Simplifying for Elegance

Another way to begin the process of achieving elegance is by simplifying as much as possible. This usually breaks down to de-cluttering all parts of your life; household, office, email, etc. A couple great sites to utilize are The FlyLady, Freecycle (free membership required) and Home Organizing.

I have found the best ways to achieve this is to first get a few containers and a bag. A container should be used for items to keep, one for items to donate, and another for items that belong elsewhere (bedroom de-cluttering should have at least one more container for out of season clothing). The bag should be used for items that need to be disposed of and another container for those items that are recycleable. If an item hasn't been used in the last 6 months and is in good condition, it should be donated. In Ms. Giles book, she offers suggestions on what to do with gifts that were received but that won't be used.

Please only keep those items that are truly useful or very sentimental. I understand that this is quite difficult if one has children and wanting to keep all of their wonderful papers and projects, but perhaps only keep a couple of ones that truly have meant a lot - for the sentimental reason behind the item (such as a good grade on a project that was quite difficult). Perhaps even get the children in on it to help them decide what items to keep. Remember, any paper that has sensitive material (such as old bank statements, credit cards/bills, etc.) should be shredded and not just thrown in the recycling bin.

Once the decluterring has made a large impact, it is possible to then begin with the scrubbing. Get every nook and cranny possible. Believe me, it will make such an amazing difference. Also, make it a habit to wipe down cabinets on a weekly basis unless something has spilled prior to the wipe down, and always wipe down counters before and after any type of food preparation. This will help to encourage safer food prep. A great website for cleaning can be found at Just Mommies. While the title is "just mommies" any individual can use the monthly charts to help keep them on track.

While decluttering and cleaning have a large impact on keeping an elegant household, one must remember that her health is of utmost importance and the rest does not matter if she is unwell due to lack of sleep and improper nutrition. I say this as I am looking at the time and realizing that it is about an hour after I should have gone to bed and I do need the rest in order to get up with the children prior to school in the morning. I am going to try a little something new for them in the morning by putting out their breakfast dishes and cereal this evening. :)

I hope to be able to add more updates to my successes, and perhaps even my failures, on a regular basis. Until next time, I bid thee farewell.