One thing is for sure, these next couple of months are going to be busy -- family parties and dinners, traditions and outings, shopping and gift wrapping. It’s go, go, go all season long. It can be exhausting and sometimes all you want to do is curl up and be cozy at home.
Before all of the craziness of the holidays begins, making our home one less thing to worry about will ease our stress. One huge way to lessen the burden of housework and the incoming of new toys/stuff in general is to declutter. A home that isn’t bursting at the seams with stuff makes for easier clean-ups and a more restful mind (especially when you’re rushing to find something and you can’t even open your jam-packed drawers). Here are a few places to start:
Playroom
Depending on the age and temperament of your children, this may be one that you want to do on your own. If you can, teach your children about how quality, gently used toys can be donated to make another child happy--that would be a wonderful Christmas lesson. If your child is going to panic and lose sleep over their broken Happy Meal toy being thrown away, I would suggest doing it on your own. This is a great place to start because we all know Santa, Grandma, Uncles, and Great-Aunt Lucindas are all on their way with lots of new toys that need a space of their own.
Kitchen
Where is your catch-all? Maybe I am the only one, but my kitchen is my catch-all--not only on the counters but also in the drawers. It is home to my mail, junk drawer, and miscellaneous drawer. (This is the close cousin to a junk drawer, but this drawer is actually organized.) This is also where I will be cooking or baking for family parties or just because I want holiday cookies. I don’t love cooking or baking so I don’t want the environment to be stressing me any more than I already am with all of its crap when I have to bake. I don’t need that extra baggage.
This would be a great time to go through your fridge and pantry to throw out anything expired and to group things together by what you use them for (baking together, kids breakfast together, soups etc.). It would also be ideal to brave your junk drawer. Some stuff in junk drawers really are junk and need to go to the trash, some stuff make sense to be in the junk drawer, and some stuff actually has a home that is not the junk drawer. Go through any other drawers that might be hard to open or have an organizational system that just needs to be set back up again.
Bathroom
My bathroom is chock full of products. Honestly I have been a lot better about this in recent years, but I still have a drawer full of random face products that I wanted to try out and my skin hated me for. Throw out the products you know you’ll never use. Sometimes it hurts knowing what you spent money on a product that makes you break out, but that doesn’t mean you should keep it until your buyer’s remorse goes away. Throw out any product that is empty and you haven’t gotten around to throwing out, any old and expired makeup, raggedy old towels, and anything else that is taking up space in your home and mind that doesn’t belong there.
Closet
If we’re lucky Santa, Grandma, Uncles, and Great-Aunt Lucinda are on their way to give us presents too, and for adults this is usually in the form of clothing, gift cards, or money. My gift cards and money are most often spent on clothes, so those puppies need some room in my closet and dresser drawers. It’s time to be brutally honest with the clothing you’ve been hanging onto for a special occasion or because you used to love it and now you haven’t worn it in years. Thank it for serving its purpose for a time and then donate it (unless it’s full of holes).
Car
Cars with kids are disgusting. If you have a spotless car with children I can’t trust you. You are either lying or sold your soul to the devil. We spend a lot of time in the car during the holidays, and I would prefer it to not smell like curdled milk. I also don’t want to be embarrassed by my car's condition if cousin Roger asks for a ride. Throw out all the garbage. Bring in all the random toys and coats left in the car. Just bring in anything that doesn’t belong in the car. Restock your diaper stash if needed. Vacuum and wipe down the dash and any other surfaces. Then whenever you drive in the car, try and throw out any garbage before you go inside and bring in anything you need on your way in.
Maybe these areas give you stress year round, but the thought of tackling them is too daunting. Just put on your big girl panties and do it! Set a timer and do what you can in fifteen or twenty minutes. These areas are not worth your peace of mind and a more stressful season.
For more tips for the holidays go to babycubby.com.