She's Got It Together
She's Got It Together
Tales from the Trenches of Household Organizing
Spring is in the air and you know what that means - it's time for some serious decluttering! Join me and my co-host Jessica as we dive into our best spring organizing tips. As busy moms, we know how quickly things can pile up over the winter. From switching out seasonal clothes to tackling the dreaded junk drawer, we're sharing our tried and true strategies for getting our homes in order.
But let's be real, decluttering with kids in the house is no joke! We're talking about how to get the whole family involved without losing our minds in the process. And don't even get us started on the endless cycle of toy purging - it's a battle we're still figuring out.
We're also dishing on our love/hate relationship with organizing products. Those clear bins and cute baskets are tempting, but are they really worth the hype (and the price tag)? We've got some strong opinions on that.
So grab a coffee (in your favorite mug, of course) and join us as we laugh, vent, and motivate each other to create the clutter-free homes of our dreams...or at least make it to next spring without being buried alive in stuff. Hey, a mom can dream, right?
Hope you enjoyed this episode!
Remember we'll be back twice a month with more fun shananagins. Be sure to follow us so you don't miss a beat!
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Here's to Getting it Together one day at a time,
Jessica & Samantha
because I have all these t-shirts from like cheer and dance that I, like, don't want to get rid of, and they're in this box and. I've just moved them from house, even our croquet for t-shirts, Right yeah like our family has this annual croquet tournament every year and it's awesome that you should do it with your family if you don't do it already, it's fine, but we have all these t-shirts because we have a t-shirt every year and, like that, one year we ended up having two shirts and switched them halfway through the course because two people got t-shirts in.
Speaker 1:But you have all these t-shirts that you don't want to throw away, but you don't necessarily wear them anymore, and it's like you know everyone's like well, you can make a quilt or you can do this, and I'm like I don't have time to do that and that's always been something I wanted to do.
Speaker 3:But yeah time no. So I have baby clothes too, like that.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:Or just like GMEs from like Christmas and things like that that I always wanted to like make something with.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone, and welcome to a brand new episode of she's Got it Together. I'm your host, jessica.
Speaker 1:And I'm Samantha. Each week we peel back the curtain on what it really looks like to have it together.
Speaker 2:From the messy moments to the milestones, we're here to share it all.
Speaker 1:So grab your favorite drink, get comfy and let's dive into today's topic. So let's dive into some spring organizing tips because as busy moms, things can get piled up and we all tend to need to use the spring to declutter. And I feel like Jessica, you are kind of a pro in like the decluttering realm, so like why is springtime a great time for families to organize and declutter?
Speaker 3:I think it's just a natural place, natural time, that you're coming out of hibernation, right.
Speaker 1:From the winter Right.
Speaker 3:You're coming out of hibernation and you're, you know, everything's kind of just been piling up over that period of time and it's time to purge. It's time to start getting rid of things. Start, you know, organizing. And then you're also, it's changed seasons, so your clothing is going to change. You're going to have to, you know, switch into your summer gear at least your spring and summer kind of thing.
Speaker 3:So it works out well that way. I do think that, being like, I guess, cooped up over the winter, I start some of my projects usually during that time, just small things, and one of the things that makes it a little bit easier is that I'll go through drawers or go through closets, usually during that time, and just start to slowly get some motivation, you know, kind of get that ball rolling towards a bigger purge during the spring.
Speaker 1:Well, I think with spring, like the weather is nice, like you can open the windows and clean and you're just more motivated to clean. You're like, yes, it's getting nice out, you can get the stuff out of here.
Speaker 3:Start cleaning and motivated you know like it's just that stuffy feeling you're trying to get rid of, and I think a lot of different places have like spring cleaning for their trash so you can put out more garbage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I think there's like more like furniture and stuff like that, like bigger items that you yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, like up at the cottage they have like around like the 4th of July. They have like a pickup where you can pretty much put anything out there, like an old fridge, a couch, whatever that you normally like can't just throw away in the trash or you're not supposed to anyway, like they might not take it, depending where you live.
Speaker 1:But yeah, there's like those times and you want to go through things before that date so that you can have everything out to the road by then. So I think that's another thing, is there's just more of those pickup days too. It's a good point.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's. I mean, it's a process. I think you have to remember that it's not going to be something quick, it's something that's just going to take time. So I feel like you want to like say, okay, I'm going to do my spring cleaning over this weekend or something, and that's just not realistic. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So like how do you make it like, how do you make it not overwhelming? You know like it can be overwhelming thinking like we have the whole house to declutter Right and then that's just daunting. So like, how do you make it so it's not so overwhelming?
Speaker 3:Well, and that's it, like that's just doing the small things. One little thing at a time. You know, it's like one room at a time. One drawer at a time. So I even buy room like one drawer, one cupboard, like you need to go real small, like it's like the kitchen. You know, like, do you know, do a drawer or two at a time, you know, just do it in your downtime throughout the day, do a cupboard, organize it, get stuff out, and that also lets you not have a ton of trash all at once, because that's what really bugs me.
Speaker 3:It's like I'll sometimes get a while of hair in my ass and when I like just go at it, and then I end up with all this garbage and it's not anywhere Like trash. They probably just pass. So I've got a week to wait to get it all out to the curb and then you've got your garage all cluttered.
Speaker 1:Well, and I think for me, like I'll get like really motivated, like, yep, I'm going to clean out like my entire closet, and then you throw everything out and then like halfway through, like you are so unmotivated like you don't want to finish it, it was just too much. You are super excited and then now you're just like, okay, this isn't fun anymore, because I remember I was watching the home edit and so I got super stoked to like organize my closet and, like you know, color coordinate by the rainbow and all this stuff, and I was.
Speaker 1:So you take everything out and then you have to like go through it and then like put it back in and I'm just like, oh my God, what did I get myself into? Because halfway through I was like I am so sick of like picking all these like clothes up that were on the floor and I'm finding a hanger for them. Do I want to keep them, like goodwill?
Speaker 2:like donations.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it doesn't spark joy. So I'm just like, oh God. So yeah, I was a little overwhelmed with that one, but I mean I got it done in a couple days, I think. I just kind of move the clothes off the bed Did you keep it that way?
Speaker 1:No, I didn't Right. And then we moved to our new house and then I put everything back in like by the rainbow and I had it really good for a while and then I just lost the motivation. I'm like I don't care, just like hang it up. And I lost it because I had it organized by color and then I had it organized also by like tank tops, t-shirts, like sweaters and all that stuff. And then I just got lazy and then some of it's still the same. The stuff that I don't like really wear that much is in order. But then all the stuff that I wear all the time is like all up in the front because I'm like creature of habit, I just wear like the same thing all the time.
Speaker 3:I do that too, and so that's in front. Yeah, I have like, actually everything that's in my closet I don't wear. Everything that I do wear is like folded and you know, like I have this like sideboards, like shelf thing, and that's where all of my clothes are that I wear.
Speaker 1:It's crazy, well, and I feel like when it's time to go through the closet and they're like do you wear this, do you? And I'm like. You know what? Like I feel like if I get rid of all the clothes that I don't wear, I won't have any clothes. And I'm like, um, I don't want to, it's just my number of matters. Yeah, I'm like, I feel like I can't get rid of all of these clothes. Even if I don't, maybe I want to wear them in like a month or two years or you know, I'm just like I can't get rid of these.
Speaker 1:I feel like I have done better, though I've gotten rid of clothes that I'm like, okay, I'm not going to fit into those anymore. Like now I'm post baby. Like those probably aren't going to work, it's not my style anymore, yeah.
Speaker 1:I was like I can get rid of those clothes from like forever 21 that I bought in college that I'm not wearing anymore, and so I'm like I got rid of those and then now I have, but I also have like, what do you do with those Like? Because I have all these t shirts from like cheer and dance that I like don't want to get rid of, and they're in this box that. I've just moved them from house, even our apartment shirts, right yeah. Like our family has this annual croquet tournament every year and it's awesome.
Speaker 1:You should do with your family if you don't do it already. But we have all these t shirts because we have a t shirt every year and, like that, one year we ended up having two shirts and switched them halfway through the course because two people got t shirts.
Speaker 1:But you have all these t shirts that you don't want to throw away, but you don't necessarily wear them anymore, and it's like you know everyone's like, well, you can make a quilt or you can do this, and I'm like I don't have time to do that and that's always been something I wanted to do, but yeah, time no.
Speaker 3:I have baby clothes too, like that. Like they're just like GMEs, from like Christmas's and things like that, that I always wanted to like make something with, Do something yeah, but they're overflowing Like there's rubber made tubs full of stuff.
Speaker 2:And I've never, done any of it.
Speaker 1:Maybe like later on, when they're older and you would have more time, like when they're like and like. Maybe when they're older, like they're like my age and they're like 30s, like they have kids, you could make a quilt, like a Christmas quilt, out of their PJs for them or something Like maybe when you have more time.
Speaker 1:So that's like why I'm like I don't want to get rid of them. Yeah, I might have time later to like do something with them. So they've just been in a box and I've moved them from like apartment to apartment. Yeah, it's an apartment, really right, Apartment to house, you know. So I'm just like, well, they can just stay in there until I decide what I'm going to do with them I guess.
Speaker 1:Some people are probably going to be like just throw them out, You'll never miss them. Like they're in a box, Just throw them out, you won't miss them. But I'm like when I go to do it, I'm like I can't do it.
Speaker 3:I can't throw you out Because there are things you can't get back, but I have some things from, like, our travels. So like actually, when we went to Gatlinburg and UK, we brought you as a babysitter years ago, like a long time ago, taylor went two or three, three I guess, maybe. Anyways, we went to Gatlinburg and I bought this tank top at Old Smoky. The Disturbing.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I have one too.
Speaker 3:The bright red one yeah, I wore it like once but it was kind of small and it was like OK, I'm going to get into this at some point in my life.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, there's lots of those clothes.
Speaker 3:I can't get into it, but it's like sentimental to me because it was such a fun trip. And then I've got something like that from when we went to we did the Bourbon Trail a couple of years ago and I got one from Will it. Well, it's a little small too, so I have that one. And then there's like 10 other ones like that. And I mean I've got one from Marco Island that I don't wear it but I don't want to get bread of it, I know. But why?
Speaker 1:Well, that's the thing, it's just such a mental thing. Because I feel like when I was pregnant and I got in that nesting phase, I threw away so much stuff, donated so much stuff. I didn't care. I'm like get it out of here, I don't care.
Speaker 2:I don't miss it, I don't want it, that's good.
Speaker 1:And then we moved to our house and I'm like dang, I really could have used that rug, I really could have used that chair. I really could have used that lamp. And so now I'm like you know what I better cool it this time around, because I might be throwing out things that we need. Because I was just like, oh gosh, because you still have that stuff from family, because Bret and I moved in together and we both had some of your stuff from your college apartment and family hand me downs and we're just like oh, we're trying to have an aesthetically pleasing home but also not be too greedy.
Speaker 1:We don't have all this money to buy all this new stuff. But we're just like do we really? Need that old chair? Probably not. We really need that zebra rug. I don't know, it's just like Zebra rug. I remember that yeah. It's a nice rug, I'm just like.
Speaker 3:It was in your guest room at the apartment.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we probably could have used that in our basement now and it was a big rug and I'm just like oh god, like why did we get rid of it? But that's what happens when you're in that nesting phase and you're just like throwing everything out, so that just kind of shows. It is like a mental thing. Luckily I didn't get a hold on my clothes then, because I probably would have threw out that box of t-shirts, but Ooh, yeah, yeah, you probably would have it was in the storage unit.
Speaker 1:I think that we had or something. Well, that's my best, you wouldn't Be like get rid of that Bret's like stay out of the garage, like get me thrown out my stuff, he would have been happy if you would have hit your mugs.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, See, that's the one thing. And he's like, well, I have a ton of coffee mugs and I'm actually like kind of she's a mug fetish. I love mugs. And he's like every time you buy a new mug you have to get rid of an older one. I'm like, hell, no, I don't, Because I'm like these mugs have meaning, Like I like to get one when we travel places, or like if there's just like a cute one, I'm like, oh my god, it's like a cute mug.
Speaker 3:We got a ray gun. I've got our travels Like we've got one from to Kwamana Falls Actually, I think they're in the same way. Oh my god, so do I. That's where I got one, yeah.
Speaker 1:And then Bret loves that mug because it comes with a little spoon and I'm like, aren't you happy? I got that mug and I have one from Beaver Island when I went there in college.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's got Beaver Island, my botany class.
Speaker 1:So yeah, and like they're fun mugs, but I am getting into this like glass mug phase. I noticed that and because I have those up north.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and so.
Speaker 1:I'm kind of like I never even unpacked all of my mugs because I didn't have room, and then Bo started taking them all off because it was like open shelving. So then now I have a new closed shelf and I'm just kind of like getting into the glass mugs. Yeah, brett put it together, so it's ready to go. It's great, bo can't get in it, thank God. He was like taking my coffee out, dumped the coffee everywhere, my coffee grounds everywhere.
Speaker 3:You're fancy coffee. You're a coffee snob.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's not that fancy.
Speaker 2:I mean some of it might be your particular.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't like any of the sweet stuff, you know. I just like regular coffee, like.
Speaker 3:I don't like the vanilla. I remember you had any of that cherry coffee. You remember that.
Speaker 1:I do like that, except it's almost like not cherry enough for whatever reason, and so I haven't been drinking it that much. But I just like normal coffee. I don't like all the flavor in it. You like it? Yeah, If I want flavor, I'll add it myself. You know I don't want it in the coffee. You want to be in control? Yes, I do. What else is new?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I feel like one of the high like declutter, like to like one of the high Traffic areas, I think in our house is like because, like you can come in from the garage and then you have like a little hallway, then it's like the kitchen, and so I feel like galley kitchen.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I feel like that's like easy, like to put mail on the counter and like throw your keys on the counter and all this random stuff on the counter, and it's like a high traffic area. Like how do you just like keep?
Speaker 3:it clean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like you just have these dump spots in your house and I'm like it looked, I hate it, it looks bad and it's just clutter. And then I'm, like you know, trying to get bread on board with this, like let's not put it here, put your keys, like, put your wallet somewhere else, like, and it's just like maybe I need a basket or something to put there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know those little baskets that hang. We just put that up in our laundry room.
Speaker 1:That's a good idea. We do have room on that wall there.
Speaker 3:We have like it's a we did an inner out or it's like two baskets. It's got in and out and it's just like a mail thing. But we actually use it more for a little bit of everything in there. Like he can have his wallet, I can hang. I have grandma's old key ring that she had in her door.
Speaker 3:It's like the little house in the tree right that there, and then that way we can dump the mail, because the mail ended up in the kitchen, which is not anywhere near where we're coming in, but we always go to the kitchen and put our stuff down on the counter. I can hang my purse, because my purse would always go to the kitchen counter, and then everything's by the door, but it's out of sight. And yeah, that's the thing too.
Speaker 1:It's like I don't want like a mess, like where everyone can see it, you know. So it's like you want to have like a designated spot and like we have room to like put in almost like a little like mud room, like pantry closet or like something.
Speaker 2:So I'm like that would be nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, to like have like a little bench where you in like a shoe thing and then have a place where you can put our coats, because we have like the coat closet but it's in the front door and you don't always use the front door, and so then it comes like we have like a little shoe thing and the coats tend to just like lay on top of it.
Speaker 1:And like this is not working. It's messy, Like can we at least get some like hooks up here? So I feel like if we just got like a little like you know clothes little pantry shelf, put like a little thing on there, it can be like the little dump spot. Yeah, Can make that look cute actually, Right.
Speaker 3:Like a farmhouse feeling. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's a farmhouse.
Speaker 3:But yeah, those hot spots really getcha for sure. But I think if you can get them off and like hung somehow. I feel like that's a really good way to fix things is just using the wall space. Well, and I did that at our old house down the stairs, down going through the basement we had, we put like just hangers, or not hangers but like hooks, and we were able to hang our coats because we didn't have anything at the garage.
Speaker 2:Right, I remember that, and that worked really well, especially for hats.
Speaker 3:Dj and his hats, they're everywhere. Oh yeah, they go on top of the potato jar, like we've got this canister that you put potatoes in and we've got one for onions and garlic. For some reason, all his hats go on top of the potato one Interesting.
Speaker 2:And it drives me nuts.
Speaker 3:I'm like we need a new location. They just put like a stack over there.
Speaker 1:Well, I feel like I read somewhere where they're like if you want to have like an organizer, like a decluttered home, like don't put anything on the floor, right, no floor Like have a wall space. I was like that's good, that's good Cause I'm like, ooh, like, let me just shove all these blankets under this, like you know, end table, and like maybe I should put them in a basket.
Speaker 3:So I have a basket, like in our living room, to put the blankets in. Otherwise they'd be folded or throw.
Speaker 1:I feel like mine are never not on the couch, like it's either folded on the couch, because I use it all the time, or like something.
Speaker 1:But it would be nice to have just designated areas for things. You know, one thing at a time, cause I feel like I think about like all of this stuff that I have to like find a spot for organize, and then I just don't do anything. And if I'm like you know what, today I'm going to get a basket for the blankets in the living room, done, check, and then you're like, okay, cool, done. So then when you're mentally ready to do something else, you're like, okay, I'm going to do that One thing at a time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's why I like doing like a juror at a time or like going through a cupboard at a time. I mean, you just organize in the canned goods, oh yeah. Like when you open well, when I open that cupboard, I just immediately go into overwhelm because it's just like I will have it organized and then we'll get groceries and it's just like just shove it wherever it'll fit, kind of thing Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I am a guilty of all of this. I do it just as much as anybody else.
Speaker 1:Well, I feel like it's like you get tired or you're in a hurry and you're just like I'll get back to it.
Speaker 2:I'll go reorganize it later.
Speaker 1:It's just it's hard to keep yourself like accountable on that kind of stuff sometimes because like life just happens. But then I guess that's why we have these like decluttering moments, so that you can declutter what you want, Right.
Speaker 3:Okay, that's good. So and I love using I like using like pop can containers, so like a 12 pack. Like I like to cover those, like I'll cover them either with like contact paper or different tapes and make them look pretty and use them for different canned goods, so like you keep them in there so like if they're all tomato soups because we have like on our shelf in the garage. We have kind of got like our overflow pantry or just our stock.
Speaker 3:So, like tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, if we've got canned beans, canned corn, whatever, instead of just having them sitting on the shelf like I'll have them in this and then you can stick them out.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a good idea.
Speaker 3:But you could put like whatever it is on there and if I have contact paper that's leftover, or like the peel and stick paper, like I'll put them on the box, but you can just stick with a piece of tape or however fancy you want, get your cricket out or whatever, and just put what it is on there and it looks good. It's a good idea. And it's you know you're reusing random things because I can go down that spiral of you get the cute containers.
Speaker 1:you know, like that's my thing Like oh the container store is so expensive.
Speaker 3:I know I mean yes, Even those home out of containers.
Speaker 1:It's just like oh my gosh like they're so tempting but like so expensive, and then like you're not sure like the size you need or like what's going to work in this space, and then it's like what?
Speaker 2:I buy everything. Like I'll get them and return them and gosh it's hard, I can get sucked in on.
Speaker 1:the container is bad and it's just like I love.
Speaker 3:Well, they stacked so nicely.
Speaker 1:Well right and like that's what I like it's, like it's so, like organized and it looks great and everything has its place. But like in reality, like that's like I need them to just come to my house and do it for me and like get all the sizes I need. Like can we just like I need to fill, like the form.
Speaker 3:The problem with that, though, is, once you know, if you end up with one or two more the next time you go to the store, or whatever happens, they won't fit. They don't fit, I know, and then you need a different size, so that's where I had to kind of stop with that, because it's, like, you know, like I got, like the, the spaghetti noodle one, that you or you know, the long one that you put it in.
Speaker 3:Well, I ended up with a pack too many, I'm like. So what do I do? Like I either need to upgrade it or I need to have the ugly blue box out, Like well, or it's like let me put this in my stash pantry because there's not room.
Speaker 1:you know, if you are so lucky to have like an extra pantry somewhere, so where do I put my? Extra food.
Speaker 3:And I went and I did when we lived at our old house, which was much smaller and it was like the pantry was like kind of the size of a small closet, but I had it all organized.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:And I did all those containers and I went, but I bought the cheap ones. So I bought the budget friendly ones.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:And things went stale. So I ruined all of that Cause I went to like the dollar, we're gonna go dollar general and I got everything and they weren't meant to be long-term, like food savers, like that yeah.
Speaker 3:And I had my beans and one, which the beans were fine cause they were dry beans, but I put the pasta and some other ones and they were still, you know, $3 a canister or whatever you know, like the food saver style ones, but they didn't last and honestly it's like it's like are you like like, well, that thing is.
Speaker 1:it's like your pantry is usually closed, so it's like when you have friends over and you want like them to see how pretty your pantry is when you open, when you open it up to get out a snack. You know oh my. God, your pantry.
Speaker 2:I think for me it's just like I like to look at it. You know, yeah, it's like I like to look at it.
Speaker 1:I would love for everything to be, you know, color coded and organized and all have a space. Because I'm like you know what. All of their like blue chips probably don't fit in that basket, so they've got like something out in the garage that nobody sees full of all the extra food and then they replenish it when it gets empty. But I'm just like, yeah, nothing ever always fits in yes, Instagram, Pinterest.
Speaker 3:It's just not fair.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can just go down a rabbit hole with that, for sure.
Speaker 3:I mean, I got the clear, the clear bins, even you know like which I bought a bunch of them, and then they have the little handles on the end. They all broke.
Speaker 1:So I'm like it's like I need to stop. It's like, just get me like a. The thing is, I like the clear ones because you can see what's in there, especially when you're trying to find something and you're like, oh, I gotta pull out this basket.
Speaker 2:I did it to the fridge too.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that back there. See, I did get fridge organizers Like they're just like they were off Amazon, like rectangle ones, and I'm like they're and we don't have a huge fridge here but like I was putting them in and like it, almost like I still have them in there. But I was trying to organize in like water and like like this and that, and I'm like not everything would fit in there properly and then it's taking up almost more room in my fridge and so I'm like I don't think this is as helpful as I thought it would be, cause I'm like oh yeah, bose, like pouches are in here, this is in here. I'm like this isn't.
Speaker 2:I don't have enough room in this fridge.
Speaker 1:So they're still in there and not working great, but I was sick of stuff like falling over.
Speaker 3:You know when you go to get it and I'm like maybe slide it out and get to, you know if there's a few different flavors or something.
Speaker 1:But and like that's the thing, you always have to spend more money on the ones that you can like insert in your fridge and they like pull out and stuff and I'm like I'm not spending all that money on containers, so then I'm like buying these ones that were like 20 bucks and I'm like these don't, they're not working and they don't stack.
Speaker 1:You know, like you can't stack them and like if there's something in there you can't stack it anyway cause they're not. You know, I'm just like, oh my God, I was like impulse purchase, it did not go well, but they're still in there because I refuse. And then the one I was like okay, I can use these extra ones that won't fit in the fridge for, like Bose stuff in, like his, like cabinet snacks, Well, the cabinet like they're too long so I can't have them like facing vertically, they have to go horizontal.
Speaker 1:I'm like this is like not helpful either. I need like shorter, half-sized ones for his stuff, so like you can seriously go down a rabbit hole with these containers and I'm like Sam, just put the box in the cabinet, it's fine. You don't need a queue organizer, because nobody cares and if it's not helping you, it's making it harder to get rid of the container using for something else.
Speaker 3:Stressing you out cause it doesn't work Like you need it to work.
Speaker 2:I know Boy oh boy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so that's why I say use the DIY options.
Speaker 1:I mean really Well, and I feel like one thing that can be hard with like spring cleaning and decluttering is like you get in, like this headspace of like how you want it to, like get down or like what you want to do, and it's like it's a lot Build it up behind. Well, right, and it's a lot for like you to do on your own. So, like how do you encourage, like your whole family to like participate in spring cleaning? And not just having it be all on you, on the mom you know.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, what I usually do is you know, the kids have to go through their clothes, they have to pull out anything of a certain size or a certain season. We did that in the fall, like with Taylor. It's like okay, if anything is a 10, 12, I want it in this bag because we're going to donate it unless it has a hole in it or has paint on it, throw it away, and that's kind of what I do with her.
Speaker 3:I've had to be very strict by the size, because I'll say to her if it doesn't fit, put it in here. Well, she thinks everything fits her, even if it's skin tight or a belly showing.
Speaker 1:It could be eight, it could be a six, well and I don't know why this, but there are like some things kids just like don't want to get rid of. It's like no, I love this shirt. It's Paw Patrol or whatever. It fits me, right, right, see, it fits. Yeah. It's like. No, it's a belly shirt now, sweetie. Yeah, no, it's not going to work.
Speaker 3:With Hayden it's not so much an issue with clothes, because she's kind of stayed in the same size for the past two, almost three years. She just she's kind of just there, but we do kind of I mean, I've been having to make sure she doesn't have any like 14, 16s because I'm going to go to Taylor now you need to get out of those.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you probably shouldn't be wearing those anymore, let's.
Speaker 2:Might be a little showing a little too much skin.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean yes, but so I mean she might pass a few things along. Yeah, but one of the biggest things I'd say would be like, let's purge some of your toys. Like we did this before Christmas, and we usually always try before Christmas, but even in the spring it's good to just try to go through again, because Taylor does not keep a clean room. She's me Right Like through and through. I mean, you know how bad my room used to be.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was bad, it was bad.
Speaker 3:It was pretty bad. It was bad.
Speaker 2:So I want all my things Where's the floor, my things to be close.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's no floor, there's no floor.
Speaker 3:There's a couple layers before the floor, so she's pretty much me. She likes all her things very close. She's just she sleeps with all of her stuff, it's just it's there. But you know, there's so many toys in her room that she's not touched in ages and it's. I've discovered that I can't, like we can't, clean her room all at once. We just can't do it because I get overwhelmed, she gets overwhelmed, dj gets frustrated, it's just like it all blows up. So we do it little bits at a time. I mean I don't know how much progress we truly make, but it's a little, you know. I mean it's enough.
Speaker 1:I feel like it's hard for kids to get rid of their toys at her age too, because like you're still kind of connected to toys that you had when you were like more of a young kid and you're still kind of like identifying with that, but then like you're getting older and you don't play with them, but, like, if there's a thought of getting rid of it, you're like, no, like I love that thing, of course I play with it, and then it's like, oh, like a day you might play with it, and then it's like out of mind again.
Speaker 1:But like, have you ever gone? And like I know some parents will do this. It's like they just go and like take toys without telling their kid and then donate them, and they don't even know they're gone.
Speaker 3:We've done that We've done that and then actually DJ's done that. But so the thing with her is that she's okay, if she can get rid of, she'll get rid of them. She can donate them. But she wants to donate like every broken crayon, every like random game piece, like every McDonald's toy.
Speaker 1:It's like well, you know what, almost let her put it in a bag. Like okay, put that in this donate, donate bag, and it just goes to the trash, you know.
Speaker 2:But she thinks she's donating it. But I mean, it's so nice that she's like.
Speaker 1:If I want to, if I had to get rid of my toys, I want someone else to have it, which?
Speaker 3:is like the goal you want. You know it is and she's super sweet about it. It's just, it's very German.
Speaker 1:Well, they'd love this crayon. It's half used, you know I know Well this still works. I'm like right, that's the thing. I think you almost have to do it in doses because it can be a lot for everybody when you're.
Speaker 3:When you're doing that, and I mean I feel like, yeah, with her ADHD, and she just breaks down and it's just like I have to give her like, okay, I mean with ADHD, with ADHD you can't give them many tasks. Like you can't, right, can't give her three tasks. Like I have to give her like one or two. Be like okay, pick up all your dirty clothes, you know, get them to the laundry. I can maybe give her one more thing, but a lot of times I can give her one and it's best, and then she'll come back or I'll give her a checklist, like that's my new thing that I've been doing for like the last year. Here's, I'll type it up and print it out and here's your checklist. I want you to do these things and I'll go back and check, because I shouldn't say a lot of times, but some of the times they don't all get hit.
Speaker 3:But at least it gives her something to follow in. The anxiety it doesn't come up and she starts freaking out and getting upset.
Speaker 1:Right, Cause she can visualize what she has to do, you know with that checklist.
Speaker 3:Like okay, cause sometimes if I'm verbally telling her, she gets upset too. So it's just like right, I'm trying to I don't know just find a neutral way to communicate this with you without causing getting an argument.
Speaker 1:I know it's just that's the thing. I think it can be a sensitive subject cause like at one point you connected with all these toys and you're wanting to get rid of them, Like I was so connected to all my stuffed animals.
Speaker 1:I was like no like do not get rid of them, and mom would put some up in the attic and I wouldn't think twice about them. But then when it came time to like get rid of them, I was like, no, how dare you? Like I still use that thing. She's like it's been in the attic for years. It's like, well, I didn't know it was missing and now that I have it, I want it again. You know, it's just like what was sin attached to?
Speaker 3:I don't remember her being attached to, I mean.
Speaker 1:I don't think she was like attached, like I was, to stuffed animals, like if we had a choice, she'd get like nail polish and I would get like a stuffed animal, or she'd get a CD and I'd get like a stuffed animal or like a toy. Okay, that's funny. Yeah, I do remember the nail polish, but I feel like she was more into like that stuff. I wasn't. I was more into like playing like 98 degrees.
Speaker 1:Christmas is not a Christmas CD. Okay, no, I want to listen to like Kenny G or like Michael Buble or like being. Crosby, I don't want to listen to 98 degrees on Christmas. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3:It's been like this for years. Kenny G can't happen anymore.
Speaker 1:That is why because that was how Hayden was conceived at the doctor Well you know what You're gonna have to get over it, because I love that Christmas album.
Speaker 3:Oh, that was playing at the doctors.
Speaker 1:Oh, dear, yes, well anyway on that note so I mean, okay, you get the family involved. They like maybe have like a like a list of things that they they have to do to help you declutter or clean or what have you. But like, how do you keep like the habits there? Like, how do you develop those habits so that they stay and your family, like, upholds them.
Speaker 1:Because I feel like we can be really good for like a week or two and then, like life happens and you're just like, oh, that was a great idea, but it hasn't worked or it's not working and and then you just kind of like fall on the wayside.
Speaker 3:I mean, I think that's why we have to do it every year is because it does fall by the wayside. I really don't think that spring cleaning would be a thing if we didn't always fall up the way again. But yeah, I mean it's tough, especially over summer. I mean summer, I feel like everything falls by the wayside, except you're so busy and you're not home as much.
Speaker 1:You're traveling or you're doing this or that, you're just like okay yeah, throw that over there, We'll get to it or you know.
Speaker 3:And then when you come back for the winter it's like you're blah, you don't want to do anything.
Speaker 3:So like everything that you've got that has now been really left because you're not motivated to do anything. Right, I mean really, if, if you can just get yourself organized a bit more on the spring, like I mean getting rid of the clutter and you enjoy having that free space, you know, enjoy not feeling that overwhelm or that heaviness from having so much stuff around you. Yeah, I mean, once you feel that, get that weight lifted, I think it's easier to continue to have that, at least for a time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I know I felt better when my house is organized, like when. I start to get overwhelmed and irritated when, like, things start piling up or the counters are getting like messy, or there's stuff on the kitchen table and we're like just pushing stuff over to eat or whatever it ends up being. Like when the thing is. It's like I feel like the 10 minutes before somebody comes over my house is the cleanest, because you're just like well this is power cleaning.
Speaker 1:Right. And so it's like I'm like after like, like for Bo's birthday, like we had everybody over at the house, so we cleaned it really well, we organized everything, and then every single time we do something like this, I'm like we are going to keep the house this clean and organized. I feel great, it looks great Like, but life happens and it does not stay like that.
Speaker 2:And then you do it again, and then you do it again, and I'm just like why can't I keep it?
Speaker 1:And I think, bryn, I have to get better about organizing that random stuff, Like there's just stuff you don't know what to do with but you can't really get rid of it and you're just like I gotta find something to do with this or I need to get more like containers or baskets or like something so it has a place and that way I don't necessarily have to like see it.
Speaker 2:You know, it looks somewhat organized because it's in like a basket or something I know. That's why I kind of got rid of the baskets.
Speaker 1:But I'm like I don't know what to do with some of this up and part of it is like Brett's problem because like it's his stuff and he needs to find somewhere to put it and I'm sick of asking him to like put it somewhere and it's like, you know, I just like random stuff like that he would work on, like something in the garage or in the basement or whatever. I'm like find somewhere to put this stuff because I don't want it here and then it just like will pile up or Well, it gets forgotten if it's in, right.
Speaker 3:I mean, you remember our basement, our own house, and how much, yeah, we had stored down all the toys down there and well, even under the stairs, the times and tubs of stuff when we moved. I mean all the stuff that came out of that house. I have no idea how we had it packed in there.
Speaker 1:I know well. I think that's what happens when you move. Like moving is, if you have the time, if you move, that's a good time to dislike purge things and that's like what happened, because we had bow and we moved like within like a month of each other.
Speaker 1:So we were like trying to like anticipate, like getting rid of the stuff for the move. Getting rid of the stuff because the baby's coming, we need room, more room. So Sometimes it's good and then other times, like you moved, you have to move so fast. You just throw everything in boxes and then you're just like overwhelmed yeah, because then you have to go through all of it. And then sometimes you just don't feel like it. You're like I'll sleep in the box right in the garage or somewhere, the basement, where I don't care.
Speaker 1:And then you forget about it and then you maybe move again or you're like, okay, let's tackle this basement. You're like, oh my god, that's where that was in that box, I Forgot about you and there, I just keep it in that box and push it away. Sometimes I just want to like go in the basement, like throw up boxes and not even look at them and be like I don't even need what's it? Oh, I haven't looked at it in years.
Speaker 3:There's no way I could do I have too many memory boxes, like that's my thing, like I have so many memory boxes. I have boxes of pictures like actual photo.
Speaker 1:Yeah, printed.
Speaker 3:So many of them. I have a box of, like the feast of st Clair stuff. Oh yeah, all that stuff, like I mean that's an entire box. It's yeah crazy.
Speaker 1:So I mean that's how I feel like there's stuff that you like need, but you don't need it all the time, and like you feel like it's taking up space or but it's not, like you have to find a spot for it, you know, but I mean, I mean that's why it's nice we do have a big election to come oh right.
Speaker 3:Yeah for moms.
Speaker 1:I'm waiting for mom to say well, she's has it all in that cabinet case, so you could just know that somewhere.
Speaker 3:I hate, I don't know where I put that. Your office, I was gonna say the only place in your office. Barbies in my office.
Speaker 1:Well, they may be kind of cool. I mean, they're collectibles after all.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I don't know where the boxes are, but you know, probably in the attic somewhere. Yeah, but gosh, stuff like that. And then the American Girl, doll stuff, oh yeah, all of that. She keeps threatening to send my way.
Speaker 1:I'm like well, she's already given us some of our stuff that was in our rooms I took mine, a while ago, but Sid has been like stalling and had to take her stuff back over like Christmas I think and I got a couple boxes to like you know yearbooks, old photo albums, like High school stuff, like all you have most of that. You don't want to get rid of, but like Okay now it's coming from the parents house to your house and you're like I. Now I gotta find somewhere to put this.
Speaker 2:She gave me that a while ago, my tennis stuff and yeah oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:But it's the other thing you get stuff from, like other family members, like your parents, like okay, like do you want your old like school pictures and art that we've saved, or do you want me to throw them out?
Speaker 3:You know, it's like that was for you. Yeah, I was like, if you don't want it, anymore.
Speaker 1:Feel free, I won't get mad now. Like I won't be upset if you throw out my picture Like I want to keep a few things, but I don't know if I need the whole box.
Speaker 3:I'm like that's fine, you do you, you do you. But yeah, I mean, honestly, I think the only thing you can do I mean, unless you're a very, very strict with making these habits is Mm-hmm. Just Remember that feeling that you have when things are cleaned out. You know they're, you know minimal clutter and all of that. I mean, yeah, that's.
Speaker 1:That's the feeling we all want all the time.
Speaker 2:It is exactly thanks for joining us today and she's got it together. It's been a real journey, sharing and lapping with you all.
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