minimalist mama

How, how does something so tiny need so much?! Nearly four months into motherhood and I’m still coming to grips with the four new pieces of “furniture” that adorn my living room and will for the foreseeable future – an ExerSaucer, a sit-me-up frog seat, a swing and a pack-n-play. Sure, she’ll grow out of using a couple of them, but as soon as they’re retired, a high chair and gates across every entryway will appear.

Don’t get me wrong, the above-mentioned contraptions keep her happy, growing, safe and her father and I sane, but clutter stresses me out!

Nesting Never Ends

When my nesting kicked in during pregnancy, I was determined to get through every closet in my home before the baby arrived and purge; throw out or donate anything and everything I hadn’t thought about in the nearly two years since we last moved. I was really proud of myself. My normal pseudo-emotional attachment to things disappeared and I got rid of a ton! A big motivator – looking at that long baby registry list and knowing I had to make room.

It felt really good. I barely accomplished my goal, organizing the final closet while I labored at home, in between contractions. No lie. And frankly with so much crap out of the house, I honestly believed it’d be easy to maintain. And it is easier, but now I’m not only occasionally (more like, rarely ever) evaluating what can be given or put away, I’m also constantly trying to manage what comes in.

For the record, her father Patrick, who is of Irish descent, splurged and bought our girl this St. Patrick’s Day outfit.

My family, who all lives in Florida, sends her outfits and toys. It’s all much appreciated. I’m just learning that with clothes, especially, even though girls are so much fun to shop for and dress up, she often lives in zippered footie pajamas. They’re what she goes to daycare in. They’re just easy. Practical. And real outfits only get worn once, maybe twice before she grows out of them. I luckily have friends with baby girls willing to unload their hand-me-downs, saving me from buying some of the basics. (I’m pretty sure they are on a postpartum purge though no one has ever said as much).

A clean de-cluttered home calms me and, by extension, keeps my daughter calm. I think more clearly and, as a working mom, I’m always looking for ways to streamline and minimize. If I’ve learned anything so far, kids feed off of our energy.

Cool + Calm + Collected Mama = Chill Baby

I’m looking to be a Minimalist Mama. 

It’s not about depriving her of things, but more about focusing on what’s important. Quality over quantity. And giving her room to grow those kissable cheeks! 

Is being a minimalist a goal? Yes. Is it realistic as she grows older, we add to our family and greater, joyful chaos ensues? I pray. I mean, can’t I have it all? And by ‘all,’ I mean just the essentials?

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