Me [haven't] love you long time...

You'd think that being home would afford me some time to catch up on blogging, but it doesn't.  At all.  I should try to carve out some time (all of my zero followers deserve some attention!)

There is a whole lot to tell... but I'll get to that at a later time.  Maybe.  I wanted to sit and write down the MUST HAVE items on my list.  This ranges from baby to 4 and they are the items I couldn't have gotten by without - or struggled without for way too long.

Baby

Babies don't need much.  Really.  Despite what your amazon registry wizard tells you.  They need a place to sleep, something to hold poop, something to eat, and someplace safe for those rare times you need to pee or shower.  Those are NEEDS.  There are a few things that make life with baby SOOOOOO much easier.

A place to "play" on the floor.  A play mat.  Whatever.  I used the comforter that came in the crib bedding set.  We also had a play mat with some attached toys (one with lights and sounds), a mirror, some other interesting baby stuff.  Tummy time is important and this really helps.

A Baby Carrier.  I'm going to recommend a Tula.  I had an ergo, but got rid of it as soon as I discovered the Tula.  Tula is super comfortable and easy to adjust.  I used a wrap only with Kendall, and she was super happy in there.  Brooke hated the wrap, plus, a SSC (soft structured carrier) is quicker and easier to cart and I can do a back carry like a pro! Any stretchy wrap will do.  Moby, Sleepy, Happy, whatever.  I also really liked a ring sling.

A nice changing pad.  The one I have is no longer made.  Sad Face.  But the Keekaroo is really close.  I actually got to look at the Keekaroo in person and it's really nice.  While they seem expensive - it's really not that bad.  When you add up the cost of a foam changing pad, plus all the covers you need, it's the same.

OXO Wipe Container.  We use cloth diapers and wipes, but this works for any wipe.  For cloth wipes, it's amazing.  I was using an old disposable wipe container to house my cloth wipes.  It wasn't an extra cost and it was OK, but it was hard to get the wipes out since they're so thick.  I've been coveting the OXO Wipe Container for years, but when it came down to it, I just couldn't justify the $20 (I know, it's just $20, but I already had something that did the job OK) I ran across a brand new one at our local cloth diapering store in the consignment section for $7.99.  While this was over my usual spending limit of $5, I snatched it up and now I'm kicking myself for not doing it earlier.  This thing is great!  It has a weighted center piece that keeps the container from lifting up when you pull out a wipe so you can do it one handed.  Priceless!

A swing or bouncer.  Our kids lived in the swing.  My only recommendation, get one that plugs in, otherwise you'll be going through batteries like mad.  We did use rechargeable batteries, but they needed to be recharged really often, and sometimes that meant they died in the middle of use.  Bummer.

A good Highchair.  I haven't found THE ONE yet.  I want one that has a small footprint (these are so wide so they don't tip) that's easy to clean and is on wheels.  Without a hefty price tag, I have yet to find something that matches that.

Toys for All Ages

We don't get our kids many toys.  We like simple toys that encourage creative play.

IKEA toy kitchen.  By far this gets the most use of anything in our house.  The girls LOVE it.  It's a kitchen, a castle, a school... whatever.  Buy it and some play kitchen stuff - we got the IKEA pots and pans and the veggie basket.  We also have Melissa & Doug Cookies that see a lot of playtime.

IKEA easel.  Chalkboard on one side, dry erase on the other.  This thing is cheap, sturdy, and classic.  Get it.

Slide.  Get an indoor slide.  We have the discontinued VIRRE from IKEA - if you can find one, snatch it up because not only is it fun, but it looks great.  Our kids play on this thing all day long.

Tegu Blocks.  My girls love these, too.  These are magnetic blocks in super fun colors (or maple) and they're amazing.  Adults also love them.

Something with wheels.  Our girls love to play with cars/trucks.  Green Toys has some cool dump trucks.  

A stacker and/or sorter.  Another "baby" toy that both our girls still love to play with.  We have the Green Toys sorter and Fisher Price Stack & Roll Cups (I'm not sure they make this any more, but it's awesome) and Fat Brain Tobbles Neo.

Green Toys Tool Box.  Green Toys are made using recycled milk jugs.  They're super cool.  Our girls have the pink tool box and it is played with often.  Kendall also knows a flat head from a philips head.  Win!  (And if you don't, it's ok, they're labeled!)

Tea Set.  Again, Green Toys.

Markers and a Composition Book.  Kendall thinks this is the coolest.  She spends a good hour a day writing or coloring in her composition book.  She practices her letters and numbers or draws pictures.  It's really cool to flip through and see her progress, too.  So simple, but so much fun.

Kindle.  Just get your kids a kindle.  We do kindle freetime, which gives your kids access to Amazon's library of age appropriate content.  Kindle's now come with removable SD cards, so you can add storage.  We got a 16 gig, which holds about 8 movies - our plan is to upgrade Kendall's kindle in the next year or so and give her old one to Brooke.  One of the things I really love about the Kindle (other than the fact they're sooooo much cheaper than an iPad and give you much better control over their use) is that you can download content directly to the kindle, so you don't have to worry about WiFi.  You can keep any digital downloads in the cloud and access them at any time over WiFi, but we downloaded our favorites (as I said, hers holds 8 movies) so if we're out or our WiFi isn't working or is too slow (as is often the case) she can still watch her favorites.

We're all in this together. Stop judging!

I have some things to catch y'all up on, but I wanted to sit down and write a post about something that happened yesterday and has had me thinking...

I'm part of a facebook group for mommies - the point of which, is to support each other.  A place free of judgement where women can vent and ask for help.  A Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) posted about her kids being extra crazy this week - not sleeping, acting out.  She said she just needed a few minutes to herself to regroup and asked it anyone else was going through something similar.  All SAHMs raised our hands.  I replied that we were feeling the effects of the long winter and were tired of being cooped up, everyone was going stir-crazy and it was getting difficult for me to maintain my sanity.  All of the comments were light hearted and supportive.

THEN this happened:

I'm a little bothered that so many stay at home mom's seem to take that time with their children for granted.  I work full time plus outside the home and would kill for the chance to be there with my kids.  So what if they don't appreciate you?  They are children, it's not their job.  I just hope that while you're venting about how much you need a break from your kids that you realize how fortunate you are!  Need a break?  Find a day camp or play group - I see tons of them offered during the day!

Well, Traci Ann Vokal (who is legit dressed like a mermaid in her profile pic.  And not just a Halloween costume, like a movie quality mermaid tail) let me ask you something.  WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TELL ME HOW TO FEEL ABOUT MY SITUATION?  Have you ever complained about your home, your car, your job, your spouse?  I bet you have.  Lady, there are homeless, carless, jobless people out there.  Women with a spouse that has died or with an abusive spouse.  Your struggles are relative to your situation, so stop judging anyone for having a hard time.  Just because someone else would like to be in your shoes doesn't take away from your own feelings!

Let me tell you something else, Traci Ann Vokal, I was once a working Mom, sick to my stomach every time I had to take my daughter to daycare.  All I wanted to do was stay home with her.  I've since had another baby and working isn't a good financial choice for us, so I'm home with my two beautiful babies and all I want to do is take a shower... alone.  This does not mean that I do not appreciate my time with my kids.  Nor does it mean that I'm blind to the fact that many women would kill to be in my shoes.  I know all of that, but sometimes it doesn't make it any easier when I'm covered in poop and drool and I haven't showered in days and I'm exhausted and hungry and there are still a million things I have to do.  I keep going because I love those girls, but I don't always love each tough moment.  And lady, it's tough.  You have no idea until you do it for a long time.  It's so hard.  There are so many reasons why it's hard, too many to even list.  But, I dare any of you Judgy McJudgetons to take a year to give yourself 100% to other people.  No alone time.  None.  No time to work on you, no time to read a book.  No time to listen to music, make a solo Target trip, watch a TV show (don't even think about a movie) because your job is to dedicate 100% of yourself to these little humans you've created.

I'm not asking you to feel bad for me.  Don't.  I love my job, even when I complain about it.  To keep my sanity, I have to remind myself, daily, that these clingy, sticky children aren't going to need or want me around in a few short years so I don't need you to do it, too.  I don't need you to try to make me feel like an asshole for wanting a few minutes to myself and wanting to know that other Moms out there feel the same.  I don't need you to pretend to know the struggles of a SAHM and I certainly don't need your better-than-me attitude AND your ill-placed advice.  Wouldn't it be nice if we all had free, unlimited access to a local playgroup or day camp?!  Since you seem to have enough money to buy a movie prop mermaid tail, maybe you can fund a local camp or group in my area and pay for the transportation for everyone to get there.  4 people on one income is tight, let me tell you.  We don't have the extra money to drive around, much less pay for a day camp or day care program.  All those things cost money and when you're struggling to do what's best for your family by giving up your job to stay home, you just don't have the extra.

So how about Moms just support other Moms?  Stay at home moms, working moms, it doesn't matter.  We all have some shit going on and there is always going to be someone that would happily take our shit for their shit any day.

Let me leave this gem here to remind you we're all in this together:

Pregnant? Buying for someone pregnant? Here is the only guide you'll need!

Something many moms ask is what they need for their baby.  "Need" is subjective.  Babies only "need" a place to sleep, milk/formula, a car seat, and something to poop in.  Really.  Those are the things they NEED.  But there are many products that make it soooooo much easier when you have a baby, or two, or five...  Buying for a baby is so complicated; there are so many options in every price point.  When I shop for baby gear, I always feel like I'm putting a price on my child's safety.  Do your research before you buy and then you'll feel confident in your purchases.  Here is the list I've complied.

A good car seat.  All car seats pass the same safety standards, so that's something, at least.  But, some car seats are safer than others.  Some have features that increase their performance and some are just the basics.  So remember this: the safest seat is the one that's easy for you to use.  If you can't figure it out or it's difficult to adjust or install properly, your child isn't safe regardless of the cost or features of your seat.

My Favorites: I will recommend any Britax seat.  I love the company, I love the quality, and I think they're a moderately priced seat.

My Least Favorite: I will not recommend the Graco Snug Ride.  It's really difficult to adjust the straps, especially if the baby is in the seat and my straps would loosen on their own while in the car.  I stopped using and went right to a convertible seat.

What I Have: We currently use a Britax Boulevard and a Combi Zeus 360.  The quality of the Combi materials blow the Britax out of the water, but I still totally love my Britax.  They do not make the Zeus 360, currently, but they should.  I have a Honda Element and if you've ever seen the back of one, you'd understand that putting a child in a standard rear facing seat is 100% impossible.  The Zeus turns so you can put your child in at any angle, and then rotate it to the back.  It also faces front.  LOVE this seat.

A place to sleep.  This is all preference.  Some people use a bassinett (babies do not like large open spaces, so a standard crib seems scary and they don't sleep well) some people co-sleep.  Whatever, just have a safe place for your baby.

We've used a moses basket, a bassinett, a custom crib, a mini-crib and a standard crib.  We loved each one.  We have an IKEA crib that we modified to fit in Brooke's "room" aka our master closet with a custom mattress from ababy.com, Kendall sleeps in a BabyMod Olivia crib, which we really love.  It was the afordable alternative to the Oeuf crib... if you've seen the Oeuf, you have to be in love with it, so check out BabyMod Olivia.

A moving containment system.  This can be a swing, a bouncer, a spaceship, anything, but you need one.  If you're short on space, look at a Mamaroo, ours was a life saver for the first few months.  And whatever you get, make sure it plugs in.  Don't even mess with batteries... you'll spend so much money on batteries, you could have hired someone to rock your baby 24/7.

A High Chair.  Our girls spent (spend) quite a bit of time in their high chair.  I found one for like $20 randomly when our K-Mart was closing down.  It's a safety 1st and it's been really good to us.  I would recommend one with wheels, but if you don't require it to move at all, then that's probably not important to you.  We also have a folding high chair from IKEA that's been super awesome when we travel or go to dinner at our friends that don't have a high chair.  This is a great addition to our baby stuff.

A pack n' play.  Our kids slept and played in one of these.  Just get one to have on hand.

A stroller.  This is one thing we could probably do without.  We've used it only a handful of times as we used a wrap or soft structured carrier most of the time.  We have The First Years Wave Stroller, which has been discontinued, but seems the JJ Cole Broadway has replaced it.  It's a super luxurious stroller and our kids like it a lot.  It moves like a dream on any surface.  It's big and bulky, but we still really like it.

A carrier or wrap.  See what your baby prefers.  Kendall lived in a Moby/Sleepy wrap and Brooke hated it.  We have an Original Ergo and a Tula.  Both are really nice, but I prefer the Tula.

If you're buying for a cloth diapering family, buy them cloth diapers!  People register for these because they're expensive and no one ever buys them and it's really disappointing.  Believe it or not, to people that cloth diaper, receiving them is an amazing and exciting gift.  Really.  Many diaper companies make trial packages, so you don't really have to put a lot of effort into picking a gift.  GroVia offers an amazing trial package, and all AIO or pocket diapers come with all the things you need to get started.

Other things to consider if you're buying for a fluffy baby, don't buy those cute little outfits, the pants don't fit well over cloth diapers.  If you really want to be helpful, buy Project Pomona pants or stick with cute t-shirts.

I know this next part is going to sound snotty and crass, but it's the truth and it needs to be told.  Do not buy bibs, burp cloths or blankets unless they were specifically asked for.  Parents end up with way too many of these things.  Don't buy things that make noise or heavy toys.  If you buy something that requires batteries, provide them with the gift.  It's just nice gift giving protocol.

Keep in mind, if you buy big ticket items in gender neutral colors, you don't have to buy them again down the road if you have a baby of the opposite gender.  They're also easier to resell or hand down.

Lazy Filing

I mentioned in my last post that I finally tackled the file cabinet.  This has always been the task I dread the most and I never keep up on it, but I save EVERYTHING, so there is always a tons of stuff.  I thought this was going to take me weeks to get done, but it only took me 2 days!  I realized that my file system was too specific and that made it time consuming to file.  I've created a new system I call "Lazy Filing" and I made very general folders that should make it much easier and faster to find and file.

As I said above, I save everything, but I've never actually needed to find anything, so I figured the lazy filing system would be just fine to implement.  I also addressed my need to save everything... it's not necessary, so I've come up with some rules on saving things, especially receipts.  I'll keep receipts  for small items in a holding folder for 30 days.  That should give me enough time to decide to keep the item, or if there are any issues, to return or exchange it.  Big ticket items go right into the file folder and skip the holding folder.

So here's what I've done:

I created new files.
House: I've created a folder for 2010-2015 and a pre 2010 folder and a Misc. folder.  These are for estimates, repairs, inspections & mortgage/insurance info
Medical & Insurance: a folder for 2010-2015 and a pre 2010 folder and a Misc. folder.  Anything related to our medical expenses or insurance goes in these folders.
Receipts
Instructions & Manuals
Car & Life Insurance (these are the same company and billed on the same bill)
Bank & Financial.  Any communication from our bank (other than mortgage info) and any other financial documents
Vet
Cars
Lauren Work.  Paychecks, notices, and any other paperwork.
Lauren 401k
Cory Work.  Paychecks, notices, and any other paperwork.
Cory 401k
Taxes, each year that we have (back to 2000) I know, I know.  But I can't get rid of them.

You could add any other folders that seem relevant to you.  One for your kids for each year.  My kids aren't in school, so anything related to them is a medical statement.

I took a banker's box and put each of these folders in a hanging folder.  I took files out of my cabinet one by one and sorted through each folder, discarding anything I could and filing the papers to keep.  I was able to get rid of quite a bit and got everything in order and it went much faster than I expected.  I then moved these back into the cabinet.  Anything 2014 and 2015 stayed on the top drawer, as did other folders we access often: Receipts, Car & Life, Bank & Financial, Vet, and Work, 401k.  Everything else went to the bottom drawer.  I also put a bright colored hanging folder in the front of each drawer for items that need to be filed that I can't get to right away, that way I'm not just cramming them in random folders like I was before.  I have room to see and open all the folders and it feels great!

The January Cure: Update 2

I'm still going strong on The January Cure and I haven't missed a single assignment.  I'm super proud of that!  Here are my updates:

Assignment Seven: Get your Get Together Together

Since we're not doing a January Cure Get Together, we semi-skipped this.  We are, however, having Brooke's birthday party next month, so we worked on getting that together.  Cory and I discussed the food list and I got the invitations sent out.

Assignment Eight: Surface Sweep

Today's assignment was to take 3 minutes to speed clean an area that needed attention.  I chose the kitchen countertops and the dining table.  Unfortunately, the dining table is once again lost under piles of stuff, but the kitchen counters have stayed clean!

Assignment Nine: Work on your project

I've modified my project a little.  My task was to re-caulk the kitchen countertop where Cory had spilled red kool-aid and it had stained, re-caulk the shower in Kendall's bathroom, and clean and caulk under the cooktop.  I decided it wasn't time effective right now to worry about the kitchen countertop.  It's really well hidden, so it just didn't make sense to remove all that caulk and do it again for an area that's now pink and we can't even see.  I also decided to wait to caulk the shower since we'll be painting that room in the next few months.  I think it really needs me to scrape some chipping paint, maybe even spackle, and then paint the new color and caulk over that.

I did, however, clean and caulk under the cooktop and I'm so wicked excited about it.  When we remodeled our kitchen, I was concerned about putting the cooktop in without anything between it and the countertop.  Everyone told me not to worry about it, but all sorts of nastiness got in between the two and it looked so gross.  Cleaning it was pretty involved... I used a credit card (use an old one) and a wet Viva paper towel to get in between and really clean, then I caulked.  It looks amazing and now I don't have to worry about crumbs and liquid getting stuck in there.

Gross, right?

I thought I had caulk, but I didn't so I used painters tape to protect the edges from more crumbs!

Done!  So pretty and clean!

Assignment Ten: Declutter a Drawer

I went through my two dresser junk drawers and my night stand.  I was able to get rid of more than half of the stuff in them!

Assignment Eleven: Bedroom

I cleaned the bedroom from top to bottom.  I dusted all the furniture with coconut oil, washed the sheets and decluttered.  I wanted to wash the curtains, but Brooke won't sleep without them closed, so I wasn't able to do them.  Maybe on a weekend we can keep her up a long enough to wash and dry them.

Assignment Twelve: Make Tonight a Media Fast

Cory was really against this at first, but about 10 minutes in, he looked at me and said, "This is really nice."  We sat in the living room and read, listened to music, and just plain conversed.  It actually was really nice.

Assignment Thirteen: Cabinet Cleanout

Since I recently cleaned out the vanity in Kendall's bathroom and under the kitchen sink, the only cabinet I had left was the master bathroom.  There is this gross contact paper on the bottom, but we're planning to remodel this entire bathroom soon, so I decided to leave it for now and just washed it down and got rid of the junk.

Assignment Fourteen: Landing Strip
Assignment Fifteen: Clear a Closet
Assignment Sixteen: Living Room

These areas all kind of meshed into one project for me, so I improvised a little bit and was lax with the daily assignments and just mushed these into one large task.  I started with the landing strip, which we have and use, but needed a refresh and a good cleaning out.  The one item with the landing strip project that we were lacking was a place to hang our coats.  We have an entry closet, and a pretty large one, but it's a cluster and it's impossible to get anything in or out of the closet.  I knew that clearing a closet was one of the projects, so I saved this large task for the assignment.  I went through and cleaned off our existing landing strip area.  This also involved another project, which was to clean out my filing cabinet, but I'll post on that separately.  Then I took sections of items out of the entry closet.  I started with all the stuff on the shelves.  I got 4 bins, one for each of us and separated our items into our respective bin.  Anything I wasn't going to keep went into the donate bin.  Then I cleared everything on the floor, next I cleared out and entire column of shoes (this is a big deal for me!) to make room for Cory's bin on the top shelf.  I went to Lowes and got a new shoe shelf and installed that (and man, I did an awesome job!)  I got rid of a ton of purses and bags and put those back nicely on a shelf.  Finally, I reorganized the coats and put some away so we could actually access the coats we need and have room for guests coats.  I'm so happy that this is finally done and I hope that I can keep it up!  I also cleaned out my bedroom closet, which also meant cleaning out my PJ drawer.  Landing strip: Complete.  Closets: Complete.  Then I cleaned up the living room.  Lucky for me my living room is small and there's hardly anything in there.  I dusted the piano and credenza, cleaned off all the TV trays and got rid of some of the larger toys we don't use in here often.

Assignment Seventeen: Catch Up Day

I'm so happy there was a catch up day in here because I really needed it.  I noticed this week that I was starting projects and marking them as complete in my head, but I was leaving stuff all over the house.  I left a section of the landing strip that needed to be filed in the office, a container of "put somewhere else" stuff on the dining table.  So today I'm going around the house and really completing these tasks!

The January Cure: Update 1

We've completed our first full week of January Cure tasks and I wanted to update you on our progress.  It's also really good motivation for me to see it all at once.

Assignment One: Clean Floors

This was a lot more involved than I expected... it took a lot of hard work and sweat, but I vacuumed and steam mopped every surface.  This was a big undertaking, so I guess that's why it was a weekend project.

Assignment Two: Make a List.

We walked through the house and made a list of items that were in need of repair, reorganization or just needed to be cleaned or thrown out.  We have a REALLY detailed list that we made this summer of all the "trouble spots" in our house and what we eventually wanted to do with these spots.  We then input these into a spreadsheet and assigned each task a cost, ease and importance so we could sort by those factors.  I digress.  We made a really basic list this time and didn't include big changes or "would like to see in the future" items.  I also did not include Kendall's room, our room or our bathroom since we will be changing these rooms around soon.

Assignment Three: Set Up an Outbox.

The outbox is a resting place for items with undetermined fates. Per Maxwell, the rules of the outbox are as follows:

OUTBOX RULES

1. Anything can go in the Outbox
2. The Outbox is allowed to get messy
3. Everything must stay in the Outbox for at least one week
4. After that time you have several choices
a. Take anything back out
b. Leave anything you are undecided about for one more week
c. Dispose of the rest by moving to the garbage, recycling bin, or giveaway pile
Once you get used to separating first and disposing of later, you'll find that clearing clutter gets easier and easier.

The purpose of the outbox is to put all the items together in one place that's allowed to get messy and void of the pressure to make a decision right away. The item sits in the outbox and loses it's hold over you as it sits. Once the week has passed, you no longer feel the connection to the item and can easily make a choice. I like the idea that you are forced to make a decision about the item within a week. I put something in there that I semi know what I need to do, but haven't quite set aside the time to figuring it out.

Assignment Four: Purge the Pantry.
Ugh. This was something that really needed to be done but I'd been avoiding for a really long time. I'm not sure why, I just really dreaded dealing with it. It wasn't that bad, it wasn't that difficult and it really didn't take that much time. I feel so much better now that I organized our pantry.

Assignment Five: 10 Minute Observations & Select a Project From Your List.
I've wanted to rearrange the living room area for a while, so I spent a lot of time sitting in different spots with different views of the room, REALLY looking at it and thinking of the function and flow. I thought I had a really good idea, which we tried this weekend and it was so awful, but at least I know and I have an idea of how I want it to look when we move the TV downstairs.
We chose 3 projects from our list. One for me: Re-caulking the kitchen and guest bathroom. One for Cory: Fish Tank Situation. And one for the both of us: Replace the thresholds in the entry.

Assignment Six: Kitchen.
Luckily for me, I'd recently cleaned out the oven, cooktop, microwave and refrigerator and I'd rearranged and purged the cabinets, so this wasn't too bad of an assignment. I cleaned out the junk drawer and I'm amazed at how much was in there and how much of it was junk or belonged elsewhere! I scrubbed down all the cabinets and handles, cleaned the tile and grout lines and cleaned off the countertops and scrubbed them. I'm so happy with how my kitchen looks!

New Year, New Home

I don't make New Year's Resolutions.  I just don't like to set myself up for disappointment.  I don't mean to sound lame, but I know I'm not going to follow through on most of these forced cliches, so why bother?  I'm not going to work out, regularly, for the rest of the year.  I'm not going to diet.  BUT, I think a new year is a good time to evaluate your life and make a fresh start.  I know it sounds kind of the same, but it's totally different.  

I'm going to assume since you're reading my blog, that you have kids, so your kids toys are probably a huge problem.  We have so many toys... SO MANY TOYS!

So this year, we're getting rid of all the shit that we've been tripping over for the past few years. 

Am I going to be a minimalist?  Yes and no.  I love stuff.  I mean, I really LOVE stuff.  Nice stuff.  I want to spend my money on the best.  And that doesn't mean the most expensive.  The "best" is relative to each of us.  For me, it's a balance of quality, cost, and necessity.  It may be different for you.  I want to live a practical minimalism lifestyle.  I say practical because I like gadgets that make my life easier and I want to balance stuff with ease.  I don't NEED most of the stuff we have, but it sure does make things easier and faster.  Time with my family is something I value above anything else, so I won't sacrifice a tool that helps me achieve more time.  

My main hurdle is the fact that I'm frugal.  I'm cheap as shit.  If it's something I can use later and not have to rebuy, I'll save it.  I have to stop.  For the longest time I thought minimalism and frugality were the same, or went hand-in-hand.  It's just not at all the case.  While you can be both, I think you need to understand what drives both lifestyles and find your own balance.  I'll tell you about mine down below.  

After Christmas is a really good time to start this purge as we're struggling to find places for our new stuff.  Cory and I have always been very particular about the items we bring into our home, especially for our kids.  How can I say this nicely?  Most of the time our families, not so much.  And I get it, people love to buy stuff for other people - especially the girls.  It's just not us.  I feel like a big snob when I say this, but I HATE everything.  Seriously.  I hate crappy toys, I hate toys that make noise, I hate any movie/tv merchandise, I hate clothing with words on them, I hate toys that don't encourage creative play.  I know, it sounds awful and I sound like a total bitch.  Here's the thing, I just think toys are crappy.  Some of Kendall's favorite and most used toys are her easel, play kitchen and blocks.  Brooke's favorite?  A pill bottle filled with change.  So I'm going to share my cut-throat method for weeding out toys.  Here is a list of things I secretly hide away: 

• Anything I hate. 
• Anything that makes noise.
• Anything that they can't play with on their own.
• Anything with missing/broken pieces.
• Anything with a lot of pieces that never stay together, anyway. 
• Anything too young/too old.
• Anything too messy. 
• Anything at the bottom of the toy box.

I said it was cut-throat.  I was serious.  I take these toys and toss the ones that really just need to go (missing/broken pieces) and I put the rest in a "holding cell" for later review.  If the offspring ask for the toy, I suggest they look for it.  If they don't really look or don't ask again, I toss the toy.  If they really look or ask again, I bring it back out.  I should also say, I don't take away toys that they love, even if I hate them.  I'm not that cold.  But I am pretty brutal about the things I remove.  Most of the time they never notice.  Full disclosure, I had put away all of these toys to donate in a big tub in the basement since we never go down there, but Cory set up a TV and VCR and he spends a ton of time down there with the girls now so they discovered the toys.  I don't really care because they're out of sight, but I will put all these back in the donate box and take them away someday soon!

The kids toys aren't the only thing that I'm fed up with.  We have way too much stuff and most of it is mine.  I identified the areas I struggle with: Bathroom Stuff.  Make up, shampoo, skin care, other bath stuff...  So with the make up, shampoo and skin care, I have to take 100% of the blame.  I'm using one product when I see another that promises to work better, so I buy it, even though I still have half full bottles of the old stuff.  Then it happens all over again.  I never buy bath/smelly stuff for myself because I never use it, but when I get it as gifts, it just sits there.  So I'm initiating the "Use it or Lose it" Campaign.  All half full bottles are to be used, at every opportunity until they're empty.  This appeases both urges to be frugal and get rid of extra stuff.  

I wrote above about finding the balance between those two ideas: Frugality and Minimalism.  This is really personal.  I keep things around for "just in case" purposes.  Clothing tags, gas receipts, instructions for everything we own, old socks.  The only thing I've ever used again are instructions, but only for electronics.  To satisfy my "just in case" mentality, I have started putting all of that stuff in a holding container for 30 days.  If I didn't need it, it goes in the trash.  That's my balance.  

I also decided that for my craft supplies, if I don't have a clear purpose for something, it goes.  This is not to include fabric (but does include items I'm saving for the fabric and before you roll your eyes, I made this shirt for Brooke from a pair of pajama pants), ribbon or things like glue, markers etc.  

What works for me isn't what works for Cory.  We put personal limitations on our criteria to toss because we both view this differently.  We also agreed when we made our personal guidelines that it needs to follow a certain path and we are allowed to keep an object we LOVE regardless if it meets any of the other criteria.  The first question we ask is, "Do I love this item?"  If the answer is yes, you can keep it.  If the answer is no, then we ask ourselves, "Does this item improve my life?"  If the answer is yes, the item stays but if the answer is no, we ask, "What purpose does this item have and would I miss it if it were gone?"  And there is no judgement on what we keep or toss.  

If you think you'd like to get rid of some of your stuff, you can follow my suggestions.  I also suggest starting in a few places in your home.  These seem to be the areas where most stuff just accumulates and it's the easiest to clean out.  

Kitchen: Duplicates (do you really need 3 sets of measuring spoons?) and seldom used items

Bathroom: Half used items, old make up, stretched out hair ties (or is this just me?)

Bedroom: Worn, outdated or (sorry) ill-fitting clothing, worn socks, jewelry, mismatched bedding

Office: Mail, magazines, instructions, pens that no longer work - why do we keep these and why are they the only ones I grab when I really need a pen?!

Toys!  

Garage: Seldom used sports equipment, old paint

I'm also taking advantage of Apartment Therapy's January Cure, which we've done for the past 3 years.  I encourage you to try this out (any time of the year) because it's a really good and doable way to get your home in tip-top shape. and we're only 2 assignments in, so there is time to catch up!  I like to do this in the same notebook from year to year because it's a really good feeling to see what improvements we've made through the years and how many of the items on our lists have been completed.  I'll try to do a weekly post to document our progress.  

I really hope this encourages you to be happier in your space!