Teacher by trade, Mother by nature: Search results for KOMONO

My KonMari Journey: KOMONO: KITCHEN - EATING

KonMari, My KonMari Journey, organise March 31, 2016

Welcome to 'My KonMari Journey' series. Over the next few months I will be sharing my progress, as I make my way through the KonMari Method, based on the best-seller book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' by Japanese organising enthusiast, Marie Kondo.

Today I am sharing - KOMONO: Kitchen - Eating

KONMARI WITH KIDS: KOMONO - DVDS, STATIONERY, CRAFT, HOBBIES AND BEDROOM DECOR.

Kids, Komono, KonMari, KonMari With Kids May 22, 2017

Welcome to my new series: 'KonMari With Kids'.

If you have just joined me - WELCOME - I recently completed the KonMari method with my OWN belongings, read 'My KonMari Journey' to see how I did. Now, it's time to get stuck into my kid's stuff - I have two children: Miss B, 12 years old and Master M, 3 years old.

Previously on the blog, I shared how I KonMari'd my kids clothes (Baby, Toddler and Tween), their books., Paper - including Art Work and School Memorabilia, TOYS, and now it's time for the rest of KOMONO (miscellaneous items).

*******

- KOMONO -

Marie suggests children as young as three years old can decide what gives them joy and the key principle is that each person should be making the decisions for themselves. Before you tackle your kids items, she does recommend you KonMari your own belongings first.

I found Komono (miscellaneous items) quite overwhelming, only because there are so many sub-categories within the category. I thought I was never going to get out of Komono, but I did! (You can read about it here)

In Kondo's second book, Spark Joy, she mentions that "The key to fast and efficient komono tidying is to know your categories". Once you have identified the categories that exist in your home, you can follow the three basic steps for each one.

Gather all items in that category in one place.

Choose only those that spark joy

Store by category.

*******

Today I am sharing:

KOMONO: DVDS, STATIONERY, CRAFT, HOBBIES AND BEDROOM DECOR.

If you are familiar with Marie Kondo or the KonMari Method, then you will know one of the categories is KOMONO. This is quite a big category, as it consists of many sub-categories, depending on your home. When I started this new series 'KonMari With Kids', the biggest Komono item was TOYS, so I tackled it first. Now it's time to tackle everything else...but what exactly fits in this category for KIDS?

For my kids, I will be covering:

DVDs
Stationery/Craft Supplies
Hobby related items (Nail polish)
Bedroom Decor

One of the things I have found helpful during this whole KonMari journey is actually sorting everything into the five categories first, according to Marie Kondo: Clothes, Books, Paper, Komono and Sentimental. Going through the boxes and cupboards and sorting everything into piles matching the above categories, so when it came to tackling a particular category...it was all there, ready and I knew I wasn't going to find it anywhere else in the home.

Once that was done, I was able to begin...

DVDS

When my daughter was younger, we had A LOT of DVDs, however over the years she's grown out of them (GOODBYE DORA!) and we ended up discarding a whole heap when we moved in with my partner, and also over the years during my decluttering journey.

Nowadays, we tend to borrow DVDs from either my parents for a few weeks or hire them from the video store. My parents have a HUGE collection of DVDs, so they are our go-to place if we want to watch a DVD. We also have Sky and Netflix, and there are a lot of great movies on there, so we record them or watch them on the laptop (I'm going to purchase a Chrome Cast this week - so we can sync the laptop to our 'not-so-smart' TV).

As you can see our collection is fairly small, nonetheless, it was good to go through them and discard ones that we no longer need or want.

BEFORE

DONATE

Add caption

AFTER

Remember: we borrow movies from my parents and we hold on to them for a few weeks (sometimes months depending if they are popular with the kids or not) and we also record movies on Sky too. It's nice to have a variety, especially if we are on the road or it's a miserable day.

We keep our DVDS in this white rattan basket in our TV cabinet. I keep my parent's DVDs in there until I see them again. I also have the portable dvd player in the basket too, so it's all in one place. We usually take our portable DVD player when we go on long trips - to keep the kids entertained, while travelling. My partner's XBox games are also in tv cabinet too.

These DVDs belong to my parents and will be returned to them on our next visit. It's also a good time to get some new ones.

STATIONERY / CRAFT SUPPLIES

BEFORE

Miss B sorting her KOMONO into sub-categories: DVDS, STATIONERY, CRAFTS, HOBBIES and BEDROOM DECOR. We also found books and clothes (oh dear), however Miss B was happy to discard these items, as she totally forgot she had them.

PENCIL CASES

PENCIL CASES AFTER

(I kept the Arsenal one - it sparked joy!)

STATIONERY AND CRAFT SUPPLIES (bits and bobs) BEFORE

STATIONERY AND CRAFT SUPPLIES (bits and bobs) AFTER

HOBBY RELATED ITEMS

NAIL POLISH BEFORE

NAIL POLISH AFTER

AFTER

This is what is being returned to Miss B's bedroom. So much lighter, and organised. The grey boxes are stored in her wardrobe and everything else Miss B has found homes for. I gave the organisers on the left to my Mum - perfect for her jewellery art (she was very thankful)

DISCARD PILE

We emptied 3 x 60L containers and it feels FANTASTIC.

DONATE PILE

All of this has been donated! My daughter was very relieved to have it out of her space, and knows someone else will treasure these items.

BEDROOM DECOR

Since I started the 'KonMari With Kids' series, the kids bedrooms have had makeovers. I actually did them in March, however they still look the same today, so KonMari for the WIN! Before I did the makeover on my daughter's bedroom, I got her to take everything out that she no longer wanted in her room - that's all the stuff that is in the BEFORE photo above. Everything that was left in the room, sparked joy - she loves her new room and so do I!

NOTE: The BEFORE photos (smaller photo) are from Christmas and were taken just before I started this series. What a difference?!

Once I have finished the KonMari With Series, I might look into sharing a full tour of the kids bedrooms (watch this space).

*******

It feels good to finally share with you the BEFORE and AFTER photos of the KOMONO category. It can be a difficult category, because everything that doesn't belong in Clothes, Books, Paper and Sentimental - belongs in KOMONO and it can be overwhelming.

However, breaking it [KOMONO] into sub-categories like DVDs, Stationery/Craft Supplies or Hobby related items and Bedroom decor will make this category less daunting, and you will be able to tidy each space/area more efficiently.

I think it's really important to follow Marie Kondo's basic steps when tidying Komono...

Gather all items in that category in one place.
Choose only those that spark joy
Store by category

My daughter had a vision for her room, so the purging process was easy. A lot of the stuff she had, she has outgrown - some of which she's had since she was 5 years old, so it was good for her to have a really good clean out. She loves her space and takes pride in it. It does get untidy, however now, it doesn't take her long to tidy because 1) there is less stuff and 2) everything has a place.

So once again...for the KOMONO category, I split it into 5 sub-categories

1. TOYS

2. DVDS

3. STATIONERY/CRAFTS

4. HOBBY RELATED ITEMS

5. BEDROOM DECOR

I hope you found this post helpful. If you did, please feel free to PIN and/or SHARE with your friends and family.

Thanks for reading,

Charlene

Coming Up Next: KonMari With Kids: Sentimental Items
It's the mother of all categories - SENTIMENTAL! I have been decluttering my daughter's sentimental belongings over for years, however I haven't touched any of my son's - so this is going to be a big task for me. I will probably break it up into smaller sub-categories, like I did with my own Sentimental items - WATCH THIS SPACE.

I am super excited about this new series 'KonMari With Kids' and would love for you to follow along in this process, better yet, join me - Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post and together we CAN 'KonMari With Kids'. I will also be sharing my journey on my Facebook page, and Instagram, so be sure to follow me there too.

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If you are new to my blog, Welcome! In case you missed it, be sure to read my Introduction and Getting Started post, so you know what the KonMari Method is all about and the reasons why I am doing it. To date, I have completed the first category - Clothes - you can read about it and see my before & after photos HERE, followed closely by the second category - Books and then Paper, which proved to be a massive task for me. I shared an update 2 days later.

My KonMari Journey: KOMONO. OTHER - HOME DECOR

KonMari, My KonMari Journey June 16, 2016

My KonMari Journey: KOMONO: OTHER - Holiday Decorations

KonMari, My KonMari Journey June 2, 2016

My KonMari Journey: KOMONO ITEMS 1 - CDs and DVDs

KonMari, My KonMari Journey February 2, 2016

My KonMari Journey: KOMONO - Valuables and Electronics

home, KonMari, My KonMari Journey February 18, 2016

Also in this series:

Introduction & Getting Started

Skincare products, Make-up & Accessories

My KonMari Journey: Questions and Answers

Be Inspired, Blogging, KonMari, KonMari Tag, My KonMari Journey January 16, 2017

Before I move on to my next KonMari series - 'KonMari With Kids', I wanted to do a quick

Q&A post, answering questions my readers from Facebook & Instagram had relating to the KonMari Method or my personal KonMari Journey.

You asked...I answered.

1. My question is more about time. I see you go to Playcentre, work, up keep this wonderful blog and look after your family! How do you manage all of that? Thanks from a fellow Playcentre and blogging mummy of three.

When I started 'My KonMari Journey' in January 2016, my son was having day naps (up to 2 1/2 hours long), so I dedicated that time to KonMari - sorting, purging, taking photos, blogging etc. Other times I did what I could when my son was happy playing in the playroom, or when he was having his lunch. As the year went on, I put my son in home-based care for an extra day, so I could have time to get things done, like housework, KonMari, planning, blogging and Playcentre work. I also used that day to get a bit of extra relieving work too. I did what I could, when I could. I would spend a couple hours each night writing the KonMari posts for my blog, which was actually more time consuming than the purge itself, however looking back, I'm really glad I shared my journey. Right from the beginning, I was fully committed to completing this KonMari method and my determination and dedication to the method got me through.

2. How can I get all my kids to sleep thru every night so I can get the energy to do this??? I do find your posts motivating tho.

I can't help you with the kids sleeping sorry. All I can do is continue to motivate you in the hope you have the energy to make a start. I'm happy to work with you as a support person, if you think it would help. Send me an email teacherbytrademotherbynature (at) gmail (dot) com or PM me via Facebook.

3. When it comes to the bits and pieces (I can't remember what she called it! {KOMONO}), how did you know where to start!?

Komono (Miscellaneous) was a huge category! It had so many sub-categories attached to it. I simply followed the structure Marie Kondo mentions in the book. A lot of my 'Komono' was scattered in containers out in the external office, so before I even started this category, I actually spent a couple of hours sorting through the chaos first, corralling like things together according to her list, and worked my way through each one.

CDs, DVDs
Skincare products
Make-Up
Accessories
Valuables (passports, credit cards, etc)
Electrical equipment and appliances (digital cameras, electric cords, anything that seems vaguely 'electric')
Household Equipment: Stationery & Crafts
Household supplies (expendables like medicine, detergents, tissues, etc)
Kitchen goods/food supplies - EATING - COOKING TOOLS - FOOD - FOOD STORAGE
Other -

EXTRA POSTS

Komono - Miscellaneous Items 2

I added Teacher Resources as an extra category.

4. I'd love for you to diarise a "one year on" from each area you cleared and report back with an update, what worked, what you've subsequently got rid of or wished you'd kept or acquired...

Great idea! It's actually a year this week since I started My KonMari Journey .I am hoping to do a ONE YEAR LATER post soon. Watch this space.

5. I'm thinking about purchasing this book, do you find it useful? 2017 I'm aiming for a more meaningful, clutter-free life. Watched the 'Minimalism' doco, loved it!!

I love the book, and refer to it often. I do recommend reading the book first, so you can fully get the gist of Marie Kondo's method, however I have heard people have done the method based on blogs and YouTube video tutorials - there is a lot of inspiration out there (You can read all of my KonMari posts HERE (including checklists for each category). The Minimalist documentary definitely gives you something to think about.

6. How can I start Konmari, what are the basic principles.... Basically everything!

Like I said above, I do recommend reading the book first, however if this isn't an option for you - you can always read my KonMari series (HERE), and there are plenty of blogs and YouTube videos & tutorials available to provide inspiration. Janine from A Young Mum is one of my favourites.

In a nutshell, Marie Kondo has four rules she recommends people follow when doing the KonMari Method:

1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible

2. Sort by category, not by location

3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'

4. Order of tidying: Clothes, Books, Documents (Paper), Miscellaneous items (Komono), and Mementos (Sentimental)

Good luck! Let me know if you need any support - I would be more than happy to help you through your KonMari journey.

7. How did you sort old photos? This is the one thing I have boxes of, unsure what to do. Thanks for your help.

Photos can definitely be overwhelming. Read all about how I sorted mine, and hopefully it will inspire you to start yours >>> My KonMari Journey: Sentimental - Photos

8. What to do with partner's stuff? Especially when he doesn't get the whole spark joy concept.

My partner doesn't get the whole 'Spark Joy' concept like I do and that is totally okay. That being said, I have encouraged him to go through a few of his things - clothes, paper etc. Most of his stuff is in his garage, which is a no-go zone for me, and I respect that. I don't have to see it, so it's all good with me. I do KonMari fold his clothes, which he likes, so I'm happy with that and I get him to sort through his paper work regularly so I can file it away properly. He won't be reading the book any time soon, so all I can do is continue to encourage and motivate him to discard things he no longer needs, wants or likes, especially if it's taking up space in our home.

9. I have a question! And afraid it sounds silly, but do you miss anything you have thrown out? I keep thinking, what if it sparks joy next year... Do you keep things you are unsure on? Also, this question is mostly related to my wardrobe!

There are a few things that I do miss, however at the time it didn't spark joy so it was discarded. I have to move on and not dwell on the things I have purged. I admit, I did 'thank' quite a few things of mine and this actually helped with letting go - Marie Kondo suggests you 'thank' your possessions before discarding. It may sound a bit crazy, but it does help. If an item spark joy - keep it. If it doesn't - let it go. Be honest with yourself. Good luck!

10. Aside from wondering the same as above, I got the book last year when you started your journey but I am so overwhelmed by the thought of sorting my stuff out that I have put the book in a drawer. How did you get started? Is it a bite the bullet kinda deal?

What you are feeling is totally normal. I felt overwhelmed every time I walked in to my external office, which was home to numerous containers full of stuff. I was nervous and excited about getting started. Sharing my journey here on my blog made me accountable and I couldn't wait to start my journey. You can read about how I got started HERE.

When you are ready, you will start. It took me a while to get started, however once I did - I didn't want to stop. This method is truly life-changing. Good luck! I will be your Number 1 Cheerleader.

11. I read both books and completed the Kon Mari method up to photos. Mine are out of control. They are in boxes, tubs, on my phone, on CD/DVD's, on the computer, in frames and in albums. Some have dates on the back, some don't. Some are somewhat divided into photo boxes, some are not. I'm not sure how to start or where to start. I was going to make each daughter (I have 3) scrapbooks or photo albums but that isn't anything they are interested in. If I give them photos they said they would like to decide which photos to hang and would choose their own type of photo album. They would like the photos sorted and given to them all at one time if possible. I was thinking because of the time and money involved to develop and copy that I would give photos to them at Christmas. It will take me every bit of 2017 to complete this project but I don't know where to start. Any suggestions?

My advice is to split it into two sub-categories: Printed Photos & Digital Photos. Start with collecting all of your printed photos and putting them in one place. Decide how you want to sort them - by person, by year, by event etc and start sorting through your photos. Sort your photos in the way you want to - what works for YOU first, then you can reassess how you are going to sort them for your daughters. Good luck!

Remember Kondo's rules:

1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible

2. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'

Once you have finished the printed photos, do the same for the digital photos. Remember to only keep the photos that SPARK JOY.

If you haven't already done so, read how I KonMari'd my Printed Photos and Digital Photos, hopefully it will inspire you to sort through yours. It is a massive job, emotionally, physically and mentally - however once it's done - you will feel amazing!

******

Thank you all for your questions regarding the KonMari method, and My KonMari Journey. I do hope you found this helpful. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to contact me HERE.

Until next time, have a wonderful week,

Charlene

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My KonMari Journey: KOMONO - Teacher Resources

KonMari, My KonMari Journey July 14, 2016

BEFORE - Teacher Resources

KONMARI WITH KIDS - KOMONO: KIDS TOYS

Kids, Kids Toys, Komono, KonMari, KonMari With Kids May 6, 2017

Welcome to my new series: 'KonMari With Kids'.

Previously on the blog, I shared how I KonMari'd my kids clothes (Baby, Toddler and Tween), their books., Paper - including Art Work and School Memorabilia, and now it's time for KOMONO (miscellaneous items).

*******

- KOMONO -

Gather all items in that category in one place.

Choose only those that spark joy

Store by category.

*******

Today I am sharing: TOYS

- PLAYROOM TOYS -

BEFORE

This is what our playroom looked like a few months ago...it quickly became a dumping ground, and it was doing my head in...I knew something had to change! We also had a buffet side table in our dining/living area filled with kids toys etc...so it felt like toys were all over the place.

I had a vision for our playroom, and this wasn't it. There was too much 'STUFF'! Most toys didn't have a HOME and ended up stuffed in tubs, boxes or dumped on surfaces.

The first step is to "gather all items in that category in one place," and that's exactly what I did. I pulled EVERYTHING out of the playroom and the kids bedrooms, and brought them into the lounge.

Oh my!! I stepped back and just gasped! ALL of this was in the playroom (and a few things were in the kids bedrooms)...I kept thinking...HOW DID IT ALL FIT? The thing I love about the KonMari method and following Marie Kondo's principles is that by gathering everything in one place, you can see the full volume of your belongings, in this case...your kids belongings. WOAH!

WHERE DO I BEGIN?

DURING

I had a blank canvas to work with, and I was excited about this. The two drawer shelf unit pictured below used to be a part of my son's wardrobe unit, that I pulled down. We did consider selling it, however it has become a great surface and storage space for the playroom - it sparked joy in the playroom, so it's here to stay (for now).

The next step is "choose only those that spark joy". Because this is all about the KIDS...it's at this step where you need to have your children's input. Now I know it would be so much easier to do this without the kids, but at the end of the day, it's their toys and they need to be a part of this process.

Marie Kondo mentions that children 3 years and over are more than capable of making decisions and deciding what sparks joy for them, so I put it to the test with my three year old. I was pleasantly surprised that there were toys he didn't like, want or made him happy, so they went straight into the donate pile. There were toys he hadn't seen for ages, probably because they were hidden away, however they sparked joy again and so we kept them.

The donate pile was getting bigger and bigger and I could see what toys actually made my son happy, and he would play with on a daily basis.

AFTER

"Store by category"
It took us a few hours to complete, but we got there in the end...and I LOVE our new playroom, so does my son! It appears and feels less cluttered. Everything has a place and I am implementing new systems so that it doesn't get out of control.

Everything has been moved around to allow better flow and create 'areas of play'. I moved the buffet side table into the playroom, as it provides great storage and a surface to display items. (When we moved into our house, this is where it was, but I moved it out to create more room, however this shelf unit is perfect for the playroom, because at the end of the day we can shut the side doors.

On the left side of the side table unit we have puzzles and books - the 'quiet' toys. I absolutely LOVE the books arranged by colour - not only does it look good, but its easier for Master M to return books to the shelf once he's finished reading them.

On the right side of the unit, we have cards, magnetic game, play dough toys, Duplo, Dinosaurs, and on the bottom shelf is where we store the board games. I had a clean out of the board games and only kept the ones we absolutely love playing.

The play dough toys, Duplo and Dinosaurs are stored in clear containers I purchased from The Warehouse earlier this year. (I tried to find a link to the product online, but can't find one). They are the perfect size, and the thing I like most about them is that it provides a limit to what we can store in them.

We bought this kitchen (from KMart) for Master M's 2nd Birthday, and he loves it! He plays with it daily. We have a few kitchen-related items he can use during play - he does enjoy making lunch for Mum.

I love these '3 stacking bins' from KMart - they are a perfect fit for the KMart Play Kitchen.

Master M enjoys writing and drawing, so this low shelf in the middle of the playroom works really well. It's a good height for him to sit down or kneel on the floor and get creative. He also has the option of drawing/writing at the kids table. I keep the supply of crayons, and markers (felt pens) in this 4-bucket caddy (from KMart), it has a little handle on it, so he can move it around to where ever he wants to draw etc.

Our boy loves his cars, trucks, construction vehicles and trains. I used to have, what I thought, was an awesome storage solution for his cars etc - it was a 9-box storage shelf...however every single day, he would tip them all out, just for the sake of it...so I took it out of the playroom...discarded the boxes and up-cycled the shelf as a shoe organiser by our front door. WIN WIN! So now, all the vehicles are stored in this awesome 'truck' box.

The train table is one of the only toys I have on rotation. It's usually stored in Master M's bedroom and then moved out to the empty space (where the side table was) in the living/dining area, when we have playdates or if Master M wants to play with it. When he's finished playing with it, I take it back to his room. It's light and easy to move, hence why it's on rotation.

- SOFT TOYS -

BEFORE

AFTER

Obsessed with Giraffes!

Miss B's favourite soft toys

DONATE

- BATH TOYS -

BEFORE

AFTER

DISCARD PILE

- DONATE PILE -

As soon as I was finished, I put everything that was needing to be donated straight into the car and dropped it off. It was such a relief to have all of this stuff no longer in my home! Probably 4x 60L containers worth of toys, and a few extra bits and pieces from around our home that no longer sparked joy - all ready to find a new home.

SOLD!!!

Sadly, one of the things that no longer sparked joy for me, was this library bookshelf. I did love it, however it was no longer needed, and it was just taking up space...so I gave it to my friend, who has two little girls. They absolutely love it and I am glad it has gone to another family who will appreciate it more than we did.

*******

WOOHOO!! I can finally tick TOYS off my list - what a great feeling! This was a huge task, however I am so glad I used this method to declutter the kids toys.

These three basic steps definitely helped me and I know they will help you if you are thinking about decluttering your kids toys.

Gather all items in that category in one place.
Choose only those that spark joy
Store by category.

My son loves his playroom, and loves each and every toy that is in there now, and knows where everything goes. He does mix things up and that's okay because each week we sit down and re-sort his toys, returning items to their place. My son takes pride in his 'playroom', and enjoys helping Mummy tidy up. The Playroom not only sparks joy for him - it sparks joy for me too.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you did, please feel free to PIN and/or SHARE with your friends and family.

Thanks for reading,

Charlene

Coming Up Next: KonMari With Kids: MORE KOMONO (Miscellaneous)

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- KOMONO -

Today I am sharing:

KOMONO: DVDS, STATIONERY, CRAFT, HOBBIES AND BEDROOM DECOR.

DVDS

STATIONERY / CRAFT SUPPLIES

BEFORE

HOBBY RELATED ITEMS

AFTER

DISCARD PILE

DONATE PILE

BEDROOM DECOR

You asked...I answered.

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- KOMONO -

Gather all items in that category in one place. Choose only those that spark joy Store by category.

Today I am sharing: TOYS

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

- SOFT TOYS -

BEFORE

AFTER

Obsessed with Giraffes!

Miss B's favourite soft toys

DONATE

BEFORE

AFTER

DISCARD PILE

- DONATE PILE -

SOLD!!!

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Gather all items in that category in one place.

Choose only those that spark joy

Store by category.