The American Way

The dream I had as a young mother was to live in a two-story farm house. I wanted to sip coffee with my husband while standing at an empty kitchen sink. In my mind's eye, I watched deer nibble at the edge of the woods next to the fenced vegetable and herb garden. The dog didn't raise an eyebrow at the squirrels scampering up the maple trees, which never littered the yard with dry branches.

Well, that didn't happen.

I should be washing the dishes but I'm out of soap, again, because the cats knocked over the open bottle someone left on the window sill. The squirrel that took home in the elm tree right outside the living room window keeps throwing nuts at the dogs. The neighbor's kid fell through the black netting around the garden, squishing the green tomatoes that should have been picked at the end of last month. And I won't go into the story about finding the tree on the house after we came home from our anniversary dinner.

Life didn't turn out how I thought it would. After nine years of marriage, two sons, and a lot of time to think this month, I've realized that my life, my house, my marriage, and my relationship with my kids are cluttered.

Crawling under the four blankets on the bed last night (let's face it, if gas prices keep rising, I'll be knitting 'creative costumes' just to keep the kids warm), I decided that although I can't afford to heat that two-story house, nor did I really want to clean it, I could build a fulfilling, healthy home for my family.

Here begins our journey into the clutter-free, eco-friendly, frugal, self-sufficient life I never knew I wanted to lead.