So I was reading my cousins blog and she was so impressed with her friend that she added a link to a recent blog entry she wrote. I read it and was so impressed I thought I'd pass it along. I thought it had great advice.
This is from
http://jeremynmary.blogspot.com/
(Mary is a stay at home mom of 5, almost 6 kids)
More Life (posted January 20, 2010)
So I was watching Oprah a while back and she had a show featuring woman around the world and how they live. It was so interesting! The people that really impressed me the most was the people of Copenhagen Denmark. They are very family oriented. They get off work at 4:00, they eat all their meals together, and they spent their time with their family. But what really made an impression on me was the way they lived. Their homes where very small and very clean. The average family had about 3 children. But Oprah went into one family's home and she was amazed at how clean and clutter free it was. Then the husband said these simple but ingenious words, "Less Space, Less Stuff, More Life". That hit me like a ton of bricks. The bigger the house, the more to clean, and the more stuff we put into it. All I do all day long is move stuff, clean stuff, get rid of stuff, or buy stuff. I am so busy with those things that I don't really get the time to do the things I love, which is be with my family. So I took it as a challenge. I went through my entire house and de cluttered. This was a big project that took me many days but it was the best thing I have ever done for myself. My laundry is under control, my kitchen is easy to clean, the toys are simple to put away. I can't tell you the change it has brought to my life. It was very freeing to get rid of things. Plus Jeremy and I have decided for 1 year to not buy STUFF. Only food, gas, vacations, or things for other people, like for Birthdays, ect. One year should really make a difference in our bank account and our life. These are the simple things I did.
1) De cluttered all of the kids clothes. They are allowed 7 shirts, 5 pairs of pants, and 2 church outfits. That is it. I packed away the shorts and short sleeves for summer. Out in our garage Jeremy put hooks on the wall for coats and bags. Below each child has a bin for shoes, hats, gloves, ect. So all of that stays out of the bedrooms and house. And it all has a home. Laundry is a cinch!
2) De cluttered all the kitchen cabinets and got rid of the junk I never use. Cleared off my counters with only a couple things left.
3) All closets are clean. Extra stuff put into the storage room.
4) I packed away extra towels and kitchen towels. I didn't want to get rid of them knowing they are expensive plus they wear out. So I only left what we use. Closets are clutter free and the laundry doesn't get out of control.
5) If you haven't used it for a year, your probably not going to. Donate it so someone else can!
Simple things that really make a difference. Less stuff, more life!
