One of my favorite blogs, Simple Mom, is hosting Project Simplify. Basically every week this month there is a new area to focus on to clear out clutter, make things more simple and thereby improving the quality of your family's lives. Sounds delightful, huh? I have been planning for quite some time to join in, but for whatever reason today I thought I would give up. And y'all, I hadn't even started! This morning I visited one of my other favorite blogs, spoonful. Sarah Barry had done a beautiful job with this week's simplifying and had already done a fantastic post about it. It was just the kick in the seat that I needed. :)
So, after I put E down for her nap I got busy on this week's area....kids' stuff. I really only spent about 30 minutes cleaning out, re-arranging, and pairing down. It didn't take long, but it made a big difference. If there is one thing I can't stress enough, it's the beauty of ROTATING TOYS. I feel like it's a must do. I actually don't rotate often enough, but hopefully with this fresh start I'll get back in the swing of things.
Ellington's Toys Before:
Ellington's Toys After:
There were entirely too many toys out and there were a lot of junky things that had accumulated that just needed to be thrown away. Hopefully less toys will equal less distractions and more quality play!
We had an overcrowding issue in the baby bed:
Much better:
I didn't spend a ton of time doing this, but I think it helps so much. Less chaos in our things = less chaos in our lives. I DESPERATELY need to work on Ellington's clothing organization but until it really warms up for good I'm kind of at a standstill in that area. I will be so glad when I can get that all under control!
I am happy that I got a little bit done. If you feel overwhelmed about all you need to do, the key is to just do SOMETHING. It's a whole lot better than nothing. :) I also took a ton of my own clothes to a local consignment store this morning. It feels so so so good to have gotten rid of a bunch of stuff (and hopefully make some money in the process!). Less really is more. I still have a lot of work to do in this area, but it's getting better day by day!
Yeah for jumping in at the last minute! So true, doing SOMETHING is better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteAnd I cannot thank you enough for introducing me to toy rotation. It is a lifesaver.
Good job....I know it makes you feel better.....Our house is looking junky right now because I am still working on the hobby room. Actually, it appears that I have just gotten started.
ReplyDeleteI've cleaned out some clothing, but the rest of our house is a wreck with trying to pull all of the baby stuff back out! I feel like I'm adding to the clutter instead of clearing it out! Today reading this made me feel discouraged because there is so little I CAN do right now, but I'm going to remember this and use it as my motivation after I have this baby and get back on my feet again!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeletethat feels so good! it looks much fresher! she will probably enjoy playing more too now. it's almost like my kids' toys are new again after a good clean out!
ReplyDelete