A month of less

I don't have any photos to accompany this post but as my blog is my diary I wanted to record how January has felt.

Firstly I can't believe a month has passed since I sat breakfasting alone on New Year's day and saw the perfect rainbow which is on my 1st January post.
I'm a little sad that one whole month of the year has gone by in what seems like the blink of an eye but it also serves as a reminder to make the most of every day.

So the title of the post is a month of less and one of the things this refers to is the fact I have spent less time online and less time blogging. It's something I needed to do as there was so much happening here. However I have still managed to make 9 posts this month and kept up (just about) with everyone else. 
Of course not fiddling around on the lap top has been given me more time to do other things, I have read a bit more, I have watched a movie and I have made a couple of things and so this is definitely a good thing.

Less also refers to the fact that there is now less stuff in the house.
After a bit of umming and ahhing (spell check doesn't like that at all!) I signed up for the works on Brocante home. 
I know that some people are very motivated and don't need a guiding hand but I'm not one of those people.
I like to be organised and I really annoy myself when I don't succeed in getting my act together enough.
I know this kind of thing isn't for everyone but I have found the downloads sent to me by Alison immensely helpful and quite inspirational.
Drawers have been tidied and similar items have been collected together in one place and not strewn across many different places. I know some will be shaking their heads and saying 'Duh of course that's the way you should keep orgainsed' and although changes like these are small I'm so pleased to have made them as they have made a big difference to me.
The whole concept has just made me look at myself and my home in a different way and make a fresh start, very timely for the start of a new year.
I have taken lots of things to the charity shop and feel all the better for doing so.
I am making changes to how I do things and where I keep things, all so I can give myself more time to do other things I want to do with my time.

Less spending has all happened this month. Some of it because of having to be indoors because of sickness, some because of having to be indoors due to rubbish weather, but even when I have been out I have been more discerning about what I chose to buy.

The worst 'less' of the month has be the lack of getting out and about. I have felt very restricted this month and probably for some of December too and don't feel as though I have really been able to go out and do much. I enjoy our family weekends of colouring and board games, Wii games and playing with Barbies but I love it when we are popping out for a walk, hopping on a train to somewhere different or whizzing over to the park, it seems like a very long time since we did anything like that.

One thing I definitely wanted less of was stress. Don't we all!
Work was really getting me down last year, not the job, just one person and I was very relieved when it came to my two weeks off at Christmas. I resolved to be calmer on my return and that has, for the most part, been working. 

There are a lot of good things that have come out of the 'lesser' things and I hope I can carry these forward to next month and through the rest of 2013.