Clean Home, Calm Heart

As I was attempting to clear out the clutter of our computer hard drive this morning I came across this article I wrote a few years ago for my mom's group newsletter and thought it might be appropriate to share it all with you.  Any of you followers know I've already started my "Spring Cleaning" and de-cluttering, but hopefully this will encourage you to clear out a bit from your home as well.

Clean Home, Calm Heart

Another year has passed and here we are ready to make 2007 (insert 2010 if you're s stickler for dates) all it can be. What are your goals, or resolutions as some may say, for this year? Are you like most – hoping to lose weight, exercise more, eat better, be a better wife, a better mother, a better friend? What about hoping to have a cleaner house, more organized schedule or better overall time management?

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to start afresh in your household. As you put away all of those Christmas decorations and gifts I’m sure you realized how much stuff you probably have and sometimes all of our worldly items can be overwhelming. They can drag us down and cause us anxiety and frustration, as our home seems to become overrun with stuff. Now is the time to take control and get organized.

Start with something simple at first – a single closet or room you’d like to clean out. Set aside some time –naptime perhaps, or set a timer and give yourself a specific number of minutes to work on the space. It helps to have separate bags or boxes labeled “trash”, “donate” and “sell”. Next, go through and pull out any items you haven’t used in the last year, don’t have a need for, or plain just don’t care for and put them in the appropriate bag. If you’re unsure about an item, ask yourself, “Is this adding to my life or just taking up space?” Once you’ve completed an area, feel free to continue at whatever pace you can, through the rest of the house.

Don’t be afraid to get your kids involved as well. I’m sure there are plenty of clothes or toys that are no longer being used and could benefit some other child. Have each child choose 3 toys they are willing to part with. It’s also an excellent opportunity to discuss with your children how blessed they are for the things they have and teach them how they can help other children by donating some of their things.

Once done you can decide to donate your items to a worthy non-profit such as Salvation Army or any other number of Christian organizations that could use your old items for good.  You could also decide to hold a yard sale to sell what you can and donate whatever is left. Whatever you decide – you will be amazed at how liberating and rejuvenating it can feel to clean out those things in your home that were just taking up space. Oh and don’t forget to get a receipt for any items you donate – you don’t want to miss out on another deduction for this year’s taxes!