s/o Simplicity Parenting-those who are following this book, how bout a support thread

[Halcyon]

We've probably cut 50-75% of the toys and 50% at least of the clothes, and it's WONDERFUL. So I think I really ought to read this book :tongue_smilie:. I just got mad at the constant mess and mega-purged. I also cut some of the dishes. We had too many so they would pile up. The dds don't mind about the toys at all, surprisingly. Dd will actually tell me I need to throw more away if the playroom gets messy, lol!

 

 

Good for you! My kids don't mind at all. In fact they hardly notice-isn't that odd? Of course, I am not done yet :)

[happyWImom]

I'm going to order the book to read, but I wanted to give you an idea for this that I use with my saver kids--though I do it with all of my kids.

 

Make them a yearly scrapbook of THEM. Their report cards, pictures, milestones favorite paintings, drawing, whatnot. They have to choose, punch holes in them and throw them in the three ring binder for the year. They can decorate the front, color, but this is supposed to be simple-not as consuming as a "scrapbook" with the stamping and digital art stuff-no. Simple. For them, every year. And this way they learn to choose what is most important to them.

 

I love this idea! Both dc are very into arts & crafts, so I think they will really get into the idea.:001_smile:

[happyWImom]

So today i just about finished the boys' room. Still a few things to take care of, but basically it's done. Both my boys like to find and collect tiny "treasures", like old screws, seaglass, charms etc so they each have a "treasure chest" where these items must stay when not in use. Other than that, I am about 90% done with the "tiny toys" in their room.

 

Debating about putting a good chunk of their board games in the garage, and just having 2-3 games in their room. Then rotate those out. DH is against it, saying "we'll never play with them" if they're out there, but I disagree. I think having just 2-3 in the house will allow my kids the mental space to play with those 2-3 much more readily.

 

That's what I'm seeing with their toys, anyways.

 

Wow, you are really on the ball, here! And just before Christmas, too!!

 

I like the idea of rotating the board games, because we also have a lot, and I hate to get rid of them all. But, they usually only play with the ones that are in our livingroom, and the rest are forgotten.

[Halcyon]

Well, the bug has hit me LOL. It wasn't that bad, actually; their room was already pretty uncluttered. I just needed to get that big storage bin from Big Lots, and once that was done, it was really a matter of transferring toys into it.

 

The boys are building lego houses now in their mostly clear room. I am off to tidy the kitchen, fold some laundry and then begin a very late, mellow, holiday school day of math and history :)

[In the Rain]

One thing that resonated with me about the book: he talks about how we often buy "storage units" and bins and things to "hide" our clutter (guilty!) but really, he says, you shouldn't need that many of those bins--you should just clear what's inside of them away. I have often "hidden" things neatly in bins or closets. I figure, hey, you can't see it, it looks pretty and neat, so what's the problem? But I think mentally and emotionally, that "stuff" just weighs you down. You "know" it's there, despite hiding it aesthetically. Does this make sense to anyone?

 

:iagree: 6yo dd made huge strides yesterday with her room. I have boxes and bags of things that can go "on vacation" in the attic. While I am *thrilled* with the change in her room, I'd rather see those things heading out the door. Knowing they are in the attic will eat away at me, but someday we can probably resort those bags.

 

Funny story- dd couldn't come to breakfast today because she was too busy "playing shanty" in her newly cleaned out bedroom. She loves having the space. :D

[Halcyon]

:iagree: 6yo dd made huge strides yesterday with her room. I have boxes and bags of things that can go "on vacation" in the attic. While I am *thrilled* with the change in her room, I'd rather see those things heading out the door. Knowing they are in the attic will eat away at me, but someday we can probably resort those bags.

 

Funny story- dd couldn't come to breakfast today because she was too busy "playing shanty" in her newly cleaned out bedroom. She loves having the space. :D

 

That's wonderful!

And let me tell you, in a few months, you can quietly take those bags in the attic to Good Will. My guess? She won't miss 99% of waht's in them.

[King Alfred Academy]

Alright...I started the process with simplifying my boys' room. I was really worried about their reaction and frankly, it was an emotional process for me (but those are my own issues I am working through regarding stuff being tied to love). My dh took before pictures and once we are done, I'll take after pictures. I got rid of a bunch of items, but I know there is more. My dh, seeing this was emotional for me, suggested I have a box to put items in that I was unsure about getting rid of and then I'll visit that box in a month a decide what to do.

 

We prefaced the process by talking to the boys about the vision we have for our home and for them as individuals. We made sure they realized we weren't just taking things away from them, but also giving them stuff in return (calm, peaceful, uncluttered environment for them to be able to do the things they love...imagine and create.) I wanted to be able to give them something tangible back though too. After Christmas, my dh and the boys are going to make them fold up tables that go under their loft beds that they will be able to use as project tables. My youngest is excited about having a place for his LEGO creations and my oldest can't wait to have space for his crafting, experiments, etc.

 

When they walked in after my dh and I spent 3 hours in there, they were so excited! I heard exclamations of, "I love it"! "There is so much room!" It was not at all what I was expecting, but exactly what I wanted to hear. Hope that will encourage some of you who are a bit worried about your kids' reactions.

 

I'll let you know when I post about the before and after.

 

I'm still in the process of simplifying, but so far so good! :001_smile:

[In the Rain]

We made sure they realized we weren't just taking things away from them, but also giving them stuff in return (calm, peaceful, uncluttered environment for them to be able to do the things they love...imagine and create.) I wanted to be able to give them something tangible back though too.

 

It sounds like the experience turned out great, even if it was hard for you, emotionally. I like how you talked to them about giving them peace, calmness and an uncluttered environment. If I start that with my 9yo now, someday she may warm to the idea.

 

For something tangible, I bought my 6yo a bouquet of flowers for her room. She did an awesome job straightening up and making decisions about what could be put into storage.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

counter-intuitively, my daughter was thrilled with the end result, as well. The process was hard but the feeling afterward were worth it.

[Soror]

KAA- That is awesome, for you and them.

 

The kids always seem to enjoy when we clean things up. My 3.5yo now goes on and on about how she has to clean her room, she takes pride in it now.

 

I had just got rid of about 6 garbage bags of toys a few months ago. However, reading this thread I was motivated to get rid of more. I now have an entire LARGE black trash bag full again. They have been distracted with this and that and I thought I would clear out some little things and see if they noticed.

 

Today I moved ds' HUGE stuffed spiderman out. He never did noticed. I almost entirely cleared an entire bin of little toys, he was in it getting something out and didn't say a word. Tomorrow evening it is going to Goodwill. I figure if either one notices anything before then it will be rescued but I doubt they will. I am especially happy to clear even more now we are coming on the Holidays.

 

I have spent a lot of time today thinking about our family and personal goals and trying to decide how we will meet those goals. For tv I am thinking perhaps family movie night 2x a week- once fiction and once documentary. I would like a night for handicrafts as well and of course game night.

 

It would be kind of neat to have a schedule of sort for that. Of course not that everything has to be planned but sometimes it helps to make sure they get done if I schedule them. We started work on some quilt blocks and I started teaching the kids to sew, perhaps after Christmas we can start work on some play food for dd1's kitchen.

 

There are some faith traditions I would like to start as well. I want to look more into some volunteer work for us. We have done a few sporadic things but I would like that to be more a part of our lives.

[Momto5]

Great thread! Thanks for starting it. I have 2 thoughts that have made a big difference for us in creating a more inviting home:

 

1. when working to create a calm, relaxing home environment don't forget to look at wall colors and furniture/throw pillows. Using warm but not hot colors and keeping patterns to a minimum can really reduce visual clutter and make a room feel more welcoming.

 

2. consider framing one piece of children's art work each year and hanging it in your home. This is an easy way to preserve art work and it often means a lot to children when they see their creations framed and displayed in the home. My parents did this with my siblings and my artwork and are now starting to hand down those framed items to us. I love these items and so do my kids.

 

I hope this helps someone. I can't wait to read more suggestions.

[lakotajm]

We already have a fairly laid-back lifestyle, and ds's days aren't overly scheduled. (They might need a little more structure, actually...) Ds probably has too much time on the computer and video games, though.

 

 

 

My oldest enjoys creating little movies with a mish-mash of Paint pictures she draws, images off the web, sound files, videos and pictures she takes, etc. using Movie Maker. She spends a lot of her free time doing this-and is quite talented at it. Is this bad? I had wondered where to draw the line since it is creative and could be a career choice for her.

 

Lakota

[King Alfred Academy]

 

Today I moved ds' HUGE stuffed spiderman out. He never did noticed. I almost entirely cleared an entire bin of little toys, he was in it getting something out and didn't say a word. Tomorrow evening it is going to Goodwill. I figure if either one notices anything before then it will be rescued but I doubt they will. I am especially happy to clear even more now we are coming on the Holidays.

 

 

 

I have had the same experience. I don't think they even notice what is missing, but I have noticed them playing with things they haven't played with in a long time. Taking away some of their "too many choices" has really helped them already.

 

I did tell them the toys we took out are going to go to the Hospice Thrift Store. I told them the money the store would get for their toys is going to help families who have a loved one that is dying. I explained what hospice does and they gave it a "thumbs up". They liked knowing they were helping others even if in a non-direct way. :001_smile: