Anyone else obsessed with the new Netflix series, “Tidying Up,” with Marie Kondo? I’ve never read her book but spent the last few days binge-watching all eight episodes. I was so inspired, that I immediately got to work. Now, I know the KonMari method isn’t for everyone. But in this case, it works for me.
Marie’s website, konmari.com, explains her process.
“Most tidying methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method encourages tidying by category – not by location – beginning with clothes, then moving onto books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items. Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. Thank them for their service – then let them go.” – Marie Kondo, konmari.com
Starting Small
This process may seem daunting to some, including myself, so I decided to start small. But first, I have to let you in on a deep dark secret about myself. I like, no I LOVE, to shop for clothes! Always have, always will. It’s my way of coping. Yes, retail therapy is a thing; especially now that I have four girls to dress up. So it’s probably no surprise that I have more than ten totes in my basement full of my daughters’ clothes. But going through those will happen later. This time I focused on just the clothes in their drawers and closets.
Tackling Kids Clothes
First up, my 3-year-old. I wanted to make sure and involve her as much as possible, so we decided to make a game out of it. The last person to her room was a rotten egg. Then I told her to dump out all her drawers into a big pile on the bed while I took all the hanging clothes out of the closet. “Really mommy, are you sure?” I like to consider myself a very organized person, some may say even OCD at times. My girls know that it’s a big “no-no” at our house to just pull stuff out of drawers unless it’s what they are going to wear that day. So this was out of the ordinary for her. Once we had a heaping pile, we went through each piece one by one. If it didn’t fit, it went into one pile. If she didn’t like it or it didn’t make her feel happy when she wore it, it went into the pile. Everything else got put in a separate pile that we would then “properly” fold and “stack” in her drawers.
An hour or so passed and we were finally finished. We had a blast. She said, “This looks so good, I love it!” Before long, my 4-year-old came up and shortly after, my 6-year-old; asking when it was going to be their turn. I ended the day completely satisfied and ready for more. Tomorrow’s task: my clothes. Wish me luck!
