First, do you hesitate not knowing where to start on your decluttering? Check out this list of 18 Things You Can Get Rid of Today from Family Circle. All of these are excellent places to rethink the excess! Then, check out these entertaining Needs vs. Wants in pictures to get a little perspective when you're wondering what to let go of. {Thank you to the wonderful ladies on my favorite Becoming a Minimalist board for sharing great articles and resources!}
Keep reading for a few specifics I'm enjoying about our apartment, which I'm loving even more as I near the end of Project Eliminate.
What I'm loving about the place we live...
1. The kids share a room.
I happen to love that the kids share a room, and especially how this encourages them to play together. Ian smiles every time he hands Brylee a toy to share with her. She gets frustrated every time he messes with something she's playing with, and they learn to relate with each other. One day, they will need their own privacy. But today, I love how sharing a room brings them closer together.
2. Lots of natural light.
I'm reading 15 Minutes Outside and am so excited about getting some quality family time outdoors every day. The weather was perfect for it today which makes it easy to linger for an hour or more. One day soon it will be too hot to even leave the blinds open when the sun hits our windows, then soon after it will already be winter with a foot of snow and negative wind chill. On those days I'll need the ideas in this book to get us outside. Or, I'll just claim this spot on the sofa with a view of one of my favorite corners of our apartment and settle in with a good book soaking in the natural light that floods in. Because anytime I do so (like today before we got our outdoor time), the kids play contentedly and I get a little mid-afternoon rejuvenation.
3. Space to be ourselves.
Ian is so happy and energetic when he's home with the people he knows well. This playtime at home seems to be the highlight of his day. I see him becoming more like his introvert momma, and I love seeing him be comfortable at home. He plays and giggles and goofs off, and home is just the place to encourage him to do all these things so hopefully he'll start doing them more around others.
4. Access to outdoors.
Brylee is so curious about the workings of life and relationships and nature and keeps up conversation at the dinner table with all of her intelligent questions. Most days she'd rather be making new friends at the park than cooped at home. We have a great little park right outside our apartment building complete with a sprawling grassy area shaded with trees, and we just don't enjoy it enough. We did today, and that seemed to be the highlight of Brylee's day.I love the place we live. And getting things cleaned out and organized through Project Eliminate is helping us appreciate it and enjoy it just a little bit more.
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also see:
new? start here...
project eliminate series
simplifying home series
monthly dose of simple
