Advice
Make room (and time) for you!
“Clutter has everything to do with single motherhood,” says Dr. Leah Klungness, author of The Complete Single Mother: Reassuring Answers to Your Most Challenging Concerns. “How can good things come into your life when there is literally no room?”
Well said.
Dr. Leah wrote to me this week with some terrific advice for the upcoming holidays:
As you very well know, Thanksgiving is this Thursday, which means our blast off into the holiday season. For most single moms, this also means that we’ll have have plenty of time home with the kids. So, why not use this time at home to do some fall cleaning? It’s time get rid of some of your clutter… and perhaps turn it into a family project?
“How can good — as well as romantic, fun, sexy, and exciting — things come into your life when the piles of stuff make your space more like an obstacle course than a comfy home?” says Dr. Leah.
She suggests:
- Donate household items you are not using — get a receipt for tax time
- Gather those bottles and cans — let the kids keep the deposit money
- Go through that closet of yours and get rid of things that don’t fit or look right — you deserve to look fabulous
- Sign up at Catalog Choice to rid of your junk mail
Lastly, Dr. Leah says that by making room in your home, you’re making room for YOU (and maybe for some good sex, too!)
If you have any ideas to make your home clutter-free, please add them here!
Photo of Dr. Leah Klungness, author of The Complete Single Mother: Reassuring Answers to Your Most Challenging Concerns.
P.S. If you want some tips about toning down your attitude during Thanksgiving, see my post today at BabyCenter.com.
Related posts:
- Here’s Some Total Momsense [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlY8STkhopc] "Here's Some Total Momsense" (and laugh your head off!)...
- Recently divorced and driving his Porsche… "Was His." Get it? Ha! Sure, go ahead and...
- Christie Brinkley: How much should the kids know? Update: Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook have reached a...
Tags: Children, clean, clutter, Complete Single Mother, Dr. Leah, Dr. Leah Klungness, Family, holidays, Kids, making room, Sex, Single Moms, single parent, Thanksgiving Discussion
5 comments for “Make room (and time) for you!”
Post a comment
Yes, that is me on the cover, in front of my editor's sofa, in a precarious pose... You can get your own copy here:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
This is timely. I just spent a day with the kids going through their toys and they helped me decide which items to toss, which ones we could donate to help out other families (although, frankly, some of the stuff they wanted to donate will be tossed instead). Of course, this is all under the premise of “Santa is coming…”
I hate clutter. It makes my mind feel cluttered and overwhelmed. I’m not sure if it’s my state of mind that makes things cluttered, or the clutter that causes my state of mind!
I don’t have any great tips except to toss what you haven’t used in 6 months/a year, Don’t be afraid to throw it away - it’s liberating, I tell you! You can also donate gently used children’s or adult books and magazines to women’s shelters or to a daycare center (not Cosmo, please!) Finally, I’ve found that those plastic bags that sheet sets come in are great for containing small pieces/toys.
Oh, I do happen to agree with the concept of leaving your bedroom as your space - sans computers, tVs and junk. I know, unusual and maybe impractical in a small space, but it is so nice to just have a place to truly unwind.
Good work, Susan!
Some small personal corner of your living space without toys, Cheerios crumbs, and a random Lego can do much to boost our spirits.
It is also hard to attract love and romance when your wedding album and other assorted relationship mementos are still on display on your only book shelf. Gee, these are hard to look at and even harder to pack away.
What are you holding on to you that reminds you of better times with your ex that now you just can’t bear to pack away?
My wedding ring! I still wear it NOT because it’s from him, but because I love it. It’s the 2nd best thing he ever gave me. (My daughter is, of course, first.) It’s a good sized pear, white gold, in a very unique setting that he had made for me. I absolutely love it. I’ve never seen any other like it, and I get compliments on it often.
I’m contemplating having the stone set into a pendant like my mom did for me when my parents divorced, but for now, I still wear it. (As a comedian once said, I should wear it on the wrong hand, because I married the wrong gd man!)
As for clutter, I hate it also. I can’t function when my home or office (or home office) is cluttered. We have bins and baskets in our house to store practically everything. My daughter has fortunately followed my example and at three, is quite good at putting her toys away and returning things to their place. We donate everything from old toys to clothes to even canned goods and food at holiday collection time, so she’s learning valuable lessons in the de-clutter process.
Susan: right on! Here’s to clearing up the clutter! I thought about taking some pics of my apartment to post on this blog, because as I wrote it, I looked around. And my-oh-my, the clutter was going strong. Fortunately, my own room is clutter-free for the most part. I can sleep in peace there.
Leah: Thanks for the great questions. No more ex-mementos around here!
Lexi’s Mom: Wow, that’s really interesting about the ring: I’m curious: which finger DO you wear it on? A three-year-old who cleans. You go girl.
This echoes a chapter in the book I’m reading called Calling In The One (there’s a great book!), and also something that’s been bubbling up fm my depths as I go through some books on myth (Robert A. Johnson) and relevance to my life. External mirrors internal. Clutter in my house is analogous to clutter in my head, my soul- and it must out! Thank you for the encouragement, when I’d really rather overlook the paper piles.
Glad to have found your blog!