I so loved watching you with the children. Part of my job is teach parenting thru a video analysis system so I can’t unsee that in videos but when I see parenting being done well, it just blesses my heart so much. The way you are tuned in and connected to them will build into them more than any process. I pray the Lord will bless you with knowing what an amazing mom you are. I’m catching up on your videos and they are the perfect companion for this rainy Maryland Saturday.
Wow, this was great. I love that you allowed them to make the decisions on what to keep and what to declutter and you gave them time and space to make those decisions. ❤
Love that you’re teaching them the small wins and giving space to make decisions. The post declutter clean up is the hardest for me too. But it’s such the big psychological win for my brain so I fight to finish that strong. ❤️
Great job Erica on having your children sort and tidy their toys. I think you were right to get them to assess what toys they wanted to keep because, like you said, it teaches them transferable decision making skills. Research shows kids that have too many toys often play less effectively and suffer with sensory overload and decisions making fatigue. This is especially true of children with ADHD. You must be so proud of yourself that you pushed through to the end of the process with them and didn’t try to rush the process, or speed it up by doing it all for them. You are an amazingly good parent Erica, as you really engage with all your children; and that is what most kids want most of all - A listening and communicative ear of their parent or guardians.
I take care of my granddaughter since she was 6 months old, now 5 1/2, and help home school while my daughter works. She has always been around when I declutter. So when I approached when she was 4 to help me go through her toys she asked, “Gran are we going to play your keep let it go game?” I laughed. She had been listening to me. Keep. Let it go. Put it where it belongs. So now we play that game whenever it is time to clean or declutter together. Of course we discuss if it does not fit - ok to let it go. Broken or missing parts; don’t play with it anymore; make room for new things, ok to let it go. Keep it - then it has to fit in this space easily. Never to young or old to learn.
We have a rule of only one building toy in the house. So since the kids have Legos, they don't get another kind of thing like Duplos or K'nex. It helps keep the amount of toys down.
Wow! That took a lot of patience on your part to let them talk and work through their thoughts. I also love that they got rid of some things after they decluttered, and you got things organized.
It looks great all done, what a difference reducing the inventory makes. Jack was so cute in those roller skates 🙂 I love the change of seasons and focusing on the inside of my house again, and making it clean and cozy. I’ve been sorting and washing windows….never ends but all good.
You’ve become such an amazing student of child development, honing techniques for working with kids with ADHD. In another life, I’d have loved being colleagues with you!
I like this set up much better. Looks great! Now that there are less bins, could you turn them and fit them all on the two bottom shelves? Maybe leave the top for pretty decor, such as plants, pictures, candle etc…
Yes, exactly! This is a lesson in itself. Just taking advantage of those learning moments. I noticed that my kids are more behaved too when all of those little daily annoyances can be decreased. My husband is the same way. While I am home, I’d like to make sure that all of those little things are in its place because you can lose valuable time and your day can go a whole different way when those little annoyances, such as not being able to find something, come up. Also, your your child might come to you himself later on and say he no longer wants the Duplo blocks using the same verbiage that you said to him?. Then you’ll know he was listening. 😀
Yes. Decluttering is an ongoing process. That's life. Thank you Erica, love watching your videos. I wish I had your videos when I was raising my kids. Now I am an empty nester, but I feel I did the best that I could. But second guess myself at times.
It is super hard to organise and declutter with children just because they love everything. Mari Kondo is not a useful strategy for them. I find toy circulation yo be way more efficient to keeping clutter levels manageble. I also think allowing them to have 2-3 months to live with their things before changing it up is a good idea so they don't constantly feel stressed by the changes.
I wish I had had your level of maturity when my children were young...they're mid-fifties now. There is so much i would have done differently. Do you happen to tell your children that toys sometimes go to children who otherwise can't afford them? Sometimes that helps them part with things.
Decluttering with kids seems like a challenge, I loved that you are teaching them vs demanding! Asking the important questions is a good lesson for all us with decluttering challenges ❤️ thanks for sharing today.
Wow, that was really incredible. 👍 You’ve given your kids so much agency for themselves just by demonstrating your thought process again and again. Very inspiring!
Excellent! Erica you have taught them through your own growing pains of decluttering. What they are not ready to let go of yet maybe they will decide to declutter the next time. Kudos to you for allowing them to make the decisions on their own. God bless you and your family.
Great job involving the kids! It was great that they came to some decluttering decisions after they had gone through the process. I can't help but think that will carry forward as they grow and eventually have their own homes someday!❤
but also let them know it can be donated to to a child who may not have diplows, (sorry, i dont know the spelling, i dont have kids) and like adults, give a limit, if it hasnt been played with in say 6 months then it will be donated.
Great job everyone... that was hard work! Interesting that the youngest was more ready to declutter after the job was done (but apparently not over). I know everyone says to declutter before organizing but maybe that doesn't work for everyone or every situation.
Thank you for sharing this with us! It is so so hard to declutter with kids. What big words and feelings your son had about the duplo. My kids 4,6,9 still sometimes play duplo, so it’s still on our shelf ❤
Hi Erica!!! Love your videos!! Sometimes if they want that particular toy maybe try to have "half" of it available to them? I found sometimes having less of the item will make them play with it more because it's less overwhelming...I am a preschool teacher and I will do that sometimes but I know your children are much older...
My grandsons when younger also only liked and played with trains that they had to push around rather than a motor and mostly pushing around on the floor rather than a track 😊
When my son was seven he wanted to buy something. I told him he could use his pocket money if he wanted. He said he would. He had major buyers remorse that really affected him. I told him he could return the item but he’d have to do it with me. I needed him to see there was implications to purchases. He was so relieved when he got his money back. From that point on he was very careful. If I’d have bought that item he’d have just kept it I’m sure. It was the fact that it was his money that impacted. I started giving him pocket money aged five so he could learn. He’s now 20 and able to put himself through a four year PHD using what he saved and working part time. He still very careful about his purchases still.😊
I haven't watched the whole video yet but I just saw the gorgeous duplo conversation with your kiddo. I want to share a story about my 8 yo... due to our own conversations, he understands the concept of money too. So when we started talking about decluttering some of his toys, he asked me if he could sell them so that he could have money to buy Robux. Which was a huge (self identified) incentive for him. So we were able to discuss which things were worth trying to sell vs donate, how much second hand toys are worth, and when items did sell, and we let him answer the door to see very excited parents come and pick up the toys and hand him the cash. IMO conversations around finances and decluttering are important. And if it's done in a way that's educational and pragmatic rather than making it emotional and scary, it should set them up for some awesome financial habits in the future.
I find your videos so helpful because you talk through the process. I am not watching you run around putting things away and throwing stuff out-your talking helps me make sense of how to declutter. Love your channel. Your kids are so sweet!
Great job our 12 yr old came to Total money make over and realize you can be an Everyday Millionaire and retire at 30 and he is on that financial track! The more u have the More u can give and Bless others❤
Could the bench be a place for your seasonal books that you previously put on the plant stand? Could the computer games go on the shelves in the end table? I think it would look better and computer games should probably not be exposed to the sun.
Well done, mama (& kids!) Good thinking, good taking the time to talk it over and take the time to let everyone rest in between and just think. (Critical thinking day! Plus organization known as "life skills" and also teaching determination, perseverance, and completion. Again, well done! Love that you're back and doing videos again - praying it's helping you, too!
Thank you for sharing YOUR day with us, your family is adorable. I enjoy watching you experimenting, moving things around to keep a positive flow in the home as your kids grow up.
For me it is like: do you think xy is worth the money? If it's a yes, you buy it, if not, you don't. After that, it is just about use, maybe this helps ❤
My kids actually love donating toys and clothes to other kids. I am very fortunate in that aspect.
I love to watch how you interact and process with the kids- great job😊
I so loved watching you with the children. Part of my job is teach parenting thru a video analysis system so I can’t unsee that in videos but when I see parenting being done well, it just blesses my heart so much. The way you are tuned in and connected to them will build into them more than any process. I pray the Lord will bless you with knowing what an amazing mom you are. I’m catching up on your videos and they are the perfect companion for this rainy Maryland Saturday.
Wow, this was great. I love that you allowed them to make the decisions on what to keep and what to declutter and you gave them time and space to make those decisions. ❤
Love that you’re teaching them the small wins and giving space to make decisions. The post declutter clean up is the hardest for me too. But it’s such the big psychological win for my brain so I fight to finish that strong. ❤️
A suggestion, how about ”only” having 8 toy boxes and keeping the top clean. I think that would give a calmer feeling. Great job!
Great job Erica on having your children sort and tidy their toys. I think you were right to get them to assess what toys they wanted to keep because, like you said, it teaches them transferable decision making skills. Research shows kids that have too many toys often play less effectively and suffer with sensory overload and decisions making fatigue. This is especially true of children with ADHD. You must be so proud of yourself that you pushed through to the end of the process with them and didn’t try to rush the process, or speed it up by doing it all for them. You are an amazingly good parent Erica, as you really engage with all your children; and that is what most kids want most of all - A listening and communicative ear of their parent or guardians.
I take care of my granddaughter since she was 6 months old, now 5 1/2, and help home school while my daughter works. She has always been around when I declutter. So when I approached when she was 4 to help me go through her toys she asked, “Gran are we going to play your keep let it go game?” I laughed. She had been listening to me. Keep. Let it go. Put it where it belongs. So now we play that game whenever it is time to clean or declutter together. Of course we discuss if it does not fit - ok to let it go. Broken or missing parts; don’t play with it anymore; make room for new things, ok to let it go. Keep it - then it has to fit in this space easily. Never to young or old to learn.
You are so sweet, loving, intellectual, and so good in many other seriously important psychological interactions with your children!!👏🏻👏🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻❤️
We have a rule of only one building toy in the house. So since the kids have Legos, they don't get another kind of thing like Duplos or K'nex. It helps keep the amount of toys down.
The fistbump 😂 "Dude, come on, don't leave me hanging" 😂
Wow! That took a lot of patience on your part to let them talk and work through their thoughts. I also love that they got rid of some things after they decluttered, and you got things organized.
It looks great all done, what a difference reducing the inventory makes. Jack was so cute in those roller skates 🙂 I love the change of seasons and focusing on the inside of my house again, and making it clean and cozy. I’ve been sorting and washing windows….never ends but all good.
Thank you for this!! Toys are really hard!
You’ve become such an amazing student of child development, honing techniques for working with kids with ADHD. In another life, I’d have loved being colleagues with you!
You're so patient with your children. I wish I'd taken more time when we were cleaning and decluttering my children's rooms. Take care, Linda 🦋
Your card game organization is peaceful sigh inducing
Wow! Wish you had been around when my kids were little!! You are so wise in dealing with your children and their stuff.
Amazing video…great job! ☺️
Love this! They did such a great job! I struggle with that last step of putting things away in other spots also. ❤
Your home feels so calm and cozy. I really enjoy your videos, Erica!
I like this set up much better. Looks great! Now that there are less bins, could you turn them and fit them all on the two bottom shelves? Maybe leave the top for pretty decor, such as plants, pictures, candle etc…
Thank you for the wholesome content ❤ I just got off TikTok 😂
Well done to you all 👏👏👏👏 ye all did a fantastic job. Have a great week. Mary, Joes wife 👏💪👍🙏💐
Love how you are teaching them small ways to make decisions on keeping their toys and great accomplishments to you Erica.
Yes, exactly! This is a lesson in itself. Just taking advantage of those learning moments. I noticed that my kids are more behaved too when all of those little daily annoyances can be decreased. My husband is the same way. While I am home, I’d like to make sure that all of those little things are in its place because you can lose valuable time and your day can go a whole different way when those little annoyances, such as not being able to find something, come up. Also, your your child might come to you himself later on and say he no longer wants the Duplo blocks using the same verbiage that you said to him?. Then you’ll know he was listening. 😀
Yes. Decluttering is an ongoing process. That's life. Thank you Erica, love watching your videos. I wish I had your videos when I was raising my kids. Now I am an empty nester, but I feel I did the best that I could. But second guess myself at times.
Everything about this video is just lovely ❤
It is super hard to organise and declutter with children just because they love everything. Mari Kondo is not a useful strategy for them. I find toy circulation yo be way more efficient to keeping clutter levels manageble. I also think allowing them to have 2-3 months to live with their things before changing it up is a good idea so they don't constantly feel stressed by the changes.
I loved this Erica!!
I wish I had had your level of maturity when my children were young...they're mid-fifties now. There is so much i would have done differently. Do you happen to tell your children that toys sometimes go to children who otherwise can't afford them? Sometimes that helps them part with things.
Especially for your youngest, do you ever just make things disappear that you know they won't miss?
did you know regular lego fits on duple for a quicker build?
❤🎉😊🌞🌻🌟🤗
I think your kids are wonderful. I have never seen any sign of hyperactivity in them. They are normal kids.
Decluttering with kids seems like a challenge, I loved that you are teaching them vs demanding! Asking the important questions is a good lesson for all us with decluttering challenges ❤️ thanks for sharing today.
Wow, that was really incredible. 👍 You’ve given your kids so much agency for themselves just by demonstrating your thought process again and again. Very inspiring!
I love your calm and patience.
Excellent! Erica you have taught them through your own growing pains of decluttering. What they are not ready to let go of yet maybe they will decide to declutter the next time. Kudos to you for allowing them to make the decisions on their own. God bless you and your family.
It's something how stuff just creeps in. It's hard for me to stay vigilant and I only have a husband to contend with.
Great job involving the kids! It was great that they came to some decluttering decisions after they had gone through the process. I can't help but think that will carry forward as they grow and eventually have their own homes someday!❤
but also let them know it can be donated to to a child who may not have diplows, (sorry, i dont know the spelling, i dont have kids) and like adults, give a limit, if it hasnt been played with in say 6 months then it will be donated.
Great job everyone... that was hard work! Interesting that the youngest was more ready to declutter after the job was done (but apparently not over). I know everyone says to declutter before organizing but maybe that doesn't work for everyone or every situation.
Thank you for sharing this with us! It is so so hard to declutter with kids. What big words and feelings your son had about the duplo. My kids 4,6,9 still sometimes play duplo, so it’s still on our shelf ❤
Hi Erica!!! Love your videos!! Sometimes if they want that particular toy maybe try to have "half" of it available to them? I found sometimes having less of the item will make them play with it more because it's less overwhelming...I am a preschool teacher and I will do that sometimes but I know your children are much older...
Thanks 4 sharing! Ur children r very blessed 2 have U 4 such a luving n patient Momma! Well done n Excellent job!
👏👏👏👍💞🥰🥰🥰
My grandsons when younger also only liked and played with trains that they had to push around rather than a motor and mostly pushing around on the floor rather than a track 😊
👏👏👏👏👏✅
When my son was seven he wanted to buy something. I told him he could use his pocket money if he wanted. He said he would. He had major buyers remorse that really affected him. I told him he could return the item but he’d have to do it with me. I needed him to see there was implications to purchases. He was so relieved when he got his money back. From that point on he was very careful. If I’d have bought that item he’d have just kept it I’m sure. It was the fact that it was his money that impacted. I started giving him pocket money aged five so he could learn. He’s now 20 and able to put himself through a four year PHD using what he saved and working part time. He still very careful about his purchases still.😊
I haven't watched the whole video yet but I just saw the gorgeous duplo conversation with your kiddo.
I want to share a story about my 8 yo... due to our own conversations, he understands the concept of money too. So when we started talking about decluttering some of his toys, he asked me if he could sell them so that he could have money to buy Robux. Which was a huge (self identified) incentive for him. So we were able to discuss which things were worth trying to sell vs donate, how much second hand toys are worth, and when items did sell, and we let him answer the door to see very excited parents come and pick up the toys and hand him the cash.
IMO conversations around finances and decluttering are important. And if it's done in a way that's educational and pragmatic rather than making it emotional and scary, it should set them up for some awesome financial habits in the future.
Love your tossy tossy this
week!
Mount Laurel NJ here! Batten down the hatch.... here comes the nor-easter!
I find your videos so helpful because you talk through the process. I am not watching you run around putting things away and throwing stuff out-your talking helps me make sense of how to declutter. Love your channel. Your kids are so sweet!
If you turned the bins the opposite direction, you may have space to clear that top shelf and allow a clear sight-line out the window. :)
Good job Mom!
OT - Erica, you look like you’ve lost more weight. Yay!!🤗
Great job our 12 yr old came to Total money make over and realize you can be an Everyday Millionaire and retire at 30 and he is on that financial track! The more u have the More u can give and Bless others❤
Could the bench be a place for your seasonal books that you previously put on the plant stand? Could the computer games go on the shelves in the end table? I think it would look better and computer games should probably not be exposed to the sun.
So glad you are back making videos again - you are fantastic Erica - I hope that it is healing for you too.
Clear bins are a great idea, but if you want to “calm this shelf down”, well-labelled opaque bins might do the trick better
Wow. I cringed when the kids dumped everything out of the bins! But it ended up great!!
If the duplo doesnt get played with in next few months will you get rid of it or let your son decide again ?
Erica, that little pair of jeans is really cute on you!
Ooohh blanket hooks! Love it!
Well done, mama (& kids!) Good thinking, good taking the time to talk it over and take the time to let everyone rest in between and just think. (Critical thinking day! Plus organization known as "life skills" and also teaching determination, perseverance, and completion.
Again, well done!
Love that you're back and doing videos again - praying it's helping you, too!
Way to hang in there!
I prefer the toy thing under the window if it's staying in the living space.
Thank you for sharing YOUR day with us, your family is adorable. I enjoy watching you experimenting, moving things around to keep a positive flow in the home as your kids grow up.
This is definitely what I need to do at my house ❤ Declutter!
Great job kids! It's hard and tiring to go thru our stuff! Those benches are really cute by the way!
For me it is like: do you think xy is worth the money? If it's a yes, you buy it, if not, you don't. After that, it is just about use, maybe this helps ❤