Me & My Quite Contrary Life

NUDGED: "Teach Coco a new trick" BACKSTORY: We adore our 11-year-old dog, Coco. She brings so much energy and laughter to our home. She is a lab/doxie mix that we adopted almost 10 years ago, and we consider her a part of our family. We completed a dog training class with her years ago when she was younger. She still remembers many of those commands (sit, stay, leave it, lay down, roll over, etc.) but we haven't taught her any new tricks since then. This could be challenging! Can we teach an old dog a new trick? QUOTE: "If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them." - Author Phil Pastoret HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: We tried. We worked really hard  to complete this nudge but still came up short (excuse the pun! Sorry Coco!). Since Coco is food motivated, we first tried to teach her "fist bump" while rewarding her with treats. I wanted her to tap her paw on top of my cl...

NUDGED: "Throw something out" BACKSTORY: For the past year, I have been decluttering our house. I have gone from area to area, through every storage space, drawer and cabinet, and getting rid of items I don't need or use. My physical space feels better as a result, but it made this nudge more difficult! What else can I get rid of when I have already purged so much? I am very sentimental too and struggle to get rid of things, even things that should have been tossed a long time ago. This nudge challenged me to reconsider ALL of my things and to let go. QUOTE: "Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle." - Marie Kondo, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" (good book!!) HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: I watch our dog Coco utilize her purposeful, tunnel-vision focus when she searches...

NUDGED: "Rearrange clothing drawers" BACKSTORY: This nudge suggestion came from a family member (thanks!) and was an opportunity to switch items around between drawers. I am accustomed to reaching for things absentmindedly when getting ready in the mornings, not really considering what I have. It also gave me a chance to purge unneeded clutter. Win! QUOTE: "Try to see things differently. It's the only way to get a clearer perspective on the world and on your life." - Neal Shusterman HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:  My hubs and I completed home renovation improvements this past spring, which included painting kitchen cabinets blue, new wood flooring and wood stairs instead of carpet, new paint on most of the walls, and updating some items. These were big changes that really improved how our home felt and we love how it all turned out, even though it was an adjustment. After those big changes, it's hard to compare rearranging dresser drawers to that level of c...