It seems kids come with a lot of mess and a lot of stuff. I don’t know about you, but I’m really sick of spending a majority of my time tidying up. So let’s talk about what you can do when you’re just sick of tidying up..
3 Steps to Take when you are Sick of Tidying Up!
1. Take time to declutter!
If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel or an AirBnB, you would have noticed only the items that you need are there, usually there is nothing there that doesn’t need to be. You quite easily survive for the period of your stay with a suitcase full of clothes, and the items that are at your accommodation. The time away from home often makes us realise how much stuff we have that we don’t actually need. So this is as good as time as any to start decluttering and getting rid of these things. Of course, when you do get rid of items, make sure you do it in a respectful way. Donate or sell your good quality items and throw other things away in the right place. If you’ve got a lot of digital clutter or recycling, dispose of it somewhere that purposefully collects those items. Do your research prior to decluttering.
2. Change your Habits!
Stop buying stuff that you don’t need, and be mindful about buying things you actually need. If you think you need it, sleep on it to see if you actually need it, or whether you are just telling yourself a story about needing it. Do you want to make that purchase because you are trying to fix an unrelated problem, is there another way that you can solve that problem? Are there certain emotions that are causing you to shop, instead try to deal with those feelings before turning to shopping. And if you are looking for some ideas of things to do instead of shopping check out my blog “33 Things to do Instead of Shopping”. If after all of this you still feel it’s an item you need, have a think about whether there is another item in your home that can satisfy the purpose of that item first before settling on buying it.
3. Relax!
Once you’ve decluttered and you’ve worked on your habits, it’s time to simply relax about some jobs around the house. It’s okay if you stack the dishwasher, put it on, and then unstack it in the morning. It’s okay if you leave the kids’ toys out that they were playing with..they’re going to come back to them and make that same exact mess tomorrow. And instead of just leaving all of the tidying up to yourself and your partner, get the kids involved. Involve the kids in the tidying up routine around the house, for example after eating the plate goes in the sink, when you finish playing with toys, before you get out others, tidy up so pieces don’t get lost. Although, if you have little kids, you’ll probably need to do the tidying up part with them for a little while before they get into the habit of putting their toys away themselves.
Check out this video where I share with you how we manage things in our home…
I’m not going to lie, our place tends to be a little bit messy, but we have two young boys, aged one and four, and they are only in care two days a week. They spend five days a week pretty much at home and they have free reign. I like to let them have access to most things around the house. I don’t have anything around the house that they’re not allowed to access or can’t have (sharp scissors, certain foods and other items are up on higher shelves in the home). I’ve let go of the need to have a really tidy home, and I’ve also started working with my children to put their things away and to form routines and habits so that they become neat people. Getting the kids involved also means that over time they will become more and more respectful of the things they do have. Eventually our home will be a neat and tidy place, but for now I am relaxing about how messy things get. From a slow living perspective, this topic relates to learning how to let go and understand what your priorities are. My priorities are that my kids are creative and that they’re not asking me to watch the television all the time. I want them to experience the world around them and feel comfortable and safe in their homes and in their environment, and one way of doing that is by feeling that they have access to everything that’s available. It’s important to remember that they’re making a mess because they’re making memories, they’re having experiences, and they’re not nagging me to watch the television, which makes me happy.
I know that I’ve decluttered, I know the things that we have in our home are of value and are important and they’re things that we want around, but I also know that this is the time when they’re little that I will miss. One day, I will miss waking up and not finding toys spread from highway to heaven. I will miss having toys spread all over their bedroom floors, and I will miss that giggle and laughter when they’re playing together.
If you enjoyed this blog and really felt it resonated with you, I’d love to invite you to join my community. Don’t forget that I’m launching the How to Live Slow podcast in May 2020. Soon you’ll be able to find the antidote to the overwhelm of being a modern-day mum, while in transit! For the time being, you can still subscribe to our YouTube channel where you’ll find more slow living ideas, tips and discussion. But you can also subscribe below to this blog, and I will be able to send you emails letting you know the latest news and updates, including when new blogs are released and when my podcast launches.
