Life is tricky.

You spend the early years of adulthood talking about all the things you are not going to be only to wake up one day to the realization that you are exactly that person.

I pulled into my driveway and looked around at kids toys all over our yard, a garage packed full of things, and entered a messy house.

I had become that mom frumpy, stay at home mom, whose house was always messy. and I swore I would never be that mom.

But the problem was so much deeper than that.

At that moment, I came to the realization that we were working to pay for things and we were a slave to them.

We were living pay check to pay check and barely getting by even though my husband had a great job.

So began the dreadful process of downsizing.

Within 30 days we listed and sold our house that summer, moved to a house half the size and half the cost.

We completely changed our relationship with things that year.

We haven’t arrived.

I’m an aspiring minimalist and have learned so much about the impact of holding on to stuff to tightly can have on your family.

I created the Beginners Guide To Minimalism just for you! CLICK HERE to get your FREE copy!

How Getting Rid Of Stuff Made Me A Better Mom

I Stopped Obsessing Over Lost Toys

It makes every mamas skin crawl when you cannot find that last piece to a toy set. I used to let it bug me so much and then I would get annoyed with my littles for not taking care of their stuff.

I was robbing them of their childhood in a way.

Kids should be able to freely play with their toys and not feel stressed about having to keep everything perfect.

When we downsized our toy collection, my kids still had plenty of fun playing. Which made me realize that obsessively organizing their toys was just a control thing on my part and something I needed to give up.

We keep our toys neat and organized but I don’t spend my evenings searching for that missing toy piece.

I Began To Focus On What Was Really Important

It is so easy to get caught up in the idea that your kids need ALL THE THINGS. Don’t get me wrong, it is so much fun to get them new toys. But I started to realize the more they had, the less content they were.

Having all the clothes and the latest toys isn’t something I want my kids to find value in.

I want them to value their relationship with Christ and learn to invest in and love others.

I want them to learn to be creative with what they DO have.

Less Stuff Equals Less Cleaning

Cleaning is so much easier when you don’t have stuff all over the place and keeping track of everyone’s stuff is exhausting.

The more you have, the more time you will spend cleaning up after it.

When we downsized, I cut my cleaning in half. Not only because we were in a smaller house, but we had so much less stuff.

Minimalism Sparks Creativity

Learning to live with less, causes you to be really creative.

Whether it’s meals, outfit ideas for everyone, or creative play with my kids, having less has caused us to come up with some amazing ideas and long-lasting memories.

By Having Less You Will Appreciate More

As I began packing and going through our things, it made me realize how much stuff we had been storing that we didn’t use.

Which in turn made me appreciate the things I loved.

I went through every single item in our house and only kept items that 1) offered value to our family and 2) That I really loved.

By the time I was done decluttering, we had a very small amount of boxes filled with items that our family truly valued.

Less Stuff Equals Less Responsibility

I don’t know what it is about decluttering that makes people get all uneasy, but I’m telling you, it is so incredibly freeing!!

Keeping little humans alive is the biggest responsibility we will probably ever have.

By downsizing, It gave me a break from having to keep up with tons of things and enabled me to focus on and enjoy motherhood more.

Having Less Causes You To Live Intentionally

After we went through all the trouble of downsizing, I became vigilant about what we bring into our home.

I think long and hard before purchasing toys, clothing, home decor items or really anything for our home.

By living intentionally, we’ve created a home full of a few things that we love and really add value to our family.

We’ve created spaces in our home with intention and it’s become a place that we truly love.

If you are a mama who is overwhelmed by motherhood and trying to find a way to lighten your load…

……start with a massive downhill of your things.

It will inspire you to be less controlling, focus on what really matters, lighten your cleaning schedule, spark creativity, and cause you to live intentionally.

And that my friends, is the first step to taking control of your life and start creating your own story.

Don’t forget to grab The Beginners Guide To Minimalism! CLICK HERE to get your FREE copy!

Next check out: How To Simplify Life When You Are Drowning In “Things”

Xoxox
Colleen

May Your Coffee Be Stronger Than Your Toddler <3