Kids
Decluttering The House (Even When The Children Are Running Around)
It’s important for children to see you decluttering, to learn how to do it and what the results are. Certainly there are challenges, anything we do with our children means it’s going to take longer, either while wrangling them, explaining things to them, or showing them how to do the task. Parenting takes time and…
Read MoreTeaching Children Tidy Habits Early On
Responsibility and having to participate in housekeeping is good for children, it helps them to feel needed, important and trusted. It helps them feel like they belong. Setting Realistic Timelines Though essential for raising future adults, teaching children to do chores can be exhausting for mom (or whoever the primary caregiver is) if preparation isn’t…
Read MoreWhat Toys Should My Baby & Toddler Have?
Many parents find themselves, and their children, overwhelmed by the amount of toy in the house and seek to declutter. But when we’re looking at cutting back on toys, the focus tends to lean towards what toys should we keep, that foster imagination and give children hours of enjoyment? Disclaimer: Children’s brains are going to…
Read MoreWhat Living With Purpose Actually Looks Like
Several years ago, when I had piles of dishes, overflowing counters and far too many pieces of furniture, I determined to live with less so I could do more. Before I would sit down to play a game with the kids and I would be haunted by the piles of clutter surrounding me. I…
Read MoreNon-Toy Gift Guide For The Children In Your Life
Gift-giving holidays are just around the corner, and we all want to give to the children in our life, but the plastic toy excess is not something we want to contribute to, is it? I love giving experience gifts, which is something I reference a lot in my clutter-free gift guides. But I know some…
Read MoreGetting Teens Involved In Holiday Traditions
Teens are at the point in life where they’ve experienced family traditions many times over and are disenchanted. When we’re young, everything is big and amazing, and it’s romanticized in our memory. As we age, the magic fades a bit. And as we mature, the magic takes on a different form — but we’ll get…
Read MoreAddressing Gift-Exchanges With Extended Family and Friends
This post is part 2 of 3 in my Simplify The Gifts Holiday Mini-Series The easiest way to simplify this is to not give any gifts. But we may feel like that’s not really an option. Buying gifts should be done from the heart. If you do not enjoy giving gifts or cannot…
Read MoreNon-Candy Trick-or-Treat Options
As we approach Halloween this topic is coming up more and more. Many parents are looking for alternatives; some for the Teal Pumpkin Project (offering alternatives, for children who have food allergies), and some are just tired of the unhealthy excess of refined sweeteners and food dyes. As an environmentalist, I am bothered by the amount of plastic…
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