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Why Not to Force Kids to Share

I was reading a kids book about sharing to Dominik and I couldn't quite pinpoint why this book suddenly annoyed me. I felt really bad for the main character that was forced to share and disliked his "friends" that only would play with him if he gave up his prized possessions. It struck me that I disagreed with the message about sharing.

Now, first let me explain that I am the type of person that supports donating and sharing as much and as often as possible. People really need to be helping each other more often. And, our kids should absolutely be encouraged to share and care for their peers. Sharing and cooperating are amazing and beneficial on both sides.

But as Dominik begins playing more with his peers, I know that there will be many times when the issue of sharing will arise. What do I want him to learn about sharing?

Let's first walk through a typical playground situation: A child, let's call her Sally, is playing with a toy by herself. Another child, let's call him Tommy, walks up to Sally and asks her for the toy. Sally refuses and Tommy becomes upset. Sally's mom says something like, "Sally, you need to share. Give Tommy the toy." Sally, after some protesting, begrudgingly gives Tommy the toy, who happily starts playing with it.

Sound familiar?

Let's take a deeper look. What Sally has learned is that her belongings are up for grabs and Tommy's wants and needs were more important than her own. Tommy learned that he can have anything he wants, whenever he wants because his wants and needs are more important than Sally's.

When we are teaching children to share, the longterm goal is that they will become kind and generous people who can problem solve and compromise. By forcing them to share, they are not learning to do so out of empathy. We would like our children to share a toy because they see that the other child is unhappy and they wish to make them happy. When they can truly empathize with the other child, sharing becomes easier and less parent-directed. This extends outside of sharing situations. Pointing out the feelings of others on a day to day basis helps children understand the feelings of others.

When our kids are on the opposite end of the situation, when they are the ones asking for a toy, forcing the other child to share instills a sense of entitlement and superiority over the other child. Will they be upset and disappointed if the other child does not share? Probably. It's okay for kids to feel unhappy and upset. It's human and very normal and will soon pass. But so long as we are there to help them through the process, kids will benefit from normal feelings of disappointment. When we are not around to sooth them, we want them to be able to handle life's bumps when things do not go their way.

We also want our kids to be problem solvers. Sometimes, the answer is as simple as both playing with the toy at the same time. If we gently encourage and model compromising and problem solving, the hope is that the children will learn how to do it themselves. These problem solving skills will help them navigate through a variety of life's experiences and make sure that they can easily work with others.

So let's reexamine the same situation with Sally and Tommy: Sally is by herself, playing with a toy. Tommy walks up and asks her for it. Sally refuses and Tommy becomes upset. Sally's mother says something like, "Sally is playing with that right now, but when she is done, you can have a turn." There is a chance that Tommy will say okay and go about his business. But if he doesn't, perhaps Sally's mom will say, "Tommy seems like he is very upset, doesn't he, Sally? Maybe you and Tommy can think of something else. Sally? What do you think a good compromise would be?"

In this situation, Sally is being directed towards empathy and problem solving and Tommy is learning how to deal with disappointment, hopefully with his own parent right there. Both are learning how to problem solve and compromise, even if they choose not to, simply by taking a moment to consider and think about it.

I know that sharing is going to come up again and again in the next several years with Dominik. He will be on both sides of the equation and there will be times when he is sad and disappointed. But I hope that one day, sharing will happen out of the love in his heart rather than his mother's demands.

KonMari: What I learned

Over the past several weeks, I have using the KonMari method of tidying to get my house into shape. You can read all about the introduction and the book here.

I'll admit that I'm really glad this whole KonMari thing is done. It is a lot of work and very time consuming. Do I still have to tidy and clean everyday? Yes. But that's to be expected when you have kids and other people in the house. But I have noticed that our house is cleaner for longer and not as many things are ending up on desks and counters. Our closets and drawers have more space and everything is much easier to find. It was tough, but it was absolutely worth it.

Here are some afterthoughts and things I learned over the past few weeks:

Don't wait until....

Don't wait until you move. Or the baby's born. Or summer break. Or whatever is you are waiting for. My husband used to say that he would go through his things when we moved, while he was packing or unpacking. But moving is stressful enough and most often we would just throw stuff into boxes without much thought as to whether or not we actually wanted to keep it. But you know what makes moving easier? Having less stuff.
Also, things and life happen, so it's really better just to get this over with as soon as you can. It doesn't happen all in one day anyway, and as long as you keep up momentum and continue with everything step by step, it will get done.

We have too. much. stuff.
I was astonished with the amount of stuff we had. Drawers full of pens, closets full of electronic equipment. Think about what you use on a day to day or even weekly basis. Can you think of any drawers or closets that are full of stuff that goes pretty much unused? I could, for sure. By getting rid of all of this unnecessary stuff, we see and find what we have and truly need. 

Being surrounded by things that bring joy, creates joy
By only keeping what I really loved, I noticed that I feel happy just having it around. When I get dressed in the morning, I am happier about my appearance because I am wearing things that bring me joy. I carry a purse that sparks happiness, dust books that inspire my soul, wear shoes that put a bounce in my step, eat off of plates that make me smile, and admire photos on the wall that create joy. I'm just happier in general. I'm sure it's also the fact that I am surrounded by less stress-causing mess, but I really do think being surrounded by items that inspire joy is a genius idea.

Cleaning with a toddler is hard
I know that, realistically, I am supposed to do this tidying alone, all in one sweep. But with a toddler, this is not possible or realistic. It took longer this way and I often had to pause what I was doing, but it got done eventually. And now that things are neater? Everyday tidying takes less time, which means more time with Dominik.

I'll also mention that cleaning with a husband is hard as well. I was hoping that he would be inspired to go through his things as well, but he remained uninterested. Which brings me to the last item:

Living life means mess will happen, often
Everyday life, especially with kids and a spouse results in a messy house. It's a part of life and it's okay if things aren't always tidy. And now that we have a bit less stuff? The messes suddenly don't seem as stressful.

If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Did it change my life? I think that it did.

10 Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables

I was a picky eater. Very picky. I had a long list of unacceptable foods and a short, reliable list of foods I would eat. It drove my mother crazy, but she persisted with many of the following suggestions and I eventually learned to love a variety of foods. For the most part, Dominik will eat a variety of foods, including vegetables. But there are days that he refuses to eat anything but clementines and bananas.

Kids are known for being picky eaters. Typically, many seem to prefer crustless white bread, chicken nuggets, french fries, plain pasta, macaroni and cheese, etc. Getting them to eat things outside of their food boundaries is a struggle for many parents, resulting in dinner-time showdowns and separate meals. Biologically speaking, it makes sense. Young children instinctively stick to foods that they are used to getting, typically plainer foods, because being adventurous with what to eat in the wild could result in poisonous plants being ingested.

Here are some suggestions to get your kids to eat and enjoy, yes enjoy, those vegetables. Remember that this is a very normal stage for children and that patience and persistence is key.

10 Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables:

1. Start them young and Keep it Up.
Breastfed babies are exposed to a wide variety of subtle flavors through breastmilk. When we first give babies solid food, we often strive to provide organic whole fruits and vegetables. Babies first foods are often very nutritious: avocados, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc. But I noticed that there seemed to be fruit added to every vegetable, making every experience with food very sweet. Not all vegetables are sweet, so it's important that babies grow accustomed to a variety of flavors. Dominik didn't always like it, but the important thing was that he experienced the flavor. As they grow into finger foods, many of us start providing "kid friendly" foods and easy snacks. Plain cereals, plain noodles, cut up chicken nuggets, and many other typical "kid" foods make their way into our children's meals. I often find myself grabbing the peanut butter and bread for Dominik's lunch instead of the veggie packed leftovers I saved for myself. Start the vegetables when you choose to feed solids, but keep it up, avoiding sweetening each one.

2. Make Them Taste Good:
Sometimes vegetables are an afterthought. They are quickly steamed as a sad side to a flavorful and filling meal. I hate steamed vegetables, especially if they come from a can or were frozen. They are usually mushy and bland and I don't blame kids for not wanting to eat that pile of flavorless peas. Use fresh vegetables, spices, seasonings, and different preparations to make them flavorful and interesting. It doesn't have to be overly complicated; a simple roasted broccoli with garlic, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice is one of Dominik's favorites.

3. Be a Role Model:
If your child looks over to your plate full of untouched vegetables or watches you grimace through a mouthful of spinach, chances are they are not going to want to eat it. Make a point to talk about how yummy the vegetables are, using good descriptive words like: fresh, zesty, rich, creamy, crunchy, sweet, etc. Seeing you eat and enjoy the foods that you want them to eat makes them warm up to them much more easily.

4. Offer Them Every Meal:
Your child will most likely not eat everything that you put in front of them every time you sit to eat. Dominik will love zucchini one day, and push it off of his plate the next. But instead of coming to the conclusion that he doesn't like zucchini, I'll offer it again another day, not making it a huge deal if he doesn't eat it. By providing them with vegetables every meal, the constant exposure will familiarize them with these foods, making them not so foreign and scary. It takes more than one taste of something for a child to like a food. Just because they refused it once or twice or even three or four times, doesn't mean they will refuse it again. We did this with mushrooms, and pretty soon they became a favorite!

5. Let Them Help Prepare the Food:
When children see the process of making something and participate in it, two things happen. The first is that they become more familiar with that particular food because they have handled it, looked at it, and manipulated it. It brings down the barrier between the child and the food. Second is that they become proud of creating something and want to enjoy the rewards. If I worked hard on a meal, I love to sit and enjoy it.

6. Let Them Play First:
There was a study done not too long ago that found that kids that participated in physical play before lunch ate more vegetables than those that had recess after lunch. This makes sense. First, kids will speed through a meal so that they can play, only eating the minimum of what they prefer to eat. Also, being physical gets the metabolism active and works up an appetite, making those vegetables more appealing than if they weren't really that hungry anyway.

7. Don't Offer Rewards:
This may sound counterintuitive but seriously, don't offer rewards like extra dessert if they eat their vegetables. This reinforces the idea that vegetables are not as good as the other items on their plate. If they were just as good, why would a reward be provided for eating those and not the other stuff? By being intrinsically motivated to eat vegetables, they not only feel in control, but they eat vegetables because they want to and not because they have to. This will make lasting eating habits more likely as well.

8. Share Your Food:
Sometimes Dominik refuses a meal. He pushes stuff around the plate and looks at me while throwing food onto the floor. When this happens, I swap plates. Have you ever been to a restaurant with someone and thought about how their food looked more appetizing than yours? Sometimes, just the fact that it is on my plate makes the food appealing to Dominik, even if it's the exact same thing. So we swap and he happily eats my food. Even letting him take just a few bites off my plate helps as well.

9. Don't Make Separate Meals:
If Dominik cannot have it, I will not make it. This really isn't as hard as it sounds because adult meals are just as good for young children. As long as it is healthy and doesn't have alcohol or it's not too spicy, they can eat it. By serving Dominik what we are eating, we are making sure that his tastebuds and tastes are used to things with a variety of flavors. If we gave in to give things that we know he would prefer, we would be reinforcing the idea that he gets to eat whatever he feels like, which is not always the best thing for young children. If they are hungry, they will eat. They will not starve themselves if you choose to not make those chicken nuggets.

10. Hide It:
When all else fails, hide the vegetables. This of course isn't the most ideal situation, but kids are humans with opinions and tastes. Use the blender to add spinach or other veggies to things like smoothies or sauces. Kids usually can't taste a difference and you get the peace of mind that at least they ingested a few vegetables. Keep up with the other suggestions, but sometimes kids are just stubborn. And that's okay too.
Remember that most kids will outgrow their picky stage.

The KonMari Method: Photos and Treasures

This is the last part in my series about using Marie Kondo's tidying method. You can read about the introduction and her book here.

The category that Miss Kondo saves for last is momentos. All of the things that we treasure and that are very special to us. These can include scrapbooks, photos, special gifts from loved ones, inherited trinkets, etc. She saves this for last because this is all stuff that we have a hard time letting go because either at one point it brought/brings us joy or because they hold some sort of significance above everyday items. By this point, I have had lots of practice deciding whether one of my belongings brought joy or not. So now, the real test on these learned practices and my discarding skills.

Photos

There are several places that I store photos. I have a few albums and scrapbooks that hold the photos that are truly dear to me and that visiting family member enjoy to look at. Those stayed as is. The rest of my photos (that aren't in frames) are on my computer or in plastic container. The container holds a ton of photos ranging from my baby photos all the way to Dominik's baby pictures. Initially, I doubted that I could let anything go because these were photos of my family and friends, of course they all bring me joy! But I was surprised to find that there were many that I easily discovered that they brought no joy. There were photos of landscapes and places that I couldn't remember where exactly they were. There were blurry and bad photos that really shouldn't have been printed to begin with. There were copies of the same photos. And then there were photos that brought back painful memories. For example, I had a big chunk of pictures from sixth grade, when I was around 12 years old. This was an extremely awkward and difficult year for me and having documentation of it was not necessary and gave me zero joy. Of course there were plenty of photos that had me laughing and smiling, those all stayed.

Photos that left

Me! :)

Don't ask.

A lovely trip to Hawaii with my dad

My one and only surprise party

Our honeymoon

I have SO MANY photos on my computer. I'm good about creating categories so that they are grouped by event or time period. But, I always forget to back them up. So, in the most tedious process ever, I went through each category and deleted photos that were blurry or that were just not ones I needed to keep. Then, I did two things: I burned each category onto a disc and I transferred them as a folder to an external hard drive. Although I did defeat the purpose a bit of the KonMari method by creating more stuff, it was important to me to backup these photos because they brought tremendous joy.

Treasures:

Well, not actual treasure, but all things that are important to me. All of these things are stashed under my bed in containers and shoeboxes. I have a shoebox of things from when my husband and I dated. I have assorted boxes of various artwork given to me. I have a large container of very old family photos, some of which date back to the early 1900's. I also have a box of all of my wedding memorabilia. These were harder to go through than my photos. Did I need a brochure of a hotel my husband and I stayed at for a few days in Puerto Rico? No, but all of these wonderful memories rushed back. But then, I remembered something important that Miss Kondo brings up in her book: our memories and experiences do not depend on these items. I am perfectly able to remember these wonderful past events without the aid of ticket stubs and brochures. So, I let items like these go, savoring the memories they conjured.

Of course, I kept most things in my wedding box as well as my wedding shoes. I also kept the artwork and the family photographs because these things are irreplaceable and things that I would like to give to Dominik. To be able to see photographs of his ancestors and Japanese artwork brought back by his Great Grandfather I believe will be truly special. This is what true joy is all about.

Art:

Speaking of art, I saved my own art for this category as well. I pour my heart and soul into each painting or drawing. Most are the product of hard work and I am proud of it. I store my paintings under the bed because canvases are thick and bulky and I store my paper artworks in a portfolio. I took a deep breath and dug in.

The easy things to discard were the sketches, still lifes and practice drawings. These were made simply to practice and held no special meaning. There were also some things that either weren't complete or didn't turn out quite right and that I was not proud of. There were things from high school that I had hung onto just because it felt wrong to throw away art. Some were created out of the depression I battled. I thought that these would not bring joy as they came from a dark place, but I was surprised to find that they did indeed spark joy. But why? They symbolized my rising from that dark place. They symbolized the fact that creating that artwork soothed and healed my soul. These dark drawings were special and meaningful and beautiful.

There were also my figure drawings from college. Finding these stirred something else deep inside of me. They pulled out that deep and insatiable longing to create art, something that I have been too busy to tap into. Portraits and artwork of the human body are where my passions are when it comes to art, so these items not only brought joy and pride, but they served as a reminder that I really did need to nurture this part of me.

How to keep it green/eco-friendly:

-pretty simple: recycle what you can, discard what you can't.

I'll admit that I didn't totally reduce the number of items in this category. Most of this stuff brings me joy so that's not entirely surprising. Yes, I tidied a bit and yes, I organized the heck out of my pictures. But something more important happened than tidying. I was reminded of my love for creating art, something that has been put on the back-burner since graduate school. I'm looking forward to diving back in; I'd love to start with a portrait of Dominik.

There's just one last post for this KonMari series! Up last is what I learned from this experience and the results.

Homemade Toys and Gifts

I used to get really frustrated searching for toys for Dominik. One would think that finding simple, safe toys would be totally easy and not break the bank. Most toys that are easy to find and on the cheaper side are plastic, electronic, and obnoxious in some way. It seemed like everything had a character or a face. Around this time last year, we had a hard time finding one of those outdoor ride-in cars without a face. Mass produced wood toys are gaining popularity and appear quite nice, but the paint often chips and I just wasn't comfortable giving my baby something like that. With some searching, there are some safe and truly beautiful toys out there. Have you ever seen Grimm's?

Grimm's Spiel and Holz Toys

Most of these boutique toys had everything we were looking for: safe (no paint chipping and no plastic when possible), open-ended (not battery operated and could be used in more than a few ways), and beautiful (characters and faces on everything was just too much). But they are really expensive. We are very fortunate and have bought and received toys by Grimm's, Plan Toys, Holztiger, and Camden Rose. Are they worth the money? In my opinion, absolutely. But a child's toy box does not need to be filled with expensive things. In fact, if you are crafty, it's possible to fill a child's toy box with safe, open-ended, and beautiful toys that are handmade or at the very least re-purposed.

Woodworking

Handmade Wooden Puzzle

With a bit of practice and the right tools, these boutique toys can be nearly replicated at home. There are tutorials all over pinterest on how to make various wood toys and dolls. My husband is good at working with wood, so we combined our talents to make Dominik some wooden animals. We bought the wood, popular and maple, from Home Depot and I drew on the shapes of the animals. My husband cut them out and gave them a good sanding. Then I used nontoxic liquid watercolor (you can find that here) to paint them. A few coats of the following wood finish and they were good to go!

Handmade Farm Animals

Wood Finish:

-1/3 cup beeswax
-1 cup coconut oil

Melt the ingredients in a double boiler (I used a stainless steel mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water). Stir well and pour into a clean glass container. Mix every now and then until cool and hard to prevent separating. *Can also be used as lotion and lip balm

Crafted and Sewn Toys

Quiet Book

There are also plenty of toys that are easy to make with a sewing machine, a needle and thread, or just with some crafty know-how. A few months ago, I sewed a "quiet book" for Dominik. It's basically a fabric book that has a little activity on each page. It could be as simple as different textures or skill practice like using buttons or even matching games.

The possibilities that can be crafted or sewn are endless. Mobiles can be easily put together with paper, sticks, and string. Play food can be sewn with felt. The easiest that is the most played with around here? Bean bags! A great way to use up fabric scraps and they can be used as a sensory item or for playing games. Fabric doesn't have to match.

Bean Bags

Bean Bags:

-10 squares of 6"x6" fabric
-5 different dried beans or grains (ex.: chickpeas, black beans, rice, lentils, barley)
-sewing machine or just needle and thread

Sew two squares together, the wrong side of the fabric facing out, leaving about a quarter of an inch border. Only sew three sides. Turn inside out and fill with one of the dried foods. Fold the raw edges into the beanbag and pin shut. Sew an even border around all four sides.

Re-Purposed Toys:

Not crafty? No problem! Some paper towel cardboard rolls and craft pom-poms make a great toy. Tape the rolls to the wall so that the pom-poms are dropped through. Or fill a tub with water or sand or rice and let your child using different cups to pour and fill. Measuring cups make great stacking cups. Old clothes, shoes, and handbags are perfect for dress up. Cardboard boxes are forts or castles or just a simple item for baby to put things in and take things out.

The best, easiest, most beneficial toy that is also free? Items found in nature! Sticks, pine cones, rocks, shells, leaves, flowers, wood, and even plain old dirt. These items are as open-ended as you can get and provide a child with loads of sensory opportunities. Imagine the difference between a light, cold, hard piece of electronic plastic and the rough, heavy, light smooth, soft, smelly, fragile, sturdy items found in your backyard.

Dominik's Favorite Toys

Nature Box:

-Box or bag or really any safe container
-Rocks, pine cones, shells, sticks, leaves, etc. Things found outside in nature

This is very simple and easy. Go somewhere in nature. Doesn't have to be all at once, these things can be collected over time. Collect things and put them in the box, that's it! *Items will vary depending on your child's age. Children under the age of 3 should not be given small rocks or other choking hazards. Use your best judgement and avoid items that are sharp, poisonous, too small, or hazardous in any way.

Less is More

Kids don't need very much. They have done great for many generations with little to no toys, so having a full toy box is unnecessary. To be honest, they would rather play with real, grown up things. After all, they are learning how to live and be future adults. Dominik loves to sweep the floors, mix and prepare food, and fold laundry. Kids can also learn a great deal from just running around outside. Young children are still learning basic physics while older children can pretend to be whatever they wish to be.

Dominik has fancy toys, cheap toys, noisy toys, etc. But the handmade ones get the most play. I'd like to think it is because they are imprinted with love, but it's probably because they are simple and open-ended.

The KonMari Method: Komono Part 3

This is a continuation of me using the KonMari method to get my house under control and tidy! Read about the introduction and the book here.

I saved the "other" subcategory of the Komono/miscellany category for it's own post because it deals with a lot. So far, I have tidied my clothing, books, papers, bathrooms, kitchen, desk/office area, the hall closet, and even my purse. Aside from special items like pictures, this is pretty much everything is left over.

Figurines/Tchotchkes:

When I was a kid, these types of items overtook my room. I had princess figurines, little ceramic animals, and various little items that I used for decoration. They pretty much stayed in my room until I moved out, when some went into a box that stayed at my mom's and the rest came with me. When I moved into my own place, I realized that many of these little items weren't really even me anymore. They were cute, like the little animals, and brought sweet memories, but like Miss Kondo has described: they served their purpose and it was time to move them on. This last time that my husband and I moved, I reduced the number even more, only keep what matched my home decor or what was truly special.

Not very many things left this time, either. I had been holding on to a few things like this Captain Sparrow bobble head simply because it was a gift from my husband a very long time ago. But I never really liked the Pirates of the Caribbean movies so the bobble head never truly sparked joy and we did not know each other very well when he gave it to me. Other items that left were also gifts that I only kept because I felt guilty getting rid of them. But to be honest, it felt nice to let them go.

Things that stayed sparked real joy: a copy of my favorite sculpture, the sand from our marriage ceremony, dolphins that I used to play with as a child, unicorns that felt magical, and a little art figure model that my husband and I enjoy posing.

Blankets, Linens, and Towels:

This is a category that I missed. It probably belongs under household items like sewing equipment and office supplies, but it's large enough that it could be it's own subcategory.

There's really no reason to keep a ton of bed linens. Most goes unused, especially if it's for the guest room. I like to keep two of everything. One for current use, or what's on the bed now, and one for when the first needs washing. I rotate them like this because I used to be notorious for forgetting to put the sheets in the dryer. Not fun to wait for sheets to dry at 11 o'clock at night. So I applied the same principle to the guest room and Dominik's bed. Two sets of sheets and two quilts; one for now and one for next rotation. We had an extra comforter that was a hand me down and didn't even fit our bed that was donated.

We don't have many towels. We have a few beach towels and enough for the week for each bathroom. There was only one or two towels that were demoted to cleaning rags because they were worn out and ripped. Towels are a pretty useful item, in my opinion, and I never feel like we have too many. I think that as long as they fit wherever you would like them and there's always one for getting out of the bath, you are all set.

Babies and Toddler Items:

Children that are older than toddlers should go through their own things, but I think it's up to the parents of very young toddlers and babies to make judgement calls on what to keep and what to discard. Older children of course require the help of parents and parents have veto power, but it really should be left up to them for the most part.

Dominik, who is about 20 months, does not have many things to begin with because we have tried hard to keep the number of toys to a minimum. Children are usually much happier with simple, open-ended toys in small numbers or with just playing outside in nature. Dominik has a box full of pinecones, shells, sticks, and other nature items that gets a ton of play.

My husband and I are usually pretty quick to return toys and items that do not fit our requirements: toys must be open ended and non electronic, books must be free of grammar and spelling errors, and no film or television characters. We don't wish to hurt anyone's feelings by returning or donating their gifts, but it's important to us to provide Dominik with what we feel is best.

I went through the baby items that we are saving for the next baby, Dominik's toys, and his clothing. There were a few baby items that were discarded. One thing was a toy from my husband's childhood that I always felt was probably unsafe as it was flaking paint. There were some other random items stashed away that didn't have much use and brought me no joy.

Dominik's clothing and diaper storage (it's diaper laundry day)

Old clothes that are being saved

I used the KonMari method to fold his old clothing

Much better!

There were a few electronic toys that we kept for the car, but Dominik never liked them much anyway, so out they went with some other plastic and not well made toys. We kept three electronic toys because they bring him so much joy. One of these things is a little activity center that he dances to when he pushes the music buttons. His clothing, including clothing that I am saving for the next baby, was all reorganized after I discarded things that had decor we didn't like (for example, a social media centered onesie) or was stained or too worn.

Oh and also, all those big hangers that came with baby clothes, get rid of them.

Hobby Items:

Art supplies

Paints and other art supplies

Most people have a hobby or two that requires a certain amount of stuff. My husband like computers, cars, and playing the guitar, so he has stuff that allows him to explore those hobbies. My main hobby is art. There are kid safe art items that I have in on a shelf in the kitchen for Dominik. I have a variety of personal art items like paints and pastels. They are stored either under the bed in my tackle box or in a dresser that also holds my sewing things.

After

After

I mainly just reorganized and got rid of trash or things that were broken. But there were some things that were no longer of use to me. Dried out markers, an extra set of colored pencils, mint boxes I had saved for charcoal storage. There was also quite a bit of dried out paint and empty bottles. I also gathered random sketchbooks and other art supplies from around the house and put them in one spot.

My actual artwork is being reserved for the last category as they mean as much to me as photographs and memorabilia.

How to keep it green/ecofriendly:

-Most figurines and whatnot can either be donated or sold to a consignment shop. Who knows, that collection of creepy dolls could be a treasure for someone else.

-When you go on trips and are tempted to buy little snowglobes or figurines to remember the trip, remind yourself that you already have the memories and the pictures. Save your money for a cool experience on your vacation, like fancy dinners and guided tours.

-Linens and towels can be donated to shelters for both humans and animals. Homeless shelters always need items like this, and animal shelters as well as vets use towels to keep our fur babies warm and comfortable.

-Toys that are in good condition and that are safe can be donated. Anything unsafe is better in the trash. Just remember to properly dispose of those batteries.

-Depending on your hobby, most hobby items can be donated. If your hobby involves paints and chemicals, check to make sure that you dispose of them properly as certain things are considered hazardous waste.

Up next, Momentos!