There are things we need and things we want. Telling the difference becomes difficult at times.
Fall is a time where I like to refocus on “culling” the stuff. Five children and two adults living in a home with a sixth child here a few times a month can produce a glut of stuff. This was made very clear to me when I had my fourth and my mother in law stayed at our home with the children. “You have too many clothes.” I started out trying to disprove her so I went through and inventoried the clothing…. we had way to many clothes. So I sat down and made a list of what each child really needed with our weather and activities in mind. I based my list off of several I had found online and my own common sense. It lists out everything that every child needs in a spread sheet, I go through the drawers and select the items to fill the quota and the rest go away.
I have thought about applying this methodology to other areas in the home as well but I was always somewhat stuck on where to start… or more precisely where to stop. I start by thinking of the rooms and areas in my home and asking “what do I do in this room; what do I need to be in here?” Some rooms have proven easy. The bathroom is pretty simple. Other rooms have proven problematic, my office and the kitchen most bothersome. The bathroom is rather straight forward in its uses. Bathing, toilet, grooming and first aid. The kitchen is food storage and preparation…. but where do I stop with the needs? Do I NEED a pasta maker, bread machine, coffee press, waffle iron and a wide assortment of baking pans? Some of them are truely convient and others a deceptive. They seem like a good idea, but are really just space takers that aren’t worth the effort to pull them out.
My office has hands down been the worst. It is a multi-use room that is used a lot so clutter and mess tend to build up at an alarming rate. This weekend I am doing a serious planning phase for getting it under control. I will report on my efforts on Monday.
Simply Catholic 