Before We Begin-Our Intentions

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. "

~Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993

First a disclaimer....In no way am I an expert on simplifying your life nor do I want to impose any of my personal values on you.   This journey has to come within yourself, and take or leave what you want.  This is a great opportunity for those of you who are pregnant and nesting like crazy, have kiddos at home constantly undoing the house behind you, and those of us who haven't done our "spring cleaning" in a while.  If you have just had a baby within the last 6 weeks, please don't do this right now.  The beauty of these posts are that you can start it whenever you like, at the pace you want, and pick and choose what you want to do.

As we begin this journey toward decluttering our homes together, we're going to start with our main rooms- front living room, kitchen, & dining room.  These are the spaces we use the most and are most visible to us.  Once we tackle these rooms, we'll already feel a lot better about what we're doing.

 I'm constantly being told by family and strangers to enjoy the time with my kids and not worry about keeping the house tidy.  I understand the intention and believe it's important to spend quality time with my kids. 

There are a few reasons I'm advocating decluttering and organizing your/my home:

1. I think much clearer when I'm organized.  A clear head means I'm able to be "present" to my kids when I'm spending time with them.

2. I want to know what I have in my house to use with my kiddos, rather than miss an opportunity of fun because I didn't know I had it.  (Quick story to illustrate my point-I recently discovered a bunch of arts and crafts materials I bought Rita Clare for Christmas.  All this time, it was hidden under junk I haven't moved since Tyler was born.) Goal: I'd like to have an organized craft area that is accessible to use when Rita Clare wants to do something fun.  It's a waste of time rummaging around a mess and I'm not as likely to want to take the effort to do it when it's unorganized.

3.  Other people could actually benefit from your unused possessions. Whether you sell it, donate it to a thrift store, or post on freecycle, it's time to let things go.

4.  It's better for the environment.  Your house is using extra energy when there are more things inside.  How many things do you have plugged in that you haven't used in a long time?  I can think of a few things of mine off the top of my head.

Can you think of other reasons? Are you ready to begin??? 





Jen Starks, Owner www.ecologicalbabies.com ecologicalbabies@gmail.com 850.284.5887