Refrigerator organization and other little kindnesses
Last weekend, we returned home from a week long family vacation to Disney. It had been 2 years since the seven of us (+ extended family + friends) had been on a true vacation all together. A straight week off work felt luxurious, satisfying and much appreciated.
For me, the transition between a week long vaca, and my Monday morning work day can be brutal. I’ve learned over the years that there are certain little “kindnesses” I can offer myself, however, that do help.
Those “kindnesses” I offer myself start before I even leave to go on vacation. I shared, the day before our trip, how excruciatingly difficult packing day always feels. I believe I compared it to a root canal. I assume I have to do everything. EVERYTHING. Allllllll the stuff I haven’t done in the past 100 years on that day.
KINDNESS #1: CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE BEFORE VACATION STARTS
On packing day, all of a sudden, the junk drawer needs cleaning out. The fridge. The garage fridge. The broken laundry room organizer needs fixing. The car needs cleaning (not the one we are taking…the other one). The animals all need a bath. Bird feeders refilled. Garden weeded and grass mowed. Blinds cleaned…and oh yea, I still need to pack and why? Why? WHY?
By 5pm my legs hurt. I’m hot. Is this trip even worth it? Am I worth it? IS LIFE WORTH IT??? I’m grouchy. And I really just want coffee and a donut for dinner.
I don’t know why I step over into crazies-ville on packing day, but one thing I am VERY GLAD that I did before we left was empty and clean the fridge.
We arrived home late on Saturday night and unceremoniously dropped all our gear on the living room floor before retreating to our own private spaces. Sunday morning, Spark, my favorite healthy energy drink in hand, I starred at the mountain high pile of gear, and also ran through the list of things I normally do to get ready for Monday morning. I felt very overwhelmed. I know that other personality types could have mentally organized the day, the tasks, the chaos quickly and jumped right into knocking it out. But not me. And, the grace is, I know that about myself.
KINDNESS #2: ESTABLISH A PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT IN-WHICH TO WORK
I needed to do something to dissolve the feeling of chaos and overwheIm-ed-ness. For this, I put essential oils in my diffuser. I am new to the essential oils scene, but so far, loving the way they boost my mood, energy level, and make my environment an all around more delightful place to be….even when there is a sky high stack of stuff to wash and put away. My go-tos that morning were lavender, cedarwood, and thieves. You can read more about essential oils here.
Once this was going, I moved confidently (and more joyfully I might add) into washing everything known to man, emptying the coolers, and putting away what I could. Finally, it was time to start preparing for my work week.
It felt strange to be thinking about food and shopping when we had just come off a week of binging, but I know from experience that if I DON’T think about it and prepare, I’ll be off, not feeling my best, etc ALL WEEK LONG. At that moment, I was so thankful I had EMPTIED AND CLEANED THE FRIDGE BEFORE WE LEFT! (Maybe I wasn’t so crazy after all)
KINDNESS #3: GROCERY DELIVERY
I am a home-body. And, as such, leaving home after I just get there hurts in my literal body. So, I splurged with GROCERY DELIVERY. I personally use Instacart to do my Publix shopping, which I’ve NEVER been unhappy with. Grocery delivery is not my norm, but it sure helps from time to time. I was able to stock my fridge with healthy food options AND stay at home. For me, that’s a win.
As I was disusing this on instagram this week, I had questions about the containers I use in my fridge. I wanted to share the links here. My daughter, Hosanna, has taught me the joy of having a pretty fridge. When things are attractive to look at, I WANT to open the fridge and eat the food I’ve thoughtfully placed there. I enjoy seeing the herbs I’ve spent so much time growing and fresh eggs from my sisters chickens.
KINDENESS #4: AMAZON IS MY FRIEND - LINKS
BERRY BASKETS: These are cute for all sorts of things! And, when my veggies/fruits are displayed in these open top containers, I’m much quicker to use them.
I was also recently able to find CERAMIC BERRY BASKETS similar to these at Hobby Lobby on their clearance isle for $3.97 each! They are gaining in popularity, so you just have to be on the lookout for them.
COLORFUL FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS: I like these because they add color to the fridge, are cute to look at, but also you can still see what’s in them!
MESH PRODUCE BAGS: These are not only good for shopping for produce in the store or Farmer’s Market, but they are also great for storing produce as well.
GLASS MILK CONTAINER: We don’t go through very much milk, but using glass containers to hold milks, juices, water, etc is a nice addition as well.
Time spent on vacation is totally worth it. Time spent on your home is totally worth. And, just as worth it, is knowing yourself and offering yourself the graces you need to move about your life and feel your best. Be kind to yourself today. You’ll be so happy you did!
Many blessings,
Shanna