“I don’t buy my kid toys.” I remember hearing that sentence like it was yesterday. But it wasn’t. It was 12 years ago, and it was at my parents’ house. My cousins were visiting for the holidays with their 1-year-old baby, and that comment was part of their very grateful acceptance of the gift we … [Read more…]
It’s true. I decluttered exactly zero things in May. None. Zilch. Zero. Nada. After months of detailed recaps outlining everything I decluttered, I simply walked away from it all. And like most things in life, the reasons are complicated. In May, the school year was winding down. Except it wasn’t. Instead of the usual decrescendo … [Read more…]
A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. A minimalist by any other name would still have less stuff. Right? I try to not get caught up in labels on this blog. In fact, it’s probably one of the many fundamental flaws in my overall blogging strategy. It flies in the face … [Read more…]
I am not done decluttering. I may never be. I am most assuredly not a decluttering expert. But I do know this about decluttering: it happens in waves. And we don’t talk about that nearly enough. It’s almost impossible for me–and I suspect for most people–to declutter an entire home in one fell swoop. Whatever criteria … [Read more…]
Jeans seem like lifetime investments to me. Not just because they can have a steep price point ($1,200+…gasp!), but because it’s such an ordeal to find the perfect pair. So when I do find a pair, I want to wear them forever. Unfortunately, forever only lasted twelve years, and then my favorite pair was done … [Read more…]
Fat Tuesday might be my favorite day. It’s always been a day of celebration in my family. In fact, as I type, a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is keeping my keyboard company. What? You thought I was hanging off a float or catching beads? Of course, I like Fat Tuesday because … [Read more…]
I didn’t start the year with a concrete number for how many items I wanted to declutter. I was invited to do a few different challenges. The most dramatic one promised to part ways with 1,000 items. I didn’t accept. Because honestly? It seemed too easy. For a house that generally abides by the clean … [Read more…]
In the past week, I decluttered 9 things from my house. Three items were sold and the rest were Freecycled. Here’s how things unfolded. I sold: One pair of Ugg boots (They’re cozy but oh-so-slippery!), One pair of Nikes (I only realized I actually should have sized up after wearing the wrong size for…weeks), and … [Read more…]
What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given? A real gift. Something that came in a box with a bow. Or at least wrapped in the funnies. You know, a present. Of course, there’s health and happiness, family and friends. The gift of knowledge, which is something I have been giving my students all year. … [Read more…]
“We don’t do Show and Tell here.” It was a bold proclamation. Especially because it was nowhere on the daycare orientation agenda. Show and Tell is a staple of early education curricular design. It is as familiar as Play-Doh and and the “Clean Up” song. How many times have you done Show and Tell in … [Read more…]