we are not pigs

I'm going to teach my kids to be clean(er) if it takes everything I've got.

I'm also going to throw things away with zeal and vigor.

I'm so sick of stuff everywhere.

How do all you, my clean friends and family members, do it?

I salute you.

Comments

tessa said…
After the kids go to bed we have dejunking parties. 2 bags - one is for rotating of toys, one is for DI. We do it with our own big people stuff too but somehow the toys and kid stuff really is what gets out of control quick. The rotation bag goes up into the closet for a couple months. The DI bag off to DI. No child has ever missed a toy the next morning. A surefire sign that there were too many. I do the same with clothes. Some into hand me down bins and I sell a lot of the others. Also, the kids have clothes lines with clothes pins in their rooms where they hang their artwork and papers etc. I'll be interested to see what other suggestions you get. I'm always looking for decluttering tips. Have you read Don Aslett's Clutter's Last Stand? He's hilarious, informative and inspiring.
February 15, 2009 12:57 AM
Anonymous said…
Don Aslett came to Kennewick, WA to do a RS seminar when we lived there 25 years ago. He's good!
I think it takes getting mad, so you're off to a good start. AG
February 15, 2009 1:29 PM
amyraye said…
for you:
http://amylovesdamon.blogspot.com/2009/02/clutter-bag.html
February 15, 2009 8:51 PM
CK said…
My kids have alwaya had two rules:

1.)You can't get another toy out until the previous one has been put up.

and

2.)No one gets a bedtime story until the toys have all been put away.

Now if I could just figure out away to keep Jesse's clutter under control. My biggest frustrations come from his needless piles of stuff.
February 16, 2009 6:20 AM
Sarah said…
Mark is my secret weapon. Every Saturday he offers to help me "tackle" a room. That means spend the better part of the day contributing to the D.I. pile. I have to be careful about this arrangement because I'm more particular about what gets thrown out, so I end up finishing the room solo.
February 16, 2009 8:26 AM
everydayjami said…
Hi Emily,
A long time ago in a galaxy far away... my kids had lots of toys, puzzles, books etc... The best thing you can do to keep your sanity is get a large plastic container or two and put most of their toys in the containers. Just keep a few out, then when they're bored of the current toys, bring out the old ones. They think they've won the lottery because they forget about what they don't see every day and they'll be excited to play with the new/old toys. Miss you...
February 17, 2009 2:13 PM
Amy said…
In November when the kids were getting crazy with Christmas wishes, we made them write a list of everything they got last Christmas. They could only remember 2 or 3 things. We used that as our buying guide for this year. We're going to do the same thing for their birthdays.
February 18, 2009 8:24 AM
Heidi said…
I'm no expect in this field so I don't have much advice but curious to see what everyone else has to say. I think it's amazing how kids toys seem to multiply - I definitely need to do some dejunking as well.
February 19, 2009 11:12 AM
austinmcraig said…
I think that's probably something that's learned over time. Keep teachin'.

Then again, what do I know. I'm single, childless, and essentially the youngest sibling.
February 19, 2009 11:49 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another taboo topic: money

I don't have a lot of real visible or artistic talents, but one talent that has served me well is an ability to manage and organize money well. A few of my sisters-in-law have asked me how I do the family budget, so this is a straight up accounting of how I do the accounting. When we get a paycheck: 10% tithing right off the top Then, with the remainder (net minus tithing), I divy it up into percentages and put money into different "funds" -- that I keep track of in the back of my paycheck because I'm old school like that. Mortgage: I figure out the percentage it will take to cover my mortgage. Usually 29-30%. I think this percentage needs to stay under 35% of take-home after tithing. Baby steps: 20% goes to meeting financial goals a la Dave Ramsey's baby steps. This means that you focus on one thing at a time, leaving the rest so that your money is not so thinly spread and you can make visible progress. This presupposes that one has abandoned using credit, and i...
Read more

Two things

Image
First and foremost, happy birthday to my wonderful mom! I honestly don't know anyone more generous, giving or good with people. I like to think of myself as being generous, giving and good with people, but I've got nothing on her . She schools me, bigtime. Some of the unique things that make my mom my mom: She loves my children absolutely, which is a joy and a comfort to me. When she is around, they prefer her to me. She would rather be with her grandchildren than out with the adults, but does not relax when they are around. It's constant counting heads, making snowcones, taking off too-warm clothing, changing diapers, getting drinks. It's exhausting, and she's good at it. And she loves it. (I'm pretty sure.) She hates flying, but flies all over the place, because travel and culture and enriching experiences and seeing family trump her fears every time. She also hates bridges. And swimming. And confrontation. And cooking. And bad grammar. And dopey people. And a...
Read more