Are you one of the multitude who’ve hopped on the downsizing bandwagon and purged your closet keeping only what sparks joy? The Konmari craze of decluttering exploded worldwide with Netfix’s show Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. If you have been … Continue reading I’ve Konmari’d My Clothes…Now What?
I had to say goodbye to Michael. Not my dad Michael but to Michael Kors. We had a great relationship. At least my feet did. With his shoes. I actually have to plead ignorance because I was oblivious to his … Continue reading I KonMari’d my MKs
Ever since I received the news of our impending move (which thankfully has been pushed back a year) I have been on a quest to tackle every item in my possession to decide if it is worthy to be packed in a box. I am amazed how a de-cluttered thing here or there adds up to a bag for giveaway every few weeks. All this de-cluttering has allowed the flat surfaces in my home to be visible the majority the time. The best part of seeing the flat surfaces it that it has become super easy to clean. While I … Continue reading No Clutter=Easy Clean up
I believe the majority of people are honest, decent, and tell the truth to others. But what about telling the truth to yourself? Are you honest? There’s that little voice inside that advises you. Sometimes it whispers, sometimes it yells. … Continue reading Second guessing and de-cluttering
There aren’t closets in Israel. What?! NO CLOSET? We have Aronot (ah ro NOTE) in the which is the plural of Aron (AH ron). This is not to be confused with the boys name Aharon (AH ha ron). You have probably heard of an Aron Kodesh, which houses our Holy Torah. An Aron is a closet, a free-standing cabinet that is not built into the wall. Aronot or as I call in my grammatically incorrect Hebrew “arons”, generally have a combination of shelves, drawers, and section to hang clothes. Some are well-designed while others are poorly designed. One of the … Continue reading The Olim Files #3: No Closets?! Where do I keep my Clothes?
One benefit of de-cluttering is that it teaches you to listen to your intuition. Usually there is so much ‘noise’ that we don’t hear that inner voice. If you use Marie Kondo’s rule of thumb of ‘Does this spark joy?’, then you have to go with that gut instinct. When I’m Koaching, watching the facial expression in an indication of that first split-second gut instinct. The extra seconds of hesitation generally show an inner battle of trying to talk yourself out of that initial thought. See how happy this woman looks? This blue dress sparks joy. It’s a keeper. This … Continue reading Ask yourself this question”Does this ‘spark joy’?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines INTUITION as ” a natural ability or power that makes it possible to know something without any proof or evidence : a feeling that guides a person to act a certain way without fully understanding why”. Marie Kondo and her famous KonMari method is all about intuition. If the item ‘sparks joy’, it’s a keeper. If it doesn’t, pass it on. It is a mere fraction of a second of thought in our brain. It’s an instant thumbs up or thumbs down gut reaction. I tell clients that if you hesitate, that’s your answer, as you … Continue reading Intuition, De-cluttering, and Marie Kondo
Transitions suck. I apologize for such crude language. However, that is my current sentiment and I couldn’t think of anything else more refined sounding. I have previously written about transitioning over a wardrobe between seasons. The “knowing how” is one thing; the steps aren’t difficult. The difficult part is contending with Mother Nature’s fickleness between seasons. One day it’s hot–summer clothes. The next day it’s chilly–warm clothes. It’s cold in the morning, then hot midday, and then cooling of in the late afternoon. An adult can manage to put on a sweater and take it off. A four-year old…or eight year … Continue reading Seasonal Clothing Transitions Part II
Joys. Toys. Boys. Oys. What do these words have in common? Other than rhyming, what’s the link? (Remember, I am an English teacher.) Toys have a purpose to serve: to engage young minds in creative play, build cognitive skills, and/or have fun. This is the joy of toys. Boys and girls enjoy playtime. The ‘oys’ come when there are simply too many toys to manage. I have embraced Marie Kondo’s philosophy “if it doesn’t spark joy, don’t keep it’. This applies to all things, toys included. An observant parent will know what her children play with and what they don’t. … Continue reading The Joys of Toys
