(A version of this article first appeared in Kingston Neighbours magazine, January, 2024.)
After the holidays, has your home gone from cozy to cluttered? If so, then it’s time for an out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new attitude!
Happy New Year, everyone. Now is the perfect time to declutter our homes. The chaos of the holiday season is over and everyone is back to familiar routines. We can take a moment to look at our household items and personal belongings to determine what needs to go.
Confession time: I LOVE all the home design and home organization TV shows. You name it, I’ve probably watched it on Netflix! I also love flipping through interior design magazines and books.
Even if this is not your thing, you have probably heard of one of the most famous organizing consultants and authors: Marie Kondo. She has written multiple books on household organization based on her trademarked KonMari method, including The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up. She has also appeared on 2 Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo — both of which, of course, I’ve watched!
However, after the birth of her 3 children, even Kondo herself realized that kids throw a wrench into any organization plan. It’s virtually impossible to maintain a minimalist lifestyle when you’re a parent.
Kondo’s answer is to teach our kids from an early age how to clean, tidy and purge. To that end, she has co-written a kid’s book with Salina Yoon called Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship.
I know. It sounds corny, and even a bit contrived. However, it’s a surprisingly touching story about an unlikely pair of friends. Kiki is a squirrel who loves to collect things, and Jax is her best friend, an owl who loves to sort. Unfortunately, Kiki’s collection of things grows into a huge mess until she can’t find anything anymore, like her soccer ball to play with Jax, or her bathing suit to go swimming. Things literally start getting in the way of their friendship.
So Jax helps Kiki sort her belongings into piles: keep, donate, trash and recycle. When Kiki feels overwhelmed about making decisions, Jax tells her, “If it sparks joy in your heart, keep it! And if it doesn’t, thank it and let it go.”
With support, Kiki learns to make room for her valued treasures, especially her friendship with Jax. It’s a tidy ending to an impactful book that shows how clutter can negatively impact our lives and relationships.
So as you embark on your January decluttering efforts, consider reading Kiki & Jax with your kids. Organization is an important life skill to teach, not just this month, but year-round.
Lisa's Book Corner 
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