Clearing Out The Clutter

Oh, how I love a clean kid's room! Not necessarily clean in the traditional sense, but the best clean, the clean of everything having a place to go at the end of the day. After Christmas I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the toy situation in the Prana Mama house. Ezra's room was crowded by (totally awesome) new playthings. Of course I felt so much gratitude for the beautiful gifts that our child had been given, but I also felt like if I stepped on another stuffed animal I was going to freak the f out. I could tell Ez was feeling it too. With so much new he would bounce around his room not knowing what to play with (or where to play with it in our limited space). So when the amazing husband took Ezra to the hardware store with him this past weekend I jumped on the opportunity to declutter that child's room. (I'm sure Ezra would not have been as thrilled to go if he had known they were picking up more toddler-proofing items!)

With the boys out of the house I played some tunes, put on the obligatory cleaning/moving lady bandana, and got to work. I bagged up the donate piles (mainly toys, books, and clothes Ezra had grown past) and began organizing all of the keeps. I created a system of rotation, putting back similar toys, animals, blocks, etc... to be cycled throughout the next year. Everything was then boxed up and put away with some time to spare to create a little tableau of toys (and a much needed quick vacuuming).

It was a simple thing to do (and I know many of you probably have similar systems), but I tell you what if it didn't make all of the difference in the world. The space felt like it could breath again and I knew Ezra would now be able to enjoy the thoughtful gifts he had received fully. Of course it all ends up strewn across the house throughout the day (that's just a part of the toddler gig), but clean-up at the end of the day is much smoother now that everything has it's place.

We all (especially children) crave simplicity and shut down with too much stimulation. I know decluttering always make me feel better, lighter. A clean house follows a clean mind, right? - Maybe it's the other way around. I know for me the two go hand in hand. We have been riding high on a lot of the recent changes we have decided to make in our home (more on that later) leading to lots of inventory taking and clearing out the clutter (in more than just our physical home). It feels good to be light, clear minded and with a clean kitchen counter! 

I hope 2013 is treating you kindly so far, full of love and abundance (and maybe some decluttering)!

Namaste.

Tara