Weeding=annoying task+stress reducer

I HATE weeding! I mean-HATE! It makes my back hurt. It makes my hands hurt. I get hot. I get dirty. I hate the bugs that I find crawling on my legs and hands. I hate the weeds that have their roots so deep in the dirt that I can't get them out. I hate the dirt flying everywhere when you pull one of those stubborn weeds out-it goes in your eyes, your hair, your MOUTH-YUCK! I hate the random bee or butterfly that surprises you when you pull it's little home out. All of these things keep me from getting out and doing more weeding.

Unfortunately, all of our gardens are COMPLETELY overgrown. The people who lived here before us didn't go by my same philosophy of less is more. They just planted whatever, where ever. There are some random really tall flowers popping up in the middle of nowhere. There are big overgrown thick bushes. 1 tulip here, a small chrysanthemum bush there, a big lily bush all alone by the garage...I have been trying to figure out their rhyme and reason behind their planting and have yet to find any.

Well, today I decided just to go for it. My gardens have been bugging me. They are FULL of weeds, so full that you can't even see the dirt. So I have made the goal to get them all cleaned out this year so that by next spring I can pretty much start over. I can plant some flowers, but not so many and so random that it looks messy.

Here's a shot of what I went out to tackle:

I want it ALL gone. Everything! Even the 2 or 3 random flowers that are growing in this garden. Not a small task, but it needs to be done.

So I started pulling. And pulling. And pulling some more. I soon found myself in a good rhythm. And to my surprise I found myself enjoying this. For some reason I have been in a bit of a funk lately. I remember kind of going through this same type of funk after Emma was born. There's really nothing wrong, but I find myself with a very short fuse. I get angry with my kids quicker and easier than I should. Somedays it takes ALL my effort to not be grumpy with them. It's not really anything they do either, but the constant clutter or the constant arguing gets to me a lot faster than it should. Probably not the best time to work on potty training either! (It also doesn't help that it's been HOT-too hot to get out and even ride bikes or go to the park. We haven't played with any friends for almost 2 weeks-no one's around- my poor kids have been trapped in our house for way too long!) So I found that being able to pull and tug at these weeds helped reduce some of that pent up anger and frustration. It felt good.

The other nice thing about weeding is that it is a task that actually STAYS done. You know what I mean? There are so many things that I do around the house that have to be re-done almost as soon as I finish. You know the ones I'm talking about. For instance, you do the dishes, wipe down the counter, start the dishwasher and BAM! It's time for lunch or you find a few stray sippy cups around the house-it's NEVER done. Or the laundry. Just as you fold the last load it's bedtime and everyone's dirty socks get thrown in the hamper. Or someone has an accident. It's NEVER done either. Or vacuuming-as soon as you're done, the kids decide to run around on all the nice straight vacuum lines that you just made erasing any and all proof that you were there. But weeding-once you pull out those pesky weeds they are GONE! You can actually see the difference and you can see it for quite sometime. I know they'll grow back one day, but I'll be more on top of it and it will look good.

So here's how far I got today-about halfway. It isn't the prettiest thing right now, but it is a definite improvement and it will stay that way for a while. (oh, and please excuse all the dead grass-everyone's lawns look like this. No one has sprinkling systems out here and it's been really hot and dry here so everyone just lets their lawns die and hope they come back next year) Hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can get out and finish this one, it feels so good to accomplish something!!! Maybe I should wait until I'm feeling frustrated again-weeding is apparently a great stress reducer!