  • I have had a cluttered, messy house in the past

I started my decluttering journey in a very small way about 10 years ago with 2 teenagers still living at home. We have moved house in that time and now there is only The Duke and I at home so our circumstances have changed significantly.

Recently, I have read several books on minimalism and decluttering as well as numerous blogs on the subject. I would strongly recommend that you read at least one. If you have a Kindle, download a book or otherwise borrow it from the library – you don’t want to be bringing more stuff into your home.

Here are a few to get you started.

  • Winning The Clutter War by Sandra Felton
  • The Joy of Less by Francine Jay
  • Simplify by Joshua Becker
  • Basics of Minimalism by Janice Becker

They are all good and have their place but my personal favourite is ‘The Joy of Less’. As well as gentle, practical advice there is a good deal about the psychology of stuff and actually changing your mindset to enable you to let things go. I found this particularly useful.

There are a few things that were important for me to consider.

  • I did not throw things out as I consider this wasteful and would rather take my time and use things up and not replace them.
  • I re-homed things that I no longer required – via either the op shop or Freecycle
  • Making money was not important for me but you may choose to list things on E-bay or Gumtree
  • Do not fill up the space that you create with more stuff – this is why it is important to read and understand the psychology of keeping stuff.

The big question is always ‘where or how do I start?’

This really depends on your circumstances and why you want to declutter. Is a particular thing getting you down, such as children’s toys? Or is it years of accumulated papers? Do you have to eat dinner on your lap because the dining room table is covered with piles of clean washing waiting to be folded?

Whatever the reason, you need a 2-pronged approach. As well as decluttering you need to maintain the regular daily chores such as washing dishes, preparing meals and washing clothes. If the clutter is impacting on your ability to do the basics you will need to address that as a priority. Do one small thing first and work from there.

Whatever you decide only tackle an area big enough for you to actually complete. There is no point in emptying out an entire wardrobe only to find that you run out of time or inspiration and you are left with piles all over the floor. It is better to do your underwear drawer and enjoy the feeling of opening it and seeing everything folded and in its place. Then you maintain the order in it and you will find that you want all of the drawers like this so gradually you will work through until it is all done.

Organising goes hand in hand with decluttering but is not a replacement for it. Stashing things into umpteen boxes and crates is not the answer. I understand that it is difficult in some houses with minimal storage space so you will have to come up with some creative solutions, however, best of all is to ask yourself whether it really needs to stay in your home.

There is a lot more I could write, but it is over to you, now.

What is your story?