I feel like I say it with every post, but life really and truly is kicking my rear lately. If it isn't me feeling like absolute trash, then I'm out of control busy, and God help us all if all of that is rolled into one day because I'm not sure how I'm getting through each day. I have a ton of updates for you.... all in good time. Hopefully. Ha!
Be The Boss Of Your Stuff - Allie Casazza
Give your kids the decluttering guide that will encourage their independence and create a more peaceful home for your family. Allie Casazza has created a resource for you to show kids how to create and design their own space, offering practical ideas on organization and productivity, kid-friendly inspiration for mindfulness, and interactive pages for creativity.
Allie has encouraged women to simplify and unburden their lives as the host of The Purpose Show podcast and through her first book Declutter Like a Mother. Now she's helping you equip your kids and tweens to discover the same joy of decluttering as they design and create a space that supports their interests and goals, make more room in their lives for playtime and creativity, increase productivity and find renewed focus for schoolwork, learn valuable life skills, and cut down on cleaning time, reduce stress, and feel more peaceful. Your kids will start to understand that the less they own, the more time they have for what's important. Written in Allie's fun, motivational voice, Be the Boss of Your Stuff is ideal for boys and girls ages 8 to 12, includes photography and interactive activities with space to write, draw, imagine, and plan,
shares step-by-step instructions for decluttering, offers added practical, personalized instruction from Allie's children, Bella and Leeland, and is a great gift for coming-of-age celebrations, the first day of spring, New Year's, Easter, birthdays, back-to-school, or school milestones.
As your kids become more proactive in taking care of their stuff, you'll find your whole family has more time and space for creativity and fun. After all, less clutter, less stress, and less chaos in your kids' lives means more peace, more independence, and more opportunity to grow into who they're meant to be.
If you're a mom, you know that one of the more harrowing tasks is spring cleaning. It just is. We do a giant purge twice a year in our house, usually in the fall to really get rid of unused toys and summer clothes, and then in the spring to basically do that but that's really when I take stock of what summer clothes we need and all of that. I dread it but also love it because you don't realize how much anxiety the stuff surrounding you is giving you until you see it leave it your home.
The worst part of the whole ordeal is the kids. Kids have a bizarre affinity for hoarding weird things. I've found broken toys that are no longer usable but the kids have flat out refused to get rid of them, wrappers from snacks, don't even get me started on those stupid loom bracelet bands that were so popular and are trying to make a comeback and I want them to burn forever, dried up markers, just random things that anyone would normally toss, but kids want to keep it F.O.R.E.V.E.R.
You can't rationalize with insanity, you have to work with it. This isn't an episode of Hoarders, so we're on our own and tears will almost surely happen. Sometimes the kids cry, too.
Now that spring is just about here, I'm gearing myself up mentally to do the dance again, so it is the perfect time for this book to arrive. While it is geared toward the 8-12 year old age group, this honestly is a great book for teens too. I think we just assume that by the time kids get to the teen years they have an idea of how they want their room, they have their own system, whatever, but that's actually not true. I think teens need some guidance through this process because the goal is to get them out into the adult world but also being a functioning adult. Aside from that though, your room is a safe space, it is a little haven away from the insanity of school life, even from your own family, we all need a space we can call our own and feel good in. It is so important to give kids that, but also teach them how to make any space that way for themselves.
The book is an amazing step by step for everyone, and if you personally have a hard time organizing your life, but adult aimed books feel too hard, (I'm looking at you, Marie Kondo) try this. It's everything explained simply, but you can relate to it, and it makes the process incredibly easy. Starting with this book could really overhaul everyone's habits in the house and I don't care who you are, you can always use a refresh.
The next thing I loved about this book is it asks pointed questions and space to answer them, if you so choose. It has tips for storing annoying things like Legos, what to do with the mountain of art masterpieces each child creates, how to help a child plan their room, checklists to help you decide what to keep, what you need, what you can get rid of, etc.
I absolutely love this book, I have time blocked off on our family calendar to do this with each kid, on separate weekends because four kids all at once might send me over the edge. I really think going through this will help them develop a system they can use for life and adapt as they get older. I'm also a fan of Easter baskets being something that has small, fun things they can use for spring/summer, but I also love giving a book, so I highly suggest considering this as you make Easter baskets. Or heck- give each kid their own copy and make it step one of the spring cleaning process because each kid is going to be wildly different, and that's OK.
A huge thank you to TLC Book Tours and Tommy Nelson Publishers for sending me a copy to review.
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