Stress and anxiety is something that I’ve come to deal with on a daily basis since becoming a mom. Constantly worrying about getting all the things done, asking myself if I’m doing everything I can to be the best mom possible, stressing about outside factors going on in the world, Looking at our mess of a house and immediately getting more anxiety from all the clutter. Are you like this too? If so, let’s be friends. Moms that can relate to these feelings know how isolating and down right awful it can be to feel this way. And I’ve had about enough of it.
I always set goals for the new year, but this year, it’s different. I still have so many things I want to try and learn, but my main priority is to SLOW DOWN and focus on being more present. I don’t want to look back on my life and remember how I was always worried about a clean home rather than focusing on the beautiful memories with my family.
In order to decrease the constant stress and anxiety, I still need to be productive. After a lot of soul searching, brainstorming, and listening to all the declutter your life podcasts, I’m confident to say that I’ve cracked the code to help balance moving forward in our home decluttering journeys while not having it take up a ton of our time.
I used to dedicate a Saturday or Sunday to decluttering. Just do a massive throw out/donate it all. Clothes, toys, junky items, old tupperware bins, you name it. I’d feel great (and exhausted) at the end of the day. However, by Monday evening the house was a mess again. There was no system with the kids’ abundance of legos, superhero action figures, arts and crafts. If you have kids, you KNOW your home organizing journey is never really over. It’s something you have to work at every single day to maintain order and a little bit of sanity, which is tough when you also have to go to the grocery store, run errands, make the meals, take the kids to sports practice, volunteer at the school, basically be a constant car pooling service. It’s overwhelming, but if we focus on the little by little decluttering tasks each and every day we will get there and feel SO much better. I sure know I have.
Now, I’m also a big procrastinator. Always have been, wish I wasn’t but ya know.. There are certain decluttering to do’s I really REALLY don’t want to do! Even if it’s driving me nuts to look at the mess every time I walk by that room, I’ll put it off. That’s why I made a fulfill jar. It holds me accountable, it’s kind of fun once you get into it, and it’s a pretty addition to my little corner shelf of essential oils and plants I have managed to keep alive. My toy free zone. It gets me closer to a clean, happy, less stress home and it grants me ONE decluttering to do a day. Not an overwhelming amount of time to dedicate an entire day to clean chore.
I’m pretty far from my ideal home organization goals. The kids’ just had their birthday, so it was basically Christmas all over again. They’re very into legos so you can bet that tiny little lego accessories are scattered and *accidentally* vacuumed up on a daily basis. A few months ago this would have stressed me out ALOT. Thankfully, the fulfill jar is not only helping me stay on top of my decluttering priorities when mom life gets super busy, but I feel good knowing that I’m doing something proactive to make our house a home that is not filled with junky items we not only don’t need but clutter that will also negatively affect my kids’ behavior and well being. They don’t mind making the mess but I’m pretty sure no one likes living around a mess.
Since starting this new year, newish and cleaner home journey I’ve:
- Donate at least 5 bags of clothes and told toys
- Clear our 4 dresser drawers
- Clean 2 bedroom closets
- Declutter our medicine cabinet
- Clean out the utensil drawer
- Thoroughly cleaned our kitchen sink
- Cleaned the walls of our home (something you never really think to do but it NEEDS to be done!)
One thing I really love about this is that not only has my daily stress gone down, I feel more fulfilled. I’m already feeling more present with the kids, not having my mind wander about what cleaning things I SHOULD be doing.. feeling super thankful for this cute little jar that started out as a fun DIY while my kids were on their coloring rampage. And I’m so happy to share it with you too so that you can also feel that sense of accomplishment, gratitude, and productivity while also adding a country chic home decor addition to your toy free zone.
Click link below to get your own fulfill jar –
