Many of us spent this past weekend celebrating Thanksgiving. Spending time with family and friends sharing a savory meal of turkey, veggies and pie. It is a time when many of us recognize and acknowledge the blessings in our lives and give thanks.

It’s great. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling just thinking about it. But it makes me wonder, if it feels so good and makes us happy, why do so many of us wait until the holidays to express our gratitude? Wonderful things happen everyday, in every moment that we should be grateful for.

Oprah Winfrey

Studies have shown that the more grateful you are for things in your life, the happier you are and the more good things will come to you. Leaders and prominent figures in the world are leading the way by talking about gratitude and it’s effects on their lives. Sixteen years ago, Oprah Winfrey started a gratitude journal, in which she writes down 5 things everyday that she is grateful for. She believes that this is one of the best things she has ever done in her life.

Being grateful is easy. If you appreciate and love what you have you will receive more. Even the simplest things, like someone holding the door open for you, or bringing you flowers, smiling. We often forget how some of the simplier things in life can bring us such joy and beauty. When we take note of them, they increase. We become more alive and receptive to the goodness that is in our lives and it keeps us living in the present moment.

I know there are many challenges in life and there are days when you wonder how you can be grateful for anything. On those days especially it is important to identify things that you are grateful for. If the kids have been screaming and you have been going crazy, then all of a sudden you have 5 minutes of silence and the kids playing happily, be grateful! Say thank you – you’ll get more!

Being grateful changes your state of being, brings a sense of peace, contentment and more overall happiness in your life. If you practice being grateful everyday, then everyday will be beautiful and wonderful, no matter if it seems like the world is falling down around you.

The key thing is to write down the things you are grateful for. Writing them down creates more power in your words; and your hands are a direct connection to your heart, so writing them down strengthens this connection. Creates more love and genuine appreciation.

I know you may be sitting there grumbling that this is all mumbo jumbo, so if you don’t believe it do an experiment. Start a gratitude journal and write down 3-5 things every day that you are grateful for. Do this for a week and notice what happens, notice how you feel, notice what has come to you. Then do it for another week and notice again. You may find that things not only are improving in your life but that your overall sense of well being has improved.

And it is easy to teach this to your kids. Most families are very diligent about teaching our children to say please and thank you, but if we can teach them to do a bit more then this will open them up to such beauty in their lives.

Yesterday when Luke and Chloe came home they noticed the snowsuit and snowpants that I had brought up. They had not seen these before so to them they were new. As soon as they saw them they were both saying, “Oh! thank you Mommy!” like they were the best things in the world. They immediately were trying them on, oohing and awing. It was a totally simple thing but they were showing gratitude. No one prompted them, no said they had too. They just did. I feel that if we can all nuture this in each of our children we will create a very different world.

With young children you can ask them at the end of each day before they go to bed what they are grateful for. With older children you can have them tell you but also write them down in their own journal. I believe that if we share what we are grateful for it increases, spreads out like the ripple effect. And doing it before bed is a wonderful time to do so because ending your day with things you are grateful for and make you feel good, happy; you are more likely to wake up in the morning feeling the same way. And isn’t that a great way to start your days? for you and the kids?

Gratitude is not a new thing and there are many ways to express it. But it is important that we do, everyday, not just on holidays or special occasions. It’s all part of creating what we want in our lives, focus on what is good and you will create more good. And I am guessing that we would all like more of the good things in our lives.

Decluttering is a big part of our lives. I always seem to be doing it and looking for better and easier ways to do it. There is no doubt about it, we as a society have a lot of ‘stuff’, and in essence a lot of ‘things’ that get us bogged down, and prevent us from doing or creating the things in our lives that we really want.

There are all kinds of articles and guides available on how to declutter your home from top 10 tips to 30 days to a clutter free home, but not many discuss how beneficial decluttering is for our well being.

Have you ever thought of getting rid of something you really didn’t like and then said “No I can’t because my Mom gave it to me”. But you still don’t like it, so you hide it on the bookshelf or put it back in the box. But it’s still there and it takes up space, it’s draining your energy.

Renowned author, storyteller, vibrational healer and six sensory spiritual teacher, Sonia Choquette says that if there is something in your possession that you don’t like to get rid of it. If it doesn’t make you feel joyful and happy then it is a draining force in your life, it is preventing you from getting what you really want. Everything in our lives is made up of energy, we are energy, as are all the other things in our lives. We feel better when we are surrounded by good positive energy, whether it be people or objects, when we have space to move and flow.

Clearing your space is like clearing your mind, opening up and creating space for new things to come in. This weekend I had the opportunity to do a major declutter in my home. I went through toys, clothes, sorted, organized and purged. Anything that was not in use or too small went into a donation bag, anything that was broken into the trash. I organized the toys and put them together in like piles and then into containers. I cleaned and dusted shelves, wiped out baskets. At one point on Saturday night my entire house was piles of things to organize or deal with. I find that when you are doing a big clean up like that that you often have a big mess before you get to the clean, neat and organized part. It’s like the storm before the calm. You have to create the mess and lay everything out so you can see what’s what, then you are better able to deal with it.

By Sunday afternoon my piles were dealt with, donations to the car, garbage was out and things were organized and back on shelves. The house felt calm, clear, clean and spacious. And I felt good, not only that I had accomplished something but that I could live here, sit and relax and not feel like I was in the middle of chaos.

Clearing your space also creates many health benefits such as better sleep, more energy, better physical, emotional and spiritual health as well as improved health overall. It creates the ability to generate fresh energy, a positive mental and physical space as well as allowing us to release negative emotions.

Now I know that with kids and a family you cannot create piles all over the house and then clean up. It just won’t work, kids get into piles. move things around and then you have a larger mess. So start small, work on one area at a time, even if it is only a corner. Set yourself up for success, once you complete an area you’ll notice how good it feels, then move on to another.

5 Tips to Declutter with Ease

Decluttering does take time but it can be done is small amounts with great results not only for your home but for your well being. Here are a few quick decluttering tips to get you started.

Start small – do an area that is manageable and that you can be successful in completing, this will encourage you to do more and not make it feel so overwhelming
Adopt the in with the new out with old mentality – if you buy something new, move at least one old item out. My rule is often 2-3 old items, especially with clothing, as my goal is to create space so I want the new item but I also want a little more space.
Purge before you organize – it is good to organize, but go through and take out the items that are broken, you don’t like or no longer use. Then organize what you have left.
Be ruthless! If you have not worn that sweater in 3 years out it goes. Don’t save it cause you might wear it, you won’t. If it’s still good give it away, there is someone out there who can use it.
Visualize the result – visualize what you want that space, that area, the house to look like. Hold that picture in your mind as you go through everything.

Want a little extra help? Put this diffuser blend on while you clean. It will motivate and inspire you to get that clutter out!

Add the following essential oils to your diffuser:

2 drops Lemongrass

1 drop Lime

1 drop Douglas Fir

Blend by Desiree Mangandog author of I Am Fabulous

Going through things can also be a reflective time for you, a clearing of the mind. It is a way to process thoughts, reminisce and let go. There may be things mentally or emotionally that you have been holding onto that are holding you back from getting what you really want. If you clear it out of your mind, then you create space for what you want to come in.

This morning when I got up I felt great after all the work I’d done. Lighter, freer, happier. Not only was the space in my house clear, I had cleared the space and energy in my mind and body. Is there more decluttering to be done? Yes, but I feel I have made a good start and that I have opened up space for more of what I really want in my life.

So the next time you look at the ugly vase from Auntie Sue and say “Ugh I really don’t like that” maybe it’s time to move it out, as it could be the one thing that is preventing you from having what you really want in your life.

Momma On The Move

Tag Archives: well being

The Art of Gratitude

Declutter your House, Declutter your Mind

5 Tips to Declutter with Ease