A Simpler Motherhood

Category: A Simpler Home

Vanessa

5 Doable Challenges for a Decluttered Home

A Simpler Home

We all want home to be our safe place, our sanctuary, a place to unwind and connect with the ones we love. Research has shown that our homes matter when it comes to our happiness and our stress level. When we come home to an uncluttered space where we have what we need, what we use, and what we love; we are better able to find peace and connect with the ones under our roof and in our community. The New Year has come and gone, but I love to take on a few challenges in the spring.

Here are 5 Doable Challenges for a Decluttered Home.

5 Doable Challenges for a Decluttered Home

Tackle the achilles heel of your home

What is a spot in your home that causes the most stress? Your entryway? A bedroom? The kitchen? We tend to go for easy wins when it comes to tackling spaces, which many times makes sense. But, let’s change things up, make some real progress, and tackle a pain point. To find out what space this is for you, ask yourself: What space in our home, if it functioned well, would help the rest of our home function well? Your gut is also helpful on this one. Set aside some time and tackle this space and then pay attention to the ripple affects.

Brain dump your project wish list

Most of us could make a pretty long list of projects to do around the house. I’m raising my hand. Sit down with a pen and sheet of paper and list all the decluttering projects you would like to do if given infinite amount of time. Don’t leave anything out. Walk away from the list for 24 hours and then come back. What things stick out to you as most important? What project would move the needle forward for getting your home closer to the sanctuary feel you crave? Circle your top three projects and put them on the calendar to tackle.

Play the numbers game

Sometimes we just need to see things moving out of our home at a rapid pace. I’ve been there before and it always makes me happy. Make a goal for getting X amount of items out of your home. Give yourself a timeframe to accomplish your goal. For example, once I decluttered 465 things in a month. I decluttered one thing on the first day of the month, two things on the second day of the month and so on. Or, you could simply pick a number like 200 and declutter items until you have reached that number. This is a fun challenge to do with a friend and an easy way to clear some major clutter.

Choose one space to keep decluttered

We all have a space we congregate in to hang out and connect. The living room or kitchen are the spaces that come to mind. Choose the one most used by your people and make a commitment to simplify it and keep it simplified for a period of time. Maybe your crew hangs out around the kitchen island after school each evening. Keep out only the necessities, clear the clutter, and make space for your people to connect and do whatever it is you like to do there.

For our family, it’s our living room. Keeping our living room simplified helps us use it the way we want to. The kids can build magnatile cities and trade Pokemon. We can read books together and watch movies as a family in this space easily because it is decluttered and simple. We reset the living room each night as a family to be sure it’s ready for the following day. Decluttering one space and keeping it that way with daily resets can help your family have the space it needs to function well.

Commit to resets

A kitchen or living room reset each evening makes for a good morning. A reset can entail whatever makes the room function well for your family. I mentioned our family does a small living room reset each evening. Our family also resets the kitchen before bed. Countertops are wiped down, the big kids put dishes away, and my husband lays out things for breakfast. This ensures a smooth start each morning. What space in your home could use a reset each evening to make for a smooth start to the day? Commit to not hitting the hay until your chosen space is ready for the following day.

When it comes to decluttering and keeping a functional home, deciding what you should focus your attention on is key. Choose one challenge or make up your own and see where it takes you. I am going to slowly work through a few of these challenges over the next month to get my home ready for spring. What challenge will you tackle?

Vanessa

Prep for Fall: Seeking Gold

A Simpler Home

Some say fall is the second new year. It’s a time to reset, refocus, and prepare for a new season. Recently I watched the Minimal Mom talk about how decluttering is like seeking out the gold in our homes. Like those who so many years ago panned for gold, we can remember this while we declutter. Panning for gold in our homes looks like finding the really good stuff. The stuff we use, love, the stuff that brings value to our lives. When we find the gold it becomes clear what’s not important, which makes it easier to let go. The past few weeks I’ve done this with my family. We have been Seeking Gold as we declutter and reset our home to Prep for Fall.

Seeking Gold

Seeking Gold is a change in mindset and has helped me let go of the stuff that just doesn’t matter. Instead of thinking: Should I let this go? What if I need it someday and don’t have it? I’ve been trying to think: Do I use this often? Does it bring me joy? Is it valuable to me? Seeking Gold takes us from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. It’s looking for the valuable and letting everything else fall away.

As my family and I did this in our home, we simply went room to room and drawer to drawer looking for gold. I began with my closet, going through and finding my favorites, the things I feel good in. I let go of a few things I never felt quite right in. Then I showed my kids these things and told them why I no longer found them valuable.

Together, we went through each kid’s room, looking for the gold and then letting go of the things that got in the way of the kids enjoying the gold. Broken cars, books no longer read, random toys no longer loved.

I also went through the kitchen, our homeschool supplies, and some home decor items and let go of the things we no longer used or didn’t enjoy anymore. If I didn’t absolutely love an item, it went out the door. This may seem extreme, but I want our home to only include things serving us. Not the other way around. I don’t want to be a slave to our stuff and I want to enjoy the gold.

Seeking Gold Challenge

I challenge you to pick a drawer, a room, a closet, and use the Seeking Gold mindset to declutter. Begin with finding the gold: the stuff you really use, enjoy, and love. See what’s left and what you can let go of.

If letting go of stuff is stressful, try a Decide Later box. Place everything you aren’t sure about in the box, wait a few weeks or a month and see if it’s turned to gold by then. If not, it’s okay to let it go.

The fall is said to be a second new year. Let’s prepare for the changing of the seasons by seeking gold in our homes.

Vanessa

Prep for Fall: Empty the Kitchen

A Simpler Home, A Simpler Motherhood

As hard as it is it admit, fall is coming and there is nothing we can do about it. While it looms ahead of us, let’s prepare for the beginning of this new season and all that comes with school and routines and (possibly) a fuller calendar. Today we are going to prep for fall and begin with how to Empty the Kitchen.

The past month and a half our family has been emptying the pantry and freezer. While summer usually lends itself to a lot of grilling, we have been opting for roasts in the crock pot and bacon in the oven. Using up what we have has been a priority as we prepare for harvest season: produce to freeze and can and fresh meat from local farmers. Before school begins, before we stock up, it’s time to empty the kitchen. Let’s use up what we have to prep for fall.

Empty the Kitchen

Step 1: Throw stuff out.

Food waste is prevalent and also annoying. It’s inevitable there is something expired or not edible in your fridge, freezer, or pantry. Do a quick look through and throw out anything past its prime. Hopefully this won’t take much time and there won’t be much in the trash. But if there is, give yourself grace and let this be your motivation to not let this happen to the rest of the food in your house.

Step 2: Take inventory.

Let’s peek inside our fridge, freezer, and pantry to take inventory of what we have. We can’t use it up if we are clueless what’s hiding behind the leftovers. Go through each space and pull things in sight that need to be used up. Take note of any meals to make with the items in those spaces.

For example, as I have been trying to empty our kitchen, I noticed a few racks of ribs in the freezer and baked beans in the pantry. Last week we had just that for dinner along with some cucumbers from the garden. I also noticed we had some roasts and homemade beef broth in the freezer. Even though it’s summer, there will be roast at dinnertime.

When we know what we have, we can use what we have.

Step 3: Meal plan

If you’re like me, meal plans ebb and flow depending on the literal season of the year and the current season our family is living in. Whether our calendars are fuller or slower, whether we are spending more time riding bikes or on the soccer field, whether we are traveling or at home. Whatever season you’re in, find a meal plan strategy that works for you. Use the inventory you found in your spaces to make a plan for the next week or two. Maybe you have so many leftovers you need to do snack boards with leftovers for the next several nights. Lucky you, dinner check check check! Maybe you have random cuts of meat in your freezer that need used up. Or maybe you have a bunch of veggies on the verge and need to find some dishes to get them on plates and out of the fridge. Make a meal plan to use the things you have.

I’m competitive by nature and sometimes I like to make it a game to see how long I can go before I put in an order for grocery pick up. It’s silly, but it helps me be creative with the things already sitting in my fridge. See how long you can go without hitting up the grocery store. Pancakes absolutely count as dinner, friends.

Emptying the kitchen can be fun. It’s the perfect time to do it before we stock up for the second new year coming at us so very soon. Back to school is close. How will you Empty the Kitchen?

Vanessa

A Closet Clean Out for All of Us

A Simpler Home

If you’ve ever watched an HGTV bedroom reveal or a Youtuber showing off her refreshed closet, you have probably viewed a minimal, attractive closet. Wooden hangers hung with pretty colored clothing, spaced an inch apart. Shoes lined up just so. An airy, uncluttered, beautiful closet perfectly curated with all the right pieces.

If you’re anything like me, you immediately ponder how you can get your closet to look just a teensy bit like the one on the screen. And then you go and look in your closet and realize it’s just not possible. But I’m here to tell you we can all take a step in that direction. While it will take some work, all of our closets can look a bit better and, more importantly, function better. Today I’m sharing: A Closet Clean Out for All of Us.

A Closet Clean Out for All of Us

Why A Closet Clean Out

Real quick before we get to the practical side of a Closet Clean Out, let’s get clear on why it will benefit us. First, all of us get dressed (almost) everyday. We open up our closet and make a decision on what to put on our bodies. The less clothes we have to sort through in the morning, the better. Why? When our closet is only filled with the things we wear and love, we don’t have to sort through the rest: the out of season clothes, the ill fitting clothes, the clothes we just don’t like. We simply can choose an outfit that we love day after day.

Another reason for a closet clean out is others can benefit from what we don’t wear. You’ve probably heard this statistic: We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. Let’s let the 80% go so others can wear what we aren’t.

The last reason for a closet clean out is to have that attractive, functional closet we see on HGTV and YouTube. It’s not going to be perfect, but it can be functional and bring us a little joy each day when it holds only the things we wear and love.

A Closet Clean Out for All of Us

Most of us have multiple closets in our home. Hall closets, bathroom closets, entry way closets, clothes closets, pantry closets. Today, let’s focus and get clarity on our clothes closet.

Before we begin, I want to acknowledge we all have varying degrees of time and energy. We also all have closets with different amounts of clutter and organization. Instead of sharing a one size fits all closet clean out, I’m going to share three phases each building upon one another. You can start with Phase One and call it a day or you can move through all three phases when you have the time and energy. Let’s head into the closet.

Phase One

Let’s start small, but still make progress. We are going to declutter the obvious things that need to go: stained, ripped, and unwearable clothing. Finally get those out of the closet. Let’s also remove anything we haven’t worn in over two years. We are going for the easy wins here. These are decisions we don’t have to think too much about.

After the first pass through, let’s box up all out of season clothing. When this post goes live, we are at the front end of spring. All fall and super wintery clothing can go in a tote or an Amazon box and get put out of sight. I suggest under the bed or in another room.

Phase Two

You’ve made it through Phase One and you want to take your closet a step further. Let’s dig a bit deeper and box up half of what’s left in the closet. Don’t stop reading, we aren’t getting rid of these, yet. Choose things you don’t reach for often. Don’t think too much about it, just take half of everything and put it in a box or another room. We are going to leave it there for two weeks and see what we miss and want to keep. This is a good exercise in how many of our clothes we actually wear. You might discover you wear a lot of your wardrobe or you may find you don’t miss as much as you thought. It’s a great, low risk experiment in dressing with less.

When the two weeks are up, donate or sell any clothing you didn’t miss or reach for during the last few weeks. If this makes you nervous, keep it for another two weeks and then make decisions.

Phase Three

If you’ve made it through the first two phases and want more, get ready. This is the deep work. Look at what’s left in your closet and do a gut check. Let’s be real with ourselves and ask some hard questions. Instead of asking: Have I worn this in the last 6 months? We are going to ask: Would I buy this again? If the answer is yes, we will dig deeper and ask: Can I live without it? I know these questions could seem extreme, but I have found the way to a beautiful, curated closet (and life) is being real with ourselves, cutting way down on what we own, and only keeping the things we truly wear and enjoy.

Once you’ve asked the hard questions on the items in your closet and let go of the ones you wouldn’t buy again, it’s time to organize. Friends, there is no right way to organize. The only right way is the way that works for you. You can organize by color, category, height of item. Decide what works best for you and organize accordingly.

If you’re still reading and completed all three phases…Congratulations!

Maintenance

If we want our closets to keep functioning well, maintenance will be required. One rule I like to use is the 1 in 1 out rule. If I purchase something new, another item has to leave my closet. This keeps me accountable and doesn’t let my closet get out of control.

Something else to consider when it comes to purchasing new items: only bring in items that go with things currently in our closets. If we want to buy a skirt, but have nothing to wear with it, chances are we won’t wear the skirt or we will purchase a few more things to make it work. If we are intentional with our purchases moving forward, our closets will continue to function well.

There also may be times we need to do another declutter. I shoot for a few times a year, usually when the seasons change. My preferences change and so does my body, so I try and let go of items that are no longer serving me.

A beautiful, functional closet is possible for all of us! Will you do a Closet Clean Out this spring?

Vanessa

Spring Home Tasks

A Simpler Home

Spring is here and there are a million posts, printables, and check lists out there about Spring Cleaning. It’s basically the second new year. Spring feels like a new start and it is the perfect time to freshen things up in our homes. Today I’m sharing some Spring Home Tasks, but before we get to those I have a very important disclaimer. These tasks are meant to be inspiration. My hope is they will encourage you to figure out what you and your home need to be prepared for this next season.

Before beginning any Spring Home Tasks, I think it’s best to start with a notepad and a walk through our homes. What needs tending, organizing, cleaning, mending? What has been driving us bananas since last September or the September before that? Which projects have we put off long enough? What things simply need our attention for 15 minutes so they are out of our minds for the rest of the season? Let’s begin here. So grab a notepad and take a walk through your home with eyes looking for the undone, the unclean, the unorganized.

It’s imperative to understand this: Our homes are meant to serve us, not the other way around. We create more room to love and serve our people, enjoy our spaces, and live the lives we were intended to live when our homes serve us. Let’s get to it.

Spring Home Tasks

Cleaning Tasks

Grab a bucket, some hot water, a microfiber cloth, and some powdered Tide. Put one teaspoon of powdered Tide in a gallon of warm water and wipe down baseboards and doors. The house smells amazing after this and you will feel like a superhero.

Pull down cloth shower curtains and wash in the washing machine. Hang to dry.

Do the powdered Tide thing again and wipe down kitchen cabinets, mudroom cabinets, kitchen chairs, dining room chairs. Again, you will feel so good.

Wash all bedding, including mattress covers. Be sure to follow the washing instructions.

While bedding is off, vacuum mattresses and couches.

Grab a magic eraser and clean doorknobs, light switches, and any random marks on walls.

Do a self cleaning cycle on the dishwasher and washing machine.

Clean carpets by hiring it out, renting a RugDoctor, or purchasing or borrowing a carpet cleaner. The snow and mud needs to go.

Decluttering and Organizing Tasks

Declutter the toys. It’s been a long winter and we may have needed the extra coloring books and happy meal toys when we were stuck inside, but now those things are in the way. Go through toys with your kids and let go of what no longer gets play time.

Purge kids’ clothing. Go through each closet and decide what still fits. Look at bottoms, tops, dresses, underwear, socks, and shoes. Donate, sell, or pack away the rest. Make a list of clothing items needed for spring and make plans to purchase.

Shoes. Why are there so many? Purge grown out and destroyed shoes (you know you have some). Make a list of shoes needing purchased for spring.

Projects

Is there a wall or room in your home that needs a fresh coat of paint? I know it’s a commitment, but a coat of paint always always freshens up a room. (I did this recently to our main bath that hasn’t been painted in more than 10 years and I kept asking myself why I didn’t do it sooner.)

Quiet the house. Clear surfaces, put away winter decor, get rid of the unnecessary. This is the perfect time to quiet the house before adding spring decor. The Nester introduced me to this and it makes such a big difference, especially in-between seasons.

With notepad in hand, decide if there are any bigger projects you want to tackle this spring or this year. A bathroom refresh? A toy overhaul? A master bedroom makeover? This is a good time to notice what you want done.

Spring Home Tasks don’t have to be daunting. Let’s prioritize what needs to be done and let the rest go. What tasks will you accomplish this spring?

Vanessa

Dreaming of Spring

A Simpler Home, A Simpler Motherhood

February is behind us and spring is in the air. I always start dreaming and planning this time of year for what I want the next season to look like. Today I’m sharing some of those dreams and plans with you as I start Dreaming of Spring.

Dreaming of Spring

The Garden

The past few years my kids have been old enough to help me plan the garden. It’s mostly Lily and I, but the boys will offer an opinion here and there. We sat down and dreamed up what we wanted it to look like this year. Our main focus: zinnias. They were our favorite last year and we want more. Lots more. We harvested seed heads in the fall so there shouldn’t be a shortage. We also are planning on cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini. Cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden in July are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world.

After we drew out the garden, we planned when we would plant which seeds and plants. This has us all excited to get our hands dirty this spring.

Maybe you’ve had a garden for 20 years or maybe you’re beginning this year with some herbs in a pot. Start dreaming of the things you would like to grow this spring and make a plan on what and how you will grow them. Seed catalogs or websites are great resources to help get you started. We like Johnny’s Seeds.

The House

Does anyone still spring clean? We do a bit over here and I made a mercifully short list of both cleaning and house projects I want to tackle the next month. My list includes: Dust doors and baseboards, Schedule window cleaning and carpet cleaning (delegating is my jam), Declutter and reorganize the filing cabinet, Paint and refresh the kids’ bathroom.

There are so many lists and printables and charts on spring cleaning out there. Do yourself a favor and do not search Pinterest for spring cleaning. I’m not saying there aren’t good resources out there because there absolutely are, but we all are unique people living in unique houses with other unique people. Instead of going down a rabbit hole on Pinterest, simply look at your house and decide 3-5 spring cleaning or home tasks that truly matter to you. Do your carpets need cleaned from the winter snow and mud? Does your playroom need decluttering? Does your basement need a deep clean? Make your list and let the rest go.

The Activities

For our family, spring gets a little fuller with soccer and Easter and wrapping up school. I like to go through our calendar and make sure I have all our commitments documented so we don’t overcommit or double book ourselves. There is a good chance I don’t have all the dates for the next few months yet, but what I do have I get on the calendar. I also note any travel dates and if there are things we need to dig out or purchase for this spring. I’m looking at you soccer cleats.

Take stock on what is happening in your house the next few months. Get it all on the calendar. Document practices, meetings, travel, and other events. Make a list of any items you may need to find or purchase for the activities on your calendar. Preparing for all the fun that spring brings is one way to look forward to the season ahead.

Spring is just around the corner and I am here for it. How are you Dreaming of Spring?

Vanessa

10 Ways to Simplify in 5 Minutes or Less

A Simpler Home, A Simpler Motherhood

Sometimes we need a win in a small amount of time. These small wins shouldn’t be dismissed. Today I’m sharing 10 Ways to Simplify in 5 minutes or Less.

10 Ways to Simplify in 5 Minutes or Less

Clear under the sink.

What’s under your kitchen sink? Cleaning products? Cloths? Dishwasher detergent? Grocery sacks? A mess? Take everything out, wipe down the cabinet and only put back what makes sense. Organize things in a way that makes everything easy to grab. A caddy for cleaning supplies. A drawer for microfiber cloths. A container with a lid for dishwasher pods. Clear it out and make it work for you.

Write down 10 weeknight meals.

Write down 10 meals you want to make this season. Meals that are easy to make, meals that you want to try, meals you will actually cook for your people. Use this list to meal plan this winter.

Grocery sack walk through.

Grab the Target grocery sack you got with your last curbside order and do a quick walk through your main living area. Put trash and unwanted things inside the sack. Don’t let yourself think too much on this one. Let your gut do the decision making. Throw the trash away and donate everything else.

Organize the winter gear.

If you live somewhere it gets cold, chances are it’s cold right now. Quickly go through the winter gear and make sure each person living in your home has the essentials. If there is a lot of excess, consider donating to a shelter to help someone else stay warm this winter.

Think through the laundry.

Is your laundry routine working for you? Is there something you need to tweak or change or do you need a complete overhaul? Think through how you do laundry and what you can change to make it simpler. Maybe it’s a load of laundry everyday or maybe it’s implementing a laundry day. Think about what works for you, your current season, and your family.

Purge your bag.

Grab your purse or bag and quickly look through it for trash and unnecessary items. Let go of those things to make your bag more functional.

Throw away expired food.

Do a quick check in the fridge and pantry for expired food. Toss anything you wouldn’t let your kids eat.

Declutter a bathroom drawer.

Open any bathroom drawer and pull out things that don’t belong and things you haven’t used in the last year. Be ruthless. This task gets you a lot of impact in a little amount of time.

Do a brain dump.

Set a timer for 5 minutes and brain dump everything you’re keeping in your brain. Use this list for your to-dos for the rest of the week and month. Get ready to feel a whole lot lighter.

Opt out.

This one might be controversial, but I’m going to say it nonetheless. What chore or task can you opt out of? Maybe it’s dinner duty on Thursday nights and you order take out. Maybe you need some help cleaning around the house and hire someone to clean once or twice a month. Or maybe it’s asking your spouse to take over a chore that’s overwhelming to you. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to not do it all. Friends, it’s okay to opt out.

We can all simplify something in 5 minutes or less. If you want more ways to simplify, check out this post.

What can you do today to make your life a bit simpler?

Vanessa

Post Christmas Purge

A Simpler Home, A Simpler Motherhood

Wrapping paper strewn across the living room.  Cardboard, those annoying white plastic strips, ribbon, coffee mugs, lone Reese’s tree wrappers and fuzzy blankets.  An accurate picture of our living room after the big day.  A picture of a morning savored.

In an ideal world, the kids play happily the rest of the waking hours as Kevin and I cuddle on the couch, drink our coffee, and sneak bites of quiche and muffins.  The quiet, slow beauty of Christmas morning is one I savor each and every year.  And every year I wish it would last a teensy bit longer.

But, it doesn’t and inevitably over the next week we teeter back and forth between routine and cookies for breakfast.  If you were around before Christmas, you know we did a Pre-Christmas Purge, but it’s inevitable we need to do one after the big day as well.

From experience, I think a good Post Christmas Purge is best done the week following Christmas.  A few reasons: 1. Kids are excited about new stuff and willing to part with old stuff. And 2. It relieves some stress and frees up space.

This year I have decided to do our Post Christmas Purge a little different and have a week of high impact categories to purge so we all can free up some space and feel a little lighter.

Post Christmas Purge

Why a Post Christmas Purge?

Stuff affects us whether we want to believe it or not. Research shows clutter affects anxiety levels, sleep, and our ability to focus. I don’t know about you, but I struggle with some of those things without the clutter. I don’t need anything else getting in the way. Getting the excess out of our homes, simply put, is good for our health and the health of our families.

How does it work?

Everyday for the next seven days there will be a category of items to purge or declutter. I chose these categories for a few reasons. The first reason is because they are bite sized categories and I believe they are attainable for all of us. The second reason is because these categories will have a big impact on our home, lives, and the way we live.

The categories include:

Junk Drawer

Christmas Decorations & Decor

Toys & Shoes

Dishes & Small Appliances

Pantry & Refrigerator

Car

Books & Games

The Goal

The goal is to get our homes in better shape than they were yesterday. Progress not perfection, friends. Our primary objective is to purge or declutter. If time allows, organization comes next. Let’s not get caught up in making the space look perfect, instead let’s focus on getting stuff we don’t need, use, or want out of our homes and into the hands of others who can use it.

The Daily Process

Each day we will purge a category of items. This can be as surface level or deep as meets our time and energy capacity. Maybe you have 5 minutes to declutter the junk drawer or maybe it’s an hour. Any amount of time spent purging is time well spent.

As we purge each category, we will ask ourselves the following questions. These questions are meant to guide and get us in the right headspace to purge the unnecessary. They are progressive. If the answer is yes, go to the next question. Answer yes to all the questions? The thing can stay. If not, it’s okay to let it go.

Is this thing useful or beautiful to me or someone in my family?

Does this thing help my space feel the way I want it to feel?

If I were in a store today, would I rebuy the item?

Remember, these are guiding questions. They absolutely DO NOT need to be precisely answered to declutter anything. You are in charge! If you want to keep an item, keep it. If you want to let it go, let it go. Don’t let these questions hang you up. Skip them if they don’t work for you.

There is no right way to purge, except for the way that works for you.

If you’re in a good place with the amount of stuff in each of these categories, another option is to organize instead. Take time to organize the stuff within each of these categories so your home can function better for you and your family.

More motivation

I think we all are more motivated when we do things with a friend. Head over to A Simpler Motherhood on Facebook and Instagram where I will be sharing my daily purges. I hope you will join me over there and share your progress as well. You can use hashtag #asmpostchristmaspurge or simply tag me in your posts.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a little reward for their efforts. Let’s reward ourselves for our hard work. It could look like a coffee or tea when you’re done purging for the day. Or maybe you will listen to your favorite podcast while digging through the junk drawer. Or maybe at the end of the week, you reward yourself with an adult only romantic comedy and a glass of wine. What motivates you to purge a little more? Make it happen. There might even be a few little giveaways over on Instagram for those of you who post your purging.

Are you in for a Post Christmas Purge?  Grab a garbage sack or an Amazon box. We are all going to feel lighter when we’re done!

Vanessa

Pre-Christmas Purge

A Simpler Home, A Simpler Motherhood

Christmas morning. Saying those words brings me back to my childhood. I remember sneaking out of my bed before dawn as a kid.  My brother, sister, and I would round the turn at the top of the stairs and peak around the corner at the tree in all her glory with presents scattered around the living room.  It was an extraordinary morning and almost always ended with a surprise.

My mom did Christmas well when I was a kid, keeping the magic alive and curating an environment that made Christmas morning special, magical, and full of wonder. I can maybe (maybe) tell you a handful of gifts I received on those mornings growing up, but I can absolutely describe the way Christmas morning made me feel. Safe, warm, loved, cherished, celebrated, and part of something bigger than myself.

Before we get to the magical few hours on Christmas morning, what if we prepare?  Prepare our hearts for the miracle of Christmas and our homes for the abundance Christmas brings.  The past few years we have done a Pre-Christmas Purge to prepare for the gifts coming into our home.  It is always well received because we do it under the pretense that Christmas will be here soon and others may find value in the things we no longer need or want. A Pre-Christmas purge can help us with A Simpler Christmas.

You may have seen a version of this on social media. Families are setting out a box labeled ‘Old Toys for Santa’ or a box with the child’s name on it. The idea is for kids to go through their toys and donate toys no longer used. Essentially, this is a Pre-Christmas Purge.

Maybe you are needing to implement a Pre-Christmas Purge into your home.  You see the knick knacks, the books, the Chick-fil-A-whatevers piling up.  Here is a breakdown of how our family does a Pre-Christmas Purge.

Pre-Christmas Purge

Get it on the calendar

Since Christmas will be here (like really soon), try and implement this in the next few days or week. Put it on the calendar or your to-do list in the next day or two.

I understand there could already be 1,000 things on your to-do list at this very moment, but a little Pre-Christmas Purge doesn’t take long and I personally think it’s incredibly worth it.  But if you can’t find the time, feel free to stop reading and come back after Christmas when we will do a Post-Christmas Purge.

Announce the Pre-Christmas Purge

It’s time to let everyone know. Tell your people there is abundance in the house and you need to make room for all the fun things coming at Christmas.  This would be a great time to discuss how it’s important to give to others.  We always tie this in as one of our gifts to Jesus on his birthday.  If you have littles, maybe start with having them find 10 things they would like to donate or give away.  We always start there.  Most of the time it snowballs and turns into much much more.

Get to it.

It’s time to get to it.  I think the best way to begin a Pre-Christmas Purge is by Mom or Dad initiating it.  We need to lead by example. Go to your closet, the bookshelf, or the kitchen drawers and find 10 things you no longer need. Grab an empty Amazon box and put the items inside, while talking to your family about it. Encourage each member of the family to find 10 things to put in the bin. As your family goes through items, decide if the items need to be recycled, trashed, or still have life and can go to a new home.

Praise.

After everyone has found the things they want to donate, PRAISE your people!  We all love some good words said about us, so let’s not hold back when our family has done something to make our homes simpler and more manageable.  Praise the ones you love for purging before Christmas.

Donate…soon.

Take 20 minutes and get those items out of your house.  Find a church, school, or mission-oriented organization and donate those items.  I speak from experience when I say if you keep them around, there is a good chance those toys and books and what-nots could creep back into your home.  Make it a learning experience and take your kids to help you with the drop off and grab hot cocoa after.

A Pre-Christmas Purge always makes me feel lighter and the incoming plethora of gifts from the ones we love more exciting and manageable.  It allows me to accept the gifts without thinking about where we are going to put them or how we are going to manage them.  The Pre-Christmas Purge sincerely allows me to enjoy the season a tiny bit more.

Tell me, will you do a Pre-Christmas Purge this year?  If time isn’t on your side, stay tuned for a Post-Christmas Purge coming after the big day.

Vanessa

A Simpler Christmas

A Simpler Home, A Simpler Motherhood

December is a day away and Christmas is close. It truly is a magical time of year. As I continue to learn and grow as a mom, my heart consistently longs for A Simpler Christmas. Our family snuggled in Christmas jammies watching The Polar Express. Delivering handmade gifts to neighbors. Reading the Christmas story with hot cocoa and cookies. Embracing both the rush of holiday gatherings and the slowness of nights at home. A Simpler Christmas allows for all of it.

What seems like just yesterday (and which was actually five years ago), I was met with the dilemma of being very pregnant with two babes, little energy, and the same four weeks in front of me.  I decided to simplify our Christmas season while holding tight to the joy and magic.  Friends, it was one of the best things I have done as a mom and is still one of my most favorite Christmases. I learned a lot that year about how I wanted Christmas to look and feel and have tweaked it each Christmas.

A Simpler Christmas will look different for all of us depending on our preferences and desires for the season. For example: I enjoy having my Christmas shopping done before December. You might love the hustle and bustle of shopping during the weeks leading up to Christmas. I keep decorations simple and limit the pretty things I get out each year. Decorating might be one of your favorite things and so you go all out. Neither is right or wrong. My hope is this list of ways our family has simplified Christmas will inspire you to find your own ways to A Simpler Christmas.

Here are some ways our family does A Simpler Christmas…

A Simpler Christmas

Simpler Gifting

If you’ve been following along with the Christmas Gift Challenge, you know I am done Christmas shopping. I had a goal of being done by Thanksgiving and I (thought) I made it this year. However, over Thanksgiving my husband and I changed lanes with a few of our kids’ gifts and made a last minute detour. All the gifts are now purchased and accounted for. I’m learning: It’s okay to break my own rules. I am excited to have gifts done and have more space to enjoy this month with my people.

Batch shopping, less gifts, shopping early, and purchasing gifts locally and online is one way I simplified Christmas gifts this year.

Simpler Wardrobes

I love for our family to look festive when we are out and about enjoying holiday events. However, dressing four kids and myself is no joke. To simplify our wardrobes, I first subtract some non-holiday clothing from closets and then add in a few pieces for the month.

The boys each have 2 festive shirts for December and Lily has some hand-me-down Christmas dresses to wear for the next several weeks. I have a dress and a festive top to wear to fun Christmas things this month. We will wear these items over and over to alllll the things. The kids also have matching Christmas jammies they will wear on repeat because matching jammies make me so happy.

Dressing our families for Christmas doesn’t have to be complicated. If we have 1-3 outfits per person, we know there is always something we can pull out to wear to see Santa or to deliver Christmas gifts.

Simpler Decorating

I want a festive, cozy house at Christmas time. But I want it with less stuff. Myquillyn Smith gave me permission to create a cozy minimalist home at Christmas.

Before I do any decorating, I subtract things around our home, exactly the way I do in our closets. I tuck away some of the decorative things I have out year round to make room for all the Christmas things.

If everything is special, nothing is special. Over the years I have slowly let go of the filler stuff and simply kept the meaningful decorations that bring us joy. The nativity from my husband’s grandma, a candy dish from my grandma, the Christmas plates and mugs, meaningful ornaments from Christmases past.

I also utilize consumable things for decorations: fresh flowers, Christmas candles, cut greenery. These things get used up during December and I don’t have to store them 11 months out of the year.

Using fewer, more meaningful decorations at Christmas time allows our homes to feel special and cozy without the stress of getting bin after bin of decorations out of the garage.

Simpler Advent Calendar

When I was a young mom with littles, many days I would forget about the Advent Calendar. This year there will be no forgetting because I have a nine and seven year old to remember for me. If you’re a mom of littles, give yourself grace with the advent calendar or simply save it for another year.

Our advent calendar is simple with activities for each day of the month. We will do three random acts of kindness for our gifts to Jesus and the rest of the days are filled with simple things like: eat popcorn and watch a Christmas movie, make s’mores, or read Christmas books by the tree. The week of Thanksgiving I planned our countdown to Christmas activities by looking at things we already had on the calendar and then planning the activities around those commitments.

I use this super simple Advent calendar to help us remember the reason for the season.

Counting down to Christmas can be both special and simple. Our kids don’t need to do all the activities and crafts and see every Santa in town, unless, of course, that matters to you. Make the Advent Calendar work for you and your family.

Home Days

This year I decided to designate Home Days on our calendar. I have one day each week we will spend at home as a family. Now of course there are other days we could be at home as well, but these days are nonnegotiable. I decided on our Home Days based on clusters of activities. For example, we have three days in a row where we will be doing fun, holiday things. On the day after those activities, I designated a Home Day. I know my crew will need a day to rest and recharge before moving on to other fun things.

I think Home Days are valuable for everyone. Deciding how many home days and how often to put them on the calendar will vary family to family. But, I don’t think any of us will regret making time and space to spend with one another at home during this season.

Simple Mealtimes

I know it’s shocking, but our families still have to eat in December. Meal planning will save me this month.  Even though it’s tempting to put planning dinner on the back burner, I know I will pay for it if I don’t.  Soups, crock pot meals, and snack trays are my go to during this Christmas season.  And no leftovers go to waste. A few hacks that will help me this month: Hack #1: Double the meat for taco night and use the leftover meat in chili the next day. Hack #2: Use leftover rotisserie chicken for chicken noodle soup or chicken pot pie later in the week. Hack #3: One night a week clean out the fridge and the snack cabinet and make up a big snack tray for dinner.

Some of my favorite meals I will be making this month: chili, change your life chicken, chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, butternut squash soup, and tacos (always tacos).

Giving Myself and My Family Grace

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and I want to take in as much as possible and enjoy the magic and wonder that fills December.  The God of the Universe coming to earth is reason to savor, enjoy, and celebrate.

I love to read a Christmas book and watch Christmas movies on the couch cuddled under a blanket with a cup of peppermint hot cocoa.  I am giving myself permission and grace to do this the next few weeks during quiet time or at night after the kids go to bed.  

Over the course of the next month there are bound to be let downs and meltdowns: both from me and my kids. I know there will be times I feel rushed, anxious or disappointed. There will be times my kids feel the same. I want to give my kids and myself space to acknowledge and feel these things and then help each other move forward to enjoy the season.

Grace upon grace upon grace for us all.

As one of the best seasons comes to life around us, I want to slow down, take it in, and make as many memories as possible.  They may not be picture perfect and there might be tears and disappointments intertwined with those memories because #life, but I’m thankful for this Christmas season with my people nonetheless. Keeping it simple can keep the focus on the real reason for the season: the baby born to save the world.

Merry Christmas to you and your family! My prayer is your Christmas is magical, full of grace, and simple!