It’s hard out here for a mom. Even the most basic of beauty routines can feel like an impossible task when you hardly get an uninterrupted moment in the bathroom.
Our family is becoming more aware of the impact that we have on our environment. We can’t help but hear the stories of the damage that we are inflicting on our world. Global warming, climate change, oceans filled with plastic and overflowing landfills are making headlines everywhere. The truth is we have to make some changes. We are starting to leave permanent scars on the earth and it’s not acceptable. We are not naturally a very environmentally savvy family, but it’s important to us that we learn ways to be better. So we’ve started researching ways that we can make a positive impact and it turns out it’s not that hard.
When it comes to driving, I was a late bloomer. As a teenager and throughout my twenties, I had zero interest in owning a vehicle or even getting my driver’s license. I did get it eventually, but it mainly served as identification to get into bars (classy, I know). The subway was my best friend – even when it smelled vaguely of pee – and I was content to walk anywhere within a few kilometres of my home.
About a week after my first baby was born, we were sitting on the couch in our living room and heard a loud noise from outside. Our second-floor apartment overlooked a busy street and when my husband got up to investigate, he saw that a dog had been hit by a car on the street below. He bounded downstairs to help. I stayed put; my newborn daughter resting skin-to-skin against my chest.
It’s easy to find things to dislike about winter. There are the obvious ones, like the bone-chilling cold, the ever-present germs, and the dry, cracked skin. There are also the smaller insults, like unexpectedly stepping in a puddle of melted snow that the kids have tracked in.
I recently posted a picture on Facebook of three of my teenagers gathered around our big kitchen table and I commented on the various activities that were going on around it at that moment, including:
2019 came in with a bang and with it brought…. organization porn?!
Thanks to the popular Netflix series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, the masses are attempting to take control of their lives by folding their laundry in thirds and stacking everything upright. I’m not surprised at the popularity of this craze. There’s something quite enjoyable about watching other people organize their homes (and knowing that some people live in a much higher level of disorder is strangely satisfying). By the end of each episode, you’re drawn into the mesmerizing KonMari ways and soon you’re tempted to sort through your entire home, drawer-by-drawer, and decide what sparks joy. Is Marie Kondo realistic home organization for parents?
This is where it gets messy, so to speak. Often what sparks joy for me, and I’m sure for many moms, is looking around my home and seeing all the signs of happy kids; toys on the floor, muddy boots in the entryway, mess from a fun craft. But am I creating an excuse to have a messy home? There have been times when I have felt embarrassed at the state of the house, and that’s when I know it’s gone too far. It can so quickly go from being ‘chilled’ to feeling ashamed and overwhelmed, and suddenly you’re spiraling into angry-mom mode, feeling frustrated, underappreciated and resentful. And all while the mess continues to grow.
The problem with the (deceptively) simple KonMari method is that it needs to be 100% perfect, and nothing less. If my clothes aren’t folded in thirds, am I a failure? Of course not, it is one perfectionist’s way of maintaining order and, ultimately, it’s really a system of organization rather than a tiding method. The KonMari method is also only a first (really enormous) step. It will help you organize, but we still need to have a clean house, the method is only as good as it’s user. Your socks are folded into thirds; but if you still feel cheerios crunching under your feet can you still find that inner calm?
Here is a checklist of simple tasks for organization, tidying and cleaning in 2019 that, for most of us, will be manageable. There’s still time to re-write your new year resolutions into something more attainable that you will accomplish and feel proud of.
With the start of a new year, comes big expectations and a push to get organized. Did you make a resolution to get organized but don’t know where to start? Here are my favourite organizational products for the 10 places that tend to get disorderly in a busy mom’s life. And the best part is that they can all be purchased at the click of a button on Amazon or in the App Store!
Hygge (pronounced Hue-ga).
If you haven’t heard of it…well, that’s impossible! You can’t go online these days without at least seeing the word here and there. If you’re really not that familiar with the concept, though, “Hygge” is a Danish word that roughly translates into a culture full of everything cozy, warm, and relaxing.