Ep 12 | One Mom's KonMari Summer

Diane Arias, wife and mom of three, strides through the highs and lows of her summertime KonMari tidying event, and shares the life-changing impact it had on her family.

Our guest, Diane Arias is a true KonMari mom and one of Kristyn's former clients. After a decade of raising her three girls (one age 14 and two twin thirteen-year-olds), Diane found that her belongings, along with her home, looked run down and unloved...and so her KonMari Summer began. She tidied for up to 2-3 hours at a time across her 3,000 square foot home. The results? A space filled with love and joy that will take her family of five into the next phase of their life.

In this episode, we will show you it is possible for busy moms to get tidy too! Follow Diane through every phase of the KonMari process, as she applies the method in the presence of her growing family. Look forward to tips on how to plan, pace, and reward yourself during your tidying event to avoid hitting a wall.

You can follow the final stages of Diane’s tidying journey by connecting with her on Instagram (@diane_arias_2017).

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at [email protected] to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• The article that inspired Diane to pick her tidying back up after reading the The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up after working through clothing three years ago

• How Diane course corrected her original plan after confronting the sheer number of things in her home

• How Diane's vision reflected the part of her that she wanted to reconnect with to be the best model for her daughters

• How Diane leaned on her experience training for marathons to push through moments of overwhelm to get to a point where her surroundings were supporting her

• How an intentional reward system helped trigger Diane back into gear during moments when she needed extra motivation to finish Komono (miscellaneous items)

• The "warning" Diane thinks should come with Marie Kondo's books

• How each member of Diane's family reacted to her decluttering and how they supported her in their own way

• Diane's advice to busy moms that are ready to dive in

• How tidying has helped Diane be more in tune with her husband's values and motivations

• How Diane's children taught her the KonMari signature fold after watching YouTube videos!

• How Diane's family adjusted to the big changes taking place in the shared spaces and pushed through a few uncomfortable moments

What sparks joy for Diane: "Having headspace...and a true, full presence for my daughters."

Gems:

• "This is definitely something I want to do. I just need to have the timing show up for it."

• "I had no idea how much stuff I actually owned."

• "My own joy for my own life is what was missing."

• "I truly feel my home is a reflection of me."

• "A home that is full, and vibrant and joyful and truly supporting me and my family."

• "I would not be able to put into words what I was wanting for my children...but I've found it through this method."

• "You truly have to detangle yourself from someone else's belongings."

• "I've plugged myself into every single person's belongings in the house, meanwhile, not really taking care of my own."

• "These t-shirts look like someone cares."

• "I can be the kind of mom I wanted to be."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Diane Arias.