... Cluttered

Most of you who know me know that I love clean and organized spaces. Picture a glossy counter top with only a single stainless steal appliance, or a drawer of freshly laundered tea towels folded in the "Marie Kondo" style. Doesn't that give you goosebumps? Now I'm not saying that I can‘t spend a day in mess or that my house is spotless, but at the end of the day I find it extremely difficult to relax and put my feet up if there are things out of place. Yes, call me crazy for inviting a toddler into my life.

Naturally, my love for BabyK is far more valuable to me than my love for tidiness. Yet, there are many ways to help combat the mess that inevitably follows a toddler. Here are 3 that have proved very helpful for us.

#1: "Tidy-Up Time": - Teaching BabyK to help clean is probably the most impactful thing we've done. We sing a tidy up time song to the tune of "Alouhette" and change the words according to what actions are needed for cleaning. Not only does she seem to enjoy it, but the moment we start singing she goes into cleaning mode (yes, she is my child). We also try to keep to the "one toy/type of toy out at a time" rule as much as possible to make it easier on everyone. Some days get a little more carried away than others but for the most part it seems to help.

#2: Baskets and Bins - Baskets and bins are every organizer's second favourite dream tool. The first would be the label maker - ask anyone. But what makes them even better than just a pretty way to hide/sort your things is that it's an easy system for the little ones to learn. BabyK loves pulling things out and putting things in her bins. I even swapped out the bookshelf in her room for a little treasure chest as she can put the books in the chest much easier than she can line them up on the shelf. Plus it's super cute!

#3: Less is More - There are many things that can be gained through the minimalism movement (seems a little contradictory, I know). Now before you drop this post like a sack of potatoes, please hear me out. "Minimalism" means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I think the most helpful resource I've come by are these thought provoking documentaries by The Minimalists. Much of what they had to say struck a chord with me. It makes sense that having less would mean less to clean, but clearly there is more to it than that. The tricky thing for me is finding the balance. Instead of giving away sentimental items, we can rotate them in and out of BabyK's play space. To keep a check on the amount of things we own, I try to follow the "one in, one out" rule where if something new is brought in the house, something else must be gifted/donated. If there is an option to live minimally, save money and help the environment; we are excited to take it. There is so much more I could write about my thoughts on this topic, but I digress.

Through all the countless ways we find to make decluttering and cleaning easier as moms, I find that even with a clear house, my mind can still be cluttered. Today as I sat down to write this post, so many things flooded through my mind. I thought about Covid and how frustrating the restrictions can be. I thought about my summer plans that seem to be on a spinning wheel and flying out of control. I thought of personal and social issues that have come up in this past year that only make my heart bleed for those that are suffering. I thought about how tired I was. I thought of how I wanted to write something meaningful, helpful and encouraging. But how could I do that when none of my thoughts would settle?

I remembered the story in the Bible when Jesus calms the stormy sea (Matthew 8:23-27 and Luke 8:22-25). It seemed to speak so boldly to how I was feeling. I couldn't help but ask Him to come calm the storm in me. Thankfully, there is no mess too big for Him to clean, no scar too deep for Him to heal and no storm too fierce for Him to silence.

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Colossians 3:1-2

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."