In my previous post, I basically introduced the blog and my purpose for starting it. In this post, I wanted to share my reasons for this lifestyle change and for documenting it in a public place. I really could go on and on about why this concept has tugged on my heart for so long, but today, I'll give you the five big ones.
1. I'm overwhelmed. I think this is probably my biggest motivation for overhauling our home and our life. I'm constantly feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. Everywhere I look, I see stuff. Stuff on the counters, stuff overflowing the drawers, stuff scattered on the floor. I feel as though I just can't keep up. One of the things my husband and I have noticed is that we are constantly reacting to life. It's as though life keeps happening to us, rather than the other way around. This is absolutely not how we want to be spending our time.
2. I'm tired of cleaning. I admit it, I really like having a clean and tidy house. I just don't enjoy the process of cleaning it. And also, kids, so my clean house lasts approximately 0.0003 seconds before it's a mess again. These people who have adopted a simple life have ensured me that if I have less stuff, it won't take nearly as much time or effort to keep things picked up. Why didn't I think of that?
3. I want to engage my kids. I feel that this one ties in with the previous reasons. If I'm constantly running around cleaning to keep on top of it, then I'm doing it at the expense of spending time with my little ones. Secondly, and I believe is even more important for me, is because of the very fact that I'm overwhelmed. I'll admit that I find myself losing it over the smallest thing, and unfortunately, that's not an irregular occurrence. (Okay, it's practically daily.) How can I engage my kids if I'm wound so tightly that I can't enjoy this stage with them? I want to sit on the floor and build towers with blocks. I want to play pretend, and dance around, and do puzzles. I want to do life with them, and not just send them to the playroom while I struggle to keep up with the mountain of laundry.
4. I want to invest in my marriage. By the time we get the kids in bed, (Are they born with this innate ability to delay bedtime? Is there a class that they take?) we only have about 2 hours of adult time if we want to go to bed at the time we would like. Right now, we are spending at least 45 minutes of that time just trying to get our house back in order for the next day. And back to reason number one, I want to have the emotional and mental capacity to spend quality time with my husband at the end of each day, rather than complaining about how stressed I am and then collapsing into bed feeling defeated and exhausted.
5. I want to teach my kids. In a world of more is better, I want to teach them that a simple life is a beautiful life. I want to teach them to have grateful hearts, even when the world around them shows them that in order to be happy, they need this toy or that pair of shoes. Sure, I can tell them these things, but the truth is, they will trust me more if they see that my life reflect my words. To cultivate a spirit of contentment, I need to show them that we are content not only with our words, but with our attitudes and our actions.
So, I've shared why I'm embarking on this change to simplicity. Why am I blogging about it? Two reasons. I'm looking for accountability. If I'm going to put these things out there, then I need to put my money where my mouth is. By being open about where I am and what I'm working towards, I'm going to be serious about it. Secondly, I believe in lifting one another up. I know that I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed by all this "stuff". If I can encourage even one person by sharing my struggles and successes, then it's totally worth it.
In my next post, I'm planning to share what my goals are and what they are not.
Until then,
Kelly
If any of these ideas strike a chord with you, then I encourage you to look into simplifying. I'd love to hear your "why" - please add a comment. What would be your reason(s) for joining me on this journey?
It's like you read my mind-- all of your points resonate with me. I feel overwhelmed by all of the "stuff" we have that is scattered about the house at the end of each day. I've started to keep a bag in our laundry room that I fill up with things I find we no longer need to take to donate every other week-ish. It's a start. Thanks for sharing your journey!
ReplyDeleteI think having a donate bag is a great idea! We currently have a few bags that we need to take. Unfortunately, we just stick them in a closet and forget about them! I like that you make it a routine to take stuff so it doesn't pile up.
DeleteI feel you Kelly! This is a struggle my oldest and I are working on- simplifying and organizing. It is constant, which makes me think we aren't doing it right!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a process, that's for sure! I'm hoping that if we make it a part of our lifestyle, it will just become natural. Maintenance is way easier than "fixing" it. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteThis. 100% this! This post just articulated exactly how I feel as a new mom of twins. I was in the hospital for my whole third trimester and missed out on nesting.. and now the STUFF has arrived! It is stealing my joy :-/
ReplyDeletethis is Janie btw
DeleteThanks Janie! Definitely don't want to let the stuff steal your joy. Can I say that you have a crazy head start on me, since you can already see why you are overwhelmed? It's taken me 4 years to figure it out! In some ways, it will hopefully be easier now, since I assume your little ones can't try to convince you why they need to keep something. ;)
Deletethanks! they say a woman's stress level is proportional to the clutter in her home! i totally agree..
DeleteI have been thinking about your blog and approach to decluttering a lot! Here are some thoughts..
ReplyDeletemy mom did a really smart thing in that she rotated toys. Dress-up box, marbleworks, legos, omagles, lincoln logs, and band set only came down a couple weeks a year. It was so special! the rest of it was "out of sight out of mind" which helped for clutter, but the added benefit was the kids (us) really enjoyed it too!
I have made a New Year's resolution to declutter 10 minutes a day. A drawer, a shelf, a counter. Everything must have a place - and what I am finding is that place for half of it is the trash and half of what's left is donated. I don't hold myself to perfection; my goal is to leave it better than I found it. I am seeing slow & steady progress. In these first weeks, I have taken 6 bags & 2 large boxes to Goodwill!!
DeleteOne challenge: grandparents. Oh my goodness grandparents! I am having to reign mine in. I would love to hear your thoughts on that topic! They buy too much too often.
DeleteA couple last comments: I have simplified my daily mom wardrobe by setting aside about 30 pieces that are my winter capsule wardrobe. I did the same with my makeup.. put away the spring/summer colors & only have out what i use daily for my 2 or 5 minute face (yes the looks are different!)
DeleteMy next goal is the kitchen.. box up the special occassion items & only store in prominent places what is used often. This will include casserole disbes & pots/pans.
DeleteLastly, I have found it really helfpul to completely finish something before moving on. ie.. declutter, bag up, take to Goodwill. No letting the bags hang around near the front door or in the trunk of my car. IT IS STILL CLUTTER THAT WAY!
DeleteJanie, love your thoughts! Thanks so much for sharing them. I agree with you on so many of your tactics. Rotating toys is a great idea, and something that we've finally just started doing. Just today I brought out some Mega blocks that they haven't seen in a while. They've been playing with them for a good while this morning.
DeleteGirl, I hear you about grandparents, but just gifts in general. I may post about that soon, because it's a big one. My oldest's birthday is in December, so we get hit with the influx from both Christmas and birthday gifts.
I'm exploring the concept of a capsule wardrobe. I think clothes are going to be a hard one for me, since I've still got maternity clothes, and "in between" clothes that I just can't convince myself to get rid of yet.
And I'm totally guilty of letting bags just sit in the closet for months before finally taking them to donate. I'm starting to plan a weekly trip to donate anything I've decluttered in the week. I'm hoping that helps!
i have maternity & "in between" clothes too! right now i have them boxed up and high in a closet. I would be lost as a mom without my capsule wardrobe. all i did was separate out my favorite items that fit, and cluster them in the closet. it takes the thinking out of getting dressed, and with twins, i have no spare room in my brain! i am working on my professional capsule for when i go back to work in may.
ReplyDeleteDo you capsule based on season, or by category? I posted about the seasonal capsule but I think if I needed to dress professionally, it would make sense for me to sort my clothes out that way.
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