Home Bliss

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I Am A Decluttering Fraud

I want to write about home organization, I really do!  But at the moment I can’t, not without feeling like a decluttering fraud.

You see, my home isn’t organized.  It’s a beautiful mess of chaos and clutter.  I’d like to say it’s “organized clutter”.  You know what I mean…the piles, the bins, the boxes, overflowing with stuff that is waiting to be sorted, purged, saved…organized.  Hidden in closets, behind cabinet doors, inside drawers (or even right out in the open).  But who are we kidding? I’m not fooling anyone, least of all myself.

Okay, I’m being honest right now.  Here is a corner of my living room, right beside my desk.  It is just one of the “collection” points, where stuff is corralled when the main floor of the house is “tidied” and the stuff from downstairs comes upstairs, waiting to be sorted.

Easter baskets that missed being put away with the rest of the Easter decorations out in the garage.  A bin of old Star Wars toys my son no longer plays with, but we haven’t decided what to do with yet.  Movies that didn’t get put away. (Aww, Serendipity…that’s one of my favourites!)  My yoga mats and blocks, which are getting used more frequently, right here in the living room (yoga for the win!), but that don’t have a permanent home when not in use.

At least you can see the vacuum there.  I’m hoping that shows at least the intention of cleaning….

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Are your kids spending way too much electronics time?  Always in front of a screen, be it a video game, tablet, phone or tv?  Do you struggle with finding the balance between entertainment and education?  And when you finally take the devices away, do you get temper tantrums and meltdowns?

Me too.  It’s not easy, and it’s something our family still struggles with.  But I have made some small changes that are slowly adding up to create different habits and outcomes.  Some days it still feels like one step forward, two steps back.  But I’m confident that if we keep at it, we’ll reach a balance that we can all live with.

As a single mom, electronics time from a young age is the only way I keep up with everything.  Putting on an episode of Blue’s Clues or Thomas the Tank Engine (I’m dating myself here, aren’t I…) gave me 20 minutes to fold a load of laundry, or start dinner.  A Disney/Pixar movie, with my toddler planted firmly between my curled up legs and the back of the couch could equal a much needed nap for me, especially after nightshift.

Too Much Is Not A Good Thing

I am well aware of the dangers of too much electronics time.  I’m living it.  My youngest could definitely be considered “addicted” to video games.  If he is not squarely policed, he will play incessantly.  He’ll forget to eat, sacrifice sleep, and get so wound up and aggressive that he becomes completely unmanageable.

Yes, I am partly to blame.  I said yes to the hand-me-down iPads that both boys were given.  I bought the video game console. And the second one when the first was considered too “childish” (Come on Mom, nobody plays Wii, it’s gotta be PS4 or Xbox!) It was me that purchased the video games, and agreed when others gifted more games.  And yes, I downloaded Pokemon Go on my phone (and have been known to play it on occasion when the 10 year old is not around, don’t judge me…).

…

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Please bring a book…

A few weeks ago I was invited to a baby shower. The host asked each guest to bring a book to start baby’s bookshelf.  Baby board books, kids books, classic books, anything to build the collection of a new future reader. 

I thought this was a brilliant idea…until I had to actually choose one.  Just one?!?  How on earth can you choose just one forever favourite!?!

My “book” problem…

You see, I am a total sucker for beautiful kids books.  Our “kids” bookshelf is full to overflowing, and I admit the collection started long before I had kids.  Might have started when I worked at a magical bookshop after university graduation 25 years ago (Through the Looking Glass in Nelson, BC…still there, same owner, tell Sharon or Peggy I said hi!).

Nowadays, I have to strictly limit my Amazon browsing, and steer clear of the kids section at my local Chapters (where I am currently writing this blog post…).  Gorgeous illustrations, a favourite author, or a cute storyline, the temptation is just too great!

Babies no more…

Yes, my boys are growing up, now 10 and almost 15 years old.  Our family reading time isn’t “out loud” as much anymore, and has spread to more age appropriate choices.  Harry Potter has now migrated from “my” shelf to “their” shelf, and my oldest is reading the Hunger Games and Divergent series at school.  My boys aren’t “readers” per se (much to mine and my mother’s dismay…sigh!).  They do favour books that have been made into movies, but I delight in the special reading moments when they notice the differences (the book is always better than the movie, in my opinion).

But my youngest still indulges in bedtime stories (although sometimes my yawns and drooping eyelids will encourage him to read to me instead…I may or may not be faking sometimes…shhhh!).  And sometimes he will sneak in what most would consider a “baby” book.  Whether it’s the nostalgia, the comfort, or the ease of reading level, I don’t mind.  It lets me hang on to their childhood just that little bit longer.…

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