Chaos to Clutter-Free {Review AND Giveaway!}

Hey guys! Today I wanted to introduce you to my new friend Davonne and her brand new ebook, Chaos to Clutter-Free: 16 Realistic Steps to an Organized Home.  When I was offered the opportunity to be apart of Davonne's launch team, I thought, "Yes, I definitely need this. I used to be so organized, but since moving into this house, something has happened to me. Ugh." More on my struggles below.

Davonne has so many great tips and ideas in this book. Here is the Table of Contents:

Introduction: How to Use this Book (Q&A) Step One: Be Encouraged
Step Two: Prepare Your Home and Your Heart Step Three: Tame the Laundry Monster
Step Four: Tidy Your Home
Step Five: Learn Basic Declutter Tips (Assignment: Living Room)
Step Six: Learn How to Stay Ahead of the Little Ones (Assignment: Organize Your Personal Spaces)
Step Seven: Unclutter Your Bathrooms
Step Eight: Sort Clothing
Step Nine: Clean Out Kids’ Toys
Step Ten: Streamline School Papers and Other Childhood Mementos
Step Eleven: Organize Your Kitchen
Step Twelve: Purge Your Storage Closets
Step Thirteen: Organize Your Laundry Room
Step Fourteen: Clean Out Your Storage Room
Step Fifteen: Complete Any Remaining Areas
Step Sixteen: Tips for When You’re In a Time Crunch
Conclusion: The Bigger “Why” Behind the Effort, Plus Some Gentle Encouragement 

Davonne has written this book out of her own experience and what worked for her. I really appreciate how she breaks things down, section by section, room by room. If you are overwhelmed by a messy or cluttered house, and you want to make a change, this book is an excellent resource. Davonne has gentle encouragement and wisdom to share with you. Her practical steps can be implemented right away.

I had a few trouble spots that have just been weighing on me. Isn't that how clutter works? It's a burden. I am not a neat freak, but I also cannot stand a permanent mess. We homeschool and are home much of the time, so there are going to be messes. I remember a friend who said to me one time, regarding her going back to work and her kids all being in school or day care, "I'm so happy we are not home all day. My house stays so much cleaner." I kind of laughed at the time. I guess I can't really relate to that, but that's fine. We each make our choices and mine, for now, involves us being home and making messes. 

And in reading through Chaos to Clutter-Free, I realized something had been going on with me emotionally, that I didn't recognize before. We have moved three times in three years, as of last December. We are renting this house and signed a one year lease, as we really didn't know what we would be doing next. Last month our landlords asked if we would like to renew our lease, and we said yes. We are still in an odd place, with Bob's job situation, but something happened when we said we would be staying here another year. Some kind of psychological break took place for me. I gave myself permission to finish unpacking and get my house in order. Looking back, I really should have done this many months ago, but unpacking every last box was just too much for me. I realized deep down I had been thinking, 'will I just have to repack those boxes come November/December if we have to move again?'. Saying yes to another lease gave me the vision for continuing to make my home a haven. Something that has always been very important to me.

Here is my living room, before and after (I failed to take photos of the other corner, but it previously contained five cardboard boxes.):

It took a few days to find a place for everything, but once it was finished, it was such a huge relief. Whew! It feels so much better and is so much more inviting.

On another note, I wanted to share one of my favourite tips from Davonne, regarding laundry: 

Even though it may seem that owning more clothes means we’ll spend less time cleaning them, the opposite is true. When we have several weeks’ worth of clothing, it can be tempting to go for a while between washings, which contributes to huge, overwhelming piles of laundry. Also consider the extra drawer or closet space we need to hold the clothes, and the amount of time we spend looking through dozens of items for the “perfect” outfit each day.

So, as you work on laundry, go ahead and put some things in donation bags instead of putting them back in drawers. 

This is one of the things I learned 10 years ago from another helpful mom, and it has made a huge difference in my life. If I can never get caught up on my laundry and always have piles of clothes -- to be washed, folded or put away, I need to go through all the clothes and get rid of half of them. Most of us Westerners have too much stuff, clothes included. We really don't need it all. I encourage you to do as Devonne suggests. Go through your closets and donate what you don't need! It's so freeing and you will be amazed at how much easier it is to get the laundry done. 

Guess what, dear readers?!? Devonne has generously offered TWO copies of Chaos to Clutter-Free for a giveaway! There will be two winners for this one. Here's what you need to do:
1. Comment below letting me know what area/s of your home you could use help with. Leave your email address so that I have a way to contact you, if you win!
2. For extra entries: Follow Davonne on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. Leave a comment for each extra entry.
3. Deadline for entries: November 7, 2014 11:59pm ET. Open to anyone, as this is a digital product. 

Giveaway Winners!

I have FIVE winners (instead of two, like I originally mentioned) chosen by random.org:

Maddie Bell
Diana Estrella
Lisa R
Sunni F
harknessangels

If you did not leave your email address, please email me within 48 hours to claim your prize (scarlettroyce (at) gmail.com). Thanks to all who entered!

Blessings and love. xo