Lent begins Wednesday and there couldn’t be a better time to spend some time reenergizing and ordering our homes. So what does Lent have to do with organization and the keeping of our home? More specifically with home education?
Lent is a season of self-examination, fasting and penance in preparation for Easter. A time to turn our lives more completely to Christ and leave behind an old way, medicine a cluttered way of performing a task in order to embrace a new, more holy (orderly) way of living.
Organization is more of a habit than a skill. A habit that is very much worth sharpening in ourselves and instilling in our children. I’m a firm believer that if we have a physical space free of clutter, its much easier to focus on our spiritual lives. The same is true for our children. If they live and work in a space free of unneeded clutter, it leaves their hearts and minds open to ponder more beautiful thoughts.
“ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious…think about these things” {Philippians 4:8}
Lent is a great time to tackle this specific project of clearing our homes of unneeded items. It’s a challenge. As homeschoolers we have lots of things that we “need”, books, craft supplies, books, curriculum guides, hands on learning materials and more books! Those of us with more than a couple of kids tend to have clutter multiply before our eyes. Plus, we’re busy and it can be tough to add one more “to do” item to our list. But taking a full 40 days to tackle different areas in the home can be very manageable.
A couple of years ago my husband and I had several areas in our home that needed some attention. We sat down and made of list of the problem areas and wrote each one on a specific weekend of the calendar. Each weekend we worked together to complete the project. Working together made the projects go more quickly and efficiently. We were also able to have our children join in on the endeavor.
At the end of the six weeks our home was less cluttered and we had some new, more efficient ways of organizing our things. We were on our way to cultivating new habits of organization for the entire family. The very best habit is to continually be in de-clutter mode, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Lent is a wonderful time to embark on a more organized and streamlined home.
Another popular way to declutter during Lent is to do a “40 Bags in 40 Days” challenge. While it may seem impossible to fill up 40 bags worth of stuff, remember that no one is checking in on your bag size, whether it’s a garbage bag or a much smaller grocery bag, the point is that you are getting rid of items that are getting in the way of your most important job, creating a home that is focused on Christ. By the time Easter arrives both our homes and our hearts are ready to welcome the risen Lord.
Here is one mom’s list of her forty areas to de-clutter. While you’re in the de-clutter mode, here’s a great way to keep your items organized until making the trip to donate your gently used things.
Jen is a wife to one amazing husband and mom to six energetic kids. Visit Forever, For Always, No Matter What where she blogs about their Catholic faith, homeschooling and adoption. @jen4ever4always
Robin says
I need to join you in decluttering. What a wonderful concept. Declutter yourself physically by eating healthy and thus, removing toxins and feeling better. And you know how I love self examining myself and making changes. And, my house could use a face lift, as well!
Jen says
It’s a very good time to make a clean sweep of everything! Thanks for reading and I appreciate your comment 🙂
shannon coe says
I am working on the decluttering as well. What little I have done has brought peace and tranquility that I wasn’t expecting. It is very hard to purge, but having felt some benefit, it inspires me!
Jen says
It is hard to get rid of things sometimes! It’s also a challenge to find the time to get it done, but well worth it!
Caroline says
I actually find I enjoy GETTING RID OF STUFF! 🙂 I did a version of “40 bags in 40 days” last year and am thankful I did! Good post.
Jen says
Thanks Caroline. I find it easier to get rid of other people’s stuff rather than my own 😉