decluttering

We leave next Saturday to go and live on an island www.erraid.com for a year. Well actually we don’t know if we can stay that long, but we are making plans to. The move means that we have to get rid of, store or transport all our stuff. We seem to have tons of it. The stuff of modern parents. The clutter, the cars, puzzles, gadgets, books (and more books), pens, papers, clothes, rollerskates, soft toys, did I say books?

I feel like this woman in this amazing photo by Rob Woodcox who I interpret as holding the laundry, picking up the clothes while her family all around her are doing their best to make more mess.

That’s what it has been like in our household. As we are homeschooling they are at home while I do this huge amount of decluttering, sorting and packing. I manage to get one room sorted, cleared and I move out and the kids move in with the few remaining toys they can find, or the scarfs and play dressing up as ninjas, which involves moving a lot of cushions and other stuff too. Half an hour later the room is a mess again.

So truthfully, as a homeschooling mum I have not given much thought to their education so far – other than realizing that I should keep the children’s atlas and not put it in the give away box in this packing up process.

So much for their homeschooling education… ahem well, I guess by example I have been teaching them – clearing out stuff is hard work. It takes time to do it well. You have to leave sentimentality out of the boxes or they become stuffed. It takes several passes over a box, drawers or an area to really get it down to the bare minimum. It feels great to give things away. Other shifts in life happen as well as the clutter diminishes.

And a couple of days ago I was really moved to hear someone say on the radio: how wealthy you are is certainly NOT about how many possessions you have, it is knowing how little you need. I love decluttering for that and I love that by doing it I am hopefully teaching my children the way to lead uncluttered lives…