A bunch of my friends have been posting the same article about how getting rid of ‘stuff’ has saved one mom’s motherhood. I bought into the headline and gave it a click…whatever could help get my rear into gear this Monday morning to help me collect items for our impeding yard sale…
As I read the blog post, I could identify with this Mama’s piles of dishes and her mountain of laundry. Check and check! I too have felt the days flying by, and I also find myself doing nothing to fill them but cleaning. The amount of times I’ve told my husband “All I do is clean!” is up there with the amount of times I say “Good Morning” and “Good Night” to him – seriously, it’s a daily phrase in this house!
I went on to read that after this Mama had had enough, she trashed each toy that she felt didn’t benefit her children and in turn it unclogged her kids God-given gift of imagination. Hmm…I was intrigued and inspired!
As I took to my kids toy bins to start the purge, I found I was saving more than I was planning to sell. You see, my kids actually play with their toys. Both of my babies have been and still remain toy kids, a fact that I’ve absolutely loved about them! Their toys have made them imaginative, creative and independent! From infancy, both have been content playing alone with their toys for long periods of time, a fact that many have noticed and even commend me for. I can only take credit for providing them with thoughtful toys to play with, the rest is all them!
My kids independent toy play has given me the freedom to get other stuff done while they play. With that freedom, I always steal a peek to lock away memories of my babies playing with their toys in unconventional ways like making music out of the ribbed backside of their xylophone, putting stacking rings on as bracelets and finding every way possible to fit inside of a plastic bucket!
I know the intentions of the Mama who wrote that article, and I do support her view and even back them. Too much stuff can steal our joy, and a minimalist approach could lead to a happier life, but before you go throwing all of your kids toys away, please remember that motherhood is always going to be messy…toys or no toys! Motherhood is mounds of dishes and piles of laundry…proof that your kids are well fed and clothed! Motherhood is toys strewn across the house…proof that you provide these little beings a safe place and shelter where they can also have fun! Motherhood is days flying by…because that’s what days do when you’re taking care of your family…proof that you are doing a job well done! Motherhood is never going to be perfect. It’s never going to be neatly organized. In fact, it’s always going to be a mess…but it’s my blessed mess, and it’s your blessed mess!
The bloggers article did inspire me to get rid of stuff today…who can’t stand to do a little bit of pitching every now and then? But somewhere in my minimizing, it dawned on me that I have the rest of my life to live a life that looks like the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog! For now, I’m going to try to embrace the chaos, claim the madness and fully live in and own our crazy!
From what I hear from those who’ve been here, right in the middle of the mess, we’re going to miss these days when they are gone…
Be Blessed + Be A Blessing
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