On getting rid of things

Greg says I should be more sentimental.  I got rid of our Rock Band 2 instruments and game, and I think he's a bit unhappy about it.  Because of the original Rock Band, Greg and I ended up meeting long ago.   And I know he got rid of that one long ago.  I remember going with Greg to get Rock Band 2.  So there.  Without Rock Band, it may have taken us longer to meet. ... To be honest, I was kind of glad to get rid of those things.  We had a good time playing the game, but in the last five years we hadn't used them. And they were cluttering up the laundry room.  Tycho basically played with them--he'd always pull out the guitars and make me play one of them.  Then he'd play the drums, too. That was cute, but since we didn't actually play the game, I wanted to get them out. So I got rid of them.   

If you are wondering, I got rid of a china hutch that I really liked among other things, so I'm not just getting rid of Greg's things.  That was hard, but I actually like the space I have now (I'll enjoy it for a couple of weeks!), and it makes me realize that as pretty as china is, I'm kind of thinking I should get rid of that, too?  I just never used it!  I always wanted to, but to be honest, in the five years we've been here, I've just kept that china in the hutch.  Maybe if I didn't have to wash every single dish by hand I'd be more inclined to use china?  And maybe if I didn't have little ones to worry about, I'd also think about using china more often. 

 By the way, I am sentimental!  I've kept little things that have meant so much to me.  Usually notes because they are small. So I have a whole stack of notes and letters and ticket stubs and such that I have collected over the years and I look back and think of the memories that I share with the giver of the notes and the ticket stubs.

I love moving because it forces you to look at your things and declutter.  However, getting rid of the things that you bought is really hard.  I mean, you spent money on the object (usually) and they were supposed to bring you happiness--and usually they do. I've kind of liked this minimalism movement because I'm enjoying the idea of just keeping things that bring you happiness, and it's made me more conscious of buying things that'll bring happiness instead of just junk.

What's the hardest thing you've had to get rid of? 

Potty Training: Day 0

Dear Universe,

Tomorrow morning, I get to have the pleasure of potty training Tycho.  I don't look forward to this important lesson despite it meaning more independence, no stinky diapers, etc. I DON'T WANT TO POTTY TRAIN!  They say teething is hard, but this is worse.  I'm already stressed over minimal expectations for potty training.  More importantly, Tycho also doesn't want to do it.  So why are we doing it when Greg is getting ready for trip #1 to Brazil, we are trying to pack up our things to move, and neither of us want to do it?  Because getting Tycho to do new things takes so much preparation since he despises change.  I figure have a 'try-out' while we are here in a familiar setting and then do the real deal when I am not stressed over moving, etc. when we get to our new house.  Is that dumb?  I guess so.

I have zero expectations for this transition because underwear has not excited him.  The toilet seat, which he picked out, does not excite him.  And bribes *barely* work.  I bribed Tycho two times today with an M&M to just SIT on the toilet seat and try it out, and we had all the tears on both occasions.  I don't even like the idea of bribing him for something civilized people have been doing for a while.  It's ridiculous.  (Okay, you say rewards, I say bribing.  Also, welcome to the world of emotional eating, my dear child.)

Alright, well thanks for listening to me rant about being a parent.  I guess I have to go through this since I keep talking about it with Tycho.

Fast from Facebook

     So President Nelson, the current prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invited the youth to participate in a few things to get the church moving forward.  One thing he suggested the youth to do was fast from Facebook for seven days.  Even though I'm no longer between the ages of 12-18, I wanted to do this, too, because I have been meaning to work on getting off of Facebook (not using it as a daily tool) as I have realized it's been sucking my time and energy.  I also wanted to learn to be more present with people especially my kids. 

  Anyway, for the past couple of days I've tried to stay off of it--except the time I needed to message someone as I needed to get in contact with them right away. (hey I got on with purpose).

 Here's what I've noticed.

I used Facebook as a crutch.  *sigh* When I didn't want to face something like a tantrum from Tycho, for instance, I'd turn to Facebook as a means to zone out. "Huh? You're angry?...ugh!" Maybe it's a good thing, but now I really need to take responsibility of my emotions instead of zoning out when I'm feeling bad or something and tune into my kids' emotions as well.  Despite how hard it can be.

I used Facebook to wake up sometimes. I need to find something else to do instead.  Haha... working on that one.

Now that I don't have Facebook in the way, I realize that I should be doing things I want to do while the kids are napping.  Like clean or exercise... I keep telling myself I need to get into shape, but I've been distracted with Facebook.  There's always something to look at on Facebook, right?


Update:
I actually really liked this fast from Facebook.  It was nice to do something else for a change.  I think I'll definitely try it again.  I'm trying to be more aware of when I get on, and be more present which is hard because I am trying to sell things on Facebook before we move... I didn't unfriend anyone, but I did decide to not follow group pages because they tend to drag you in.