minimalist versus baby

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livinglagom.com - minimalist versus baby

In the course of 24 hours, I was pooped on, thrown up on and had coffee spilled all over me.

I can only claim blame for the latter.

Did I have a wild night of debauchery?

Nope.

I was just hanging out with a baby code-named Buttercup. Known in some circles as my niece.

As it stands in this battle of non-epic proportions, it’s baby = 2, minimalist = 0.

building up a defence

I can’t really blame Buttercup. She doesn’t know I’m a minimalist. She probably doesn’t even know she’s a baby.

Perhaps it was just her way of telling me that she didn’t like my dress. How was she to know It was the only one that I packed for our little sleepover?

What’s a minimalist to do? I can’t live in fear of an infant.

So I came up with a few weapons ideas to protect myself – I mean my clothes. Maybe some of you new recruits like me will find these useful too.

  • Receiving blanket. This is an obvious solution. New parents have like a gazillion of these. So it’s what I generally use when I’m holding Buttercup . . . especially if she’s just been loaded with ammunition (aka breast milk).
  • Scarf. But if there isn’t a receiving blanket handy or you feel uncomfortable asking for one, you could always use a scarf strategically placed in the most likely target areas. It’s much easier to clean a scarf than a whole outfit or to go without wearing the scarf if it gets spit up on.
  • Handkerchief. If you don’t have a scarf on you because it’s say, summer, you could use a handkerchief. I’ve recently purchased my first handkerchief, so I could always use that instead (once I feel comfortable actually using it in public and not just at home). You can also wave it in surrender in the event of a full on attack.
  • Apron. I think this one will come more into play as Buttercup gets older and I need complete body protection. I don’t even want to think about sticky fingers. Scary.
  • Dedicated outfit. I generally wear the same dress when I know I’m coming for a visit. It’s a dress that I’m planning on donating soon, so if it were to get wrecked, I wouldn’t be that sad about it.
  • Pajamas. When I’m staying over for a weekend visit with Buttercup, I usually change into my pajamas when we’re inside. I save my clothes for when we go out somewhere. This is helpful when I’ve only packed one outfit.

The above seems to be working. We haven’t had any additional retaliation. But I know that she’s just waiting until my guard is down to strike. I can see the glint in her eye (the right one).

Of course, if I had to be puked on, I can’t think of anyone that I’d rather do it.

This might be one battle not worth fighting.

Attention actual mommies: Jennifer at The Daily Connoisseur has some video posts for busy moms on self-care and looking presentable.

don’t feed the ducks

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livinglagom.com - don't feed the ducks

I’ve written before about how I love walking through my local park. It also has a pond where ducks swim around enjoying life.

There are warning signs posted saying not to feed the ducks. We probably already know we shouldn’t feed the ducks. But what do we do?

We feed the ducks.

why do we feed the ducks?

Do we feed the ducks because it’s fun? It sure looks like the little kid throwing bread at a duck’s head is having a ball.

Is it because we’re worried that the ducks won’t get fed otherwise? It might surprise you to know that ducks aren’t actually supposed to eat bread. It turns out, there are no ovens out in the wild.

There can really only be one reason why.

Because it makes us feel good.

Even if it could potentially be the worst thing for the poor little duckies, it gives us a sense of pleasure. And we don’t think it can really be that bad for them. They seem more than happy to eat the bread . . . wouldn’t they know not to eat it if it wasn’t good for them?

Well, ducks aren’t that smart. They don’t always know what’s best for them.

Alright, alright. This post isn’t really about “ducks.”

I bet you didn’t see that plot twist coming! (I may be taking this whole novella writing business a little too seriously.)

By ducks, I mean people. And by feed, I mean anything that we do that we know is bad for us, but that we do anyways.

In my case, it’s sugar love. In your case, it could be an addiction to television or shopping or junk food or crappy relationships or Precious Moments figurines.

Whatever it is, the warning signs are generally there, but we choose to ignore them because it feels good in the moment. Until it doesn’t. And then we actually have to do something about it or live with the guilt of doing nothing.

It seems to me that life would be a lot better for us (and the ducks), if we heeded the warning signs and didn’t feed them.

For the record: I took this photo a few weeks ago. Those white flecks are actually snow and not bread. I didn’t feed the ducks.

a writer in residence

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livinglagom.com - a writer in residence

Last week, I went on and on about being a Scanner.

I also promised to reveal my plans for the summer.

So here it is:

I’m going to write a nov . . . ella.

the writer part

I first learned of The 90-Day Novel: Unlock The Story Within by Alan Watt over at The Daily Connoisseur.

I seem to be promoting a lot of books on my blog lately. What can I say – I’m a reader. And when I read something I really like, I can’t help letting other people know about it.

But this time, I haven’t read the book.

I almost started reading the daily lessons ahead of time, but I thought it’d be better to actually take it day by day. I didn’t want to lose my spark.

I’ve also decided to write a novella, instead of a full-length novel. And I’ll probably take a day off here and there or sometimes complete a couple of lessons in one day. What can I say – I’m also a rule breaker.

According to the author’s preparation notes, I shouldn’t even be telling you I’m writing this novella. I should’ve just waited until I was finished and then told you.

But remember, I’m a Scanner. I can easily move on to my next interest without producing anything. I’m telling you, in order to keep myself honest.

I’ve had this story idea for years! I need to get it out of my head once and for all. I want to focus on writing right now. So that’s what I’m going to do.

the residence part

And where will I be writing said novella? In a dorm room. That’s right folks; I’m spending my second consecutive summer living at a university residence. Hey, I’m a student of writing – I might as well live like one.

Plus, living in a dorm is cheap, allowing me to delay the world of work just a little bit longer. A dorm may not sound very “living lagom” to you, but if it means I’m able to pursue my interests, it sounds lagom to me!

At the end of the summer, I’ll let you know how things went. But in the meantime, I’ll post my status updates on Twitter.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go and complete my first day’s lesson: Imagining the world of the story!

P.S. I’m keeping my novella plot a secret for now. But here’s a teaser: It’s about a girl in search of herself whilst funny situations ensue. Oh no – I’ve already said too much!

This post contains an affiliate link from my living lagom bookstore. If you buy any books from my bookstore, I’ll earn a tiny commission. Or you could just get the books from your local library. I own the book mentioned in this post.