Week-In-Review (10/02/21 - 10/09/21)

Hi everyone,

It's Sunday night! Time to review and reflect on yet another insanely busy week which will be remembered for its crazy amount of decluttering, seriously, put that one in the books!

I am not sure if you could say that something finally "clicked", but it just was one of those weeks where I just could not justify the crapload of nonsense anymore. I get it that it seems only obvious from the outside eye. You walk into someone's house and you immediately feel the pressure from the over decorating, oversized furniture, stuff everywhere! But to those living in it, I can assure you that we are used to it and therefore no longer notice it. It's not like we walk into out home after a long day at work, open the door and get shocked by the sheer sight of our possessions. It's our beloved stuff after all and we have worked very hard at acquiring and displaying it over a very long period of time. During that same time, desensitization set in...You know, when you no longer see the pile of mail on the dining buffet, the abandoned shoes no one wears in the entry closet, the dried up detergent on the side of  the washer or your kids entire school years as displayed in unmatched frames above the mantle. It did not happen overnight. We invested a lot of time and effort into shuffling the stuff around and I am pretty sure each shuffling session left us with the fleeting satisfaction of a job well done...But was it?

I know it can be very frustrating to attempt to even comprehend how people can live in such chaos. Our environment is a reflection of what goes on in our head, sure, and people are real quick to assume that chaos on the outside only means one thing - chaos on the inside. But what if the person simply does not care though? I mean, sure, a clean and well maintained home is great. But it's not a priority to many and it does not necessarily mean that we were not "trained" or given the proper skills while growing up, it definitely does not immediately puts us in the slob/hoarding slob/disgusting slob category. Some of us simply do not care. Maybe a clean and organized home is not a priority to us.  Maybe if life itself is not disrupted and our family is equally happy regardless of whether there is overdue laundry or everything is neatly piled in its dedicated space, there is no pressure or obligation to attend to the dirty socks right this instant. A lot of people will claim "my home is lived in" but I saw on Instagram the other day a lady who said that we need to stop saying that as an excuse for the mess and instead tell the truth...It's not that our homes are lived in...We are overwhelmed! And that overwhelm does not necessarily come from the stuff we own, it could be medical, emotional, work related, kid related, society related overwhelm and in turn, the house is neglected. Trust me, after a crazy day at work, the last thing on my mind is wiping off the dried up detergent or fold a basket of laundry. No Stepford wife lives here!

The main issue really is the expectation vs. reality. I blame social media. I give you a for instance. Here is a picture I shamelessly grabbed from the infamous Instagram - bearer of all toxic contrast and compares:

Barn & Willow

What is this? And where do you put your stuff? How is that even practical? Yet, we are bombarded with images just like this one and made to feel less-than because, well, we don't have this look. So off we go to Home Goods or whatever and buy all the things. Except that we can't really let go of our real stuff, so this new stuff gets thrown over our old stuff and it just never seems quite right. But if you pay close attention to those insta-worthy settings, you will notice a lack of personal belongings. It's all store bought, nothing related to family or memorabilia or even an existence outside of the catalogs. Where is the remote? Where do you put your cup of tea? Where do the pillows go when you want to sit down or do you have to sit on the edges? What's that furry thing draped over the sofa and do you really need the chinchilla one on the other side? How cold is it in this house that you need not one but two furry throws. How does one vacuum the far left corner? Can you imagine my Beagle in this décor? But wait! There is a subliminal message of LAVISH lifestyle here, the pillow says so (also the Chanel book casually facing the camera!) I have to find myself a pillow that says ORGANIZED and maybe some people will cut me some slack! 

So we get bombarded day in and day out with these expectations and then you wonder why people freak out when they see a real home, with real stuff that is actually making living functional but is not cohesive (not catalog ready). Seriously, look at home décor on instagram with a critical eye and tell me it's not just me who feels that this eye candy stuff has skewed our perception of what a real home looks like!

Anyway, back to decluttering. So yes, a lot of decluttering happened this week and I am proud of myself! Having the Town-Wide garage sale next week may or may not have been an incentive, but it sure did not hurt. So here is the week-in-review:

Saturday October 2, 2021

Saturday morning is kitchen cleaning day except that this time around I had Edward lend me a hand. The day was spent filming a declutter video (Episode 8) where I pretty much let go of 40% of my everyday dishware plus some and then of course it was Band Competition in Randolph, NJ where William's Band took second place. 

1. Saturday morning "sigh"!

2. Edward did assist since most of the mess was his. We went to the Football game last night and he pretty much left all his dinner dishes and stuff all over the place. 

3. Scott and I enjoyed a glorious sunset at Randolph HS while awaiting William's band performance. 

4. Back from band competition - a bit late too, Edward and I enjoyed a game of chess, which of course he won. I'll have you know that I taught him the basics of Chess when he was around 7 years old and he picked up the rest while in school and now college. He far surpasses me but then again I am not surprised because even though I know how to play and can win against William, I am really not that good a player. I sure do enjoy the challenge though. 

Sunday October 3, 2021

I had a late start since I went on the bike and raked in about 8 miles...Then of course I had to recover!

Sunday is always a mad dash to film as many videos needed to make it to a count of 3 for the following week. I was able to do another declutter (Episode 9) and bake a Zucchini and Pineapple cake. Don't turn your nose, it was delicious and did not last long. (Video coming up this week). The rest of the day was spent blogging. So you see, there is not much time to attend to dried up detergent on the side of the washer!

1. Sunday breakfast - Poached eggs over avocado and Ezekiel bread ( I am trying, but not a lot).

2. A successful declutter from the spice and tea cupboards. 

Monday October 4, 2021

I actually had to work from home today in order to finish the audits in a relatively quiet and uninterrupted environment. I feel so much more productive and structured working from home and I was an idiot for resisting the idea for so long. There, I said it!

1. Enjoyed a Cappuccino for breakfast and I am loving our new Keurig. It was pricey but the frother makes it worth every penny. It's easy to use and it makes Cappuccinos in no time. Let me know if you want a demo. 

2. A no makeup kind of day - I just needed to get stuff done.

3. Fiona loves that basket on our desk. It's under the lamp and I suspect she is there for the heat.

4. I managed to edit and post Monday's video without pulling my hair and I went to bed on time!

Tuesday October 5, 2021

This day will be remembered as the day FB and IG went down for what appeared to be a very long time. Maybe it was accidental, maybe it was by design. Who cares! I was able to capture the attention of William who found himself with NOTHING to do! Enters big declutter #1. William needed help with his room anyway. I am afraid to say that the apple does not fall far from the tree in this house and both boys can live endless weeks with the same pile of junk pushed to one corner of their room, the entire set of glassware and mugs on their desk and not to mention all the empty seltzer cans. But, since he is still young, I helped. In all, we got rid of 5 fifty gallon garbage bags of stuff, mostly clothes, but also a lot of toys, books and miscellaneous. Everything was thoroughly dusted and vacuumed. I kid you not, the room had an echo once we were done. 

1. Going back to work and stuck in traffic.

2. Jersey City finally opened the new lift bridge. I have watched this bridge being built from day one - I was pretty excited to finally see it open except that they only had 2 lanes for traffic and the back-up was miles on. Took over two hours to get to work. So much for NJ engineering! The bridge was meant to ease traffic by the way!

3. 5 large bags of stuff. It took about 4 hours but we did it!

4. William's room - like brand new!

5. And, he was able to let go of all the stuff that was kept on top of the bookcases!

Wednesday October 6, 2021

Who would have thought that seeing his brother's room all neat and organized would inspire Edward to want the same? 

I worked from home and managed to catch up with quite a lot of work and some telehealth, then Edward and I decluttered his room. He did not have as many bags as his brother's but we managed at least 4 and a lot of big items like storage containers he no longer needed. His shelves are pretty much emptied. 

Posted Episode 9 in my Decluttering series. And just in case you were wondering, no, I did not film the kids declutter.

1. Breakfast at home - Veggie Omelet with cheese and toast. 

2 and 3. Look at all this space? We also bought a new computer chair since I took his and since he asked for a large white erasable board, I made a request through my town's Facebook page and was able to get a free (very large one) for his Calculus and other College related stuff. He is pretty much set for success! So yes, the red chair landed in his room (at his request) he loves it and does most of his reading in it. It is also a preferred spot for Fiona. 

Thursday October 7, 2021

Nothing really exciting or noteworthy happened on Thursday. I did spend some time in the garden sprucing things up a bit and that was it.

1. The Asters are in bloom.

2. It took a while for the dogs to realize they were walking right by a Doe. Some hunting breed they are!

3. A sure sign of Fall season: The Wooly Caterpillar! According to folklore, the amount of black on the woolly caterpillar in autumn varies proportionately with the severity of the coming winter in the locality where the caterpillar is found.  The longer the caterpillar's black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest.  If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe.  If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold. If true, this will be a short winter with December and March being the coldest! Personally I think it's just Genetics and whether the food in my garden was plentiful. 

Friday October 7, 2021

I was finally able to post my video about the Spin Bike from Yesoul. So far I have used it every week. I am having a hard time finding the time to do more than once per week, put I tell you, it's an awesome form of exercising. The Treadmill is fine but I find the activity to be boring and not very engaging. You are pretty much at your own pace and finding the motivation to push harder can be difficult. The bike, however, because I am following classes on the app, I really don't have much choice but to take a beating each and every time and I love it! I am already 22 miles into my Amalfi Coast Challenge!

Yesoul S3 - Unboxing and Review

1. Work at home breakfast - I finally opened the jar of Apple butter!

2. Granny Smith from the yard -This is our first home grown apple. Scott truly loved it, I thought it was a bit too sour but this is his kind of apples. Delicious nonetheless. 

3. Football game - well, you all know why I am there really. Enjoyed an Eggplant and Mozzarella Sandwich. 

4. Finally took a good picture of William! He is been ignoring his parents (like most 14 yo would) when we come to watch his band, so catching him willing to have his picture taken has been quite hard. 

And that is all I have for you this week. It was busy, as all other weeks are. I am hoping that catching a glimpse of behind the scenes is enjoyable to you. I think we lead a pretty normal life, nothing fantastic or glamorous going on and that is just fine by me!

Have a great week!

Cheers.

Sophia 💜

Week-In-Review (9/24/21 - 10/01/2021)

Hi everyone!

Another week-in-review coming your way!

I have decided that Sunday is probably the best time for me to blog and review the past week. Aside from filming for YT, Sundays are relatively "chill" and since I enjoy the writing process, why not spend some time at the end of a busy week doing just that as a form of relaxation as well as an opportunity to reflect on the week. 

Overall, this was an insanely busy week at work, it usually is the case particularly for the last 4 days of the months as audits are due and the team is trying its best to reach all the time we need with our folks. The schedule is heavy, stress is high, morale is low, temper is short and skin is thin for all of us. Then "poof" it's the first of the month again and we are all good and ready for the new month!

Despite our challenges, our team continues to thrive. There is not one day I am not grateful for my team and I can easily say that we have by far the lowest turnover amongst all the other teams, a testament that the dynamic is just right.  That being said, the job remains stressful regardless of your season of life and longevity, to put it bluntly, weekends are welcome! So here goes...

Friday September 24, 2021

I worked from home and attempted to make tomato sauce using my garden bounty. In theory it sounded like a great idea: start the pot before work, monitor throughout the day and can it in the evening. Well, turns out I forgot the "monitor" part as I was very busy auditing and making phone calls...I burned the sauce! 

1. Garden tomatoes, green beans, onions, fresh herbs...I was all gun-ho on making tomato sauce! 8 hours in the making and the bottom burnt, leaving my sauce a pasty mess with a burnt rubber after taste! Live and Learn! Tomato sauce requires babysitting!

2. Working from home has its advantages, you get to spend time with your loved ones. Scott continues to work on a freelance project, the kind he likes best whereby they are giving him full carte blanche on creativity (write, design, animate). He already has created the characters and is working on revising his storyboard.

3. Aside from all his animations and awards, I think the boys will truly enjoy their father's storyboards years from now. I can't even tell you how many we have and I find them to be fascinating!

4. It's Football season again and it means only one thing from this non-sports girl! It's band season too! I show up at every single game, whether home or away and sit right next to the band. I enjoy the music and bonus points for marching nights! This was William's first football game band participation. I literally recorded every single piece they played! I have no interest in football, I will cheer for our team but to be honest I am only following the crowd here, having no clue what is going on! Soccer is a whole other ball game, pun intended, and one I will actually follow with fervency. American football? Meh! I just don't get it, I am only here for the band and the occasional dirty water hot dog!

 Saturday September 25, 2021

Today is the day! Competition #1, this one was in Roxbury, NJ. You can watch the video HERE.

I have not a clue what will become of me once William graduates. Edward remains ambivalent about joining Seton's band, I can only assume William will be done with it just as much! Maybe I could start a grieving band-mom group or something, we could have re-watch parties for all the band videos we have accrued over our years as band parents and eat tacos while sobbing. 

1. On our way to band competition! Grateful for a healthy family blessed with talents and creativity. I am particularly thrilled my boys were gifted with a musical ear since I live my musical aspirations vicariously and through them. I can play The Charleston on the Recorder and that's about it for my musical aptitude and it is not like I have not tried. I took piano lessons for years, I tried to play the guitar, I took the flute in high school, I had a keyboard when in college, it was one of those that promised to teach you music with keys that would light up! I failed miserably at all my musical efforts, thousands invested, not to mention the hours, I can't learn music and it is one of my biggest regrets. If you can play and instrument and sight read, I envy you. If you can sing even better. I suck at both. 

2. William's first band competition (left). His Shako is too big, we have to figure out a way to keep it straight on top of his head! But, they finished in 2nd place and took best visuals!

3. Just some toe beans. 

Sunday September 26, 2021

I can't really share all of it since it would be a major spoiler, but a company sent me a new fitness toy for review. I am waiting for them to approve the video (hence the lack of post this past Friday, it was supposed to be that review). Turns out their marketing guy went on vacation so the video sits as unlisted for now. Well, anyway, the day was spent assembling and sweating it, literally and I have joined another Conqueror Challenge, this one is the Amalfi Coast (35 miles). 

If you are not familiar with the Conqueror Challenges, they are fitness challenges you join (for a fee) and are ranked by distance. You can walk, run, swim, cycle and tally your mileage in their app. The cool feature is that you get connected via google GPS so whenever you stop, you can enter the screen view and visit the surrounding area. So far I have completed their Inca Trail, Hadrian's Wall, English Channel and Mount Fuji Challenges. The cool thing, aside from motivation, is the medal you receive after completing each challenge. This is my referral link if you are interested (I think my link gives you 10% off your first challenge). Long story short, I logged in 6 miles that day and took me until Wednesday to recover! 

Monday September 27, 2021

Same all, same all. On Mondays I work in the office, I am pretty much at my desk all day and complete my sessions through telehealth. I don't know if you can tell, but I am wiped out from yesterday's cardio!

Posted the Band Competition video and crashed. 

Tuesday September 28, 2021

No garbage picking today, it rained. To be honest, I think that we are going to slow down for the season and pick up again in April. The days are getting shorter and Tuesday is William's band rehearsal where  you will find Scott and I as the only parents showing up and freezing on the metal benches. We are nuts, or dedicated, whichever comes first. 

Wednesday September 29, 2021

I now dread the day they will no longer allow remote work. Here I was resisting the idea during the entire pandemic and now that I actually started working from home, I realize I could have worked so much more efficiently this entire time...Not the sharpest tool in the shed!

 

1. Work at home breakfast. Not sure if you can tell, but we really need to go grocery shopping!

2. Scott is still working on his project. He is creating animation paths, basically telling the computer where the image needs to go from frame to frame. 

3. Sorrel from the garden and it's story time. Sorrel soup is my absolute favorite. When I was a kid, a patch of wild sorrel started to grow in the middle of the lawn in Normandy. My grandmother immediately identified it as such and for years, we were all very careful to mow around it. Her Sorrel soup was the best. It's not difficult to make and Sorrel has many benefits, for instance it was found that extracts from the leaves of sorrel contain oligomeric and polymeric proanthocyanidins and flavonoids, basically it is an anti-viral but you have to be careful not to eat too much as it also contains Oxalic acid which may cause Kidney Stones and flare up your Arthritis.  Bottom line is that a bowl of Sorrel soup is not going to kill you. Imagine a spinach and chards soup with a lemony acidic taste. It's best to add one potato and a dollop of sour cream if you find it too acidic. 

Thursday September 30, 2021

We had a breakthrough case and I was tasked with making 19 contact traces once I got home. That was basically an entire evening of phone calls and subsequent documentation. 

 

Friday October 1, 2021

Working from home again. One zoom meeting after the other, more audits and looking forward to Football game band tonight. 

1 and 2 . The team meets every morning for Morning Meeting. We basically go over every person served we met the day before, complete Clinical Reviews and Treatment Plans. Our meetings have been via zoom since the beginning of the pandemic. I am not sure how most of you have managed, but some of us have not spent more than one hour physically together in the past 18 months. It's a very weird not to mention uncomfortable situation. I wonder what this is doing to social and interpersonal skills. Anyway, I am the leader and minute recorder for all our meetings. 

3. Friday Football  band music at last! Scott and I enjoyed Italian Sausage sandwiches. You can tell I am very motivated towards weight loss.

It has been a long week. I wish I had more to share but as I mentioned in my previous blog, some weeks will be kind of not very exciting. Isn't it normal though? We all go through life with our day to day routines and mundane activities, nothing extraordinary ever happens. I did not win the $645 million NJ PowerBall, my entire body aches, I lost and subsequently regained the same 1 lb throughout the week, and pretty much crashed every single night only to repeat more of the same the following day.

I swear, if I ever win that Powerball, You'll never hear from me again! I will get an emergency liposuction and we will disappear and go live happily ever after, nestled between a mountain and a creek, enjoying a Bud Light while listening to some jazz. Maybe I will finally have the time, money and motivation to learn to play my own. Who knows!

See you next week!

Cheers,

Sophia 💜

(PS: I am told the mobile version of this blog requires for the pictures to be on the left rather than centered otherwise you need to scroll L to R - Let me know whether this is an improvement).