In Honor of Constructive "Clutter"

When I was a kid we had a big dining room table. It was always a busy place. There were homeschool books/papers, craft projects, freshly baked cookies, Sunday school curriculum, VBS decorations and maybe an occasional incubating chicken egg taking up residence on the table.

I never considered our house messy. Apparently my mom did because she had books and systems: Messy's manual, filing with finesse etc.

But our house was filled with constructive clutter: necessary tools of lives fully lived.

As mommy bloggers/facebookers/twitterers we are always despairing about our laundry, our housework, our sticky walls. And we are always wondering how so and so does it, how can their house be so clean, fresh and clutter free?

And I am all for clutter reduction. It is something I struggle with, but something I want to succeed at. But I am against constructive clutter reduction.

I want to have paper for my kids to be creative with.
I want to have "junk" for my kids to make robots with
I want to have VBS nametags, schedules and bags of craft supplies in my kitchen.
I want to have an open Sunday School book on my table
I want to have growing plants on my counter
I want paint chips taped to my walls, floor samples on my floor
I want books where I can reach them.

Because just as where I spend my time shows what I value,

What is at my fingertops shows what I value.

And what do I want to value?
-Spiritual learning opprotunities
-My children and their creativity
-Volunteering my time and space
-Learning and growing
-Change (refusing to stagnate)
-Education (for me, my husband and my kids)

I want my children to say: "my mom let us have fun, she let us create. Our mom valued people and helping others more than she valued a spotless house. My mom made stuff for others instead of always for herself. My mom always had books she was reading, new stuff she was learning. My mom always was looking to move forward. My mom was willing to teach us things, even messy things. And most of all, our mom valued our spiritual education and the state of our hearts."