Many women stepping into motherhood feel pressure to start buying so many things filling their house to be a "proper family home." I am here to tell you that society's norms are not working and the 300,000 items in an average home (in the USA and I am sure Australia is similar) are slowly robbing women of feeling the best they can in their homes. And yes, there have been studies done that show women are more affected by clutter than men.

My journey into motherhood came at ease and while amazing support from those around me was a huge contributor, I do not think I would have had the same experience if my home was not set up to support me as well. So let me share some of the reasons that make minimalism motherhood's best friend.

More Stuff = More Time

Everything you own takes up a little bit of time by owning them. Some items we own take up a lot of time, like the dishes, for example. We spend a while each day washing them and putting them away. Other items take up only...

There are a lot of arguments against cloth nappies out there and I wanted to clear some misconceptions up around the topic. I've made this little article to share the truth about 6 common ideas people have about using reusable nappies. Let's get down to business and bust some myths!

Myth 1: They are gross

Do you know what's gross? Human waste trapped in synthetic material for hundreds of years inside a putrid landfill. About THREE THOUSAND of them a year for one baby!

With cloth nappies, the waste gets washed off (back to nature if your waster is directed to the garden and treated by council water treatment facilities if it just goes down the drain) and then the clean nappy is good to use again (and again for years).

Did you know it's estimated that 5% of our landfills are just dirty nappies... Pretty gross!

Myth 2: They are hard to make work

They are definitely not part of the mainstream culture so the norm is to think that maintaining nappies are a lot...

What exactly do I mean by the title?

Well, we live in a society where it is very easy to disconnect from our own impact. What I am talking about is how we only feel responsible for our stuff while it is in our possession and not before or after.

For example, we see a dress we like online, we order it and it gets shipped to us, we chuck the packaging in the bin, we wear it (hopefully) and when we are over it, we throw the dress in the bin, too.

While I know that it is not the fault of the individual that we live like that, I believe that it is the responsibility of the individual and that the most impact of change can stem from the individual level.

The Impact of Our Stuff

Now with the example of the dress, the impact of buying the dress includes the environmental impact of materials it was made from, the lives of workers who helped make it, the impact of packaging production, the fossil fuels shipping across the globe, the tags ending up in landfill, the...

If you have been following me for a little while you might have noticed that I am passionate about both minimalism and sustainability.

But I am here to tell you that the two subjects are completely integrated with each other and that I believe minimalism is the baseline and foundation to begin living a more sustainable life.

Let me share 5 environmental benefits of minimalism:

1. Buying less stuff created less stress on the ecosystem

Let's knock the obvious benefit out of the way first. With minimalism you buy less stuff so there is less need for stuff to be created, consuming recourses, burning fossil fuels, degrading our soils, and polluting our environment.

80% of the items people keep are never used according to 'NAPO'. If we never buy that stuff in the first place we are eliminating the negative environmental impact that has on the planet.

Imagine if all of the worlds implemented their own version of minimalism, just how much less stuff would be produced and how much ...

Who knew how much could change in 9 months?

At the beginning of 2020, I was pregnant and had never heard of coronavirus. By February, I was seeing a lot of memes about a new sickness and hearing a lot of jokes about beer. By March, half the world was shutting down, with millions not allowed to leave their homes unless for essential services. And then the rest of 2020 became the strangest year most for almost everyone around the world.

Having the most significant personal event in my life synch up with the most significant global event in my lifetime was an interesting experience, to say the least. So I have written this article to shine a light on the experiences of the mothers giving birth to the babies born in the age of coronavirus. I had other mothers share their experiences with me too.

Fear of The Unknown & Mental Health

Pregnancy is already a highly emotional time protecting your health that protects your baby. Risks are taken so much more seriously and our number...

According to the American Cleaning Institute, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of housework in the average home!

 I can vouch for this statement being true.

 I've eliminated clutter from my home and my housework is now simple, quick and ummm kinda even enjoyable keeping my house functioning and feeling good.

So if you want to live a more minimalistic life, free of clutter but are currently far from it... how can you make decluttering your new year resolution?

Dip your toes in the water

We have all felt some level of release and accomplishment when we have sorted through an entire area and decluttered it. Just start with picking a few small areas to declutter to get in the zone of becoming more intention with your belongings. If you are reading this shortly after I post it, you can still jump in on my '12 Days Of Post-Christmas Decluttering' challenge here. We tackle a different 15 minute decluttering task each day...

A common problem people face when decluttering is starting, getting overwhelmed, and giving up. With a little bit of preparation, you can avoid this and power through the decluttering confidently.

If you are wanting to declutter, before you start going through your house like a mad man, do these 4 things:

1. Get clear your why

You should be clear on why you even want to do this. Do you want to be more intentional with the belongings you own, clear the clutter from your space and spend less time on housework? Maybe you have a baby coming and you want to simplify your house to focus more on snuggles with a newborn and less time on looking for things in piles of crap you didn't know you had.

Have a realistic vision for how you want your house to feel and let that drive you giving you more clarity of the bigger picture when you get stuck making little decisions. What is your intention? Are you just wanting to create a bit more space in your home or a particular area? Or beginning a...

Minimalism isn't (at least by my definition) a state of having the smallest possible amount of material possessions, but rather a lifestyle lived with a certain mindset. I love Joshua Becker's definition of it being that "minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we value most and the removal of anything that distracts from it."

The kind of minimalism that I promote looks different for every person because every person is different. Treating hoarding by becoming an extreme minimalist and getting rid of everything you own is comparative to treating obesity with anorexia.

If you want to see your outer world transform to become simpler and easier it is important to go through the journey of decluttering with the right mindset so you experience a full transition into a new way of being rather than just a tidier house for a short period until it gets all cluttered again.

Here are my top 5 minimalist mindset shift to share with you:

1. Everything you own is owned with...

With literally thousands of articles online telling you what you need for your baby, you would be spending a fortune if you got everything you were told you need. I'm here to release some of that pressure you feel as you are trying to do what best for your baby and yourself while managing motherhood.

I've created this list of 15 items you'll find on suggested baby supplies lists that coming from someone who's 'been there done that', you don't really need. Of course, read my explanations and evaluate whether what I am saying is relevant to you.

1. Baby bath

I feel really guilty I got my dad to buy me a $50 collapsible baby bath when he asked me if there was anything else I needed for the baby.  I used it 3 times. My baby preferred to go in the actual big bath with me or if I want to get the washing process over quickly just take the baby in the shower with me. Many people use a clean sink and a bath for their bub.

2. Baby food maker

Firstly, usually babies don't...