With all the clutter in our daily lives, most days we just want everything around us to be neat and minimal. Do you agree?

We can all I agree, I believe, that there is a very small guarantee of a clutter-free home in a house with more than two kids. There is a toy in every corner of the house. There is something you will inevitably step on especially on the staircase. Experience has taught us that the more you increase the number of storage spaces, the more clutter you will accumulate.

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Simplicity is the key.

The idea is to have a minimalist interior design for the house. Open-plan layout, with just key pieces for the living room, kitchen and dining area, starting with entrance doors up to closets and laundry room. The front door will be painted a striking color: red or blue. The dining area will have a large table with simple wooden chairs. Or it can be a kitchen with kitchen island counter seating. Perhaps a booth seating? The latter is great for small kids. Minimal kitchen cabinets but a pantry will compensate for the shortage in storage area. A living room or family room will have couches, a simple wooden center table, and a floor lamp. There is a laundry room directly after the mudroom. The bedrooms will have a bed, built-in cabinets. The bathrooms will have a shower stall, a toilet, built-in cabinets, too.

With the commercialization of almost every aspect of our lives, we tend to overspend on things we actually do not need. And this applies to our homes. We have too many of any single item especially dinnerware. I do believe majority of us is guilty of this, with the automatic reasoning that we are buying extra for guests.

If our goal is to have a clear mind inside our homes, even with kids, we need to downgrade. Again, simplicity. If we turn to minimalism, a clutter-free home will always be on the forefront of our minds. Our tendency to buy more, store more, will be gone, if not minimized. I would like to think that even kids will have less clutter because of the awareness of a neat home.

Transitioning from a traditional house to a minimalist will not be easy. Imagine the number of items you will have to get rid of when organizing your stuff. Do a garage sale. Give away to charity but only those items which are in good condition and will be of use to the recipients. It will be hard to part with some items but if you are really keen on a clutter-free home, sacrifices have to be made.

Again, simplicity is the key. It will have to start from a decision and everything else will follow. Of course, getting every family member on board the idea is a priority step. If one is not on board, there will be clashes along the way.

Your home is your haven. It needs to be a place where you can breathe and be at peace.

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Studies show that letting kids take on chores at home is good for their health and well-being especially later on in life. The kids who do chores at home are most likely to fare better in life as they grow old.

Some parents are of the mind that kids should be allowed to be “just kids” and let them do the things that are for kids. There is a time for that, I do believe that, too. But I am of the mind that kids who are given tasks at home learn responsibility early on. Kids feel more competent when they know they can take on a given task like washing the dishes or sweeping the floor, or throwing the trash in the bins toronto at the back of the street alley, or even making their beds. The idea that when they do their given chores at home they contribute to the overall cleanliness and upkeep of the house is a great feeling for a kid of any age.

Here are a few suggestions on how to distribute chores to kids at home.

Give kids simple tasks to take on. Make the bed. Sweep the floor. Pick up the dirty clothes and put it in the laundry area, or even, in the hamper. For older kids: wash the dishes, take out the trash, mow the lawn, walk the dog.

There are many simple tasks that kids can do. The idea is to talk to them about the chore assignment, make sure that it is not in the way of school assignments, and that they know the goal of the tasks they are being given. Also, make sure that the tasks are age-appropriate.

Recognize a job well done. This is even if the task is not really that “well done” but given the kid’s age, you know the kid gave his best in doing his assignment. Recognize the effort. Give the kid a pat in the back. That way, the kid will feel proud of what he accomplished and will be motivated to do better next time.

Include the whole family in the assignments. This is something I feel strongly about. I love that the whole family will be involved in as simple as household chores. I am of the mind that the little ones at home will learn best from following the older ones’ examples. Walk the talk. If you want the kids to do their chores, make sure that the adults do theirs, too, and that the kids are aware of it.

Make the chores fun to do! Make the chores fun for the little ones. Give out stars for tasks done on time. Give them something to look forward to on weekends. Think of what will make the kids smile while doing their chores.

Lastly, do not scold your kid when he failed to do a chore the way you taught him how. He might have a better way of doing it in his mind.

Finding a place where you can build your forever home is not easy. It takes a lot of planning, trips to and from potential locations, discussions with family members. It is not just getting a building permit Mississauga. There are many aspects you need to take into consideration. The three that came to mind are location, size of the property, and budget.

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Location

The number one consideration for most families is location. Is there a school in the area? Is there a nearby hospital? What are the amenities that homeowners can enjoy when they live in the neighborhood? Are there parks where kids can play? Is it a safe place for families? Is it accessible to public commute?

Those are just some of the questions that come to mind when scouting for a place where you can build a house. The convenience of living in a great neighborhood is a big plus especially for families with growing kids. Security is also a paramount consideration when checking out a location. You do not want to live in an area where burglars lurk.

Size of the Property

How big do you want your house to be? How elaborate is the planned construction? If you already have the square footage in your mind, you can easily plan how much space your house will occupy on the property you have selected.

Front yard, backyard, car port or garage. Is there a swimming pool somewhere in the plan? Do you plan to have a landscaped lawn? How many rooms are being considered?

Will it be a bungalow or a 2-storey house? How big are the rooms? How many bathrooms are being considered?

Budget

The first two considerations, of course, will be for nothing if the budget is not yet set. How much is your budget? It is the biggest consideration because once you know how much you are willing to shell out to get your forever home constructed, you can easily pinpoint locations where your budget will be enough to purchase a property.

Based on experience, your budget should be twice the amount your architect and engineer tell you to set aside. Always have a big buffer because you do not want to find yourself short on budget when emergency arises. A pause on construction will mean a bigger cost.

So, set an amount you are comfortable to shell out. In that amount, 70% of it should go to the construction fund; 30% should be set aside as a buffer for emergencies.

There are other considerations but the three I have mentioned are the foremost on most families’ minds. I know because I have been there in the past. Our family has gone through the construction phase. And budget was the biggest mistake that we made. We did not set aside a buffer so when we met one hurdle after another, we found it difficult to move forward because our budget was not enough. Construction had to be suspended for a while until we saved enough to push through with it.

Plan the construction properly. Consult professionals. Write it all down. And when you are 101% ready, then that’s when you can push through with it.