25-Year Solar System Payoff Analysis

The post appeared first on Joyful Abode.

The post appeared first on Joyful Abode.

If we’re honest with ourselves–despite how much we love our children–we must admit that parenting is also a bit exhausting. Especially if you’re the parent who’s with the kids 24/7. So leave your partner at home with the kids, and recharge for a few days.

What is a momcation?

A momcation is simply a trip or getaway you take away from your family. Sometimes that might be a “girls’ trip” with your closest friends, or it could be a solo retreat.

Some destinations or spas have momcation packages you could look into, but you can also create your own. You can take an affordable momcation on a budget or splurge on your dream trip. Whatever your definition of a momcation is, it’s worth the effort to make it happen.

This article focuses on the concept of a momcation as a solo trip taken to rest, reconnect with yourself, and recharge before hopping back into your recurring care tasks and normal daily routines.

Is it worth it to travel alone or should I go on a momcation with friends and family?

Honestly, if you’ve never traveled alone before, you may want to do that at least once. Friend trips and family vacations can be fantastic too, but if you’re overstressed and really need to relax and recharge, maybe you just need some time to not have to “answer to” anyone, on a solo getaway. No busy agenda, no one else’s preferences to take into account (we have so much of that as parents!), and absolute quiet… doesn’t that sound refreshing?

Here are 10 great ideas to inspire your solo trip.

1. Leave your partner at home with the kids, and recharge for a few days away from home for a momcation getaway.

Leaving your children in the care of someone else for a few days can be hard. But it’s also a great opportunity to get some time to yourself. A short break away from home can help rejuvenate your energy and keep stress at bay. No need to plan all the meals and activities for your family before you go. They’ll figure it out. Leaving things un-squared-away will relieve a lot of stress during your trip preparation. Plus it shows your partner how much you trust them. They’ve got this!

2. Travel to destinations that are easier to get around without children

If you’re not sure where to go, consider a destination that’s easier to get around without children. Where would you like to go without worrying about childcare or car seats? For example, a trip to a city where you can get around by taxi will be simpler solo. Without strollers or car seats everything can move just a little more smoothly.

Maybe there’s an art gallery you’ve been dying to go to… But for once, you really want the opportunity to pay attention to the art. You’d love to read the descriptions, and stare as long as you want to without interruptions. And it’ll be even better to not have to worry about where multiple tiny sets of hands are!

Take advantage of the fact that you’re traveling as a lone adult, and go somewhere that would otherwise be inconvenient.

Travel with family on Joyful Abode:

• Traveling with Toddlers – 7 Ways to Save Your Sanity
• Cross-Country Travel With a Baby & a Toddler?
• Baby On Board: Long-Distance Travel With a Newborn
• 8 Essentials for Family Travel
• Travel With Kids – 3 Real-World Tips for Packing Light

3. Enjoy time in a pool or on the beach without worrying about child safety – one of my favorite momcation ideas.

Taking kids to the beach or pool can be a stressful experience. Besides applying and reapplying sunscreen to so many squirmy bodies, there’s a lot to be “on the alert” about. You’re watching them in and out of the water, ensuring they’re not too close to the edge. You might need to be protecting them from rougher kids. But at the very least, you’re making sure they don’t wander too far, and so much more.

It’s hard to relax when you’re constantly worrying about your child’s safety. But going solo on your next holiday is a great way to get some time for yourself without all those worries! You can enjoy the water without any stress at all. Maybe even floating on your back with your eyes closed, without stressing about your kids. No fearing for their lives lives, worrying about their skin burning, or fretting over losing someone.

Need a momcation on a budget?

The great news is that this is one of the cheap momcation ideas, because many affordable hotels have a pool, or you could just take a day trip to a local beach or a pool you’re already a member of, and leave your family at home.

4. Spend some quality alone time reading, writing, or just relaxing by yourself.

As a mother, you probably find yourself doing a lot of repetitive care tasks, and the time and energy you have for your own interests might start to decline. Laundry, dishes, cleaning toilets, and dusting will always be there for you… but unless you protect the time for your creative pursuits, those might just slip away.

So, while on a solo trip, you have the perfect opportunity to jump back into those things without interruptions from kids or housework. Pick up a novel your friend’s been raving about, and read it from start to finish if you want to- no one is going to ask for a snack, overflow the toilet, or vomit on the carpet (looking at my dog here).

Or take some time to brain-dump all the things you’ve been thinking about writing… because as you know, when someone interrupts (even if it’s something sweet, like showing you a picture they drew or a Lego creation), it always takes a few minutes to get back on track. What could you do if you weren’t interrupted even once?

As important as these our kids are, and as urgent as each home task may be, they can get in the way of your creativity. Thankfully, a solo trip provides an opportunity for moms to reclaim at least a little bit of your creative self by letting you focus on yourself without having any interruptions from children or chores around the house. It’s okay to want that!

5. Take care of something you’ve been putting off for yourself….or do something indulgent like getting a massage or pedicure! (Check for momcation packages at your favorite spa.)

Whether you’ve been craving an hours-long hair treatment, a massage, a pedicure, or just a teeth cleaning or annual exam… your solo trip might be a great time to schedule that. You’ll already have arranged childcare for the whole time, and it will be simple for you to get ready to go from a quiet and clean hotel room.

I’ve actually had massage therapy appointments (necessary after a car accident) with my little kids in the room. They were trying to be quiet and had things to occupy themselves, but I still had to field about 30 questions per hour, while on the table. And try breaking up sibling squabbles with the dentist’s hands in your mouth – I’ve been there too.

So while it may not sound glamorous to schedule even “boring” self-care during a solo trip, it’s something to consider. But if you’re caught up on that stuff (yay you if so!), maybe take the opportunity for a pampering session. Some hotels even work together with spas and can have professionals come to you for services so you don’t even need to get in the car! Hotels like this can be some of the best momcation destinations!

6. Enjoy a grown-up meal without sharing or buying overpriced kids meals.

When you’re on your solo trip, take advantage of being able to choose your restaurant and order freely. You won’t even have to glance at the kids’ menu to see whether boxed mac n cheese is $12 a bowl as a parent tax. You can finally enjoy some gourmet crab cakes and chew at your own rate. Honestly, eating alone is one of my favorite solo momcation ideas!

And order your loaded fries without having to hold back on the jalapenos or share with a bunch of little people with grubby hands.

Note: I really really do love my kids. But it’s also ok to not ALWAYS want them grabbing stuff off of my plate, or even politely asking to do so.

What grown-up meal have you been dreaming of? Maybe the restaurant will even deliver to your hotel!

7. Stay in bed all day if you want! Or close the blinds and take a midday nap!

Occasionally, as a mom, trying to nap is necessary for me. Whether I’ve been up until midnight with a child having a meltdown, or my racing mind was to-do-list-ing for hours in bed, sometimes I don’t get enough sleep at night.

But I say *trying* to nap, because generally that looks like me turning on Curious George and laying down on the couch, telling the kids to only wake me for an emergency. But they want to sit on me, or snuggle me, or show me a cool rock, or ask me to unscrew their too-tight water bottle lid. So naps can be pretty unsuccessful at home.

If you’ve ever asked your kids to just let you rest for one minute, and they needed you again after 30 seconds of silence, you know what I mean.

Solo trips give moms the perfect opportunity to indulge in a “me day” or even stay in bed all day if that’s what you want. Sleep as long as you can, if that’s what you want to do. OR wake up to greet the sunrise with a beautiful morning walk, knowing you’ll be able to have an afternoon nap without interruption. Gotta love those room-darkening curtains!

While you may never CATCH UP on all of your missed sleep, you can see what it feels like to wake up naturally – no alarms, no one needing you. If that’s the only thing you get out of your solo momcation, it might just be worth it!

8. Go on an adventure or try something new by yourself.

Want to try a new activity and just worry about yourself while you’re doing it? Solo travel is a great time to try something new! Whether it’s going to the ice skating rink, trying a ropes course, indoor skydiving, taking an afternoon cooking class, or axe throwing, go for it!

You can check out some new stuff, and whatever your favorites are, bring your family or partner next time.

9. Give yourself permission to relax and do nothing if you want to.

When you travel solo, you don’t have to do anything.

At all.

You don’t have to pamper yourself, or have some great epiphany, or “catch up” on sleep so you can come home refreshed (no pressure, right?), or finish writing your novel.

You don’t have to eat gourmet food or go to a museum. You don’t have to get your hair colored or watch the sun rise. If you don’t sleep in or binge-watch your favorite show, there’s no problem.

Whatever you do on your trip, make sure you’re not creating more pressure and expectation for yourself. Which means… it’s okay to NOT. It’s okay if all you do is sit on the side of the bed and stare at the wall for 3 days.

It’s okay to go to bed at a normal time and wake up at your usual early-o’clock. It’s okay if you don’t do anything special, and it’s okay if you don’t “recharge.”

Even some space and time away from normal life will be valuable for its own reasons… but you might not know where the value will come from until you do it. So will you make it happen for yourself? Even just as an experiment?

Waiting for a sign to take your solo momcation retreat?

You do so much to take care of everyone else in your home. But no one can keep going 24/7/365 without a break. It’s not even about *deserving* a break… people need breaks. Period. Otherwise they’re going to burn out.

So if you can’t remember the last time you didn’t have to take care of someone else’s needs, you’re long overdue for a solo trip. The benefits of a momcation are WELL worth the effort to make it happen. Go for it.

Are you ready to take a solo mama trip?

Your momcation is a chance to get away from your normal life and breathe. With these 9 tips for solo mom travel, you’ll be able to enjoy the experience.

And that’s without feeling guilty about not being with your kids – your partner’s got this. Also remember to release yourself from the pressure of requiring yourself to be “recharged” afterward – whether or not that happens, it’ll still be valuable.

Since every mom has different needs when it comes to relaxing, make sure that you’re giving yourself permission to do nothing if you want, or plan adventures and outings if that sounds better to you.

If all of this sounds interesting, take the first step toward planning your solo mama travel today. Start browsing hotels or nail down a date when your partner can take over.

What are your experiences with momcation type solo travel?

Comment with your solo travel ideas and experiences so we can share notes. The more momcation ideas we can get, the better! That way every mom can create their personal retreat that works best for recharging.

The post 9 Tips for Your Best Momcation – How to Maximize your Relaxation appeared first on Joyful Abode.

And you need. To. Do it.

This year.

Why?

It’s not just because being organized for organization’s sake is a good thing (It’s not good or bad – it’s morally neutral).

You NEED to stop procrastinating and finally get organized this year. Here’s why.

1: Getting organized will give you (a LOT of) extra time.

Think you don’t have time to get organized now?

How much time do you waste looking for things you know are “around here somewhere”? 20 minutes a day? That’s 122 hours you’ll waste this year because you’re not organized. Because your things don’t have designated homes.

What could you do in an “extra” 122 hours this year? 122 hours to learn a new skill, to have special family adventures, to read books, to luxuriate in bubble baths… 122 hours for whatever it is that you’ve been missing in your life. Reclaim those hours.

When you get everything in its place, you can get to it when you need to—and get rid of all those little moments where you pause to wonder where something is.

PS In a Boston study, Americans were found to waste 55 minutes a day looking for lost items, not 20 minutes. That’s 335 hours in one year, y’all.

That’s like having a full month with 10 “extra” hours per day.

2: Getting organized will help prevent distraction.

Everyone knows that feeling where you get a little bit of work done, then get distracted or “busy” and get nothing else done for the rest of the day—and do it all over again tomorrow. When you get your time organized and get control of schedule, you can have fewer of those days. With some planning and time-management skills, you can be on top of things instead of struggling to get back on track!

3: Getting organized will save you money this year.

Unless you’re just swimming in so much cash you don’t know what to do with yourself, saving money or paying down debt is probably on your mind.

Stop wasting money re-buying things because you can’t find the one you already own. Or replacing things that broke due to improper storage and maintenance.

Stop spending money on excess take-out dinners (I have nothing against ones that are within your budget – don’t get me wrong) because you can’t get your act together to plan your meals ahead of time.

Don’t find yourself needing to buy extra shirts because you’re behind on laundry – again.

Get organized this year and before long, it’ll be like you gave yourself a raise. You’ll be keeping more of your cash instead of watching it slip through your fingers.

4: Getting organized will help you get better sleep

You might get by without needing 8 hours every day, but you’ve heard it time and again: sleep is important!

When you get organized this year, you’ll start your morning refreshed and have a better chance of getting to bed on time at night. You might even notice what feels like a natural recovery period during the daytime.

Not only will you be more productive with that extra bit of energy from getting enough rest, but you’ll also find yourself much less stressed out throughout the week.

Suddenly those days off seem perfect for doing twice as much (including play time with family) without feeling any pressure.

5: You’ll be ready to welcome loved ones

Ever get a surprise guest for dinner or an overnight, and get all stressed out because you’re just not ready?

Get organized this year and you’ll have a company-ready home even when you’ve been busy with life stuff. What could be better than having your guest room, kitchen, or living room ready for the people you love most to visit?

You’ll have your laundry done and put away, your dishes caught up, and your clutter…gone (declutter, for real!), all while feeling like it’s easy.

Get organized this year and not only will you be better prepared to have people over, but they’ll also feel like they’re not adding to your stress. You’ll really be able to enjoy your time together!

6: You’ll be able to help out more when you’re organized.

When you’re organized, an added bonus is that you’ll have more capacity to help out where you’d like to. Whether that means stepping up for a friend in a crisis situation, or getting on a schedule to volunteer at your favorite cause.

Getting organized might help you get more done at home of course, but you can also do more for your community if you’d like. Having the freedom to lend a helping hand is such a lovely gift.

7: Get to know your kids and partner better.

If there’s one thing we know about human nature, it’s that when people are disorganized, they get testy! When your family gets organized this year, you’ll be able to get to know the people around you better, even if you’ve lived with them for years.

All of you will be surprised to find out how much more fun a clean space can be! With fewer things getting in the way, you get to talk more and get to know each other better. Relationship-wise, when you get organized, it’ll really pay off in the long run.

8: Getting organized just feels good.

I know you’ve been stressed. Any sleepless nights? Worry about not being productive enough? Not being able to see your friends as often as you’d like?

Whatever your clutter-disorganization-stress looks like, chances are getting organized will significantly reduce its impact on your life.

You will be able to be more productive and reliable. You’ll be on time to meetings, classes, and gatherings. Maybe you’ll even be more responsible with money, so you’ll have more of it for what you really value. And of course, you’ll have more time to take care of yourself, whatever that looks like for you.

Yoga? Coffee with friends? Going for hikes with your family?

When you’re not constantly running a background track of stress-worry-chaos in your life, you’ll feel so amazing.

So what’s next?

Check out my Crucial Strategies for Organizing This Year , then get to it.

You won’t regret making it happen this year.

The post 8 Reasons You NEED to Get Organized This Year appeared first on Joyful Abode.

So you’re searching for tips for how to declutter kids’ clothes. Mayyyybe you have 28 storage totes of outgrown kid clothes in your garage, organized by assumed gender, size, and possibly also by season. (Or maybe you just chucked it into the totes to organize “later.”)

Or maybe it’s not even in bins… but your kids’ rooms are filled with way too much clothing, and you know it can’t all possibly fit / be in good shape / be their favorites.

It’s time to make some decisions.

If you work full time, or you’re at home with a high needs newborn or something, maybe you’ll only be able to get through one or two totes today. If you’re a stay at home mom of school-age kiddos, maybe you can finish everything.

No pressure though.

This isn’t all or nothing. Something is better than nothing.

Time to do this.

But why declutter your kids’ clothes?

Too much of anything is overwhelming, for everyone. Does your child has trouble picking out an outfit in the morning? Or have they mentioned they feel frustrated about having “nothing to wear” even though there’s clothes everywhere? Decluttering (and then filling in any gaps) is a simple solution.

If you’re overwhelmed with laundry, decluttering kids clothes can solve that problem too. Believe it or not, when you slash wardrobes in a big way, you also cut down on laundry stress. I’ll try to explain it further down, but it’s like magic.

Plus, when you commit to having fewer clothes for your children, you reduce the feelings of “always needing something new” and completely eliminate an entire category of impulse shopping.

When you declutter your kids clothes (the right way), you’ll also be decluttering load of stress, overwhelm, frustration, and irritation. Plus, when you change your outlook on kids’ wardrobes, you’ll prevent the clutter from piling up in the first place over time. You’ll shop differently and approach children’s clothes with a whole different attitude.

How to Declutter Kids’ Clothes – The Basic Categories

Grab five boxes or crates to sort into:

• Keep – Same Child, out of season: If you’re sorting in the summer, but you find fall/winter clothing the child likes and that might still fit in the next season, store that together. Same for if it’s cold and you find spring/summer things that may still work for your child in the spring.
• Keep Hand-Me-Downs – For a Younger Child or Future Child: This is stuff you still think is really cute, will probably be in style still by the time you have another child, and is in GOOD SHAPE.
• Keep – Sentimental: These are things you might save for your future grandkids, or maybe just to hold in your hands and smile at the memories they hold for you. They could be a special handmade item, or something worn to a certain memorable occasion.
• Donate: Perfectly good items only.
• Trash: Maybe you didn’t realize how worn out or stained it was when you originally stored it!

Some things to consider as you declutter your kids’ clothes:

How much laundry do you want to do?

Remember how much laundry you did when your kids were babies? Remember how many outfits they had in their closets or dressers that still hadn’t been worn, when the washing machine was FULL of things that HAD been worn? The next kid doesn’t necessarily need 52 spring dresses. Just because something is nice AND in good shape AND timeless doesn’t mean you HAVE to save it for a future child. You can just save your few favorites. Really, kids don’t need the gigantic wardrobes they often end up with. And you’ll be thankful when you have less laundry to wash, fold, organize, and store, and more time to snuggle your baby.

Related – What doesn’t work for you, care-wise?

I don’t know about you, but if my kids’ clothes require special handling, a delicate wash cycle, line drying, ironing, or dry cleaning, it’s not gonna survive here.

Knowing what you are and aren’t willing to put up with as far as special care goes is important! This alone may help you to let go of several items right away.

Sentimental – if everything is special, nothing is special.

Don’t go overboard with the “sentimental” stuff.  You might have a photo of your child wearing it, and that might be enough. And something isn’t necessarily special enough to store and save forever just because so-and-so (including yourself) made it. Sometimes those things are better off passed on to continue being worn by other children until they’re all “used up.” That is a VALID way for handmade items to spend their time on this earth. Remember that you also have the memories IN YOUR HEAD and that you don’t need the clothes to hold those memories for you. You really, truly don’t.

When you’re saving things you think your grandkids might wear someday, remember that THEY TOO will probably be gifted more clothes than they can possibly use as babies, and if you save too many items without clear reasons, they will probably each be dutifully worn once “because grandma needs a picture of this” and then ironed and stored for the next family baby.

On the other hand, if you save one really special outfit that was a favorite of your child, or that has a special story, it will probably be cherished and worn frequently by grandkids.

As you declutter kids’ clothes, actually trash the trash. Only donate the “good stuff.”

No one wants your garbage. Please keep that in mind when making donations. You should only donate perfectly good clothes that are not stained or pilled, faded, or worn out. They should also not be completely out of style. If you’re thinking, “They will just be so grateful to find a cheap shirt” that’s the wrong way to think about it.”They” want their kids to look cute just as much as you do. I’m sure you realize that “they” don’t want their kids to LOOK like they were dressed from someone else’s trash. “They” are just like you.

Oh, and “they” will probably also see lots of way NICER donations right next to your garbage on the rack at Goodwill (if yours even makes it through the original sorting by the facility) for the same price. Check yourself if you’re thinking like that, and actually throw away your trash. Donate things that people will want.

As for the trash? Throw it away. Don’t save it to make SOMEthing later, because then you’re just literally saving a box full of trash.

You are not your friends’ storage unit.

Let it go. If you’re not going to have any more kids (or won’t for a decade or so), you really need to let go. Also, it is not your job to store the cutest items for future kids your non-pregnant siblings or friends might have someday. Maybe it’s special enough for someone to want for a future child; offer it to them NOW. If they agree about how perfect it is, THEY will store it until a baby arrives in their life. If they disagree, you just need to set that item free.

Analyze your kids’ current clothing habits.

The last thing you want to do when you’re decluttering kids’ clothes is keep the clothes (or buy new ones) your kids don’t actually love to wear. It’s SO important to approach this with an open mind and take your kids’ opinions into account too. So how can you go about this analysis?

First, look at your kids’ clothes that are in the laundry – those are actually getting worn. Look them over and see what they have in common. Are all of the shorts elastic-waist for comfort? Do all of the shirts have sparkles on them? You’re getting clues here about your child’s preferences.

Straight-up ask them about what you’ve observed, to get confirmation or learn something new. If you ask your child, “I noticed you have sparkles on all these shirts you wore last week. Are sparkles important to you in the clothes you pick?” They might say, “Yes, sparkles are the best.” OR they might surprise you and say, “I didn’t notice that. Those shirts all have loose sleeves that feel good to me.”

Have your child show you their favorite outfits in their closet or dresser, too. Sometimes you’ll find that a child thinks a certain outfit is “too special” to wear regularly, but they love it. Be sure to encourage them to wear their favorites, because if they don’t wear and enjoy them, they won’t actually enjoy their favorites before they outgrow them.

To declutter children’s clothing, figure out what your child dislikes.

Another way to find clues about what your kids loves and dislikes is to analyze what your child DOESN’T wear. What stays in the bottom of the dresser week after week? What’s shoved in the back of the closet, neglected? You can likely declutter those kids’ clothes easily of course, but it’s even better to find out why, so you can prevent clutter-clothes from coming back in.

Ask your child why they don’t wear those things, but not in an accusatory way. Just “I noticed you haven’t worn this shirt in a really long time. Is there something about it that makes it not your favorite?” You may discover style preferences or sensory needs you didn’t know your child had, just by asking!

Once, when I did this with one of my children, I found out she kept wearing her old underwear and neglecting the new because the new underwear had a different kind of elastic that wasn’t comfortable on her legs. She was only four years old when she told me that, so even little kids can have big opinions when it comes to selecting and decluttering their own clothes! Listen to them, and learn what their preferences and needs are.

Prevent Kids’ Clothing Clutter from Creeping Back In

The thing about decluttering kids’ clothes is that you may declutter this particular batch in this moment in time, but your kids are growing! So more clothes will HAVE to come in. Will you be in the same situation a year from now? Or will you learn new strategies for dealing with kids’ clothing (and new mindsets) and never have to massively declutter your kids’ clothes again?

Twice a year, about a month before the weather will officially swap from cold to warm or warm to cold, do a kids’ clothing audit.

When decluttering kids’ clothes, ask your kids what they prefer for the next season, and assess saved clothes BEFORE shopping.

For my little ones, that might sound something like:

• “Warm weather is coming! Do you think you’d want to wear sleeveless shirts, or ones with short sleeves?”
• “Are you more into shirts with patterns or pictures on them, or solid colors these days?”
• “Do you like shorts with elastic or buttons and zippers?”
• “What colors make you feel the happiest to wear?”
• “Would you want to try wearing skirts with built in shorts under them?”
• “Are you interested in dresses this summer?”
• “What’s important to you about your clothes for the winter?”

How much clothing does a child actually need?

First ask yourself What your life looks like? What activities does your family do on a regular basis? What’s the climate and weather like where you live?

How many “changes” does your child typically need to make in one day? An older child may have a school uniform, then a track outfit or other sport-specific clothes, then comfy clothes for at home all in one day.

Then also consider how often you plan to do laundry per kid. I generally plan for counting on doing laundry once a week, with a couple of “buffer” outfits so they don’t totally run out of clothes if we’re a day or two “late.”

With your laundry frequency in mind, go back to your activities and see what you’ll need. Making careful decisions and not overbuying will help keep you from needing to declutter your kids’ clothes in the future, beyond easy seasonal maintenance.

Examples of considering activity frequency for kids’ clothing needs:

• If your child has gymnastics twice a week, and you plan on weekly laundry, maybe you really do only need 2 gymnastics outfits.
• Maybe your child has swimming lessons 5 days a week for one month, but doesn’t keep that frequency regularly. In that case, you could get 3 suits, and do an extra load of laundry halfway through the week just for that month.
• What if your family goes to church each week, but doesn’t have a lot of opportunity to wear fancy clothes other than that? Perhaps having two “church clothes” outfits per kid is all you need.
• If your child wears uniforms at school, but changes to other clothes before rough playing, maybe they can air out and rewear uniforms and get away with having 3 uniform outfits.
• What if your family loves to rock climb, but realistically only goes once a week at most? Then everyone only needs one rock climbing outfit they can wear each time. Simple!
• If your climate is dry and it rarely rains (or if the type of rain you get is stormy and keeps you indoors) your child might not need a rain coat at all. But if you live in an area with frequent misty rains, rain jackets might be essential!

So decide (based on your actual life and habits) how much of each type of clothing your child needs, and stick to the plan.

When you need to shop for new kids’ clothes:

Take stock of the clothes you already had (from last season or hand me downs) and make a list of what you need in order to fill in the gaps. Buy what you need, and then stop.

If you love to shop and wish you could buy more, don’t worry. Your child WILL grow and need clothes again. In the meantime, save your money, space, and sanity by holding back on making frivolous purchases. When the seasons change again, you’ll probably get a chance to buy new things.

Besides, your child’s clothing tastes or style preferences may have changed in the meantime. So it’s best not to overbuy for the current season or try to “shop ahead” too far in advance.

Are Capsule Wardrobes Helpful for Kids?

What is a capsule wardrobe?

The main goal of a capsule wardrobe is being able to create huge numbers of *varying* outfits out of a small amount of items. MANY people think that creating a capsule wardrobe is the key to success in decluttering kids’ clothes. But I disagree, and here’s why.

Curating a capsule wardrobe in which everything “mixes and matches” can distract you from the end game. What IS the end game? Having the necessary amount of clothes your child likes to wear, is comfortable in, and which fits your child’s activities and needs.

People who are drawn to capsule wardrobes are often really stylish people who are concerned about whether others will be able to tell they’ve downsized their closets. Of course, not everyone is concerned about others’ opinions. But it’s something I notice over and over in articles like “How I wore the same skirt for a month without anyone at my office realizing it” or “These 33 items got me through the winter and I never repeated an outfit once.”

That’s fine if you’re really into fashion and variety is a goal for you. Go for it, for yourself, in that case!

Why aren’t capsule wardrobes the best choice for simplifying kids’ clothes?

If you’re concerned with decluttering kids’ clothes, part of the reason is probably because you are feeling overwhelmed. And keeping things simple is really helpful on the path to remedying that overwhelm.

So while my kids do end up with mix and match things sometimes (khaki shorts will go with just about any shirt, right?), for the most part we think in terms of “outfits.” If they have 10 play outfits that work for them for the season, we check it off the list and move on with our lives.

When they fold their laundry, they pair up outfits and put them in their drawers. And when they get dressed, they just need to pull out an outfit to wear. There isn’t an overwhelming number of choices, and they like and feel good in everything they own.

There’s very little daily decision making around clothing with the “outfits” method, and that is a plus, not a downside.

What should you do if your child asks for a capsule wardrobe?

Of course, if one of your children turns out to be a fashionista and wants to create a wardrobe that will allow them to creatively express their personality in different ways each day, good on them!

At that point, your child is probably old enough and responsible enough to go through some of this process with you. First determining what they like and dislike in fit, color, style, fabric, and so on… before planning and creating their own seasonal capsule wardrobe.

But especially for smaller kids, and people who aren’t as into creative fashion choices, a capsule wardrobe can be a distraction from simplifying. So if you’re reading this because of overwhelm and stress, keep it simple, my friend.

What Kids’ Clothes to Save As Hand Me Downs

Be honest with yourself about the usefulness of saving your kids’ outgrown clothes for future children. Ask yourself these helpful questions to reframe the decision:

• Does the child you’re saving these clothes for exist yet?
• If so, how many years apart are the children? How long will you need to store the clothes before they’re potentially useful again?
• If not, are you currently trying for another child? How long could that take, and how long could it be before the clothes are potentially useful again?
• Do you have ample space to store these? Or are your closets cramped as is?
• What’s the storage space worth to you? What could you use the space for if it weren’t taken up by bins of hand-me-downs?
• Would I get excited about these clothes in their actual current condition if I saw them for sale in a secondhand shop?
• Did I and my child who wore this LOVE it?
• Would a future child be excited to use it?
• If I save this, and the next child doesn’t like or fit it, will I regret having used the space to store it for so long?
• What if the next child has completely different sense of style? One kid might like climbing trees in utility shorts, while the next child wants sparkles and lace. One child might only like crew neck t shirts, and another may prefer polo shirts or v necks.
• For baby clothes – what if the next child doesn’t “line up” with the same sizes/seasons? (one child may have been in 3m clothing in winter, while another is in 3m clothing in the dead of summer)
• If something hasn’t been used at all by the current child so it’s in great condition – or even has the tag on it – WHY wasn’t it used? Will the next child actually use it or is there a reason it was consistently passed over?

By asking yourself these questions, you’ll be able to get really critical about which items are worth saving, and which aren’t worth the storage space.

Personally, I am extremely selective about what I keep from my older kids for the younger ones. The space I dedicate to out of season or hand-me-down clothing is limited to the top shelf of my kids’ closets (in small storage bins or large shoeboxes). More than that is really unnecessary for my family. I keep the very best and most useful stuff and let go of the rest.

How to finish up and store your “keepers” and decluttered children’s clothes.

Once you’ve decluttered your kids’ clothes, it’s important to actually take the donations somewhere.

Thrift stores are good options, but women’s shelters often accept children’s clothes too. I’ve also seen foster parents posting on Facebook a lot of times, asking for certain sizes/styles for children they’re taking care of.

Throw away the trash.

Really.

Store same child, next season clothes.

If possible, storing clothes for same child but next season in that child’s closet, in a small, clearly labeled bin. (This is like if your child still has plenty of room in some of their winter clothing, but the weather is getting too warm for those… and they might still fit next fall.)

Store hand-me-downs.

For hand me downs that don’t fit anyone yet or aren’t the correct season, store in clearly labeled small bins in the closet of the child who has the best chance at fitting into them first. If possible, sort and store by size. Don’t bother separating it by season. You won’t be storing so much that you can’t easily sort through it twice a year. If you know a brand runs small, store it with the next size down from the size on the label, so you don’t miss the window when your child might fit it!

Store and protect sentimental things.

Sentimental clothing you choose to save for the memories and emotions should be selected very carefully (if everything is special, nothing is special). Store it completely separately from your children’s closets. You’re saving this for your own reasons. Do you have a memory box or trunk you keep your special things in? Tuck it away safely there. This will keep it safe, and prevent it from being accidentally mixed in with a batch of donations later on.

Congratulations!!!

Now that you’ve decluttered your kids’ clothes thoroughly, you should have a LOT smaller volume to store now! And you’ve been making mindset shifts around children’s clothing that will help you prevent clutter from creeping back in.

With just a twice a year (when the seasons change) maintenance plan in place, you’ll never be overwhelmed with your kids’ clothes again. It’s almost like magic.

Sharing is Caring.

Do you have a friend who has told you they’re trying to declutter kids’ clothes too? Send them this post and you’ll have someone to commiserate with and collaborate with throughout the process. And it’s always fun to have a friend to celebrate with, too!

Chime in:

What’s the strangest piece of clothing (your own or your kids’) that you’ve held on to for forever?
How about the piece of clothing with the most important story?

The post How to Declutter and Simplify Kids’ Clothes – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Joyful Abode.

The mini kitchen remodel reveal

Have you been on the edge of your seat, wondering how my DIY mini kitchen remodel turned out? Well, here we go!

We didn’t do a full renovation, knowing we were only going to live in Virginia Beach for a few years before selling, but we still wanted to improve the kitchen and make it more comfortable and beautiful for ourselves in the meantime.

Kitchen Cabinet updates – simple and cheap

We started simple… replacing the dark hinges with white ones. At first, we considered painting them, but we knew that could affect how well they worked, and went for replacing instead. It was an inexpensive change, but really lifted the whole kitchen if you ask me… taking out a bit of the country-ness, and making the cabinets appear fresher and more modern.

Clearing the counter with one simple change

Another thing we knew we needed to do was add a venting microwave over the stove. Microwaves take up so much space on the counter tops, and cleaning around and under them can be a pain, so we have always liked when they were installed somewhere else.

We LOVED this change, and appreciated soooo much having our counter more clear and simple. It wasn’t “nothing” to install it, but it wasn’t hard to do, especially since the vent already existed.

The simplest kitchen change that made the biggest difference – sink swap!

Another change that made a HUGE impact for us was to swap the shallow two-basin sink and the faucet without a sprayer. As far as quality of life goes, this may have been the #1 best choice of our DIY mini kitchen remodel!

We picked out a massive single basin sink made of quartz composite, and an inexpensive sprayer faucet, and it became sooooo much easier to wash large pots, cookie sheets, and anything else. The other sink was so cramped, so it was a massive improvement.

Now I could wash an entire grocery haul worth of produce at once (just fill up the sink with water and splash in some vinegar, and go to town). It made me SO happy to see my colorful fruits and veggies swirling around in the sink while I prepped ingredients for the week.

And it was the perfect place for Henry to have a bath while I worked in the kitchen, too. I didn’t need to sit upstairs in the bathroom with him while he played. Instead, he could splash and play near me while I made dinner, and we could chat.

Bounce the light around the kitchen with bright white subway tiles

I feel like I have to talk about the backsplash now too. We went with standard 3×6″ white subway tile, with white sealed grout. My husband has done countless tiling projects ever since he was a kid. He definitely learned a lot from his dad and through experience (and trial and error). He did a FANTASTIC job on our backsplash! I have to say that I loved the reflectiveness of the tile all the way up to the cabinets. It really made the kitchen so much brighter and more cheerful.

Note than in the above picture, the backsplash wasn’t up yet, but we absolutely put it on this wall too.

Space-Saving Spice Storage that’s beautiful to look at (simplest part of the DIY mini kitchen remodel)

Onto less of a renovation thing and more of a creative storage solution. I needed to find a home for my spices that would work well for me. The drawers in this house are too shallow for them to stand up. They were even too shallow and narrow for drawer spice organizers! (Plus, I wanted that drawer to the right of the stove for my cooking utensils).

Sooooooo… I came up with a solution that worked really well! I got these narrow acrylic shelves, and at first tried to hang them on the side of my fridge with massively strong magnets. But the magnets weren’t strong enough, so I ended up using 3M adhesive strips instead, which worked perfectly. Then, I transferred all of my spices, seasonings, and herbs into these beautiful glass jars. (They even came with labels for the sides or the lids. I put mine on the lids) so they’d be pretty to look at.i

I did have some that I use less often, so I didn’t feel the need to put into those jars. Instead, I just put those in a basket in the pantry. That way, they were easy to grab when I needed them, but out of the way for my daily cooking.

Butcher Block Bliss – the best choice for a mini DIY Kitchen Remodel

At this point, you’ve probably noticed the countertops, and you’re like “Emily, why haven’t you said anything about that butcher block yet???” Because the old counters were some kind of cheapie laminate material or something, and they were mostly black. They weren’t the worst counters I’ve ever seen, but we were changing the island anyway. The island had a bar-height section, and we wanted it to be all one level. AND we were putting in a new sink, so it made the most sense to just replace the counters altogether.

We settled on butcher block because it’s SO affordable compared with everything else we like. Plus, it would have felt really weird to put in quartz or something fantastic like that, while keeping the old cabinets. So we got the wood at the hardware store and my husband cut the pieces to size, then stained/sealed it with so many layers of Waterlox.

You don’t have to do all the sealing we did, but we wanted to have strong and waterproof butcher block, with minimal maintenance. I think if you don’t seal it similarly, you’d treat it with oil instead, and periodically you’d need to re-oil. It would give you a different experience/feel and a different look, aesthetically, so it’s just up to you what you decide.

We loved the counters so much. They did get little scratches and dings, but it added to the charm, and wasn’t a problem at all.

A family-friendly kitchen: Counters make the difference!

And we absolutely USED the counters. Before , the bar height section of the island made it much harder to work around the entire island. It made it harder for the kids to sit for a meal and be comfortable. (And not worry about pushing their drink off the ledge accidentally).

Just like in our old house in Maryland in 2014 (where we had a counter-height peninsula), the kitchen became a hub of activity. It was a place where the kids could do artwork. They could help me with cooking, or enjoy their meals while I worked and we chatted.

Produce Storage NOT on the countertop

If I didn’t mention our fruit baskets, I’d be doing you a huge disservice… because while we’ve had other solutions in other homes, they don’t work everywhere. For instance, we had a 3-tiered hanging basket in Ridgecrest, CA that worked perfectly in that kitchen. But here in Virginia Beach, if I hung it anywhere, it would just be in the way of cabinets, or be really awkward looking.

Instead, I found these AMAZING heavy-duty baskets to mount on the wall. I used gorilla hooks to hang them, and they could hold pounds and pounds of potatoes, apples, and anything else I threw at them, without even flinching. If you have a wall in or near your kitchen where you could put these, I HIGHLY recommend them. That way, you won’t need a fruit basket taking up valuable counter space, and you can store as much produce as you need to in a convenient way.

That’s a wrap! I hope you liked our mini DIY Kitchen Remodel

I hope you liked the “after” tour of our DIY mini kitchen remodel. We did change a lot of things, but since we were working with the existing cabinets, didn’t change the footprint of the kitchen at all, and tried to keep costs minimal since we knew this wasn’t our “forever home,” it felt more mini than maxi.

Our Virginia Beach home belongs to a new family now.

Sure enough, as we had anticipated and planned for, after 3 lovely years in Virginia Beach, we sold our home and moved to Maryland. I hope the family who bought our house loves the kitchen as we left it, which is so much better than we found it.

Here are a few photos from our real estate listing from when we sold the house. This kitchen was so good to us.

But wait – there’s more! Kitchen Renovation, that is.

If you want a massive kitchen overhaul though… just wait! We’re in a new home now, and doing a COMPLETE kitchen renovation. When I post the “before” I’ll link it here, and you can follow along! You’re going to love it.

What was your favorite part of our mini DIY kitchen reno? What did you feel made the most impact? Will you copy anything we did for YOUR kitchen? Tell me about it in the comments!

The post Mini Kitchen Remodel – Bright & Airy AFTER (You’ll love it!) appeared first on Joyful Abode.

Did you choose the word? Or did a word choose you?

I don’t choose my word of the year. It comes to me, generally in December or January, and sometimes it surprises me. It’s something that’s been happening for me for the last seven or eight years. Sometimes I share the word. Sometimes I just hold it inside myself. But it’s something that I pay attention to, focus on, or embrace throughout the year.

My word of the year can shape my decisions. Or it can give me a different way to view things that happen, like a different lens to look through.

How do I find my personal word of the year?

Open.

It could be tempting to try to choose a word that will “inspire you to be better” or to pick one that’s in line with your New Year’s Resolution. Maybe you have some favorite words you just love the sound of, or that seem like they describe the kind of person you want to be, or the kind of life you want to have.

But your most powerful Word of the Year might not be any of that. The one that fills your entire being and permeates your actions might be something you could have never intentionally efforted into existence.

Just open yourself to letting it find you. Speak aloud if you’d like, “I’m ready to receive my focus word. I’m open and waiting. I will be patient, so that it can come to me in its own time. I am paying attention, so that I notice it when it arrives.”

It might not find you in December or January. It might find you in April, in July, or in September. And that’s fine. Because there’s nothing magical about a new year that makes your word so powerful… and there is no rule that your personal focus word has to be a word of the year either.

Maybe you’ll find your word of the quarter, your personal word of the month, of the day, or even of the decade. Just like you’ll know it when it comes to you (if you’re paying attention), you’ll also know when you’re ready for a new word. And that might not be in the timeframe you originally imagined.

Focus on presence.

What are you feeling right now? Do you know?

The thing is, it’s so easy for us to be looking forward to our goals for the future, or ruminating over some event in the past, that sometimes we completely brush off the present.

But in order for your personal word of the year to find you, you really have to take some time and intention to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. I’m not saying you have to meditate for an hour each day, or even that you have to close your eyes and focus on breathing for 5 minutes. But check in with yourself!

When you’re at a red light in your car, turn off the radio and just notice what your heart feels like. Pay attention to how your breath feels. Are you breathing in your chest or deep into your belly? Are your shoulders tense?

Is your heart racing a little since you’ve been mentally preparing to do your taxes, planning your weekly dinner lineup, making a mental note to check in with summer camps about their safety procedures, and fretting over how long it’s been since your last dental cleaning… all while you thought you were just belting out Good Days with SZA on your Spotify.

So take a sip of water before the light turns green. Feel the temperature of the water in your mouth, relax your shoulders, roll down the window to feel the air on your face. Whatever you need to do to get present.

But don’t just do that at a red light. Do it when your toddler climbs into your lap holding a book you’ve read 267 times already this week. Breathe in their soft baby hair and check in with yourself. Check in with the moment.

Do it when you’re chopping veggies for dinner. Listen to the crunch of the celery as your knife cuts through the crisp strands. Feel the resistance of the carrots’ little bumps and lumps as you peel them. Laugh at the stickiness of the papery garlic skins when you try to brush them off.

Be present when you’re brushing your teeth before bed. Feel the mintyness of the toothpaste tickle your sinuses as the bristles massage your gums. Just feel the sensations in what you’re doing. Take a moment to take in the starry sky, or the streetlights, or the view of your neighborhood from your bedroom window. Slide into your bed and notice how the smooth sheets feel on your skin.

As you check in with yourself throughout the day, at the most basic sensory level, you’ll have an opportunity to notice your emotions, and also…

Notice.

… to notice any sort of recurring themes that may jump out at you.

For instance, what if at the red light, the sound of your TURN indicator seems to match your heartbeat and helps you slow down your breathing? And then your toddler brought you “the wheels on the bus” to read, and you noticed how the wheels TURN. Then as you peeled the carrot, you realized you were TURNing it in your hands. And for some reason the way the toothpaste cap TURNs around to screw on was something you noticed. Then, just as you looked out of your window, the street lights TURNed on. You TURNed over in bed to find the most comfortable position to sleep in. And maybe TURN is a word that means something to you. Could it be your personal word of the year?

That’s a totally random and specific example. And it may seem silly since it has nothing to do with you or your upcoming year. Or it feels silly since the word “turn” doesn’t actually mean anything significant to you in this moment.

But that’s the kind of thing you’ll notice as you are present in little moments throughout your day, if you’re open to a word coming to you. Only, you’ll notice something that DOES mean something to you, or that could mean something to you as you think it over.

And you’ll find that the most significant words or concepts will appear to you again and again as you stay open, stay present, and take notice.

Try it on.

Once you start noticing certain words or themes, try them on as your personal word of the year. Don’t feel like you have to commit to them, and don’t worry about them being right or wrong for you. But when a word or concept begins to stand out to you, play with it.

When you wake up in the morning, ask yourself questions like, “What would _____ mean to me today?” or, “How could I embody _____ before breakfast?”

Or playfully challenge the Universe to show you more of that word or concept like, “I wonder if I’ll see the word _____ today as I’m reading, or in a news headline” or “How many times will someone say the word _____ to me today?”

If you’re a journaling sort of person, write your potential word of the year at the top of a page, and free-write for 15 minutes. See what comes out of you. Read it back to yourself. Is there any nugget of wisdom there? Something that feels energizing to you? Is there any sort of twinge of recognition that there’s something deeper held in that word for you, if this were your personal word of the year?

If you meditate, see what happens when you subvocalize the word upon each inhale. What does it feel like in your body when you inhale the word? How does your energy flow when you’re holding your breath for a moment at the top before letting it go again? What is it you’re letting go of when you exhale?

If you’re walking your dog, see what happens if you just let the word bounce around in your head without any kind of agenda. Does it connect to other involuntary thoughts? Does it inspire a new question for you?

If you try some of these things and feel a positive connection to the word, maybe you’ll want to adopt it as your personal word of the year.

If it falls flat, it’s okay to release it and open your awareness to any other words that might be trying to find you.

There’s no rush.

There isn’t a deadline.

There’s no way to get it wrong.

Unless…

How NOT to find your personal word of the year:

Please please don’t try to force it. Don’t TRY to find a word that you think would look good on a canvas in your living room, or as a tattoo, or on a necklace written out in script in hammered gold wire.

Don’t swear you are noticing a certain word everywhere and it MUST be your word of the year, if really you’re just trying to give a one-word summary of your New Year’s Resolution, as if you need to remind yourself of a certain deficiency of yours all year long.

“My word of the year is networking!” says the woman who just quit her 9-5 to start a business as a freelancing CPA, and who is nervous about making enough connections to grow her business.

“My word of the year is fitness!” says the woman who’s been frustrated with losing the same 35 pounds 5 years in a row.

“My word of the year is create!” says the woman who feels ashamed that she hasn’t painted anything new since her last child was born.

Even if your potential word of the year objectively seems positive or optimistic, if it is rooted in shame, fear, doubt, embarrassment, inadequacy, or just feels “off” to you when you’re trying it on… it’s a no go.

Why have a personal word of the year?

Having a personal word of the year is definitely not a requirement or necessary to have a fantastic year. But if you feel like you’d enjoy a little bit of focus, or a new way of looking at the things in your life, it can serve that purpose.

A personal word of the year can help you to make quick decisions between two equal-seeming choices, or give you insight into a situation you may not have paid much attention to if you didn’t have a focus word.

In effect, it’s like having a friend over your shoulder at all times, to shine a different light on circumstances. It doesn’t determine what you do, and doesn’t decide your outcomes for you. It’s probably not magical and doesn’t change your future directly. But having a word of the year can be an enriching and introspective experience.

Try it. You might like it!

My word of the year: ROOT

My personal word this year is “root.” I think it came to me sometime between September and November last year. I tried it on for a little while before I fully embraced it as this year’s word. So I want to point out again that you can find your word of the year any time (or it can find you). And the length of time it’s your word could end up being shorter or longer than a year. It doesn’t have to be a January through December thing!

What it means to me so far:

I think of my personal word many times each week, if not several times a day. I haven’t tried to keep track of how often I am thinking about it. But I do notice it or think about it very frequently. So, since I’ve had several months of this so far, it would be really hard to convey to you ALL the ways my word is impacting me and what it means.

But the biggest, most obvious themes right now are that:

1. For the first time in FOREVER (yes, forever), we moved into a house with no plans to leave. Every other time my husband and I (and our kids) have moved, it’s been for a set amount of time, knowing we would be leaving again after 1-4 years. Four years was the longest we’ve ever been anywhere, and during that time we even made a move across town after the first year. So, for my word of the year? We are putting down roots in this home. It’s SO different setting up a house to be your “forever home” versus temporarily making it work.
2. Related to that, we will be able to make friends that won’t have to nearly immediately turn into long-distance relationships. My kids are SO ready for that, and so am I. It’s been a long long time since I’ve had a village, and while I don’t expect it to happen immediately (especially since we’re in the middle of a pandemic still), building some relationships with deep roots is going to be such a wonderful thing to be able to do again.
3. Now that we are staying put, and I won’t have to worry about how to transport dozens of houseplants across the country on a moment’s notice, I’m going full Plant Mama. I’m propagating spider plants and pothos, babying my Thanksgiving cactus, nurturing several indoor trees, and watching my potted ivy reach for the sky. Y’all, my sunroom is slowly going to become a jungle and I couldn’t be more excited for that. Rooooots.
4. We are planning a gigantic garden/orchard. Big, literal, honkin’ roots. More on the garden later, if you’re interested. (Comment and let me know if you are.) And be sure to read about why it’s so important to garden with kids.

There’s more, but the other meanings are less overt and more nuanced. More of the “this makes sense to me but I’m not sure anyone else will know what I’m talking about” type. When you find your word of the year, you’ll probably notice the same sort of thing happening.

Where I’m noticing it:

I’m noticing my word of the year all sorts of places so far. In artwork, poetry, and quotes people share on the internet. Or noticing the tree we found along a hiking trail that had been blown over, exposing its roots (but it was still alive and thriving, just leaning). In things my kids say to me, and of course in the literal roots of my plants.

Sometimes, in discussions with friends about settling down, memories that pop into my head about my family roots and traditions, an arc in an audiobook I listen to, the root-like pattern of water trickling along a sidewalk…

My personal word of the year makes itself known pretty often.

How I’m embracing it:

I’m leaning into deeply rooting myself here in Maryland, here in this home. I’m learning about plants that take more than just one season to grow and care for. And I’m making a commitment to nurture them for the long haul.

As I set up this home, I consider the types of traditions I want to facilitate with my family, and the memories I want to create. I cannot wait to cook our homegrown foods with my kids, especially!

And I’m recognizing that sometimes, during what appears to be a period of rest, a root system is still growing. Sometimes when a plant seems dormant, it’s actually expanding, establishing itself, and becoming strong and reliable. So much growth (not just in plants, but in people too) happens below the surface. And it’s that growth that lets us branch out and flower all the more beautifully in the seasons that follow.

Ready to find your personal Word of the Year?

Tell me in a comment if you’ve already started noticing some potential words of the year “showing themselves” to you. Or if not, how you plan to be more open and present so you can notice them.

If you want to try a fun word of the year generator, I’ve shared one for you over at Joyful Abode on Facebook. It’s super fun. Just pause or screenshot as the words flash by, and see what you “land on.” Be sure to share what you get!

The post My Personal Word of the Year (And How to Find Your Perfect One) appeared first on Joyful Abode.

Are you ready to make some kite paper stars?

Here’s the tutorial you need – a simple, step-by-step breakdown of this classic craft, so you can follow along with no confusion. At the end of this project, you’ll have a beautiful paper star you can hang in your window as a sun catcher. Try making a solid colored star, or a star with 2 different alternating colors, or even a rainbow star with each point folded from a different color! The possibilities are endless, and your imagination can run free when it comes to folding kite paper stars.

Step by step Waldorf window stars tutorial

First, you’ll need eight pieces of square (or 1:1 ratio) folding paper. You’ll either want to use translucent origami paper or kite paper. Start with one piece.

Fold your square kite paper in half from corner to corner, so that it forms a triangle. Crease the folded edge well.

Now, unfold it again. Smooth out the crease with your fingertip so that it lies flat again. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s the start of your kite paper star!

Then, fold your square in half again, from corner to corner, this time the opposite way. Look! It’s a triangle again.

Open your paper so that it’s a square again, and smooth out the last crease with your fingertip. See how your center point is very clearly marked now? That’s important! Believe it or not, you’re halfway toward making your kite paper stars’ first point!

Because now you need to fold all four corners of the square into the center point, like this. Basically, you’re turning your original square into a cuter smaller square that’s a little thicker.

Now turn your new, cuter, smaller square 45 degrees, so that one of the corners is pointing up. Then, fold the two top edges down so that they’re matched up with the center line. Crease these folds well.

Unfold your last folds, and smooth them out. We’re just going to do a quick special fold that will make the light and dark sections of each point a little more interesting.

Take the inner points of the top two sections, and fold them upward to meet the last crease you made.

Then, fold the top two outer edges back to the center line. Crease well, and one point of your 8-pointed kite paper star is finished!

Repeat the same steps with 7 more squares, and glue them together to make your kite paper star. Be sure to watch the tutorial video for the gluing technique so you get it just right!

If this looks like too many steps for your young child to follow along with, try the easiest Waldorf star pattern instead. Or if you want more ideas for different designs, check out my library of paper window stars tutorials.

How to Make Kite Paper Stars - Simple Tutorial for a Classic Craft

Here’s the kite paper stars tutorial you need – a simple, step-by-step breakdown of this classic craft, so you can follow along with no confusion. At the end of this project, you’ll have a beautiful paper star you can hang in your window as a sun catcher.

Print

Materials

• 8 squares of kite paper or translucent origami paper
• disappearing glue stick
• removable clear mounting square for hanging your star in the window

Instructions

1. Start with a square of kite paper
2. Fold in half diagonally, then unfold and smooth.
3. Fold in half diagonally the other direction. Unfold and smooth again.
4. Fold all four corners into the center, and crease well. (This makes a smaller square.)
5. Turn the square so that one point is up.
6. Fold the top edges to the center crease to make one point of your star.
7. Unfold the last fold you made so that it's a square again.
8. Fold up the center points of the top two sections, to meet the creases you've just made.
9. Then fold the top edges back to the center line again.
10. Repeat with seven more squares of kite paper.
11. Glue the 8 points of your star together with disappearing glue stick.
12. Hang in your window with the clear mounting square.

Recommended Products

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  Removable Clear Mounting Squares
• 
  Disappearing Glue
• 
  Translucent Origami Paper
• 
  Kite Paper Squares

The post How to Make Kite Paper Stars – Simple Tutorial for a Classic Craft appeared first on Joyful Abode.

Looking for the simplest Waldorf kite paper star pattern? You’ve found it!

Anyone can make a beautiful sun catcher for their window out of translucent paper. This pattern gives young children the delight of creating their own decoration, while practicing fine motor skills. Please note though – it may be a bit tricky for kids ages 6 and under since it involves precise folding. Still, this is the easiest and simplest Waldorf paper star pattern, so it’s a great place to begin making window stars with your children.

If you wanted the basic design that most Waldorf schools teach first, you might want to check out this kite paper star pattern. And if you are looking for more complex paper window star tutorials, I’ve got you covered there too!

How to make a simple Waldorf star

Begin with a square piece of translucent paper. You can use kite paper or special translucent origami paper, but I don’t recommend using tissue paper since it’s harder to fold without tearing, and also fades more quickly in the sunshine.

Fold your paper in half diagonally, and crease well. This creates the center line you’ll use as a guide when folding the point of your Waldorf star.

Open your paper again and run your fingertip along the crease to smooth it out again, so your paper will lay flat. See your center guide line? Believe it or not, you’re almost done making your Waldorf star!

Fold each side of your paper so that the top edges align with the center crease you made. Crease well.

One point is done! See? It really is the simplest pattern for making a Waldorf star. Now make seven more points just like that one!

Then, glue the points together, each overlapping the previous one at the center crease. It’s easiest to watch the tutorial video to see how this is done. If you prefer to watch videos that have subtitles, you can see this tutorial with captioning on my YouTube channel.

Who will you make a Waldorf star for? Who will you make it with? I like making these with my children or by myself as a kind of meditative activity. My kids have plans to deliver these stars or kite paper window hearts to our neighbors so that everyone can have a bit of sunshine in their windows even during gloomy weather! Who would you like to share some cheer with?

Want to print directions for making your Waldorf star? Here’s a printable pattern so you can remember to make these window stars with your kids later on.

The Simplest Waldorf Star Pattern

Yield: 1 star

This folded paper star pattern is the simplest version of the Waldorf window star. Great for kids 7 and up to make. Try folding different colors of papers to make a whole sky full of star suncatchers!

Print

Materials

• 8 pieces of translucent origami paper or kite paper, square or 1:1 ratio
• disappearing glue stick
• removable mounting adhesive square

Instructions

1. Fold your paper in half diagonally, and crease well.
2. Open your paper again and run your fingertip along the crease to smooth it out again, so your paper will lay flat.
3. Fold each side of your paper so that the top edges align with the center crease you made. Crease well.
4. One point is done!
5. Now make seven more points just like that one!
6. Then, glue the points together, each overlapping the previous one at the center crease, to make your star suncatcher.
7. Hang in your window with the removable adhesive square (so you don't damage your window glass).

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Removable Clear Mounting Squares
• 
  Disappearing Glue
• 
  Translucent Origami Paper
• 
  Kite Paper Squares

The post The Simplest Waldorf Star Pattern – Beautiful and Easy Decoration appeared first on Joyful Abode.

Paper window hearts are so fun to make, and they’re really easy too. Kids can make them starting around 7 years old, but teens and adults will have fun with this too!

Maybe you’ve seen beautiful paper sun-catchers in your neighbors’ windows, or in your local Waldorf school and wondered how to make them. These paper window hearts are a GREAT way to try out the origami methods and create something beautiful.

Hang them in your own windows for Valentine’s Day, or all year long. And make enough to share with friends as a handmade Valentine card, or just to share your appreciation any time!

In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to make these beautiful hearts, step by step. You can watch the video to see the whole process, or use the photos and words if you learn better that way. Comment to let me know which instructions work best for you!

By the way, if you prefer video tutorials and need or prefer closed captioning, you can check out the tutorial on my YouTube channel, where there are subtitles.

Video tutorial for paper window hearts:

I made some of these Valentine’s Day window hearts while my kids were out playing, and when they came inside they noticed them on the window right away. My 10 year old exclaimed, “Did you make those hearts in the window? They look so beautiful! Thanks for putting them there.”

The suncatchers add a little bit of extra cheer to our playroom, where the kids spend a good amount of time each day, using their imaginations and playing together.

Origami paper hearts instructions:

You will need:

• Translucent Origami Paper, or Kite Paper cut into squares, two (2) squares per heart. Tissue paper is too thin and fragile.
• A disappearing glue stick
• Clear removable mounting squares, for hanging in your windows without damage.

Step 1: Fold your square in half diagonally. Crease well.

Step 2: Unfold your paper again, and smooth the crease with your fingertip so it will lie flat again.

Step 3: Fold your square diagonally again, the opposite direction. But this time, instead of creasing all the way across, just “mark” the center by making a tiny crease. Unfold the paper again.

Step 4: Fold the two side points into the center, where you’ve just marked. Crease well.

Step 5: Fold the bottom edges to the center line to make a narrower point. Crease well.

Step 6: Fold the top corner into the center of the square, but do not crease all the way across. Just mark the center with a tiny crease. Unfold the top point.

Step 7: Fold the top point to the place you just marked. Crease. You’ve made half of your origami heart!

Step 8: Repeat with the second square of translucent folding square to make the second half of your heart.

Step 9: Play around with the two halves of your origami heart to see how much you’d like them to overlap, keeping the bottom points lined up with each other. When you’ve decided, use your glue stick to glue only where the overlap is.

Your paper window heart is finished! Now craft as many as you’d like, to hang in your own windows or to share with friends and people you love.

And for more translucent paper crafts, be sure to head over to the Paper Window Stars tutorial hub! You’re going to have SO much fun making beautiful origami folded paper sun-catchers for all of your windows.

Paper Window Hearts - Origami Tutorial

Active Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 3 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Print

Materials

• Translucent Origami Paper, or Kite Paper cut into squares, two (2) squares per heart.
• A disappearing glue stick
• Clear removable mounting squares, for hanging in your windows without damage.

Instructions

1. Fold your square in half diagonally. Crease well.
2. Unfold your paper again, and smooth the crease with your fingertip so it will lie flat again.
3. Fold your square diagonally again, the opposite direction. But this time, instead of creasing all the way across, just “mark” the center by making a tiny crease. Unfold the paper again.
4. Fold the two side points into the center, where you’ve just marked. Crease well.
5. Fold the bottom edges to the center line to make a narrower point. Crease well.
6. Fold the top corner into the center of the square, but do not crease all the way across. Just mark the center with a tiny crease. Unfold the top point.
7. Fold the top point to the place you just marked. Crease. You’ve made half of your origami heart!
8. Repeat with the second square of translucent folding square to make the second half of your heart.
9. Play around with the two halves of your origami heart to see how much you’d like them to overlap, keeping the bottom points lined up with each other. When you’ve decided, use your glue stick to glue only where the overlap is.
10. Your paper window heart is finished! Now craft as many as you’d like, to hang in your own windows or to share with friends and people you love.

Notes

If you try this with tissue paper, you will be frustrated. Tissue paper is too thin and fragile, and using the recommended papers is key to your success.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Removable Clear Mounting Squares
• 
  Disappearing Glue
• 
  Translucent Origami Paper
• 
  Kite Paper Squares

The post Paper Window Hearts – DIY Valentine Crafts appeared first on Joyful Abode.