Kids stuff! There is SO much stuff that comes along with having kids! The good news is: you don't have to keep it all! Today we'll talk about how you can very confidently know what to keep and what to let go when it comes to children's items.

Today I'm joined by Courtney Carver from Be More with Less and Project 333. Courtney says that Be more with less means: Be more you. Give yourself all the space, time and love to remember who you are. Living with less clutter, busyness, stress and simplifying your life will help you make the room to do what you need to do. Simplifying my life gave me the space, time, and love to be more me, and the following practices led me back. 

Find Courtney here: https://bemorewithless.com Learn more about project 333 here: https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/

I don't often start at the beginning of the story. Today I talk about my upbringing, finding minimalism and the decision I made to pursue YouTube.

If you'd like help decluttering, I'd love to SHOW you my favorite tips for simplifying on my YouTube Channel!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theminimalmom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.minimal.mom/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minimalmom

I have been seeing SO many comments about gifts lately! How do we keep people from GIVING them, what do we do once we GET them and HOW long do I have to keep it for!?! Today we'll cover all these topics and hopefully leave you feeling a little less stressed about the upcoming holiday season!

Mercy House Global Gift Boxes: https://shop.mercyhouseglobal.org/collections/gift-boxes

Take Your House Back Course (join the waitlist): https://cli.re/take-your-house-back-waitlist

Earlier this week Diana shared a YouTube video talking about how hard it is on our health to be lonely. Not just our emotional health (that's what we usually think of in regards to relationships) but our actual physical health suffers, too, when we're lonely. I know from some experience that this isn't always easy to overcome, but the Lord has been faithful to provide relationships when we've asked. (And we also talk about our upcoming birthday!)

And Diana's video that we referenced can be found here: https://youtu.be/1YBbvczeEoI

Blinkist Link: https://www.blinkist.com/theminimalmom use this link for 1 week to try it out free. You'll also get 25% off if you want the full membership.

Back "in the day" Diana became a time management guru. She was organized and productive and really developed a strong value for managing our resources well. Today we talk about our favorite time management tips, how they've changed over the years and why you should JUST DELETE those emails hanging over your head!

As we've gotten to visit other people's homes to help them declutter, I've learned SO MUCH. And it never ceases to amaze me that we're all more alike than different when it comes to the stuff that we collect. Today, Diana and I visit about the three things I'm finding that most people need to be successful with decluttering.

Diana's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DianaKokku

How to Lighten Your Load video mentioned: https://youtu.be/mpsVVw-gqmo

Take Your House Back Course Details: https://cli.re/takeyourhouseback

Today Diana visits with Dawn, a licensed family therapist, about healing from pain caused by the church. This is a replay from a YouTube video they did earlier this week (I'm sorry the audio isn't a little better!). You can find their YouTube channels here:

Diana: https://www.youtube.com/c/dianakokku

Dawn (Living by Heart): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzweJVhO3YngoiPMFh5gf5Q

Decluttering brings up SO many emotions...often guilt and regret which makes it harder to part with things. That's why I came up with the "Guilt-Free Timer", allowing you to declutter without any guilt-- it's perfect! Plus, I'll share my most recent saga with tree watering :)

Today I visit with Dawn Ramaker, she's a family therapist and homeschooling mom and I wanted to know: What has she observed as successful habits in successful moms? Not perfect moms, but those who seem to have it together. She has so much wisdom to share and I especially love what she had to say about validation.

You can find Dawn's New YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzweJVhO3YngoiPMFh5gf5Q

"Mental minimalism says that just like too much physical and digital stuff can distract us from our values and the things that matter most in life, our own mental stuff can do the same thing.

Thoughts, emotions, memories, and imagination can all become cluttering of our mental space. And when this happens, not only do we consistently experience negative feelings like stress, anxiety, overwhelm, and depression, but perhaps more tragically, we become distracted from living our lives." - Nick Wignall, The Case for Mental Minimalism

We *know* we should be more protective of our minds, but how do we achieve mental minimalism in the real world? Diana and I will talk about it today!

Book Mentioned: "Get Your Life Back" by John Eldredge: https://amzn.to/32M6I4k

There has been something magical with our laundry room transformation...a benefit I never expected! We'll talk about that today along with donating ironing boards, laundry strips and more!

Laundry Products Mentioned:

Tru Earth Laundry Strips: https://amzn.to/3lSp65p Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets: https://amzn.to/3CDxZWD EcoEgg: https://amzn.to/3k33GQP

(affiliate links-- THANK YOU!!!)

This is a day I don't think of much anymore, but looking back, it was a pivotal point in my life and has been something I've drawn on in many ways since then. Diana will also share some really interesting information about secret places and spending time with the Lord.

I never set out to be a "YouTuber"...in fact, as an introvert and always happiest behind the scenes, that actually sounds horrifying to me! But, apparently it was meant to be and today I'll share the story of how I got here!