Mamahood

Spring Cleaning…

Back in the olden days šŸ˜‰ spring cleaning indicated a time when homes that were shut tight for the winter, where opened up and cleaned of all dirt, grit, and grime accumulated throughout the frigid season. Every stick of furniture would be drug outside and the entire home wiped cleaned from top to bottom. Which was desperately needed considering homes were heated with wood, oil, and coal. Can you even imagine the dust and soot?? I thought my sock drawer was bad!

Let me just put it out there. Iā€™m not a fan of clutter. So this isnā€™t going to be a post about how to gently detach from your stuff just to make room for more stuff. Nope. Letā€™s just rip the band-aid off and get to business. Maria Kondoā€™s books, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and subsequent Spark Joy brought the de-cluttering conversation back to the forefront, which clearly makes an anti-clutter person like myself incredibly happy. Kondoā€™s premise is that we should only surround ourselves with belongings that ā€œspark joyā€ in our lives. I am all for that, however, how does a parent discern what is true joy amongst a closet full of art projects made by your children? Luckily, I have the wisdom that a second child brings šŸ˜‰ On your first child you start by keeping every creative activity that your child prodigy (future Michelangelo) touches. But after the 85th tempera painted paper plate your perfect babe brings home, you start to gain a bit perspective (hopefully). Donā€™t get me wrong, Iā€™m not a cold-hearted art grinch! I actually found an amazing way to preserve your childrenā€™s artwork if you canā€™t part with them. It is called Plumprint. They send you a prepaid shipping kit that you fill with your childā€™s favorite art projects and they will turn it into a multitude of amazing keepsakes from books, calendars to throw pillows. You can even make notecards with your childā€™s artwork. You may recall that Iā€™m a big proponent of sending a card and what would be cuter than a thank you card made from your baby cakeā€™s artwork? You could even use their abandoned artwork as wrapping paper for a special gift or what about making a shadow box? Iā€™m in no way saying chuck it all into the bin. To the contrary, Iā€™m merely suggesting that there are ways to keep important memories in creative ways. If those art supplies themselves are dragging you down, then how about some clear storage bins to set you straight?

Kondoā€™s premise is that we should only surround ourselves with belongings that ā€œspark joyā€ in our lives...

I think the trick is not to overwhelm yourself with biting off more than you can chew. I try to make decluttering projects manageable by saying Iā€™ll clean this one cabinet today. I donā€™t try to tackle everything in one go. With the girlsā€™ clothing, I try to go through their stuff every six months. We just pulled all their winter gear to be put away (yay spring), and anything that would be too small for Evelyn to wear next year, I donated to Room to Grow. Thereā€™s nothing like knowing your items are being put to good use by those in need to help you get over your emotional attachments. Room to Grow is an amazing organization here in NYC and has become near and dear to my heart.

For myself with clothing, if I havenā€™t worn it in a year itā€™s gone. To not get overwhelmed in this department, I will just take a drawer at a time. Go through that sock drawer and actually toss out those lone left socks. I promise its mate is not going to magically return from sabbatical the moment you toss the other in the bin. If there are clothing items you are on the fence about, pack them up and set aside. If you donā€™t miss them in a month or two, you already have them bagged up and ready to donate. Make it as easy as possible.

How often do you go through your childrenā€™s things? Do you have any tips on getting rid of the excess kid clutter? Please share with me!

Emma x

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Amy says:

Thanks for so many wonderful ideas to declutter! No real new tips to add – I have been using the “does this bring me joy” idea when trying to prevent too much clutter. I also was reminded that if an item was a gift, not to feel guilty if you donate it or get rid of it. The gift served its purpose when you accepted the gift, and most likely even longer, so no guilt tossing something that’s cluttering your space!
Although my children are young adults, I still have one small tote of a few select art items they made during their younger years! I love the idea of making a few items into one art piece. I may start work on that while ideas are swimming in my head! Thanks for the reminder!

I also think Room to Grow is a wonderful place to receive gently used items! Check out the lists at their website, and start donating!
http://www.roomtogrow.org

Love your blog!
Have a wonderful day!

AJ Angsley says:

Plumprint sounds amazing! I’ll definitely have to use that when we move back to USA! I’m huge on less is better so we donate to a local charity here and her “artwork” is on artkive. We have this shadow box we use for some artwork and just stick a new one in front of it. You can put up to 60 drawings!

We also put a lot of toys in clear boxes so If they don’t look used for awhile, they are quickly donated! #sharingiscaring

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