Real mom moment:
Today I looked around my house packed full of boxes full of things to find places in our home for, and felt super overwhelmed. I was grumpy about it. Felt burden by my stuff. And needed a strategy.
I had a hard time relaxing until things were semi picked up, and some decluttering took place. Our home is only 2200 square feet. We love the small space because it makes you really negotiate space and the things you put in those spaces. Our home has a LOT of storage for an old house. But I try to be very thoughtful about the things I bring in and keep.
So if you’re like me...those stacks of toys and thoughtful gifts loomed over your head this morning. I’m going to tell you what helped me get over the overwhelm and start moving towards a solution.
I have two rules to keep things.
It must be special or have sentimental value.
Serves a purpose.
Maybe I read this somewhere? No idea, I read all the time, so its hard to know. Either way, these rules gave me life when Wyatt was a baby and we were moving.
So when something is broken...I give myself that moment to try and fix it. And if I can’t, I chunk it. If it’s a part that can be ordered and replaced, do it that moment.
The second you put it on the counter and think you will come back to it...you lost. If your not motivated right then to fix it, then it doesn’t matter that much to you to begin with.
It burns the first few times, but now...it’s liberating. I love throwing things away that don’t serve our home anymore.
This may sound intense, but we are not those crazy organized people so things get lost or disappear. We aren’t sad about it unless—refer to our rules.
However, we are orderly people, and I’m totally fine saying goodbye to toys, gadgets, and things if they don’t fit within our two rules.
It brings so much peace to my soul. I know this may sound funny to some of you, but I feel like I breathe easier, I can relax inside my home, and the atmosphere is lighter.
Sooooo, here was my process.
As I began pulling containers out...they were filled with odds and ends, broken toys, and some not played with. So I just started dumping them in the trash. Things I have no idea how we accumulated. YALL! FREE yourself of these things.
Then enjoy a nice cup of tea or coffee and notice how good it feels.
I was able to empty four containers. I gave Quay and Wyatt two each. A large one and a small one. And I dispersed all their new toys into them. These containers go into our toy closet. And we have rules on the toy closet.
Rules:
One container at a time. Before you access another container, the entire contents of the other container must be picked and put up.
That’s the only rule.
As a preliminary Christmas activity, we went through our toys a few weeks ago. We bagged up all the toys that neither of them really play with anymore. Or they didn’t fall into the special or purpose category. So that was super helpful in the accumulation of new things. We didn’t toss them. They are actually still with our other pile of “dontate items”. On the list this week!
See I think our kids even know when it’s too much. They aren’t sure how or what to play because there is just stuff everywhere. But I find when our container and toy closet system is rolling...they are sitting down, thoughtful about their toys, playing for hours, working on specific tasks, and when they are done, they move to the next activity. Their minds are more organized in their play. And they integrate their environment so much better. It’s a beautiful thing.
Alright mamas! Here’s to tackling your Christmas clutter! START knocking it out!!
