Some highlights from this past weekend:

Friday, I dropped all this stuff off at Goodwill. Getting rid of clutter makes me happy.

We just started remodeling our bedroom, which forced us to go through our closet and get rid of stuff. I still had all my clothes from my 9-to-5 days. Including clothes that dated back to my first job, circa 1999! Now I’m down to two pairs of yoga pants, one pair of jeans, and three long-sleeve tees, give or take. 🙂

Doing without one bedroom has been interesting. My bed is now in the boys’ bedroom, displacing my younger son’s bed. So he sleeps with me, and most nights my daughter ends up in there too. (My husband has been sleeping on the unheated, semi-finished third floor because he suffers from insomnia, and the peace and quiet up there seems to help him.) My clothes/shoes are split between the two kids’ rooms. I almost don’t want my room back, because it’s one less room to keep clean and decluttered. But I guess we can’t co-sleep forever.

Under construction

Friday night, I made black beans as a side dish to our quesadillas. I’d never tried that before. Delicious! Here’s the recipe. Successful kitchen forays make me happy.

Saturday, the weather was nice so I hung out the wash. Laundry flapping on the line makes me happy — retro and forward-thinking at the same time.

Sunday was tough. Two out of three kids were sick and miserable. I did manage to take a walk to CVS, to pick up a few things. I must go to CVS once a week, and I usually drive, so it was nice to rediscover that it is in fact quite walkable — about a half hour total. Killing two birds with one stone — errands and exercise — makes me happy. So does saving gas.

Sunday evening I took the kids to the sporting goods store to get cleats for Little League for my oldest. Seemed like a “must buy” item. But later, I was like duh — why would you not try to get used cleats? Anyone with little kids who play sports has a pile of outgrown, hardly worn cleats stashed away — I know I do. Sure enough, there are a whole bunch on eBay. So that purchase will be going back. Score one for the Compact.

Finally, to counter the despair and boredom brought on by illness and shoe shopping, we went to Friendly’s for dinner. Hey, I had a coupon for 20% off.

One more thing: happy to report that my dishwasher detergent is working. I fooled around with it some more and discovered that if I put a glass with some white vinegar in it in the top rack, there is no film. Using the antibacterial cycle also seems to help.

In short, while I wouldn’t turn down a night away in Atlantic City with room service for every meal and an in-room hot stone massage, the simple life is just as rewarding in a very different way.

What makes you happy?