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January 2, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Decluttering Your Home: A Practical Guide for Moms

Home & Family

Create more time through decluttering and teaching family responsibility!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.

Over the years I have been so frustrated with the constant re-organizing of every closet and cabinet in the house. It happens over and over again and robs me of so much time that would be much better spent playing with my kids!

Nearly two years ago I ordered a garbage bin and went to town decluttering! There was so much stuff that I intended to mend some day, repurpose, repair, keep for someday, etc., and it was taking over so much space and mental energy.

We went about the usual process of sorting into piles for donating, selling, and passing on to family and friends. What was different about that process was that it was larger scale than usual and when it was over there was a weight lifted that I never knew was there, and the house just somehow felt lighter and airier.

You’ll find printables to help you with your process at the bottom of this post! Keep reading!

What was also lighter was my to-do list and those who know me know that is a big deal to me. The most important things to me are time and connection with my kids so shortening my to-do list and putting things on auto-pilot are always something I am striving to do.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have to reorganize closets and cabinets a lot – I seem to be the only person that cares if casserole dishes are stacked rather than just shoved in a cabinet (shocking I know!)– but the reorganizing takes a minute, not hours.

I learned a lot from that process, and that learning has been emphasized in recent months as we have hunkered down at home more than usual.

mom and child relaxing and reading book after decluttering

Benefits of Decluttering

Reduce Anxiety

Clutter really is anxiety inducing. This is in part due to the dysregulation of how Cortisol (stress hormone) functions in our bodies. Studies show that women, in particular, experience disruption in Cortisol and increased Cortisol throughout the day when living in a cluttered environment. While I was aware of this, I didn’t fully recognize it until I experienced the relief from decluttering first hand.

Less stress and overwhelm

A cluttered home can feel like a giant to-do list. It can be overwhelming when surfaces have become cluttered to the point of feeling like there is “stuff everywhere.” Having a clutter free home is like throwing a big part of your to-do list right out the window!

Healthier Habits

Did you know that clutter can dysregulate the cortisol levels in our bodies? Which in turn leads to unhealthy habits. A study released by Cornell University in 2016 showed that clutter and chaos, which increases anxiety and stress, actually results in increased consumption of unhealthy foods!?

mom making healthy choices after decluttering

Cleaning Made Easy

Do you have those days when you have to clean up before you can clean? It takes so long that often times the cleaning itself doesn’t get done. When you declutter, this issue goes away (for the most part.) It makes cleaning a breeze and helps you to spend more time with your family.

Easier to organize

I wouldn’t pretend that organizing doesn’t still need to happen, but it takes minutes instead of hours and is much easier to maintain when there is less stuff.

Fewer Arguments

In our home, as things become messy there are bound to be more arguments. My daughter and I tend to become more anxious as clutter collects, which impacts how we communicate. My son also loses all of his stuff if he isn’t putting things back where they belong, which leads to one meltdown after another. At the end of the day people are arguing because there are more to-do lists being handed out, things are lost, and things are easily broken because they aren’t where they are supposed to be.

More time freedom

When you aren’t constantly picking up, organizing, sorting out arguments, your energy isn’t being drained by all of these things, and your hormones aren’t dysregulated, there is new time freedom that comes from actually having more time, and also from being more productive.

Teaching Opportunity

Like so many other things decluttering, and particularly maintaining it, teaches a sense of commitment, responsibility, and teamwork. It also teaches our kids healthy life choices to help them reduce their own stress later in life.

Family rituals

We instill a lot in our children through family rituals. Rituals help to support change in a positive way and also help to reinforce positive values for future generations. We work together each Friday evening after school and work to do what we refer to as a “family clean” so that we head into the weekend free of chores that keep us from spending time with one another. Decluttering has naturally become a part of this now and my children now understand that we finish our responsibilities so we can freely move into the excitement of fun activities. I’m really hoping they hold on to this value through their teen years!

kids playing happily on a decluttered floor

More space to live

There have been times, particularly when my kids were really little, that there seemed to just be “stuff” everywhere. Finding an open space to do yoga, or for a family workout, to play a game or to use a toy that required a larger amount of space became difficult. This ultimately stopped us from doing things we would have otherwise enjoyed doing together. Having more empty space in the house allows us to move and play more freely.

More money

After you declutter, you are much more hesitant to bring things into your home. In turn you tend to buy less “stuff” and you get rid of things more quickly (which can also result in more money when you are selling them!).

Part of decluttering is also learning to use up what you have, before bringing new things into your home. My friend Mary, from Beauty In Ordinary Things, is working her way through a No Spend Month in January. You should check out her post for more tips on how to save money by not spending and bringing less into your home!

Decluttering Success Tips

  1. Be reasonable with what you can manage – you DO NOT need to follow someone else’s schedule or expectation. If you set an expectation you can’t meet (like I do with my exercise habits haha) then you are setting yourself up to fail.
  2. Find strategies that work for your family. Again, do what works for you and your family. If giving everyone garbage bags to fill works, do that. If decluttering room by room works, do that. Some of this will be trial and error.
  3. Include the whole family. I cannot stress this enough. Chances are, the things that need to be decluttered weren’t caused solely by you, use this opportunity to engage the whole family. They will also be more invested in maintaining the change moving forward if they helped do the work.
  4. Be prepared to let things go. This is so hard for me! I like to keep things. I hate waste and I always want to repurpose things or save things for “someday” when we need them. If you have a little Frozen fan, now is a great time for them to start singing “Let it Go!”
  5. Shift your headspace. Also a big one from me. It is hard to shift values/priorities. For me, not being wasteful is a value, which is why it is so hard to throw things away. However, I also value my time with my kids and our emotional well-being, so it was time to take stock and reassess my values and priorities. As they say, nothing will change if you don’t.
  6. Be ready to organize what is left. This is the fun part to me! I love to organize. I love buying bins and hooks and building shelves. However, like it or not, when the decluttering is over, what is left needs a place to go or it will still end up everywhere. We often wait to see what is left before deciding how to organize, as that works well for us.

Decluttering Strategies

  1. Start with the easiest things so that you can experience success right at the start!
  2. Tidy up by category – not location. There is nothing worse than feeling like we have sorted all of the books, just to hit a new bookcase in a new room. We do all of the books at once. It also helps us see what is left to condense and organize after.
  3. Put everything in one place. IE when we declutter toys they all go on the couches to be re-sorted into bins. When we declutter closets, everything goes on the bed and we resort from there.
  4. If you are hesitant about keeping something, unless there is a VERY good reason to keep it, let it go.
  5. However you set up your decluttering, whether you are doing a bit each day, a room each day, or a weekend/week-long marathon, make it an event. Put your mind to the task and get it done.
  6. Be rid of piles as they come. Don’t leave piles of things that are meant to go around, or slowly you will find things are taken out of the piles. At the end of the “event” put the trash out, and remove the bags for donations from the house.
  7. If you are able, tackle the spaces in the home that are your sanctuary first. Again, this is about experiencing success and knowing what it feels like to live in a space that has the weight of clutter removed. It is great motivation to keep going!
  8. Put the kids to work! Seriously. Put them in charge of their own spaces (with guidance and support of course.) We have a kid-friendly printable, in addition to the customizable calendar, if you have big kids that are able to work independently.
  9. If you are doing light maintenance, give each person a garbage bag and have them fill it with things that can go. ADDED TIP: Make sure your kids know this means their OWN stuff. The first time I did this with my kids they both came back with a bag full of the other’s toys. Lesson learned.
  10. Celebrate success! Make sure to take time to celebrate successes as you have them. This is hard work, and you all deserve a reward!

Organizing

Remember, when you are decluttering you are also going to need to organize what is staying. This is especially key for kiddos who will very easily slide back into chaos if things don’t find a home right of the get go.

Don’t forget to make sure that you have what you are going to need to organize and put things away afterwards. I often wait until I can take stock of what is left before finalizing my plan, but it almost always includes the following:

Storage Totes to move things that need to be kept into storage.

Storage Bins to organize and sort toys, crafts materials and cabinets.

Baskets for closets, drawers and cabinets.

Laminator for labeling things (I seriously couldn’t get by without this!)

Markers because we always need them for labelling and can never have enough!

It is really difficult to get around having too much stuff when you have little kids. However, for me, decluttering has reinforced the value of quality over quantity and the importance of versatility in toys.

I have always opted for quality toys. I prefer to spend money on toys that are going to be used in many different ways and outlast childhood. The number of broken toys that were pulled out of bins and closets was disgraceful – at best, and that completely reinforced my view on buying quality toys! It also supports my value of not being wasteful!

Printables

I’ve utilized many of the declutter calendars that are floating around, but they never quite work for our family. No two families’ lives/schedules/times/routines look exactly the same, so it is really hard to cookie-cutter a decluttering schedule. 

As I see it, to have something that works for your family and your schedule you need a check list that doesn’t tie you to a particular order or a customizable calendar!

The checklist is great if you are just looking to work your way through the tasks, or help others in the house know what else needs to be done, without holding yourself accountable to a specific time frame. If you are someone that is going to throw the schedule out the window if you miss a scheduled calendar day, the checklist is for you!

The customizable calendar (my kids favourite) is for those who want to hold themselves accountable to a timeframe, but also need some flexibility in what gets done when. You’ll see that the customizable calendar comes with tasks that can be written onto the calendar, or cut out and glued – the purpose of this is family engagement and conversation.

You’ll also find a kid-friendly (aka more colourful) printable to use if your kids are headed into independent territory!

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“𝕀𝕟 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕜 “𝕀𝕟 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕜 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖, 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕣 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕖𝕜𝕤.”
𝕁𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝕄𝕦𝕚𝕣

Today, it was the simple wish to make a snow angel, which of course lead to pondering how to get up without undoing his careful work, which lead to better problem solving skills and creativity. 

He doesn’t see his learning, but I do 💕
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#snowfun #snow #snowplay #1000hoursoutside #outdoorfun #outdoorplay #outdoorkids #snowkids #kidfun #winterplay #yourbestmomfriend #kidsplay #winteractivities #snowactivities #kidsactivities #familyfun #canadianwinter #familytime #canadianmom #winterkids #canadianwinter #funinthesnow #homeschooling #canadianhomeschooler #homeschoollife
“𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝔹𝕠𝕪, 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕡𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕦𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕤, 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕥 𝕚𝕤: 𝕡𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕦𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕞𝕤!”

This is the most beautiful tribute to little boys everywhere. It perfectly embodies so many of the lessons that my Mama heart wants to impart on my sweet (& wild) boy.

We always give books, inscribed with hand written love notes from Mom & Dad for Valentine’s Day, rather than a card. This year Dear Boy & Dear Girl will be given to my little crew 💕

✍️ Paris Rosenthal
🎨 Holly Hatam
✨ A book full of sweet messages, lessons, values and love. 

Sneak peak in stories. Link in Bio. 
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#kidswhoread #familytraditions #valentinesforkids #valentinesideas #booksforkids #booksforboys #boysbooks #momofboys #boymama #familybooks #readaloud #valentinescards #dearboy #boyhoodmagic #magicofbooks #booksbooksbooks #books #booksofig #booklove #homeschoolmom #bookfamily #kidswhoreadsucceed
𝕀𝕟 𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕠𝕗 ℕ𝕒 𝕀𝕟 𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕠𝕗 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 ℙ𝕠𝕡𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕟 𝔻𝕒𝕪...🍿

I’m pretty sure we crossed off math, science, art and life skills by making popcorn balls today...no? 💁🏼‍♀️

#kidsinthekitchen #kitchenskills #learninginthekitchen #littlechefs #kitchenhelpers #kidsactivities #handsonlearning #handsonactivities #reallifemath #reallifescience #21stcenturylearning #playfullearning #kidswhobake #homeschoollife #homeschoolmom #familyactivities #lifewithkids #lifeskills #littlebakers #bananabread #nationalpopcornday #learningthroughplay #homeschoolers #homeschool #kidapproved #kidfriendlyrecipes #recipesforkids #kidfriendlyrecipe
ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕝 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤𝕥, 𝕕𝕠𝕟’𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜? 💁🏼‍♀️

We absolutely love playing in the kitchen. 👩🏼‍🍳

Kids learn so much in the kitchen, from math and science to important life skills like problem solving and creativity. 

Nothing beats the learning that comes with hands on activities and there’s no better motivation than learning your way to yummy treats! 🙃

We’ve been working out some kinks lately to find what is now our favourite banana bread recipe. They’ve been changing things up, adjusting ingredients and baking times, and even playing with bakeware to get the exact texture and taste they want. Today they found it 🥰 

We were also working on equivalent fractions as Mama purposefully provided measuring cups that were missing the measurements they needed 😉

The kids “perfect banana bread” is up on yourbestmomfriend.com 💕 Link in Bio! 

You will also find info on the awesome heart shaped mold we used! 💜

#kidsinthekitchen #kitchenskills #learninginthekitchen #littlechefs #kitchenhelpers #kidsactivities #handsonlearning #handsonactivities #reallifemath #reallifescience #21stcenturylearning #playfullearning #kidswhobake #homeschoollife #homeschoolmom #familyactivities #lifewithkids #lifeskills #littlebakers #bananabread #bananamuffins #learningthroughplay #homeschoolers #homeschool #kidapproved #kidfriendlyrecipes #recipesforkids #kidfriendlyrecipe
Tell me you play Racko 💁🏼‍♀️ We have Tell me you play Racko 💁🏼‍♀️

We have literally spent hours playing this today. 

The kids love the strategy aspect, I love the learning disguised in play. 

It’s win-win. 

If you haven’t played before, it’s a really simple concept, collecting and  trading cards in order to hold a rack of sequenced cards. Special runs increase your points, but the first player to have all of their cards from smallest to largest wins - or can take their chances at increasing points before calling Racko! 

We sometimes use this during what would be our math period as they learn a lot about number sequence and probability. 

What are you family’s favourite games that disguise learning in the fun?!
It’s that time of year again 💁🏼‍♀️ It’s that time of year again 💁🏼‍♀️

Time for fresh starts and putting our best foot forward. 

There’s such a beautiful feeling that comes with getting everything out of the house that really doesn’t need to be there...I think it’s called relaxation 😘

But I’m all seriousness, it really does support wellness ~ both emotionally and physically. (Did you know it is actually linked to healthier food choices like less snacking?!)

It’s also an awesome way to teach positive life choices and involve kids in family responsibilities and rituals. 🥰

My favourite part? It creates more time in our lives to spend with those we love 💕 

There’s no better time than now (and when we are all spending more time at home.) 

New post up on the blog, including free printables 👏

My kids LOVE the kids checklist (have I mentioned they think they are super independent 😂)
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#momlife #familylife #cleaningtips #cleaningroutines #familytime #kidswhoclean #familychores #choreideas #choretime #organizedhome #homesweethome #homelife #newyearsresolution2021 #springcleaningtips #springclean #freshstart #familygoals #familyfun #kidschores #kidschorechart #teachingresponsibility #teachingrespect #familyproject
Do you have a little gamer? 🎮 (Link for MarioK Do you have a little gamer? 🎮

(Link for MarioKart Home Circuit is in my bio 😃)

I used to worry a lot about video games, but I don’t anymore.

In fact, I now embrace his love of gaming and whole heartedly support it - because he is growing and expanding so much with them. 

He is learning team work, patience, commitment, problem solving, strategizing, money management and is even growing by way of emotional regulation. 

Through lock downs he’s stayed connected to friends and family through online play and family game nights have been taken to a whole new place sometimes! 

This little one has dreams of becoming an engineer and creating games and he is eager to learn any and all skills that help him achieve those dreams. 

He has also helped me to open my mind, shift my thinking and embrace the unexpected good in something I was, at one point, firmly against. 

Video games have been a perfect example of why I choose free play, why I choose playful learning, and the importance of not setting limits simply for the sake of setting them. 

I’ll be forever thankful for the fun and the growth he’s accomplished because of the imaginative worlds he’s become absorbed in through his games. 

In this picture he’s playing MarioKart Live Home Circut from @nintendo. 

This has brought him SO MUCH joy. Oddly enough, he’s also bonded with his great grandmother in a new way as he playfully torments her with it 🤦🏼‍♀️

Tell me how your kids have expanded your thinking?! 👇🏻
Come on Canada, do your thing ❄️ We are in ne Come on Canada, do your thing ❄️

We are in need of some packing snow! ☃️

We are absolutely in love with this Igloo from @playsnowigloostructures 🥰

If it hadn’t been rainy up until today I would have had a really hard time waiting on Christmas to give this to the kids 💁🏼‍♀️

This comes in pieces that very easily snap together. When you cover it with packing snow the frame is hidden and you have a very special, and very fun, Igloo structure. How amazing is that?! 

You can buy additional Igloos and tunnels to attach them together and my kids are already wishing for additions to make themselves an Igloo “city” 🤞🏻💁🏼‍♀️

We are bundled up, enjoying the beautiful snowy day, now we just need the right snow to get our Igloo play on!! 
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#snowfun #snow #snowtoys #snowplay #1000hoursoutside #outdoorfun #outdoorplay #outdoorkids #snowkids #kidfun #toysthatlast #favoritetoys #outdoortoys #wintertoys #yourbestmomfriend #igloofun #kidsplay #winteractivities #snowactivities #kidsactivities #familyfun #canadianwinter #familytime #canadianmom #winterkids #canadianwinter #funinthesnow #qualitytoys

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