Feng Shui and the Busy Family

So this is what my living room should look like. What great Feng Shui this room has. I have added the elements that are needed to balance the energy. I have added a mirror and lamp with a beautiful reflective mica stand to help add more light. There are coffee table trunks that double as storage for miscellaneous stuff. I love sitting in this room, when it looks like this. The problem is that it looks like this about 50% of the time.

You see I have 4 children. They are wonderful, beautiful and a blessing. But with 2 year old twins, a 6 year old daughter and a 7 year old son, below is what the room usually looks like. My husband has a great way of putting it. The kids are like walking through water, when you walk they fill the space behind you (whether it be with Lego's, or dolls or crayons). So I am in a constant battle with their stuff. I laugh when I meet a client that is concerned with managing clutter and is afraid that I will judge their messy house harshly.

Oh, I understand the battle too well. I have decided that the problem is that we have too much stuff. Too many toys, too many clothes and just too much stuff.My family specifically but our culture in general. I don't think they had problems with clutter 200 years ago.

So this year I am going to continue to battle the stuff with organizational systems as I always do, but I am also going to try and make a concerted effort to rid myself of the some of the stuff.