Friends, I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have today off from everything. It is Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the last day of our four day weekend! We had appointments every day last week — they all seem to happen at the same time — and I have something scheduled every day this week but I plan to stay home all day today. I have a lot of neglected chores that need tending so my plan is to tick those off one by one.
Today I’m sharing a little about our holiday weekend and giving an update on my 31 Day Decluttering Challenge. Let’s catch up!
Friday:
We went to the seacoast on Friday for Colton’s dentist appointment. He sees a special needs dentist who is a bit over an hour away and we always end our appointment with McDonalds and a stop by the beach. The positive reinforcement works on us all! First of all, it was Colton’s best visit yet and he was delighted to walk into the building. It had been difficult for us to get him out of the van on our previous appointments but he jumped right out, walked inside without any issue, and went straight for the sensory room they have beside the waiting room. And he was cooperative and responsive with the tech and the dentist during his exam, with only one short meltdown. It was a total win!
Bryce and Bronwyn were able to run around on the beach afterwards, but Colton was more comfortable watching from the van. We even had a seagull visitor on our hood for a little while! (It may have been lured in by a flying french fry.)
Sunday:
On Sunday we took a drive up the Kancamagus Highway to see the foliage. The White Mountains are at or near peak right now and the drive was gorgeous. We went this same weekend last year and the highway was packed but we got on the road much earlier this time and beat almost all of the traffic. When we passed the exit on our way home, it was backed up at least a mile! We were relieved to have missed it. Because it wasn’t crowded, we were able to stop at every scenic view that struck us and we took lots of pictures. Driving up to the mountains is one of my favorite weekend activities all year long and the foliage enhances the experience this time of year. I love New Hampshire!
31 Day Decluttering Challenge
It’s been a busy October week but I’ve managed to stay on track with my decluttering challenge. By the end of the day yesterday, I should have ticked 8 things off my list. I have already finished 9 tasks! That means I’m slightly ahead of schedule which is a very good thing.
Full confession: two of those tasks didn’t require much from me. One was the silverware drawer, which is just silverware and didn’t need any decluttering, and the other was a cabinet that I tackled a few months ago and was still in really good shape. I put them on my list anyway because I want to develop the habit of regularly checking in on the clutter situation of my home. And it was nice to be able to quickly check off those boxes on overwhelming days. Cheating? No way. It was necessary for my confidence in this project!
And on a slightly different note: the screenshot above is from my Notion page for this project. I’ve just started to use this program and am really loving it. Does anyone else use it?
Today you’ll find me with cleaning supplies in hand. I hope your week gets off to a fabulous start and my plan is to be back on Wednesday with a reading update. Take good care!
The Cozy Burrow 
Even with the long drive, you are very lucky to have a special needs dentist (relatively) close to you. I know that’s not a resource that everyone has access to. And I love that you’ve made a little ritual out of it. You are also lucky to live in such a scenic area! You’re doing a great job at your decluttering project, and I predict you’ll get all of it done without too much trouble. In my experience, once you start and get satisfying results, it’s easier to keep it going.
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Yes! We feel so lucky to have such a great place for Colton to receive care. And an hour drive isn’t bad at all; when we first started looking for special needs dentists, we thought we were going to have to drive to Boston, which would have been a stressful nightmare!
Thank you for the decluttering encouragement! Tonight’s plan is to start with one shelf in the foyer closet, which is the place that is MOST overwhelming! If I finish this month and only manage to get that closet sorted, then I’ll be pretty happy about it.
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Sounds like an excellent few days. So glad to read the trip to the dentist went well. Such a beautiful time of year. That mountain drive must have been stunning.
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Thanks, Laurie! Have you ever driven the Kanc? It’s a gorgeous drive no matter the season.
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I have, but it was many years ago. But I still remember the beauty.
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I am echoing the thoughts on how wonderful to have such an incredible dentist not too far away. I am glad for Colton’s visit… and that you all had some beach time. Nothing is better or more calming that the sound of waves crashing! I am heading to Erie this week and they are also nearing peak colors, so I hope we will have some great views!
Have a great week!
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What a beautiful time of year to visit Erie! I hope it’s a great trip!
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I love this time of year; and a drive in the mountains would be so wonderful about now! I LOVE the mountains. Sadly, we don’t really have many in the area we live in. 😦
I just started using Notion too! I’m using it for a reading journal – a new project I’m trying. I’m really liking it so far as it looks like it’s going to be a great way to track not just my reading, but various reading stats I like to keep track of. I’m still in the learning and organizing stage though….watching lots of youtube videos to learn different ways to format a Notion page, etc.
I also can commiserate with the struggles of a dentist visit. My daughter has had a hard time with not just dentist visits but also optometrist visits as well. Thankfully, we finally found a new optometrist that was great and did well with telling our daughter everything ahead of time before she did anything.
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I hope you’re able to soak up the fall this year, Karen. I think it’s good for our souls! And I’m also using Notion as a reading journal, ha! I’m doing exactly what you’re dong: watching YouTube videos to explore all of its functions; it’s amazing!
So happy to hear that you’ve found an optometrist that has been working so well. Those little day-to-day things can be even more complicated when autism is thrown into the mix and it helps when we find providers who get it!
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Wow – the mountain pictures are stunning.
Kudos on being on track with your project. I love that you included some not so messy areas too.
That’s great that the dentist visit went well!
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Thanks, Laila! Those tidier areas are perfect for the days when I want to push the easy button :p I’m trying not to use them all up in the first two weeks!
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There is nothing quite like a tidy corner! Well done.
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Thank you, Cathy! And I agree 100%!
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yay for Colton at the dentist – and for y’all getting to the beach AND the mountains in one weekend!! The photos from Sunday’s drive are spectacular. and yay you for the decluttering progress … hard tasks, easy tasks, they all count! also I’ve never even heard of Notion … and am glad I likely don’t need it in my life 🙂
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Hahaha – I probably don’t need Notion either AND I’m enjoying learning something new 😀
Thanks for all of the encouragement and kind words! I hadn’t truly realized that we managed the ocean and mountains in a period of just a few days… NH is wonderful!!
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Hooray for a successful dentist appointment for Colton. What a terrific win. New Hampshire is indeed beautiful. For out 25th wedding anniversary we took a fall trip that involved a drive through the White Mountains. It was wonderful. And that was 21 years ago. Egads. The decluttering project is going well. That is another win. You are amazing Katie.
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Thank you so much, Jane. It was a wonderful appointment and Colton amazes me every day! And thank you for all of your kind words. I love that you spent such a special occasion in New Hampshire — it’s such a wonderful place!
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What a beautiful drive! The leaves are only just starting to turn here. I don’t use Notion but I use Trello to track projects which looks similar. I think establishing a decluttering habit (because let’s face it, we’re never done!) is the most important thing, so yay for easy wins!
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Thanks, Sarah! Notion and Trello are very similar! I love all of the organization and planning tools that are available these days 🙂
Thanks for your kind words about tidying. I am so pleased with the small progress I am making each day!
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