With summer approaching at very quick speed I want to really focus on what is important and what I want our summer break to consist of. This past weekend we spent most of the day cleaning and as I look around at everything we have, I truly feel blessed. We have a beautiful home and a lot of beautiful things and for the most part these “things” make me happy, they bring me “joy” but with all this being said there is room for improvement. I am currently partaking in my Kon Mari journey with the help of a Kon Mari consultant and dear friend, Janine Young. (You can find her on YouTube channel A Young Mum or her blog A Young Mum, she also has a business page My Joyful Home). I am going through all I own, inch by inch and only keeping what sparks joy, what makes me happy every time I see or use it. I, in no way, shape or form want to be what some title a “traditional minimalist”, I like stuff too much but I do not want my life to be consumed by all this stuff. I want to explore, make memories with my children. I want to travel, introduce them to new things and to see some other parts of the world.

I do not want to spend my time off cleaning, being so overwhelmed with all these things in my home. Currently, when I enter some rooms in my home I feel anxiety, to the point I do not want to enter the room, I do not even know where to start. What I want is to feel calm and at peace with myself and my home every time I enter the front door or a room.

So for the next while I am going to be reevaluating everything we have in the home, getting the children involved in the process as well because they, just like myself, have too much stuff and I want them to love everything they have as well. Here is a little story that  pulled on my heartstrings.

The other day I gave Madeline a doll that I found at Value Village. She loves American Girl and Wellie Wishers and this doll was a Heart to Heart doll and she was beautiful. I picked her up and gave her to Madeline. With one puzzled, expressionless look, Madeline replied “Thank you”. I looked at her and explained that we do not need to keep everything, that there are other little girls that would love this doll. So she agreed to part with the doll and donate her. I brought her to school and gave her to one of my students (I teach in a high needs learning center) and the little girl loved the doll. I came home and told Madeline how happy the little girl was with the doll. With the biggest smile and love in her eyes, Madeline jumped in my arms, giving me the biggest hug and said ” I am so happy that your student loved the doll!!!”

It was at that moment I knew that I had taught her a valuable lesson. So over the next few months I will be sharing my journey to adapting a minimalist lifestyle, not only for the stuff in my home but also emotionally as well.