Clean and Tidy - May

If you're inspired to be more organized but like me you're new to the process there are a few things I want you to know!

1) You need purpose. The thing that motivated me to begin getting organized was knowing what I wanted from it. I wanted the freedom to do everyday stuff without the obstacle of having to a big tidy-up before I could get started. I wanted to be able to invite people over without the stress of a major clean-up/tidy-up job. I wanted my house to be reasonably tidy/clean not only when people were expected but most of the time! I also wanted to start getting away from living a life of excess.

2) It will take time. The initial organizing process for me took about a year - literally! I can be rather impulsive (especially when I'm excited about something) and so I had a really hard time sticking to one room at a time although I would recommend doing just that. I found it worked well for me to break it down even more than that - one area of a room at a time.

3) There will be a transitional period. Be prepared for a period of time when things will feel like they're in a bit of an upheaval. (Going one room/area at a time helps minimize this.) Just remember that it's only for a period of time and it will pay off in the end! Be deliberate about the changes you're making and keep plugging away.

4) "Warn" your spouse! ;) Let them know there's going to be a transitional stage. I let Jason know early on what was happening and he was really supportive. I explained to him that while things would be a bit crazy for a while that in the end the benefits would be for everyone. We would all enjoy how the house would look/operate when I was done.

5) "Brainwash" your children. OK, so of course I'm kidding about actually brainwashing them, but I do believe that children pick up on our silent expectations when it comes to both atttitude and behaviour. Have faith in them! Don't just expect that they won't like it, they're blank slates and don't know yet that they're "not suppose to" like certain things. If you can sincerely present them with new ideas/plans and let your excitement show they will pick up on it. I explained really simply that I was going to be making some changes in our house so that everything would have a "home". I told them this would be good for them, because it would be easier for them to tidy up their toys and they would have an easier time finding their toys. I also talked about how it would be easier to do crafts and play games when the house was tidier. I presented all the changes as being really exciting ones and they picked up on the excitement.*

If you think you can't muster the excitement, be honest with them admit you're not excited about the work involved either, but you know the end result will make it worth it - and that you're excited about the end result. Focus on the benefits that will come after the changes have been made and all you have to look forward to.

6) Involve your family. Unless you live on your own, not everything is yours anyways! My daughters S and R are now 8 and 5 and they did an incredible job when I asked them to help sort through their stuff. With Jason the approach was different. Jason's a planner, so with him I let him know in advance that I wanted to sort through an area of his and then when the time was right we went through it together. Item by item he would let me know whether it was to be kept, thrown out or given away.

7) You'll benefit from letting go of misconceptions. My first misconception was that being a good housekeeper meant that I needed my house to be immaculate any time anyone came through the front door. It turns out it has more to do with making things eaiser to maintain. If you drop by unnanounced, there will always be children playing, or doing crafts and running all around the house. I'll likely be in the middle of cooking, baking, cleaning or some other project and if Jason's home he'll be in the middle of doing something too. Our house is a home and our home has a pulse. It won't look like your stepping into a house off the front cover of House and Home. My other misconception was that being organized wasn't for me, because it wasn't one of my natural strengths. It's relieved so much stress for me to realize that neither of these things need to be true. Getting rid of clutter and becoming more organized has made housekeeping easier and it's even made it...fun!

*Jason told me the sweetest story a little while ago about something S (our 8 year daughter) had said. She was in her room one day rearranging books on her shelf and she said, "I'm just like mom because I'm trying to find the best way to organize things." It just totally melted my heart!   

Clean and Tidy - April

You may have noticed there are a few words I like use when I talk about taking care of my house: clean, tidy, organize and declutter. For fun (because I really am a nerd like that) I thought I'd give you my own definition of the words clean, tidy, organize and de-clutter. :)

Clean/Cleaning: This is the aspect of housework that typically involves water and soap or cleaner and some sort of cleaning "tool" like a cloth/mop/broom. This was always my favourite, until more recently when I discovered a love for organizing simply because it has made both cleaning and tidying more enjoyable. There's a greater sense of accomplishment for both then there used to be.

Tidy/Tidying: Putting things back where they belong. Ideally this would happen immediately after an item was used every single time. But hey, we're people not robots! ;) Even though I continue to work on this (and I'm training my children in this as well) I don't expect perfection from myself (or my children).

De-clutter/De-cluttering: Sorting through the things you don't want, can't use, don't fit into, or are broken and then either recycling, fixing, disposing of, selling, donating or giving away these things. Keeping only what you need, want (sometimes we keep things because they're very sentimental) and know you will use.

Organize/Organizing*: This (along with de-cluttering) is what makes the first two more manageable! It's about decluttering and finding permanent "homes" for your things. This is the aspect of housekeeping that saves a lot of time and effort! Tidying can be an endless, stressful and exhausting job when things aren't organized, because you're constantly in a state of flux moving things around (into temporary homes) trying to figure out where they should go.

So there you have it. This is how I define the words clean, tidy, organize and declutter. Each one plays an important role in keeping things "clean and tidy". :) Any thoughts?

*This was the missing piece to the puzzle for me. I mentioned in another post about the "aha!" moment when a friend shared this with me and I thought, "how have I never figured this out before?!". It's the reason I love talking about organization so much! And even though organizing in a way is "never ending", you can get to a stage where it becomes about tweaking what you have or setting up new items as you bring them into your house.

A Question

If you read Fade to Grey you may remember me saying that I am very passionate about public school and that I would love to share why sometime. Since then I've been struggling with whether or not I should get into it. If you're a parent, like me you are likely very protective of your children. And the way you raise them (which includes how you educate them) is a very personal thing. We tend to shy away from discussing how we educate our children because it is so very personal! I'm not sure why it is - I just know it's an emotionally charged decision and topic. It's a discussion that people typically don't have unless they're talking with someone they agree with. It's a discussion that if we're not careful could result in heated arguments and hurt feelings. And in some cases people might be hurt even when the topic is approached in love simply because it is such a sensitive topic. (Although I would really like to avoid this!)

Despite all of that, however, I am feeling so compelled to get some sort of discussion going. I have a couple of reasons. It's partly because I think that as believers it's healthy for us to be able to lovingly discuss these types of issues and walk away with the security of knowing we're still family and friends. Personally I don't like the feeling of "I can talk to so and so about just about everything...except that"! I'm also very curious to know whether there are thoughts I haven't considered. All I know is why I believe in public school the thought process (and prayer) that led me to my decision and I'm so interested in knowing the thought process that goes behind choosing Christian schools or homeschooling. I imagine some of you are curious as to why I see things the way I do, too! ;)

I'm convinced that we've all done the same thing. We've looked at the risks involved with each option (public schools/Christian schools/homeschooling) and after weighing them we've chosen the option we feel involves the least amount of risk. And I know we've all wrestled with and made our decision in love.

I would love to do a post outlining the risks I feel are involved with each option and share my heart with you on why I believe in public schools so I can get the discussion started. I would love to hear thoughts and ideas I have missed, I would love to hear what makes you passionate about your decision - even if you are passionate about public school. :) I would begin by setting up some guidelines for how and what we share to keep the tone open and above all loving. My hope is that it will bring us closer together, help us all to be more understanding and maybe even help us all consider things we haven't before!

So what do you think...is there anyone out there who might be interested?