Minimalism After the Holidays
We have been acquiring a lot lately, as many do around the winter holidays, especially when children are involved. The amount of stuff we own is more obvious now, as much of it is in the open in order to be accessible to El.
To offset the surplus coming in, we like to do our yearly purge. In order to keep some order in our home and avoid excess, we follow one simple (though not easy) rule: However much comes in, at least that amount needs to leave. If we can’t decide where to start we often try to purge from the same category as well (ex: new breadbox - in, loaf pan we never use - out).
In addition to the yearly purge, we also like to use toy and book rotations, per the Montessori method, to keep the number of choices for El to a minimum. This helps to keep her from getting overwhelmed, allows her to engage more fully with what is available, and allows for the shelves to always have items that match her interests and skill level at the moment.
