One night at the Cabin and I become A declutteraholic

Shack in the woods

Well let me get this off my chest. My Mother was... no still is a hoarder. Growing up we had 15 cats, and a ton of crap in our house we didn't use or need. This was after my father passed away when I was 15. (He was 89 when he passed away, but that is for a different post) She did not clean, that was all on me, and when you are 15-18 years old, do you want to clean. NO of course not. 

So without going into much detail, my home when I was 10-18 years old was a cabin in the woods. It was brand new in 1989, after my childhood home burnt down in the spring of 1989. We moved in that winter to a brand new log cabin. It was gorgeous. one level with a loft and a basement. I even helped build it...well I pounded a couple of nails ( I was 9). Then my father took sick. He had dementia. And the last few years of his life were not a good time for me. He was old and ill, and I was left with him frequently, oh yah and my grandmother lived with us as well. In this time frame of my life my mother decided to acquire things that she really didn't need. Books mainly, yarn, cats. Things upon things. And she had asthma. So she always told me she could not clean. It would bother her asthma. So I cleaned. everything. all the time. cat boxes, swept, dishes. I was basically Cinderella. But I could leave the house. I could go to town if I could get there. So I biked. I loved the freedom of getting on my bike and going. It was a 45 minute bike ride, but I didn't care. Not in the summer. In the winter I was in school and bused in. And I joined everything I could after school. Mainly girl guides and soccer. And every chance I could I would stay at a friends after school. 

Recently this home that I loved and hated at the same time has come back into my life after 10 years. My husbands and mine. I had mixed feelings of this at first. I didn't want it. I have some awful memories associated with this home. And it is a neglected shack now. No power, no running water. And IT WAS A MESS. I can not stress this enough. My mother abandoned this place a few years after I left. Now she is trying to make amends and has gotten it back. But it is still a mess. Piles of magazines, cat feces, fur, old things that no one wants. So we cleaned it out. At least the main level. The basement still needs A LOT of work, but we are getting there. 

But it NEVER fails. Every time we return from that place I end up going through our stuff. I clean the house from top to bottom. I open windows, air out every room. And my house is not dirty or cluttered. My husband has OCD, for cleaning. Our house is pretty tidy. But when I get home from the shack in the woods I need to declutter. I guess it is a type of therapy. As is writting in this blog. I know this does not relate to ADHD. But this is a blogging journey of our lives. And the beginning of mine was pretty crappy. Now I have a wonderful beautiful home. I have an amazing husband who works tirelessly to provide for our family. I have two beautiful children that I can never get enough of. Even if one is a little scatter brained. Maybe she gets some of that from my mom. The Hoarder. Maybe she has ADHD. She can never finish tasks, and her attention is always drifting, unless it is something she is interested in. And at 78 years old she still has a hard time keeping still and is ALWAYS knitting. 

HMMMM food for thought.

Also I will be switching this Blog over to word press. I have found out that you can not leave comments unless you have a google account. I do not know if that is why we are not getting any comments but I wanted to try wordpress anyways. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. 


Please if you have any comments or suggestions you can email us at unicorn4life6@gmail.com

Thanks

Julia

5 Reasons Why You Should Unplug for 24 hours. #ADHD retreat

Sometimes you just have to unplug and reset yourself. My kids and I are heading to our cabin in the woods, literally it is a cabin set on 15 acres of forest.

 It was my home growing up and it is now our #ADHD retreat. We haven't be able to make it up this summer much, so today we are going up over night. 

This is a long term project that is going to be worth the wait. The cabin is not hooked up to any power grid, we must use a generator, and there is no running water. It needs some repair, and needs to be cleaned out. Every time we go up we clean out another room. Or fix something small. It was abandoned for about 10 years. So it is a little dusty. HAHA

It is a great place for Nicole to let loose and unplug. Gets her away from the computer screen and lets her creativity flow. It is a large place to explore filled with animals and nature, a pond, and a river within biking distance.

She takes her littlest pet shops and does videos, paints, and just chills out. No internet for a little bit does the world of good. As much as she loves her internet, as do I, you need a break once in a while. 

So this is our list of reasons why you should unplug for at least 24 hours:

1- Relieve some stress-
        You know if you can check on your blog you will, so if you go someplace where you can't then you will think about it less. Won't be constantly thinking "Oh I can add this to that", or I should check Pinterest and search for so and so. Sometimes it is a relief when you can't check on the blog.

2-Get back to nature-
        Just stopping to enjoy the view, or smelling the flowers. I LOVE to take pictures. It relaxes me. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/152592777@N03/

Check out my flickr portfolio.

And I love nature pictures. Of flowers, trees, insects. It makes me slow down and look at something a little longer. It is fall here so all the beautiful fall colors are just waiting to be photographed. In this day and age of quicker and more efficiently everything, sometimes it is just nice to slow down and really see things from a different angle. 

3-Getting a different perspective-
         Sometimes taking a break from something will let your mind subconsciously think about a problem you are having. Ever forget about a name, it drives you nuts that you can't think of that certain name, you then say oh well its gone now. A few hours later, BING, "It was Einstein who discovered Theory of relativity" It just pops into your brain. If you are having a mental block about what to post next, #Take a break. Go on a nature Hike. Clear your mind. Something will pop into your mind. Even if it is "5 reasons to go on a nature Hike", OR " 5 reasons not to go on a nature hike with your children."

4-ADHD people need change-
          Going someplace for 24 hours even if it is a motel or a sleepover, really helps with the "I'm Bored" phrase. Which is a signature phrase in this house. Even when Nicole is doing something, she is bored. So going away for 24 hours, even if she complains at first, she usually comes around. It is usually because she sees animals, or discovered something she didn't know or see before. Our little ADHD retreat is the best way for her to get a change and try new things. Every time we go up there she finds something new. 

5-Brings you closer together-
           When even we go to our little cabin in the woods we always bring games. Card games, board games. And it helps us bond and get closer together. We sit up late, talk, eat junk (smores over an open fire inside). Listen to the rain on the roof. Get a little spooked out because it is SO DARK. Cuddling under blankets. You get the idea. Its the best #ADHD retreat ever. 

Do you unplug. Do you have a special place that you can go and get a change in scenery or add some adventure to the mundane? Or do you have your own ADHD retreat you like to take off too?

Let us know

Thanks
Julia and Nicole