seems an odd Sunday post, but it’s in response to a friend’s heartfelt plea. Emily, I can relate. This is for you (and Brooke, because I heard she needs it):
what: the CLUTTER BAG
why: to keep me from losing my mind
cost: $1 @ IKEA
where: it hangs in my entryway for all to see (unsightly, I know. If I really cared, I could buy something to beautify my home, but the concept is more important than the design at this point).
the concept: this is the bag that holds all things that do not belong in my space (the living area, the kitchen, the entry, etc). I used to refuse to pick up my kids’ stuff because it wasn’t my responsibility, but I often found myself in the predicament that my children were either asleep or gone when I noticed how cluttered the room was. I hated to do their job for them, but I also didn’t think it was fair that I had to live with their clutter. Enter the clutter bag. I am able to put any toys, Legos, light-sabers, swords, library books, clothing, random items that are out of place into this bag in 2 minutes flat.
the frequency: it used to be someone’s job everyday to empty the clutter bag. Now it just gets emptied as I see fit, usually every couple weeks. This is usually the spot that the kids find “lost” items in.
why I love it: I do not feel angry that I am doing my kids’ job for them because guess who puts everything away? The kids. In a sense, it’s like those big plastic garbage bags that my mom kept in our garage growing up. (only this stuff doesn’t get thrown away…yet)
the truth: my entryway did not look this way when I decided to take a picture of it. It was way more cluttered.
btw, here’s a tip from brooke: when you’re throwing your kids’ things away (or just “recycling” them as I say), use BLACK garbage bags instead of clear ones. Makes a big difference.
other things I’m feeling grateful for right now:
amy w’s awesome lesson
the gift of the holy ghost
baptism
baptisms without young children present (please don’t be offended)
the first vision
gallbladder removal
mid-winter break (no schedule for 3 days)
keeping in touch with my family
the gift of jello
cookies “just because”
feeling good enough to go to church
damon (always)
friendship
sitting up and typing
having another post done
Amy, that is indeed a good idea. My weakness in cleaning is that I want to put every last army toy or Jenga piece or whatever it is exactly where it is supposed to go, and it takes me too long to get it done, so I just quit. I need an in-between system. I'll have to think about this. Thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid to find out how many clutter bags I would need. Good idea though.
ReplyDeleteMy clutter bag is/are boxes that later end up in our room and take over it. It is so bad. that one day out of the month I have to empty the box out and put things away or the boxes seem to multiply. Sometimes I just donate the box to value village. Great Idea! I love the bag idea. But Beware it could grow to a box!
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to do this when I was younger, we had a month to claim anything that was ours and we had to pay 5 cents for anything we wanted to get back. At the end of the month whatever was left in the drawer was taken to DI. Its a good way to see what is worth 5 cents to a kid.
ReplyDeleteemily, i have the same ocd you must have because it isn't good enough for the kids or even my husband to put stuff away. doesn't he know that the missing mister potato head piece has a bag and not just a place on the shelf and that theif you find a missing puzzle piece you must retutn it to the proper puzzle instead of setting it in another random place? annoying ... because he knows that what he does doesn't meet my expectations so he doesn't do it anymore - and i realized i just have to do it alone. a good part of my sanity comes from just letting go at times and accepting the fact that sometimes it just doesn't get done. but most of the time i just completely overdo myself and end up exhausted and frustrated at the end of the day. so this is my version of the clutter bag - i have one at the top and bottom of the stairs (mine is more like an entire laundry basket). but the kids/husband clean up by putting the big stuff away that they know how to do and all the little things that are too high or too hard in the clutter basket. after they go to bed, i sneak in and do the do-over cleaning. it really does make a difference to have them do the initial part and me go "fix" it. even though i'm still doing work, i feel much better about it. so i guess we just reverse the order - kids do the clutter collecting and i do the putting away. makes my mind at ease. hope it helps. it's also much easier to tackle when it is collected in one spot rather than spread across an entire room - that is too intimidating. also, the toys that keep getting spilled on the floor hourly have been put on a high shelf so they are not as accessible. they only have reaching access to the main toys they play with and that they know how to put away so there are no excuses. when the "other" toys get out ... puzzles, games, etc. - we all pitch in to stay on task. sorry this is so long.
ReplyDeletefor amy - thanks for thinking of me, really. now if only you had some tips on how early i needed to be up in the morning to get a jump on my day with three children or how to effectively maximize my kitchen cupboard space. what i'd really love to know, though, is how to keep up with all the food messes that are spread all throughout the house. how DO you do it?
ReplyDeleteDarryl Hoole's rule is "we only eat in the kitchen at the table" ... a hard rule in this day and age of video games, etc. where we want to eat all over the house while we are multi-tasking. (Daryl Hoole was (and still is) the LDS guru that wrote "The Art of Homemaking"...our "bible" in my day. I've heard she has recently paired with one of her daughters to write a current book. She used to teach classes in "clutter control" and even toured us through her home at the end.) But the other thing this suggestion accomplishes is that when you are eating at the kitchen table, you are focusing on family conversation...not just eating in front of the TV or playing a video game or doing mulitiple other tasks. And when you need to "break the rule" for a special ocasion, control the snacks you allow out of the kitchen...nothing that creates crumbs or can spill or get crushed into the carpet, and only when you are sitting, not walking around. (They are also the healthy snacks such as grapes, apples,etc.) Just a thought!
ReplyDelete