Pursuing Minimalism with Kids

Why would anyone want to pursue minimalism with kids, how is that even possible?

Those were questions I asked myself. And here are my thoughts about it.

Why spend so much time cleaning when I could be playing with my kids? The less clutter and STUFF we have the less time I have to spend fighting it by putting it Just where it goes and having more time for other things.

Following minimalist Instagram accounts and watching tiny house videos has helped me and also made me realize how much we CAN live without. Plus I love watching tiny house videos to see all the ideas people come up with in order to store things they need in their tiny house. I'm not talking a small apartment or a small house. If you don't know what a tiny house is, they are almost RV like structures that people live in, often on wheels and can travel around with their owners. It's pretty awesome!

Storage in the stairs of these tiny homes! How smart!!!

Love the look of this interior tiny home. Color, wood etc. LOVE! 

 I have found that reducing our clutter and donating/ selling what we don't need or use has GREATLY reduced my anxiety! (don't get me wrong, I still have anxiety but it is FAR less the more and more we seem to get rid of). Toys, clothes, extra stuff in the kitchen, etc. I want my kids to have quality toys that they ACTUALLY play with. I want them to LOVE their toys, but not have so many that they don't play with them much! 

Experiences over things:

I have struggled with this. When friends or family give gifts we are super grateful but our kids don't need anything (besides diapers and wipes) we have everything we need! 

How do you nicely tell friends and family instead of things we want experiences rather than things (more toys, clothes, etc.) when they ask us for our wishlist's around birthdays and Christmas? I would rather have my kids get gift cards/ experiences (like a family pass somewhere)  or time with their family members to take them on a little date and make them feel special and make memories with them! This means so much more than more THINGS. I want them to be able to have experiences rather than tripping over all the material items in our 2 bedroom 1 bath, 745 square foot apartment. We have reduced the toys in our home recently to our best quality toys, and the ones that get played with the most! Saylor is actually playing with the toys she does have now instead of digging through toys! Typically most of the toys that we kept don't have batteries. I wanted our girls to be playing with toys that promote open ended play!

How has it benefited us?

I have found that reducing what we don't need/use/love has also helped Saylor. She isn't tripping over as much, (which has been an issue for a long time and due to my guilt with getting rid of something that was a gift, or something we might need in 6 months) and seems happier and more carefree to run (with what room she does have) and play!

Leave a comment below if you have any advice on asking family members for experiences/ family passes rather than things! 

My favorite minimal Instagram accounts to follow that have the best tips:

The.Minimal.Mom
Minimalist.Motherhood
Minty.Minimal.Mama
Morganized_Living

Resources for Busy Parents

I have wanted to write this post for awhile now! I have been thinking of all the things that help me complete my daily tasks as a mom. There is so much to do from cleaning the house, doing daily tasks and chores, and getting errands done.

One of the things that has helped me is Shipt. Shipt is a delivery service that you can use for groceries at stores like Target, Smith's, Macey's, and even Office Max Stores vary based on where you live but it has been SUCH a help for us, when we are sick, when it's snowing, or when we just don't feel like going out to get our groceries. A Shipt membership is normally $99 a year but I have a link for $50 off, making it only $49 for the annual membership which is a STEAL. Click Here for that link. Basically anything that they sell in store you can get. We even ended up getting a wooden puzzle for one of our girls around Christmas time and it was the best thing not having to go out and fight the holiday crowds to get it. It allows me to spend that time at home with my family when I would normally be out completing that errand. Shipt can also be ideal for households that only have one car as well.

Another thing that is basically obvious to everyone is using Amazon Prime. It is such a blessing to basically have whatever we need delivered in 1-2 days!

Walmart Grocery Pickup is awesome when you don't mind going to pick up your groceries. You just pull up to one of the stalls for Walmart Grocery Pickup and they bring out your groceries to you! The kids can stay in the car so you don't have to bring everyone inside the car with you.

Target Drive Up is a newer addition to getting all the things we need without having to unload our kids and go inside the store. Target Drive up is different from Walmart Grocery Pickup in the sense that with Target Drive Up you can only get nonperishable type items. I've found that you can get some food items like salad dressings, canned food. They also offer cleaning supplies, paper supplies, hygiene and beauty items, etc. The list is basically endless!

I have found when we use the services that I listed above we actually SAVE money, which has been a big blessing. Because we are ordering it online and having it delivered later that day, or in a few days if it has to be shipped we actually save because things don't accidentally fall into our cart which can sometimes happen in the store. Anyone else know what I'm talking about here? ;) hahaha 

Have you tried out any of these services? Which one is your favorite? Leave it in the comments below. I would love to hear if you also use other services that might be similar that help you in your daily life!