Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES

Those of you who have been paying attention (thank you, you’re awesome, I love you) know that my boy and I have just moved!!!

A sea change… Only not really, since we’ve moved away from the ocean.

And it has been CRAZY. They say that moving is the third most stressful thing after losing a loved one and going through a divorce. I believe it! We still have boxes that haven’t yet been unpacked, crowding out our space. We still have piles of clothes yet to be put away. My desk has become a dumping ground for every-little-bit-of-work-related-somethings because I haven’t organised the space yet. But we’re getting there. The kitchen is settled. Of course! The linen closet upstairs has come to life as a pantry, since there isn’t one in the kitchen. That’s working out really well (and hey – running up the stairs when I need ingredients is good for me, right?!). Half of the living area is almost box-free (just two to go!!!). We are close to being able to say we’re ‘settled’ in to our new place.

We moved from a very closed-plan apartment with only a communal outdoor space, to a townhouse. The change has been amazing. Tyler feels comfortable with his new outdoor area and isn’t cautious of going out on his own, because it’s ours. I’m loving having an open kitchen (our old place had a separate kitchen, opposite corner of the apartment to the living room, and I hated the fact that I was always in the kitchen and T was always in the living room). There is an amazing flow and togetherness here, compared to the old place.

But with moving comes a lot of habit-shifting. An opportunity to declutter, to make it your own, to change. So I asked a bunch of blogger friends for some relevant posts. Posts for me to read and be inspired by, and posts to share with you all… because even if you’re staying in the same place, we can all do with a little change sometimes!

I plan to track the changes we make here. We have a whole little courtyard to figure out what to do with! Not to mention the balcony at the other end. So stay tuned for our own personal journey as we find our feet in a new house and a new suburb.

But for now….

For those wanting to DECLUTTER & ORGANISE:
Have a look at this Simplify Your Closet post over on In God’s Economy. I think this is exactly what I need to do with those piles of clothes just waiting to be put away!!!
Check out this smorgasbord of Simplify Your Life posts from Richly Rooted. It’s a declutterers dream, an organisers envy! Small things you can do to simplify so many aspects of your life. I really must get started on this list!
A discussion of the health & emotional benefits of decluttering, at Moms Aware. Plus some fantastic tips on some common trouble spots around the home.
Find a system for staying on top of your laundry, like this one on Red and Honey. Oh, laundry. Some days I wish I had magical laundry fairies to take care of that for me. Okay, most days. Okay, okay… All days!
A review of a book called The Clutter Trap, over on Oh, Lardy! I’m thinking I might be the ideal candidate for that book…!
Now these are seriously cool – Hideaway creative projects at Ever Growing Farm! When I find the time to actually have creative projects in my life, I reckon I’ll store them this way. Mind blown.

For those wanting to RENOVATE:
I love this list of 1o things Laura learnt about eco-renovating, over on Authentic Parenting. One day I will have the house/budget/patience/skills for eco renovating… preferably DIY eco renovating, even better!
The issue of Healthy vs Environmentally Friendly, discussed on Authentic Parenting. The only renovating I’ve done in the new place is replaced floors. Because of financial reasons, I had to go with the cheapest carpet I could get for upstairs. When I was looking into floorboards for downstairs, the options were bamboo flooring or regular laminate (wood was out, also for financial reasons). Bamboo is just too toxic, in my opinion. Not only is it treated with chemicals when coming into the country because of our strict quarantine standards in Australia, it is also tiny little fibres that need to be glued together. There is phenomenally more glue involved in bamboo floorings – thus the concern of toxic vapours in the air. I went with laminate, just to be safe, even though I’m sure it is less environmentally friendly. You have to make the best decision that you can at that moment in those circumstances. And I love my new floors!
Head over to Authentic Parenting for a more thorough breakdown of different flooring options. Some great info in there, covers most types of flooring from a health & environmentally-friendly angle.

For those wanting to GARDEN:
Have a read of Balcony Herb Gardening over on Richly Rooted. I can’t wait to start harvesting – I have given Tyler (my 6yo) the job of deciding what he would like to grow for me, where he would like to grow it, and how. It could go really well. Or I could end up with nothing. Hopefully it’s the former!
Check out this post on the basics of Urban Gardening, from Ever Growing Farm. I think T and I will be reading this together later!
And for more Urban Gardening reading, this round up of posts over on Ever Growing Farm is amazing!!! Talk about sowing seeds of inspiration…

I’ll be back soon. Maybe with a detailed post on our linen-closet-turned-pantry. Maybe with some of my own tips for you. And eventually, with a beautiful urban garden!!! Help us out with ideas by answering the question below…