Closet Cleaning

Blerg.

Today was closet-cleaning day. To be fair, it was more like laundry-catch-up day, and even that didn't get me very far... but tis the thought that counts, no?

At any rate, I'm finding myself inspired by the Johnson family of Mill Valley, California, a family who's been continually downsizing for the past three years, to the point where they now generate virtually zero waste (even with two young boys). With extremely pared-down wardrobes, minimal toys and toiletries, and cleverly-controlled kitchen gear, the family is living a minimalist life that nonetheless seems rich, and appears to be happier for it.

While I don't think I'm quite ready to make such a big leap (the Johnsons don't keep any books in the home, electing to get them all from the library, and choose not to display art or photographs), the thought of truly eliminating the excess is tempting. Having started with the kids' toys, part of me would love to give the same treatment to the closet. Being post-partum and between sizes, however, I reckon I should wait a while, at least until my future shopping trip to the attic. But perhaps there's a big purge to come in our future.

Organizing the Chaos

Well, I can't say, ‘I wish we'd thought of this sooner', because, frankly, we did, we're just lazy. But we finally bit the bullet and decided to stash away all of Captain Tightpants' toys save for a handful (he still has unlimited books and blocks). Five toys in the bedroom and five in the living room - all neatly contained in cute baskets, natch - sounds like plenty, but trust me when I say it represents only a small fraction of the whole!

To the basement they go, to be cycled out at a later date so he always has something “new" to play with, but never so many toys at once that they just blur together into a meaningless plastic miasma.

His room is now far neater and much more pleasant and it feels good to have pared down a bit. Unexpected fringe benefit: we're now far less likely to kill ourselves descending the stairs of death as he seems reticent to sacrifice precious toys to the task of booby-trapping them. Always a plus.