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creating space to breathe

Although Charlotte is very excited about her new baby (who is being called Violet, which will be super awkward if we find out it's a boy), I worry that we're going through a developmental stage right now where she needs a lot of guidance and a lot of discipline; and I don't mean discipline like spanking, I mean it in the idea of helping her learn what's acceptable and what's not. This has never been an issue for us -- until she started 4K at the public school. Now there's a lot of talking back and potty talk and just general defiance. I don't expect her to be perfect, but I also don't expect my 4-year-old to lash out at me like she's a teenager. It's too much.

So while I do not really 'do' New Year's resolutions, I do have a goal that I've been working on.  I'd like to minimalize our life so that the time I would typically spend cleaning or organizing can instead be spent with her. I've been on a really great purging binge lately and I think I've sent like 8 bags to Thred Up in the past two weeks. If it's not bringing functionality to us or making us happy, it's hurting us and it just has to go. I started on her toy room last night but want her to be more involved in that process so that it's not me just chuckin' her stuff. I may approach that last. I've been downsizing my wardrobe, the 'clutter' around the house in the form of sentimental objects.

If my house burns down tomorrow, my concern will be "did my family make it out and where can we go?" There isn't much in this house that can't be replaced. We have a firebox that stores our important legal documents so on that front, I feel covered. The knick-knacks and dust collectors... I need more white space in my life so that I can breathe. 

I'm open to any advice if you have taken this path before. Just need our home to mean a little more than being full of stuff. It needs to be a home. I need my daughter to feel warm, safe, and able to open up to us because if this is foreshadowing to her teenage years, I am going to need way more wine and a whole lotta Jesus.

xo
D

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