Well, another year is coming to an end. I never really know exactly when we are going to end, it all depends on when I either A) finish the schoolwork at hand, or B) just need to stop. However, I think this year, for the most part, I think we are actually doing both together. I am quite impressed. For two boys we are down to three books and just a few chapters in each, so we are alternating between the three of them to get them all done. I don’t want to just read several chapters in one book one day and several in another book the next day for that is not the intent of our learning. The idea of Charlotte Mason learning is to give the brain time to sub-consciously think about the previous reading for several days before going on. They are not getting several days in between each chapter of a book, but at least 1-2 days, and two of them go on to different topics each chapter so it is not really that bad.
I have had a slightly easier time overall the last several weeks and it has given me time to do some introspection about how things are going and how to improve. My main concern was that I feel we have been treading water for the last 1.5 years. Yes, the last few months of school we feel that way. I think it is just that we need a change of pace into summer months, however, I have been feeling this way for the last 18 months. There are several things at play, but I have come across one thing that is a big part of it all.
I somehow ran across a website that caught my eye. I started reading it. It had lots of pictures. I was intrigued. It is about a mother of 7 children ranging from 18 months to 11 yrs who went from a *VERY* cluttered home (she posts pictures!) to a home where it can look like Home and Gardens in about 30 minutes of cleanup – the entire house (again, more pictures.) Oh, and when I mentioned this to my sister, her natural reaction was, “but does she homeschool?!?!?!?!” to which was a very fast reply, “YES!” Minimization is the word of the day. You mean to say that a homeschool family of many children really can have a really neat home, almost all the time? I honestly never thought that possible unless one had a housekeeper that came in every day, or every other day at the minimum. Or, unless the children were much older. (And even then there is no guarantee!) So, I started reading.
I have to say, after reading several pages, it really did make sense, and I am at the point right now that I think it is possible in our home as well. I got rid of a lot of stuff before we moved, but when we purchased our home last year and all the boxes arrived, just weeks before Pesach, my wonderful, dear, beloved husband told me to “Just empty the boxes and put everything somewhere!” And me, being the good wife, listened. I knew there was so much more I needed to get rid of, but with just a few short weeks before Pesach, I didn’t have time. We emptied and put. It would not have been too bad if not for the fact that I never got around to going through everything and organizing like I really wanted to! Which would have meant I would have gotten rid of at least a little bit more. Don’t get me wrong, I have gone through things and have minimized a little bit over the past year, just not nearly like I wanted to.
So, after getting psyched up from reading, I got it in my head to do something. I was not quite sure what, but last weekend I emptied out the cabinets under the two sinks in our bathroom. I sat down on the floor, opened the door, and started taking things out. I had purchased little cubbies to put things in almost 2 years before, but it was still a mess. I realized I didn’t need to organize, I needed to toss. If something didn’t resonate deep inside of me, I let it go. Some things I had kept for sentimental reasons, but did not really need any more. I understood then that it is okay to need something at one point in my life, and it is okay if later on I find that I don’t need it anymore. It is okay to move on.
After spending a couple of hours, tucked away in my little corner of the house, by myself, I finished. I did not minimize to the extent that the other mother did, however, as she mentions, you need to do what is good for your family, which may not be quite like she does it. But, I am pleased. the two cabinets are still stocked – however, the bins all line up nicely and I can see what is in each of them and nothing is stacked. Perhaps on another go around I will be able to declutter more, in the meantime, I got rid of one garbage bag of stuff! Not too shabby! I am trying to decide which room to tackle next. I am thinking perhaps my closet. We shall see. It is too close to Shabbos and Yom Tov to do anything else.
What have I learned from all of this? Other than seeing how much stuff we have that we don’t have (and this was just our bathroom, I can’t even imagine the rest of the rooms!) I
have noticed another thing. My mind is clearer. Yes, I only cleaned up two cabinets, and I don’t even see the items inside of them unless I open the doors, my mind is actually a bit clearer. I have realized that everything that we have in the house is something that occupies “space” in my mind. The entire week, when I have thought about those cabinets, I have noticed “space” in my mind. I have decluttered my mind. I have time to think about other things. It has actually brought me much relief.
If I have sparked your interest, please read more about minimizing both your home and your mind here! I hope to keep y’all updated occasionally!
I am looking forward to freeing up my mind for many other things that I want to think about and do, including getting back into writing more. 🙂 So, as we are closing in on our trek to receiving the Torah in a few short days, with the smell of cheesecake (our own unique recipe! No, the one on the right is not green, it is actually brown – from chocolate,) challah, and more, I wish you all a wonderful Yom Tov!