On July 1st, 2023 — Canada Day — I fell off my stand-up paddle board, and couldn’t get back on without assistance. I declined the first offer of help and said, “I’m okay, thanks. I need to figure this out.” Several minutes later, after untangling my ankle and the tether to the board from the long vegetation in the water, I finally accepted help when a kind man and his young son on a kayak offered assistance. I wasn’t figuring it out on my own, as I had hoped. My hesitation to ask for or accept a hand took me back to the day my first child was born. My continued hesitation to accept help got me ..read more

Do you have a baby on the way? Is your mind racing about everything you need to do to get organized before your new bundle arrives? If you’re like many, throughout the pandemic your previously-spare bedroom became a work-from-home office or a dumping ground for the Amazon purchases that somehow accumulated. Or both! Baby won’t need her or his own room right away, but it’s best to get organized and make space to accommodate your new family member before their arrival. Follow the steps below to prepare and make space for Baby!   Start and Start Early It’s best to start preparing for Baby’s ..read more

Are we doomed to overfill our homes forever? Have you heard of the hedonic treadmill? Or hedonic adaptation? Hedonic Adaptation Hedonic adaptation refers to the concept that humans will repeatedly return to a relatively stable, baseline level of happiness despite positive or negative events in their lives. How Does Hedonic Adaptation Impact Clutter? Without realizing it, we can find ourselves regularly and continually shopping for and purchasing new housewares, new clothing, new gadgets, new technology; even new cars and larger homes. We think those purchases will make us happy and improve ou ..read more

When I was nine years old – although I didn’t realize it at the time – I watched my mother declutter something extremely meaningful and sentimental to her: our family cottage. Dana fishing off the dock at Nine Mile Lake, Parry Sound, ON Our Sanctuary/Haven of Rest Based on my math, my mom would have been about 33 years old at the time. The family cottage had been built by my grandfather, her dad, with his own hands. It is – still, to my knowledge – on Nine Mile Lake in Parry Sound, Ontario. My mom was four years old when she started going to the cottage. Old cottage that was torn down My gra ..read more

Have Yourself a Low Key Christmas I remember how much I loved Christmas as a kid. I am an only child, so on Christmas morning, it was just Mom, Dad and me. But not for long! After unwrapping our presents, it was time to get ready to either go to a family Christmas gathering or to host my mom’s side of the family or my dad’s side of the family. We would alternate years. One year, we’d spend Christmas Day with my mom’s family, and the next, we’d spend Christmas Day with my dad’s family. A slow Christmas morn I always loved getting to see and spend time with my cousins. (I have eight cousins on ..read more

A Made Bed Could Change Your Life! Yup. I said it! Know why? Francine Jay in her book, The Joy of Less, said it best: “Clutter is a social creature; it’s never alone for long.” I have a theory. In homes where making the bed is a daily habit – it seems that, for the most part – the spaces and rooms throughout the homes are generally tidy. In homes where beds are left unmade, bedrooms and other spaces throughout the rest of the home are often cluttered and disorganized. I believe that the “clutter is a social creature” phenomenon may be at play.   Bedroom Clutter If your bed is made, the r ..read more

Are you feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? The global pandemic and all that it has brought certainly hasn’t helped. If you’re surrounded by excess stuff, it is highly likely that the excess is also contributing to that weighted feeling. And you’re not alone. This New York Times article details the results of studies into the unbearable heaviness of clutter. How can you lighten your load? By decluttering and organizing! But where do you start?   Step One Take the time to envision how you would ideally like your space to look, and write down why you are starting this proces ..read more