• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink

A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink

Simple Living, Homeschooling, Faith, Homemaking, & Books

  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Easy-To-Use Category Page
    • Books
      • Book Lists
      • A Month of Cozy Children’s Books
      • Picture Books for Children
      • Chapter Books for Children
    • Christian Devotionals
      • Morning Hope
      • Eventide Blessing
      • Streams in the Desert
    • Christian Faith
      • Prayer
      • Marriage
    • Current Events
      • Sallie’s Stack of Stuff
      • Grand Solar Minimum
    • Faithful Living In Difficult Times
    • Favorite Comfort Food Recipes
    • Free Printables
      • Free Homemaking Printables
      • Free Learning Printables & Worksheets
    • Gardening and Foraging
      • Foraging & Mushrooms
      • Intensive Regenerative Gardening
        • Building Soil
        • Food Storage
    • Gifted & 2e
      • Raising Gifted Children in the Christian Faith
      • Gifted/2e Parenting
      • Gifted/2e Homeschooling
    • Gracious Christian Parenting
    • Health
    • Holidays & Traditions
    • Home Business
    • Homemaking
    • Homeschooling
      • Relaxed Homeschooling
      • Homeschooling a Creative Child
      • Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices
      • Homeschool Mom Life
      • Homeschool Planning
      • Homeschool Relationships
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews
      • Right Brained Learners
      • Homeschooling High School
      • Homeschooling Middle School
      • Homeschooling Preschoolers
      • Homeschool Rooms
    • Introverts
    • Learning With Themes
    • Money
    • Our Simple Family Life
      • Only Child
      • Pregnancy & Baby
    • The Prudent & Prepared Homemaker
    • Restoring America
      • The Fourth Turning & The First Turning
    • Simple Living
    • Simple Living This Week
  • Tags
  • The Shop
    • A Full Year Shopping Pass
    • Explore The Shop By Category
    • Digital Products Terms of Use
    • Your Account Details
      • View Your Orders
      • Go To Your Downloads
    • Lost Password Help
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Social Media
  • Forum
  • Donate
  • My Recommendations

KonMari Method Before And After In Our Homeschool Room

You are here: Home / Homeschooling / Homeschool Rooms / KonMari Method Before And After In Our Homeschool Room

Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure statement.

August 1, 2015 by Sallie Borrink
3 Comments

I wrote a few months ago about “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and the impact it has had on my thinking. I believe part of the reason the KonMari method in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up resonated with me is I read it at just the right time. We’re going through some major transitions in our home, homeschooling, and parenting.

This week Caroline packed away the baby doll bed and high chair her grandpa made her. (Sniff!) She wants to do more young lady-ish things with her room. She still enjoys many toys and activities of a little girl, but I can clearly sense a bit of a transition going on.




Before Tidying Up

I posted about our Learning Room for this year a few weeks ago because it was time for the Not Back to School Blog Hop and I wanted to participate even though back to school was the farthest thing from my mind. (Click over to see the before pictures.) However, about a week after I did, I realized that it was time to change that room. When I looked critically at how it was being used from a tidying up standpoint, I felt like it was wasted space full of stuff we were not using. When I asked Caroline more about her preferences, I realized a few things.

It made more sense to move her craft materials upstairs to her bedroom. She is constantly running down to grab craft items since she prefers to work in her room. So we cleaned out the craft supplies to what she truly wanted and made room for them in her closet. (She has a small-ish walk in closet with lots of shelves.)

Once we moved what she wanted in her room up there, I was able to clear out what was left. Some of it went to the basement where we have an area where she can paint and do messy crafts. A little bit stayed to be used in our homeschooling this year. A lot of it was pitched or donated.  When I was done, I had plenty of room for our games and my Fellowes Binding Machine.

Tidying-2




I also realized we could move out the table and chairs and get rid of the computer desk. Then I had room to pull out the quilt rack my father-in-law had made for the quilt we received from David’s grandmother as a wedding gift. (The picture doesn’t do it justice. It is primarily greens, purples and yellows.) It has been packed in my cedar chest for years.

Tidying-4

After Tidying Up

In the end, we removed about a third of what was in the room. I was left with this.

Tidying-1

Every time I walk in the room now I can feel my body relax. It is simple and clean. The busy clutter is gone.

And do you know what else has happened? Since we cleaned out the room, I’ve gone in there every evening to play on my piano. That has never happened since we’ve had Caroline. Either from exhaustion or neck problems or my own sensory overload of a room with so much stuff in it, I’ve not played the piano much at all. Now I walk into a peaceful, tidy room and play beloved hymns for about a half an hour each evening. It is part of the life changing magic talked about in the book.

I feel like I have part of my life back.

A part of my life that I desperately needed to get back.

I’ve tolerated a lot of mess and “stuff” throughout our home over the past eight years. It’s part of having a baby, a toddler, a preschooler, a little girl, etc. I was happy to do it because it was what worked best for us then. But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t stressful. I can’t stand clutter and crowded spaces. We’ve reached the point where Caroline can keep most of her mess and activities in her room. And I’m thankful, to be perfectly honest.




I saw a meme online that said that clutter isn’t just about stuff. It’s also about old ideas. That struck me as true. Our learning room served a purpose for a few years, but even though I said a couple of weeks ago that I could envision a time when that purpose would change as Caroline changed I had no idea it would be so soon! But I can see that the learning room was an “old idea” for us that no longer matches up with where we are as a family. Now it’s time for us to move in other directions.

Now Caroline can make “carpet angels” in there. LOL!

Tidying-6

And do the tango with Caramel, her beloved giant bear!

Caroline in Learning Room

Caroline also discovered that Caramel likes being able to read a library book on his own. 🙂

Tidying-5

I still need to decide what to put over my desk in the corner, but for the most part the room is done. It is TIDY. Tomorrow I plan on tidying up my music in the piano bench, but that’s the last task. There is nothing in the room that we don’t need, want or use.

Tidying-3

Tidying up a part of your home with the KonMari Method can truly be life changing.

KonMari Method Before and After in Our Homeschool Room

 23  
Category: Homeschool RoomsTag: Clutter

Recommended For You

Our Homeschool Learning Room For Third Grade

Creative Ways to Re-Energize Your Homeschool Space

Our Homeschool Learning Room For First Grade

The Gift Of Creativity and Beauty In Our Homeschool

 

Spreading Traditional Goodness, Beauty, Truth, and Hope

Please click here to donate. Thank you! ♥

Previous Post: « How To Start Homeschooling A Kindergartener
Next Post: Why We Decided To Stop Eating Together As A Family »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. P Thomas

    August 2, 2015 at 2:10 pm

    Caramel looks like a much loved and very studious bear. I have Percy and Hilda who are about the same size. Every youngster should have a bear like them.

    And yes, the life changing abilities of having a good tidy up are something I enjoy too.

    Good luck and God bless with the next stage of your family’s life.

    Reply
  2. Renae

    January 26, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    I love this! We have just started this method of tidying up and have found that we have way too much stuff…in boxes, in the garage!

    Reply
    • Sallie

      February 9, 2019 at 8:30 am

      Hi Renae!

      I think most people don’t truly grasp how much they have in their home until they start actually going through it.

      I also think there are phases to life that make people more willing to throw things out and less willing. It’s a process.

      Happy tidying up!
      Sallie

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Thank you for your comment. I read and appreciate each one even if I am unable to respond.

Sidebar

Welcome! I’m Sallie, Christian wife, mother, homebody, relaxed homeschooler, autodidact, truth seeker, and digital soldier. Traditional and conservative both theologically and politically. I value freedom to live quiet and simple lives. I don't apologize for being white. Please start here. ♥

Chit Chat

~ Forum thread covering ROE V. WADE ruling by SCOTUS

~ I can't believe I missed the white supremacy/privilege angle. READ THIS: The Assault on Children’s Psyches - California’s ethnic-studies curriculum is fueling a mental-health crisis among teenagers.

~ I'm trying out a daily "Sallie's Stack" thread in the Forum, right at the top.

~ In the process of setting up ads with a new company (Ezoic). I'm aware there are a LOT OF ADS right now. I appreciate your patience while we get it set up. If you turn off your adblocker on my site, I will truly appreciate it. ♥

~ Thank you second quarter donors! ♥ ED, AC, BO (x2), AC (x3), DH (Initials only for privacy)

~ Did you put on the Armor of God this morning? Ephesians 6:10-20

Popular Posts Today

  • Forum (Read-Only)
  • Home Page
  • What Was In The Envelopes At President Bush’s Funeral?
  • The Ultimate List of AIP Comfort Food Recipes
  • Recommended Video: “Take Your Children Out Of School” – Psychiatrist Dr.…
  • Copywork Printables in Print & Cursive
  • The Ginghams Paper Dolls (Free!)
  • Why I Reject Minimalism
  • Weekly Homemaking Checklist – Free Printables
  • Morning Hope – 1 Kings 19
  • Classical Conversations Negatives And Why We Didn’t Join
  • The Cozy Life In America (and Why I Prefer It To the Danish Hygge)
  • Choosing Our Relaxed Homeschooling High School Path
  • Understanding “The Devolution Series” By Patel Patriot
  • 5 Health Choices That Changed My Life
  • 100 Wholesome Books For Girls And Tweens
  • Embracing Multipotentiality As A Gifted Adult – Heather’s Story

Categories

In Your Cart

Popular Today – My Shop

  • A Quiet Simple Life Planner & Guidebook (January 2021 – December 2022)
  • Butterfly Fun Facts Cards
  • Butterfly Copywork – Print & Cursive
  • Garden Printable Activity Pack
  • Polar Animals Lapbook, Interactive Notebook
  • Graphing Activity – Apples
  • Addition and Subtraction Worksheet – Missing Sign
  • Pumpkins Print & Go Learning Unit
  • Squirrels Fun Facts Copywork – Free

Recent Comments

  • Peggy on Simple Living This Week No. 87
  • Cheryl on Do You Take Your Own Bible To Church?
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 22, 2022 (They Are Doing This On Purpose)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – May 18, 2022 (The Great Replacement Theory)
  • Brenda Nuland on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 22, 2022 (They Are Doing This On Purpose)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 22, 2022 (They Are Doing This On Purpose)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – May 18, 2022 (The Great Replacement Theory)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 20, 2022
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 20, 2022
  • Barbara on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 20, 2022

New Post Alerts

Get new posts by email

Powered by follow.it

 

Access Everything

Contact Me • Privacy Policy • Disclaimers & Affiliates

Copyright © 2022 · A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme

Scroll Up