Ever since I have started staying home full-time, I've noticed that a significant portion of my mental energy goes into thinking about the space that I am in all day: our home. Where should this go? How did this bathroom get so dirty? How should I organize our clothes? How do I stuff these three boxes into that closet? Do those curtains match?
The space that we live in should bring us joy and peace. More importantly, it should bring joy into our family's life. Having an orderly home necessarily brings us to an orderly life. This was the mantra I always heard growing up but exactly how to do that: well, that's always been a work in progress.
I know what I want though. I want a bright, cheery, well kept home. Ideally like the ones you see when you open up a home and lifestyle magazine. While I know that might not happen, I want to get as close to that, my version of it, as possible. I want there to be function. I want to know where everything is and want to be able to get to it in no time. So, with all this in mind, I've tackled many a "spring cleanings." I am by nature, someone who doesn't like keeping a lot of stuff. (at least that's what I thought) I tend to take initiative constantly to help clear out things that get in the way.
I've taken the advise of many other bloggers and writers. I once heard that women only wear 20% of their wardrobe and had a closet "purge" that in retrospect was not really a purge at all (I'll explain later). When we moved, I made it a point to get rid of more random things that we didn't need. I've employed a number of organizational methods, some that stuck and others that didn't, spending time and money to implement them. Yet, somehow I look into my closet or home today and I don't feel the satisfaction that I hoped to. I want to walk into my living room, dining room, whatever room and feel at peace. I want to be in absolute complete love with every living square foot of my home.
I'm not a disorganized person for the most part. I try my best to keep things in order, labeled, etc. But it wasn't until I discovered the KonMari method that I realized that this was not the issue for my discontent. KonMari reflects the tidying method or philosophy of a Japanese woman named Marie Kondo who wrote the best selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. After reading about the method, I've started (finally) listening to the audio book because, let's get real, I aint about to read this book when I have a pile of at least 6 others sitting on my night stand. I'm including the link to the free audio book here. I started listening to it while nursing my daughter or doing random tasks around the house. People, it is inspirational. The method is centered around the notion that we should surround ourselves with only those things that bring us happiness.

KonMari
Being introduced to this book has forced me to consider the spiritual dimension of my discontent. She said something in her book that was particularly striking to me. She gave the example of how whenever she had a huge task before her, like an exam, she would spend hours cleaning and tidying before she even cracked a book open. Oh, could I relate to this! She said that after much thought and research, this is indicative of something much deeper- that our minds are unable to tackle the task at hand because it has to deal with the deeper issue first. Once these issues are dealt with, we can live the life we imagine. She claims that the change is life-changing and transformative. It requires a change in mind set.
As a wife and mother, I must feel like the home I create for my family is one that is over flowing with love and affection and happiness. This is important especially for my children because their first experience of how they should feel at peace, that feelings they should chase their entire life comes from how they feel when they are home. When a home is cluttered or unclean or just plain unattractive, it doesn't inspire us; we are not elevated to be who we are created to be. We waste our time, distracted every so often instead of completing tasks and building ourselves. This of course doesn't mean we have to have expensive things, just making the things we have beautiful and attractive.
I firmly feel that what God wants of us is to live artfully and thus joyfully. Anyone can life by the bare necessities-even animals-but we are beautifully complex, artistic creatures created by the most creative One of all. This is how we realize the full potential of who we are so that we can see the world and ourselves the way God Himself sees us. As I live out my vocation as wife, mother and home maker, I am obliged to ask myself how I can perform these roles with the utmost diligence. How can I inspire my children to be 100% who they are and do so joyfully?
The first exercise Kondo says, before starting anything, is to imagine the kind of life you want at the end of all this. Then, ask yourself why? and then again, ask why? Doing this 3-5 times she says, you finally come to realize that you ultimately just want to be truly happy and joyful in life. Doing this exercise, I found that this goal extends further to consider where I am in my spiritual journey and vocation. It has caused me to ask what I put emphasis on and what things I neglect to work on. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I want to feel free and able to enjoy the life God has been so gracious to bless me with. I want to be able to spend more time with my children instead of worrying about tidying up. I'm tired of always feeling overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. These are the kinds of things that truly make me happy and joyful. This is the kind of life, I feel, God wants for me also.
So, I take you with me as I begin this journey! I'll keep you updated about my progress and the thoughts I have along the way.
The space that we live in should bring us joy and peace. More importantly, it should bring joy into our family's life. Having an orderly home necessarily brings us to an orderly life. This was the mantra I always heard growing up but exactly how to do that: well, that's always been a work in progress.
I know what I want though. I want a bright, cheery, well kept home. Ideally like the ones you see when you open up a home and lifestyle magazine. While I know that might not happen, I want to get as close to that, my version of it, as possible. I want there to be function. I want to know where everything is and want to be able to get to it in no time. So, with all this in mind, I've tackled many a "spring cleanings." I am by nature, someone who doesn't like keeping a lot of stuff. (at least that's what I thought) I tend to take initiative constantly to help clear out things that get in the way.
I've taken the advise of many other bloggers and writers. I once heard that women only wear 20% of their wardrobe and had a closet "purge" that in retrospect was not really a purge at all (I'll explain later). When we moved, I made it a point to get rid of more random things that we didn't need. I've employed a number of organizational methods, some that stuck and others that didn't, spending time and money to implement them. Yet, somehow I look into my closet or home today and I don't feel the satisfaction that I hoped to. I want to walk into my living room, dining room, whatever room and feel at peace. I want to be in absolute complete love with every living square foot of my home.
I'm not a disorganized person for the most part. I try my best to keep things in order, labeled, etc. But it wasn't until I discovered the KonMari method that I realized that this was not the issue for my discontent. KonMari reflects the tidying method or philosophy of a Japanese woman named Marie Kondo who wrote the best selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. After reading about the method, I've started (finally) listening to the audio book because, let's get real, I aint about to read this book when I have a pile of at least 6 others sitting on my night stand. I'm including the link to the free audio book here. I started listening to it while nursing my daughter or doing random tasks around the house. People, it is inspirational. The method is centered around the notion that we should surround ourselves with only those things that bring us happiness.

KonMari
Being introduced to this book has forced me to consider the spiritual dimension of my discontent. She said something in her book that was particularly striking to me. She gave the example of how whenever she had a huge task before her, like an exam, she would spend hours cleaning and tidying before she even cracked a book open. Oh, could I relate to this! She said that after much thought and research, this is indicative of something much deeper- that our minds are unable to tackle the task at hand because it has to deal with the deeper issue first. Once these issues are dealt with, we can live the life we imagine. She claims that the change is life-changing and transformative. It requires a change in mind set.
As a wife and mother, I must feel like the home I create for my family is one that is over flowing with love and affection and happiness. This is important especially for my children because their first experience of how they should feel at peace, that feelings they should chase their entire life comes from how they feel when they are home. When a home is cluttered or unclean or just plain unattractive, it doesn't inspire us; we are not elevated to be who we are created to be. We waste our time, distracted every so often instead of completing tasks and building ourselves. This of course doesn't mean we have to have expensive things, just making the things we have beautiful and attractive.
I firmly feel that what God wants of us is to live artfully and thus joyfully. Anyone can life by the bare necessities-even animals-but we are beautifully complex, artistic creatures created by the most creative One of all. This is how we realize the full potential of who we are so that we can see the world and ourselves the way God Himself sees us. As I live out my vocation as wife, mother and home maker, I am obliged to ask myself how I can perform these roles with the utmost diligence. How can I inspire my children to be 100% who they are and do so joyfully?
The first exercise Kondo says, before starting anything, is to imagine the kind of life you want at the end of all this. Then, ask yourself why? and then again, ask why? Doing this 3-5 times she says, you finally come to realize that you ultimately just want to be truly happy and joyful in life. Doing this exercise, I found that this goal extends further to consider where I am in my spiritual journey and vocation. It has caused me to ask what I put emphasis on and what things I neglect to work on. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I want to feel free and able to enjoy the life God has been so gracious to bless me with. I want to be able to spend more time with my children instead of worrying about tidying up. I'm tired of always feeling overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. These are the kinds of things that truly make me happy and joyful. This is the kind of life, I feel, God wants for me also.
So, I take you with me as I begin this journey! I'll keep you updated about my progress and the thoughts I have along the way.