Category: decluttering

Asha Dornfest, Christine Koh, decluttering, Dr. Kim, Laura Thompson Bradly, Minimalist, Parenting, Simpicity Parenting

Minimalist Parenting Book Review

Olof

As those of you that have been following my blog know I have been doing some research in parenting techniques and trying to find an easier way to parent my group of boys. I was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start before my Hectic to Harmonious Home Cleans with Laura Brady and she mentioned the Simplicity Parenting book often to us in that month. Since I took so much from my cleans with her I decided to read Simplicity Parenting and even took the online parenting course with Dr. Kim. When I had finished that I started looking at what else I could read. I wanted to learn more. I wanted more information. I stumbled upon Minimalist Parenting by Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest. It sounded like something that I would enjoy. Laura Brady and Dr. Kim helped me simplify but I still had this nagging in my mind that I was not doing enough for my boys. That what I was doing wasn’t good enough. That I should be taking them out more and doing more for them when really I was doing as much as I could with having given birth to 3 children in 4 and a half years on top of finishing grad school at the same time. I was still a little stuck in the rat race of parenting but still doing a lot better than I was before the process began. Minimalist Parenting helped me let go a little better. Helped me figure out what was best for my family and I and really had great homework to help me figure out what was important to my family and I and what I wanted to pass on to my children. Simplicity Parenting has pretty strict rules about what is OK and what is not and some of those rules did not fit with my husband and I’s philosophy.

I had two BIG aha moments while reading Minimalist Parenting and that was when they wrote in the simplifying your home and decluttering that you should only keep the things that you would replace if your  house burnt down or wish you could replace and when it comes to the family meal that as parents we are only suppose to make and offer our children healthy food and it is up to the child to decide if they are going to eat it or not. If they are hungry they will eat. So we need to stop being short order cooks and only making the things we believe our kids like all the time and make sure to offer the things that are healthy and different too. These were only the BIG aha moments. Through out the book I kept getting great ideas and felt like the authors were really helping me let go of my preconceptions of what “good” parents do. Like thinking the best parents put their kids in private school. Public school has a lot to offer and socially teach children a lot. There are better school districts out there than others but still every situation is different and parents really need to figure out what works best for their individual child.

Minimalist parenting is not one of those books that you sit and read all the way through in one sitting. I had to put it down many times and just digest what I had just read. so when reading this book give yourself time. Parenting is not a race but a slow and steady evolution of your relationship with your children and your partner.

If you are overwhelmed and need a starting point then this is a great book. It helps you help your child figure out what they are passionate about and then help your child follow their passion with out putting the whole family out. Helps you keep a calming home that everybody in the household is happy to show up to be a part of the family. It also helps you get time to yourself and take care of your needs too. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Minimalist Parenting.  You will not regret it.

Baby, coconut, cup, decluttering, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, planting, Right now, tea, tea forte, teething

::right now::

Olof
Look at those teeth!

Doing a in the moment post that I learned from Amanda Soule. Living in the moment and being present.

Right now I am……

::finding my home too quiet and empty this morning while my big boys are off at their grandparents for the week.
:: thankful for the amazing in laws that are so kind and loving towards my children.
:: enjoying the sun peeking out from  behind the clouds lifting my spirits and warming my home.
:: feeling for a friend of mine that just found out her man has cancer and wishing I could fly to go see her and sit with her over tea for a while. Not saying much but just being present.
:: thinking about my to do list that I have for the spring. Getting ready for my boys to come home to plant some seeds to start indoors.
:: enjoying that I will be keeping bees this spring, taking one more step towards self sufficiency.
:: knowing that the local honey will both help with my allergies and is a disinfectant helping heal from illnesses.
:: tired from a fussy night with baby Alex as he cut his 2nd tooth.
:: thankful that that second tooth has cut through and hoping that the next teeth don´t show for a few more months.
:: wondering why I have this overwhelming feeling that I need to get on a plane and go somewhere. Leaving Oklahoma is a feeling I have that is so strong but will not be fulfilled in the near future.
:: dreaming about the vegetables that we will grow this year. Loving that my big boys will be old enough to help and that my own bees will be pollinating my garden and that nectar from my own veggies will turn into the honey that we will get.
:: proud that I did some decluttering this morning while Alex slept. Baby steps I know.
:: enjoying some Om music with my Chi in my new Tea Forte Kati Cup which I LOVE and some Lindt coconut chocolate

Birthday, Christmas gifts, Clutter, decluttering, toys

Overwhelmed

Olof

So, I took a few days off around the new year to do some thinking and the last couple of days I have tried to ignore the pile of toys in my living room while I tackle the pile of papers on my desk. Christmas as it is now in our life is not what my husband or I are happy with. It´s just stress. I have a huge family with lots of kids and I have 5 siblings and most of them have husbands or wives and then there is my husband´s side of the family as well. After all the presents came in this year I felt overwhelmed. It was too much stuff. Stuff that was loud. Stuff that has become pollution in my home that was meant to be a sign of caring and love. Thankfully, Alex is too young to know any better and I can return some of his ”toys” and get something useful and needed. I´m hoping the family does not take offense to this since I would much rather people return what I give them and get something they want or need rather than keep something that they really didn´t need or want in the first place. My older boys on the other hand want to play with their new toys of course. I understand that. I have such a hard time getting rid of their toys too. But the flimsy plastic toys are taking over and are against all I want for my family and they don´t play with them most of the time because they get lost in the mountain of toys just taking up space that I don´t have available. There are enough cancer causing chemicals in their life, adding cheap plastic toys to their life where the chemicals leach through their skin doesn’t help. I´m trying to live a simpler life with less stuff. I’m not saying that my children shouldn’t have toys. I love the toys that are well made and something that even their children or grandchildren could play with. Like Playmobil or legos are the plastic toys I´m OK with. They are developmental and help them use their imagination and work through some of their day to day issues. I also love wooden toys like Thomas and friends wooden trains and tracks and art supplies. My boys have their plastic trucks that they play with in the dirt. I don´t mind them as long as they stay out in the dirt pit and they don´t need any more of them until something brakes and needs to be replaced.

After having kids myself I am a firm believer in asking the parent first before giving a gift. Ask what the child needs. I remember getting sheets for my bed for Christmas, socks and sweaters. things I needed not just toys. Yes toys are fun and you want to be the fun maker but how about giving a ticket to the local aquarium or zoo or a children´s play and then take the child. That memory would be much better than any cheep flimsy toy and the parent would love it too.

I only have a 3 bedroom home for a 5 person household. That should be no problem but it is when there is a constant flow if things coming in but little going out. I´m restarting my 52 week challenge with my first post being on Monday about organizing papers to get ready for tax season.Wish me luck!

As I finish writing this I my heart is warm as I hear Magni play with the Playmobil that Santa gave him and his brother this Christmas. I hear him grow developmentally and not be overwhelmed with sounds or violent characters as I have managed to keep their bedroom clean of that stuff. My living room on the other hand has been overtaken as you could see on Monday´s post.

Magni´s birthday is on the first Saturday of next month and sadly I think toward it with a mix of anxiety and joy. The anxiety of having to find space for more stuff but the love that family and friends will be here to celebrate his 3rd birthday.

As I try to do what I believe is best for my family I believe that I will offend some people. I´m sorry about that. I do have  very understanding mother in law that is willing to take some of the toys to her house.

What is the hardest thing for you to keep control over at your house?

52 week challenge, decluttering, living in the moment, Parenting, Right now

::right now::

Olof
Learning to live in the moment I am following Soule Mama’s example and doing a right this minute post.

So right now I am……

Who needs clothes? PJs work fine on lazy days.

Made this for the hubby this Christmas

My big boy!

Snowbird coming along.

Been a bad test knitter

Going to be getting rid of lots of STUFF this year

Overwhelmed with all this stuff.

The first thing I will tackle in my 52 week challenge

:: sitting at the dining room table watching my boys play with stamps after having a very lazy morning on the couch watching old 50s cartoons on Netflix.

:: enjoying the rest of my coffee that is cold by now but I don’t mind.

:: watching Alex play with is rings, switching hands and amazed that I have a 3 month old that is 24.5lbs (11kg) and 27.25inch (69cm) long.

:: realizing that I have been a bad test knitter over the holidays but have started back on the Azulejos shawl by liZKnits. I was busy knitting dishcloths and hats. Forgot to take a photo of the dishcloths that I made.

:: overwhelmed with toys and stuff in my home.

:: wishing I could magically get rid of half of my kids toys with out them noticing.

:: deciding that I will start my 52 week organizing challenge over and start with my desk that has become the catch all of all papers and needs to be organized for taxes and anything else that nobody knows what to do with.

:: feeling the tension in my shoulders from carrying Alexander around this weekend after he got his shots on Friday and started running a fever on Saturday. Thankful that he is his happy, healthy, chatty self this morning.

:: missing my family in Iceland and wishing there was a way to zap us back and fourth at will between countries with out long, expensive plane rides.

:: happy that a job is waiting for me to finish my supervision hours as a therapist when my oldest goes to school and we can afford to put the other two in the best daycare in town.

:: thinking that today will be a lazy day of only doing basic chores and leaving the rest for tomorrow.

:: wishing you all a happy, beautiful day filled with love, wonder and that you too have the ability to be in the moment with the people you love.

52 week challenge, children, clothes, decluttering, organizing

Week 2 of 52 Week Challenge- O´s Clothes

Olof
Just finished week 2 of my 52 week challenge and this week was taking care of O´s clothes. He will hopefully be going to the Pre-K program at school this fall so he has to have plenty of clothes and I needed to put the clothes he had grown out of into storage until M gets big enough to wear them.

OK here I am being brave again and posting the before pic……  How embarrassing!

I read the second week post from the 52 week challenge before I started to find some inspiration. Non of the clothes needed to be tossed or taken to the thrift store since M will be the next in line for them. But a box was filled to be put in storage and some where already M´s size so I shifted them over to M´s clothes.

Here is my after pic and now I know how many clothes I do need to buy for O for school.

If it hadn´t been for this challenge I would have just sat and did this….

instead of organizing. Yeah, I was about to read Susan´s blog when I told myself to get off my bum and do something about my unorganized home.

What did you organize this week? Have any places in your home that you make an effort to ignore instead of tackling?

cleaning, decluttering, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, knitting

Saturday Personal Update

Olof
Having fun on the trampoline!

I am officially a stay at home mother again. No work except for the most important job I can have in the world and that is to raise amazing children and take care of my husband. My job for the next few years is to declutter, organize, detoxify, and simplify my home. I want to walk into my home and love everything I see an be proud of how well it is being used. In the process, I will blog how well I am doing. I´m starting up my 10 item fling every Saturday to rid my home of clutter. I have designated a basket for those items in my kitchen for the items that can be donated or given away. The trash will of course go in the trash. Then I will try to find used or antique items that have multiple purposes to replace the things I have in my home that have only one purpose.

This week has been a busy week. I have mowed the front yard, done a mountain of laundry, finished up some last things for my former job, put clean sheets on all 3 beds, kept up with the dishes, made home made meals, gone to the grocery store with both boys in tow and of course some knitting and reading.

Next week will be full of the same plus I will copy my CDs and DVDs on to the home computer and then getting rid of the hard copies. This will get rid of quite a few things from our home next week. Also I need to dive into our closets and get rid of clothes that are outdated and don’t fit. I believe we will have a large yard sale soon. 

What are some of the things that you use in your home that has multiple purposes and how do you keep your home from getting cluttered?

The product I´m trying this week that has multiple purposes is Dr. Bronner´s Magic Soaps. It is suppose to be multi purpose and the only soap you will need in your whole home. We have used it as hand and body soap and I plan to try it to clean the bathroom and kitchen this week. Will update later on what I think about it. 

decluttering

Late- Decluttering My Life Saturdays and Sharing Sunday

Olof

Found my 10 items that are either going in the trash or recycled. This is sort of a collection just from everyday things this week. I found this and that. How are my followers doing? Getting rid of the things you don’t love or use in your home? Those that just started following my blog I am getting rid of at least 10 things every week.
I’m ahead at the moment. I’ve gotten rid of over 70 things in the last 4 weeks.Well on my way for getting rid of 250 items by the end of the year.

Here are some pics of the boys this weekend.

decluttering, family

Decluttering My Life Saturdays

Olof

Last Saturday I did not do this so I had to double my efforts today. I decided to tackle my medicine cabinet and this is what I came up with: 29 items that are expired or something we don’t need anymore

My 6 month old has been doing this lately.

This little dude thinks that it is cool to start crawling and pulling up to his knees at only 6 months. We turned 6 months on the 2nd and he had already started crawling then. Now he has just mastered it.

decluttering, junk

Decluttering My Life Saturdays

Olof
 
Photo from Flickr

I’m back with my decluttering my life Saturday and I was good this week.  I didn’t find a buyer for my stroller but I did get rid of 10 things from my junk drawer. I’m just surprised at the things that my husband or I think of keeping. Things like a cork from a champagne bottle, the glass from around a cheep candle (threw 2 of these away), a plastic zippered bag from a make-up purchase, an old yellow pages book, old ugly nail polish, an ugly nail polish that was given to me, a candle that never stayed lit, and there were 2 other things that I can’t remember but I made sure that there were 10.

Next up is going under my sink and getting rid of 10 things that I don’t use. If I don’t have a whole 10 from there I will go down into my basement and get the rest from there. Anybody with me?

cleaning, decluttering, Pram, simplifying, strollers

Decluttering My Life Saturdays

Olof

I am Mama Hear Me Roar turned me on to a new blog called You Are What You Keep today and it inspired me. I’m starting a new routine. Saturdays will be used to keep me working on making my house and life the simplest and clean that I can. Both me and my husband tend to hold on to things that are not loved or used and it is taking over our home. I do not want this to become a habit for my sons. I will find 10 things each week to get rid of in some way. They will be either donated, sold, or thrown away. My fav kind of donation is the kind I put on the curb and mark as Free! and someone just comes by and picks it up. I don’t have to go anywhere and it gets used by someone that needs it.
By the end of the year I will have gotten rid of 250 things.

On the chopping block this week are:
A tv stand that we don’t use anymore
Selling our single stroller on craigslist
finding 5 things that are in our junk drawr to toss
and finding 3 pieces of clothing to toss.

I have a week to do this and will be back next week.

Here are pics of the stroller that we are selling if anybody is interested in it for $100. We bought it 2 years ago for $250 in Iceland. It’s a European Graco stroller/pram. It has rubber wheels and great suspension. My oldest loves this stroller but we do not need 2 strollers in the house. It also has a rain cover and mosquito netting and a cover over the lap for super cold days. 

 
Thank you for looking!