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in Episodes on January 18, 2016 by The Mom Hour

Stuff, Junk & Things: Episode 35



(alternate title: The Non-Konmari Method of Dealing with Loads of C-R-A-P Year After Year)

This episode was inspired by listener Kate from San Francisco who wrote:

I have a show topic for you: Stuff, Junk and Things. I had a writing teacher in middle school who would not let us use those words because they are so unspecific and vague, but that phrase perfectly describes the tidal waves of stuff that enter my house with every holiday and birthday.

The kiddo just had his third birthday and I asked guests not to bring gifts. Just with the gifts from grandparents, aunts and uncles we are drowning here. If I could give 50% of his stuff away I would, but that would not go over well. Grandparents are not going to give money to the food bank in honor of the kid’s birthday. They want to give him things. How do you manage grandparents who want to be included (we have 3 sets, a curse and a blessing)? How do you sneak out currently under-used toys before the house is filled up?

I live in a Victorian apartment in the middle of San Francisco. We don’t have a basement, and the Victorian era was not big on closets. I have got to keep the stuff, junk and things managed. Or do I just give up and turn over my apartment into a mini preschool?

Oh, Kate, we feel you. (That photo at the top of the post? That’s an actual photo of Sarah’s family room when her kids were 5, 3, and a few months old. Shudder.) To hear the advice we gave Kate, listen to Episode 35 using the player at the bottom of this post.

But first, a robot vacuum.

Sarah talked about her new robot – the Neato Botvac Connected Wi-Fi Enabled Robot Vacuum – and we discuss how it’s doing so far on her hardwood floors.

NewsImage_7684

(And though neither of us has experience with the Roomba, it’s got great reviews and less expensive models like this one.)

And, then, KonMari.

While we didn’t set out to talk about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up in this episode, it turns out Meagan got into a bit of a Facebook debate about the so-called magic of Marie Kondo’s method. We had a bit of fun with this (and we’re not altogether negative about the book – in fact, Sarah shares her take-aways in this episode) before moving on to the meat of Kate’s question.

Facebook discussion about Konmari method

Links we mentioned (or should have) in Episode 35

  • Great minds think alike! Our friends Kristen and Liz of Cool Mom Picks and the #SpawnedShow talked about this in their latest podcast: Decluttering tips from 5 top organization experts: Which is best for you?…
  • …AND Asha and Christine of the Edit Your Life show also tackled this topic their latest episode: Questioning the KonMari Decluttering Method
  • The real reasons Marie Kondo’s life-changing magic doesn’t work for parents (Tanya C. Snyder for On Parenting at The Washington Post)

Related

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: home

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« 8 Milestones & When Our Kids Met Them: Episode 34
Traveling Spouses / Traveling Selves (Part 1): Episode 36 »

Comments

  1. Becky says

    January 19, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    Hi Sarah and Meagan –

    I love this topic because I am a huge thrower-outer and would love to just chuck everything as soon as it comes in the door (especially most school art projects – sorry). I thought the book (the magic of tidying up) was way too intense and dogmatic for me BUT my mother (a HUGE keeper-holder) loved it and responded to reading it by getting rid of piles and piles of junk. So, I think it speaks to people who maybe need a little hand-holding getting rid of the stuff they really do need to get rid of. Okay, as always, I loved this show. (I listen to you so much that I find myself thinking “what friend of mine said thus and so” and then I remember it was one of you! ha!) 😉 Becky

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      January 19, 2016 at 4:08 pm

      Aw, thank you Becky! We love being your “friends.” 🙂

      I think that’s a great observation that the book might appeal more to people who really do hold on to stuff for emotional reasons more. Though neither Meagan nor I is immune to that, we’re not really the type to have trouble purging. I’d never thought about it in those terms but I think you’re onto something. Thanks for listening and commenting!

      Reply
  2. Kati says

    January 21, 2016 at 9:01 am

    You guys make me laugh! I have a 13 month old son & just listened to Kondo’s book. 98% of the book I was convinced she was crazy. I figured there was a lot of information lost in translation & culture differences. There were some good nuggets of information though! Overall, great topic & tips!

    Reply
    • Sarah Powers says

      January 23, 2016 at 4:52 pm

      Kati, totally agree with you on Marie Kondo. I wonder how having a baby will change some of that? 😉 Thanks for laughing with us! (WITH us, not AT us…right?? 😉 )

      Reply
  3. Kim says

    January 28, 2016 at 4:23 pm

    Any strategies for dealing with stuffed animals.
    My kids are pretty good about letting go of toys but stuffed animals are a different story. They have little room to sleep with the number of stuffed animals on their bed.

    Reply

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I (Sarah) have been pleasantly surprised at how lo I (Sarah) have been pleasantly surprised at how long my kids have hung in when it comes to decorating Easter eggs. Not only that, but as fine motor skills and - ahem - frustration-management skills have improved for my three, the sophistication level of our egg-dyeing adventures has increased dramatically.

Click this image at the link in our bio to read more about the egg decorating kits, products, and techniques that have worked well in our house for older kids, tweens, and teens!

#eastermom #easterfamily #eggdecoratingideas #eggdyeingideas #easterwithkids #easterwithteens #craftsforteens #craftsfortweens #eggdecorating #easter2023
New episode! It's our Podcastaversary (yep, we ju New episode!

It's our Podcastaversary (yep, we just made up a new word)! Today we are celebrating eight years of The Mom Hour by reflecting on some of your most-asked questions over the years. Beyond recurring queries like "should I have that third baby?" or "what's the ideal spacing between kids?," we're digging into some deeper through-lines that point to the fears, insecurities, and hopes of our community. We also provide snapshots of the many places we have recorded our 640+ episodes (the floor, the bed, different states and more).
👇 For an episode! 👇 It's the first day of 👇 For an episode! 👇 

It's the first day of SPRING, which means we're already thinking about SUMMER. And, specifically, making our own lives as moms and home managers easier and more joyful for Summer 2023.

If you have a tip or hack that falls into the general bucket of "do this now; enjoy summer later", we'd love to hear it! We'll be sharing our own in an upcoming episode and hope to include some from listeners as well. Can be from any area of summer enjoyment from childcare to travel to self-care to home management to backyard gardening!
Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is stil Hear for yourself why The Mom Hour podcast is still going strong after eight years, 644 episodes, and more than 15 Million listens! Click the subscribe links in our bio or ask your smart speaker to "play the latest episode of The Mom Hour podcast".

New episodes release every Tuesday and alternating Sundays all year round. Our archives have conversations about every stage of parenting from before-baby through launching young adults - and every aspect of motherhood, too.

#podcast #podcastformoms #mompodcast #parentingpodcast #mommypodcast #mamapodcast #womenpodcasters #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts #themomhour #motherhood
Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podv Do we call it a birthday or an anniversary? A podversary? Birthcast? No matter how you slice it, The Mom Hour turns EIGHT years old on March 19!

Want to totally make our day? Leave a comment that tells us - in life milestones - how long you've been listening (i.e., "the baby I was pregnant with when I found you guys is now in kindergarten" OR "I have a middle schooler who was in preschool when I started listening" OR "I was on leave with my first when I discovered the podcast; now I have four kids!")

We appreciate this community so much - and we're not slowing down! Thanks for being here, friends. Talk to you Tuesday!

-M &S
Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor ro Happy Friday! It's time for our monthly sponsor roundup, where we thank our partners and remind you of their great deals. For our unique promo codes and links, just tap our saved "Sponsors" highlight or search the brand name on our website. Remember, when you check out our sponsors and use our links + codes, it helps support our show. Thank you!

We also collect ALL our active promo codes in our email newsletter - which is full of our latest episodes and blog posts, personal updates, community news, and more. Tap on this image at the link in our bio to subscribe today.

Shoutout to our NEW partner:
💰 @fearlessfinance ($50 off your 1st meeting!)

And welcome back . . .
⭐ @everyplate (meal kits for just $1.49 per meal!) 
⭐ @scholasticinc (books for kids of all ages!)
⭐️ @caraway_home (10% off cookware!)
⭐ @caredotcom (local, background-checked care!) 
⭐ @prepdish (2 weeks of free meal plans!)
⭐ @minted (art, bags, gifts & more!)
⭐ @chatbooks (the easiest photo books ever!)
⭐ @fabletics (2 workout bottoms for $24!)
⭐ @todoistofficial (2 mo. free of Todoist Pro!)
⭐️ @theessentialcalendar (10% off calendars!)
⭐️ @hiyahealth (50% off 1st order!)
⭐️ @kiwico_inc (50% off your 1st mo!)
⭐️ @athleticgreens (1yr of Vit.D + 5 travel packs!)
⭐️ @vionicshoes (free shipping on comfy shoes!)
It can *seem* like everybody has travel plans comi It can *seem* like everybody has travel plans coming up for Spring Break, but we know that every single year, just as many families aren't going anywhere - and that's OK, too!

This week on the blog @emilyeroark offers suggestions for mixing up your same ol' same ol' when kids are off for Spring Break. Check out the post by clicking this image at the link in our bio!

#stayathomemom #springbreakathome #staycationideas #stayathomeparent #toddlermom #preschoolmom #momofthree #springbreak2023 #spring #springbreakathome #kidsactivities
New episode! Bowling. Bonfires. The mall (no, rea New episode!

Bowling. Bonfires. The mall (no, really.) And board games (maybe?). What's fun for our families right now looks quite different than it did years ago, so today Meagan and Sarah revisit an oft-discussed hot topic on The Mom Hour: family "fun." We share several ideas for ACTUALLY FUN family activities that work for our current seasons, as well as some gripes about things that feel like they should be fun but aren't. Join us!

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast#podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast#podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
New episode! It isn't always easy to appreciate t New episode!

It isn't always easy to appreciate the mundane tasks of our daily lives, or to see the glass half-full when something goes awry. Inspired by yet another social media trend that had us scratching our heads at first (and then reflecting in spite of our forty-something selves), today Meagan and Sarah talk about situations from our own lives where we romanticized the hard stuff to get by.

Find the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or click this image at the link in our bio!

#themomhour #motherhood #mompodcast #podcastsformoms #parenting #parentingpodcast #podcastlove #trypod #podcastersofinstagram #shepodcasts
If you fill Easter baskets for your kids, do you g If you fill Easter baskets for your kids, do you give them a theme? On the blog this week @hopefulsmiles makes a case for themed Easter baskets helping to simplify shopping, avoid clutter, and stay on budget.

Check out Sandy’s ideas for themed Easter baskets by clicking this image at the link in our bio - she's got over 35 different gift ideas listed!

#easter2023 #easterbasketfillers #eastergiftideas #themedeasterbasket #giftsfortoddlers #giftsforpreschoolers #giftsfortweens #giftsforkids #eastergiftguide #eastertips #easterwithkids

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