Minimal March Challenge: Family Room {Week 1 for Joyful Quirky Mamas}

It’s going to be a fun monthly challenge because our end goal is to be content with what we have, to declutter what we don’t need, and to create a cozy haven for our peeps {aka the hubs & kiddos} that God has gifted us with.   Let’s rally around one another and spur one another on to be not just Quirky Wholesome Mamas but also more Joyful Mamas in our homes.  

There is nothing like the power of Quirky Mamas that rally together for a common goal so let’s communicate throughout our time on the facebook community and via the comments here after each challenge is posted weekly.

So why a Minimal March Challenge?

I’m so glad you asked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t get nervous, we aren’t going to pare down to just the clothes on our fannies to get rid of everything else.  I’m just calling on women who long to be more joyful, quirky Mamas in your little corner of life.

As an older woman with older kids and bit of perspective that only time can bring, I want to encourage you to not take for granted the life, home, and people that God has placed in your life…..for such a time as this.  We must embrace JOY.  

I know you feel as if this season of your life will last forever but it doesn’t my friend, so together, let’s slow down and find the joy in the day-to-day monotony.  Let’s love our peeps well by creating a space that is not perfect but special, and a place that they love to be.  A place they feel loved and cherished.

 

What does being a Joyful Mama have to do with minimizing clutter?

To build a space where we can bless our families, friends, new friends, and quite frankly, ourselves, we’ve gotta start by ridding our homes of some of the chaos and clutter.  If we’re honest, we’ll admit that being in a space that is chaotic and clutter-y brings out some not so pleasant emotions and lots of times we spew our frustration all over our family.

We need more calm, stress-free zones in our lives and homes.

I’m not talking about perfection- it’s not about the dirt at the doorway, a sink-ful of dishes, or dirty laundry piling up because you are doing the best you can.

No, I’m speaking of all the stuff we have sitting in corners, on tables, countertops, shelves, tubs, and baskets.  Things that aren’t bad to have in the rooms of our homes but maybe there’s just too much of the what-nots, movies, toys, furniture, clothing, decorations, kitchen tools, gadgets, shoes, etc. 

Am I stepping on some toes yet?

 

I need a Minimal March Challenge. You?

What if I didn’t have to:

• clean so much
• clean around so much
• put so much away
• organize so much
• find somewhere to store so much
• make more money to buy more of so much
• have insurance to protect so much
• spend so much time, money, energy, & space on too much

You see, our family knows what it’s like to literally have the bare minimum of everything.   When we were decluttering our closets last week,  I shared a bit about my story and here’s just an excerpt:

“Being able to look from the front yard and see all the way to the back of the roofless structure, nothing standing upright to block your view.  As you stand in silent shock, noticing the steam rising from the different sized mounds of black ashes that used to be our “stuff.”

Yep, that’ll change ya.   

God is good and we escaped with what was most important, our family.  God was so very present as our church and community rallied around us to provide what we needed.   

It was definitely a defining moment and I will never look at stuff the same way again.  As we rebuilt our home, I learned a lot about the joy that can be found as a homemaker in creating a welcoming and cozy haven that is not perfect but free of the excess that can distract us from what God wants us to spend time on.”

I couldn’t be too sad over the stuff that we lost because we still possessed so much: our faith, family, our church family and friends, and essentials that we received from others.  We quickly realized that we wanted to continue with a simple lifestyle so we bought a modest, older home on five little acres in the country.   We love it.

Busyness and putting down your guard allows clutter to sneak its ugly lil head back in though.   I’m in need of a little purging myself and with spring comin’, it’s the perfect time, wouldn’t you say?

 

This Week’s Mama Mission

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to join me each week of March to complete one assignment—starting today.  We’ll tackle one area of the home each week, together, and we can gain encouragement and help from the Guru community Facebook page.    March is all about minimizing the clutter in certain areas and in April we’ll work on creating special, coziness in those same rooms.

This week we’ll focus on that room where your family gathers most to hang out, relax, play games, watch tv — the family room.  We’re starting with this room because it will be fairly easy and it’s a space that is used the most collectively by you and your peeps.

So go right now and look at your family room with fresh eyes.    Look at it as if you are a first-time visitor.  What stands out?  How does the room make you feel?  

If you are like me, there may be some pieces of furniture or artwork that you love but as your eyes keep scanning, there’s at least one area that is so cluttered, junked-up that you are distracted from the the good thangs in the room.   Does it feel like a bunch of things kinda scattered around with a television screen and couch in the midst of it?

Or is it just me?  

My issue typically in our tiny family room {remember, we aren’t talking about what isn’t dusted or picked up}, is not an excess of furniture since I tend to be too minimal in that area but rather what Superman calls my “piles.”   I’m a book and magazine hoarder so there are usually stacks of those on the couch, beside the couch, on the end table, and on the floor.  One tiny side table stays covered with junk and our entertainment armoire stays crammed with too many dvds and such.

As you look at the clutter in your living room, ask yourself these questions:

• Is this serving a purpose in my life right now?
• If this is serving a purpose, can I scale it down a bit?
• Does this put me in a bad mood when I see it?
• Would my fam or me miss this if it were gone?
• Could someone else be blessed if I pass it along?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Tips for decluttering that Family Room

• Empty out every drawer and cabinet – don’t be skipping stuff Sista cuz it’s too overwhelming.  Do a little every day this week and weekend until next week’s post. If you forgot it was there, it’s time to purge it.
• If you need to keep it but it looks junky as it is, find a solution this week to fix the prob.  Maybe you just need a cute new container but the idea is the thin-out, remember!
• Make it fun by setting the timer for 10 minutes increments and see and race against the clock to see what you can get done.  Kiddos love this!
• Try to fill a trash bag today to give away
• Just pick one zone of the Family Room to work on each day until our next mission
• Keep a trash bag and trash can right beside you while you buzz through your quick declutter sessions
• Remember, we aren’t redesigning, painting, cozying up thangs…..that will come next month.  We’re just cutting the clutter, honey

 

I mention the last tip because I have a habit of getting distracted by decorating in the midst of any clean-up project.   What I’ve realized is that I enjoy that so much more and it’s an excuse to quit the hard work and do the fun stuff.  Not this time, we’re on a mission, together, now get to work, Girlfriend and I will too.

To encourage you, I’m including a video of my tiny little family room.   The only reason my isn’t that bad here is that I picked up the night before out of habit and forgot to film first.  Believe me, it is normally more clutter-y than this.  Let’s see those pix and videos on the community Facebook page {you can add hashtag #minimalmarchchallenge if you’d like} and let’s spur each other on!

Can’t view? Watch Minimal March Challenge: Family Room

 

Leave me a comment here letting me know you’re joining Joyful Quirky Mamas in the Minimal March Challenge!