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[educatingarti]

This is the new minimalist/decluttering thread! I hope everyone likes the minimal title!

Been reading this thread over the last couple of days & it has really inspired me, although 35 weeks pregnant & exhausted but returned books to library today & a load to charity shop AND cleared out the 'junk' drawer in the kitchen. Feeling pleased so far.

We're in the middle of getting work done tho & I'm waiting for the feckin plumber yet again-off to ring & rant at him now as really need him to do his bit as the rest of the house is in chaos until these 2 rooms get sorted. Grrrrrr, sorry for rant and thanks for all the helpful tips. Off to search for SP parenting too!

Sounds like there's lots of great work being done! :) I'm so glad I have joined this thread. I avoided the first few as I wasn't really ready to confront the clutter until recently, and I'm grateful you've all been so welcoming :) I really don't think most of my RL friends 'get' how much of a big deal it is - it is great to be able to talk about it among people who won't judge!

I'm just having a brief rest as I'm decluttering while DH collects the DCs - was all prepared to dash round collecting stuff to throw out, but we have run out of binbags! So I'm finding other bits to do instead. I've moved the Lego into a nice clean Trofast bucket (too big for current collection but I know they will be given more at Xmas...) and used the cardboard box it was in to collect random papers to recycle. I've also started finding some books to take to charity. Mostly character stuff where the stories aren't actually that good! And also some piano music that, as I hardly play piano any more (due to pain) and tend to stick to a few favourite composers/books, I am really unlikely to ever actually play. Most of those were ex library stock anyway that I got when I was young and first started playing. I need to find something to actually keep the chazzer stuff in for the next week though !

Haven't tackled the Lego yet BUT did go through craft drawers and colour/activity books and binned/recycled 2 bin bags of stuff I hadn't realised how much rubbish had accumulated since the last time

evelynj. Sounds like you have a lot going on at the moment. You have my sympathies as we've been having work done on our house for the last 6 years. Always seems like a lot of tools around... Good luck

On a more positive note, the DCs are enjoying the organised craft drawers, no one has asked to watch TV yet. Yay

educating my oldest DD is 8, but she doesn't re-read books (Famous Five etc) if there was something she wanted I would be able to lay my hands on it in five minutes just by popping up into the loft.

We get the majority of her books from the library now she's 8 to be honest. As keepers we've only bought The Little House books and I have Enid Blytons Secret Island I saved for her and also Gobbolino the Witches Cat and Milly Molly Mandy, all the rest come from the library.

Book rotation is brilliant for small space living so it is really working for us

Woo hoo! Bags out to charity and finally my mum has asked for some board books for the twins when we spend time with nanny and grandad. I've got two bookshelves of board books (stops them pulling paper ones apart so much). So glad I can share some of the board booky love at nanny and Grandad's.

Glad everyone is having a clear out...I was inspired yesterday & decided to make 2 difficult calls today - which I did (& afterwards though, what's all the fuss about?!? & today took several bags to charity shops...hurray & did that 25% tax thing too

I love Gobbolino! My 1978 pink covered copy is rather tattered through reading over and over as a child and doesn't look very inviting to the DCs. I did read it to them before they could read chapter books and they enjoyed it. I think I'll treat myself to the hardback and then I my DCs can enjoy it again.

Of course I'll have to get rid of the falling to bits version which has so many memories. That'll be hard, will have to tell myself 'it's just paper' several times over. I still have my shabby Milly Molly Mandy's in a box even though DD was offered a new set a few years ago.

I feel that a new sweep of the books in boxes is in order!

Aargh rogue apostrophe, neither useful nor beautiful!

Hello everyone. Can I join you?
Have been reading your minimalist threads and found them very inspiring. I'm on a mission to sort myself/home/life out and since finding MN & reading your posts have actually been making progress, instead of just thinking about making progress!

I wondered if we would suck you in polka or not
Welcome!

Hi all, I love Gobbolino too - there is a beautiful 70th anniversary hardback edition which I've bought for DD. I haven't been able to throw out my old tatty pink paperback yet, though I really should!

I really treasured all my books as a child and carefully kept them for my kids - but after years of storage I was shocked by how yellowed and tatty they have become (makes me feel old!). I guess nothing lasts for ever - which is sad, but kind of a good realisation to stop me hoarding too much stuff for future generations!

currer it's one of my favourite children's books along with all the Milly Molly Mandy stories!

I am in bed already tired and sore from work so I'm curled up with the iPad to continue with SP! Hoping I get a second wind later to do a few bits.

I confess we rotate books about every 6 weeks or so. I have all the kids books in Muji files and there are 4 or 5 for each season, plus extras for holiday books . I have probably donated as many as I've kept, but we still have so so many. I have found that it doesn't add to clutter though as the kids are well trained to put them away when they are done. I also have a book case in each of their rooms and a 'book nook' downstairs, it means that even though there are loads of books available it isn't overload as they are spread out.

anyone remember a Milly Molly Mandy about the family going on a trip to have a picnic but when they get there the picnic spot has been littered and wrecked by "trippers" (ha!). I am sure I read this as a child but have never found it since.

I have a lot of my old books, but I got rid of 25 crates of them when I relocated after uni and my parents made it clear they weren't storing all my old crap any more.

Am actually thinking of de-cluttering some of them, they take up a whole book case and there are some I haven't read in 5 years since we moved here.

Art yes! I remember that story about the picnic spot being littered, it is upstairs in my book! My favourite story was where they make Milly Molly Mandy her own room up in the attic where the jam jars lived and they paint it apple green.

Hi all. Dropped two bags of children's clothes to a newly opened charity shop in town this morning. Thought the lady there was going to hug me:) apparently they're desperate for kids stuff to sell. Told her I'd be back again soon with more. Walked back to the car feeling really happy.
Hopefully some little person will get some nice new(ish) clothes now too and their Mum will be made up with finding them. Thought it'd feel rubbish and make me a bit sad giving them away, how wrong I was!

polka that's great! It's so nice to feel you've done someone a favour as well as cleared some space.

I need to get on with some tidying and de-cluttering today, haven't managed anything yet!

sokmonsta my DS's 6&7 have duplo upstairs and lego downstairs. Lego is your future

polka you sound like me. I have found this thread soooo helpful the advice re Lego is literally life changing. Sounds overly dramatic but the storage/play ideas have made at least 3 rooms in our house more accessible and the DCs are finding it easier to help tidy up. So for you and good luck and everyone who have advised/inspired me and THANK YOU

I went to the charity shop today to donate the bits that didn't sell at last weekend's street sale. Some other bits will be going to a charity for victims of domestic abuse but it's hard for me to get there during opening hours.

Would like to add flowers to Iwilldoit for all the great advice and reflections on this whole series of threads. Things are evolving in a positive way in this house and in my head.

Things are evolving in a positive way in this house and in my head.

That is a very good summary! I feel the same :)

This is such a lovely thread.

My friends have come to stay this weekend and haven't been here for a while. They commented on how amazingly tidy and spacious everything is looking (and I hadn't told them about my attempts to move towards minimalism over the last six months).

In other news, an old injury has flared up and I can't use my arm, lift anything or get rid of the stuff piled in the hall... Oh well.

Happy Sunday