With the new year and some free time on my hands during the holiday break, I found myself on a mission of cleaning, organizing, decluttering, and simplifying our house and our routines. Does anyone else find themselves in this kind of mindset after Christmas? As we are taking down the tree and holiday decor, we start cleaning, decluttering, and replacing the old with the new? I love fresh starts, including a fresh new, clean, organized look in my home as the new year begins. I recently read all of Emily Ley's books, including a Simplified Life, and if you haven't read any of her books, especially this one, I would highly recommend it! She is very focused on creating simplicity in every area of our lives and making time and space for the good stuff. I just love her and all of her books.
I consider myself a pretty clean and tidy person. Our house has always been a space that I consider clean and welcoming, but there have definitely been areas of our house and our life that have sort of fallen to the wayside as we have been raising 2 young kids and balancing 2 careers. Certain drawers, cabinets, closets, photo albums etc. have been neglected. Meal planning and prepping hasn't really existed. Our lives and routines haven't been very structured. Communication has sometimes been lacking.
But I am now on a mission to creative organization, structure, systems that work, and overall simplicity in our household. The girls are finally old enough that they can help with the process and not just destroy my pretty work. In the last week I have gone through different areas of our house that had been neglected for several years. Every drawer and cabinet in our kitchen has been cleaned out, decluttered, and organized in a way that makes sense. These are the things that you often get to do if you move frequently like some of our friends and family. When you stay in the same home for a number of years, you have to take time to do this every year, otherwise you end up with drawers and cabinets with clutter and filth. My kitchen now feels clean, organized, and only filled with things we use. I did the same thing with our pantry and refrigerator. I have also tackled other areas of our house including closets, dresser drawers, the playroom etc.
This might feel overwhelming to some people, but taking one room at a time, evaluating every drawer, every closet, and every space in that room before moving onto another room helps. Only put the items that you love and use regularly back into the space. Donate or trash any other items. Make piles, and do something with those piles as soon as you get done with that space. Physical clutter is mental clutter. When we are surrounded by clutter and disorganization, it wears on our mental well-being. I know that for me personally, I am such a happier, more positive, productive person when I have a clean and tidy space to work and live in.
Not only have I tackled our home, but also our routines. I have never been good at meal planning and prepping. I often go to the grocery store every week, grabbing all our "go-to" items and then decide on a daily basis as I look into the fridge and pantry what we are having for dinner. This often looks like eating a lot of the same meals over and over again week to week, such as spaghetti. But after feeling all this inspiration to make some changes, the girls and I sat down at the table and compiled a list of our favorite 20 dinners, and I typed up a list of these meals with their ingredients and simple instructions, so we can easily refer to them as we cook our evening meals. We picked the meals for the week, I made a grocery list based on these meals plus our regular lunch and breakfast items, and went shopping. What a nice change to know what to shop for and have this plan for the week already in place. I'm hoping this will be a game changer for our family. I have also set up a family calendar in the kitchen to improve communication amongst us all. It is right next to our charging station for all our devices.
Life doesn't have be chaotic and frantic. We can simplify, organize, and prioritize to make life run more smoothly. Creating simple changes can have a huge impact in the way we experience life. When things are clean, tidy, organized, and simplified, we have more time to fill up with the good stuff, to enjoy life's little moments, and let that joy spill out to others. Have a great week! ~ Allison
I consider myself a pretty clean and tidy person. Our house has always been a space that I consider clean and welcoming, but there have definitely been areas of our house and our life that have sort of fallen to the wayside as we have been raising 2 young kids and balancing 2 careers. Certain drawers, cabinets, closets, photo albums etc. have been neglected. Meal planning and prepping hasn't really existed. Our lives and routines haven't been very structured. Communication has sometimes been lacking.
But I am now on a mission to creative organization, structure, systems that work, and overall simplicity in our household. The girls are finally old enough that they can help with the process and not just destroy my pretty work. In the last week I have gone through different areas of our house that had been neglected for several years. Every drawer and cabinet in our kitchen has been cleaned out, decluttered, and organized in a way that makes sense. These are the things that you often get to do if you move frequently like some of our friends and family. When you stay in the same home for a number of years, you have to take time to do this every year, otherwise you end up with drawers and cabinets with clutter and filth. My kitchen now feels clean, organized, and only filled with things we use. I did the same thing with our pantry and refrigerator. I have also tackled other areas of our house including closets, dresser drawers, the playroom etc.
This might feel overwhelming to some people, but taking one room at a time, evaluating every drawer, every closet, and every space in that room before moving onto another room helps. Only put the items that you love and use regularly back into the space. Donate or trash any other items. Make piles, and do something with those piles as soon as you get done with that space. Physical clutter is mental clutter. When we are surrounded by clutter and disorganization, it wears on our mental well-being. I know that for me personally, I am such a happier, more positive, productive person when I have a clean and tidy space to work and live in.
Not only have I tackled our home, but also our routines. I have never been good at meal planning and prepping. I often go to the grocery store every week, grabbing all our "go-to" items and then decide on a daily basis as I look into the fridge and pantry what we are having for dinner. This often looks like eating a lot of the same meals over and over again week to week, such as spaghetti. But after feeling all this inspiration to make some changes, the girls and I sat down at the table and compiled a list of our favorite 20 dinners, and I typed up a list of these meals with their ingredients and simple instructions, so we can easily refer to them as we cook our evening meals. We picked the meals for the week, I made a grocery list based on these meals plus our regular lunch and breakfast items, and went shopping. What a nice change to know what to shop for and have this plan for the week already in place. I'm hoping this will be a game changer for our family. I have also set up a family calendar in the kitchen to improve communication amongst us all. It is right next to our charging station for all our devices.
Life doesn't have be chaotic and frantic. We can simplify, organize, and prioritize to make life run more smoothly. Creating simple changes can have a huge impact in the way we experience life. When things are clean, tidy, organized, and simplified, we have more time to fill up with the good stuff, to enjoy life's little moments, and let that joy spill out to others. Have a great week! ~ Allison
I make a list of meals we will eat for the week but I have never written the ingredients. Lately I have noticed that I might have been missing an ingredient or two so that's a very helpful tip to write that down as well. Hopefully next week, I will have it all together to make for a smooth week. Thanks.
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