Back to the Basics

Every spring, I perform the customary ritual. Spring cleaning. I clean all of the windows, dust the winter’s cobwebs away and scrub my house from top to bottom.  And most definitely, I clean out the closets.  Why is that every year I have to do this? Well, winter is a long season and this is how I welcome in the clean fresh spring air. And as far as the closets, well, quite simply, kids grow and so out go the pants and sweaters from fall.  Of course it doesn’t stop there.  The kids have grown since last summer so the summer clothes have to be sorted too!  Now in our house, only Carter as the youngest can get hand-me-downs from Augie – and it stops there because Augie’s next older sibling is a girl, and the next oldest is a boy, and the very oldest is a girl, so they all have to get new clothes, which means I have a lot of sorting and boxing to do and then a trip to the donation center. 

Which brings me back to the basics.  Spring cleaning is a ritual we perform every year in our homes. So this year, I’ve decided to do this not only to our home but to our mind and bodies as well. I feel this is very important for a heart family.  This venture of mine stems from two campaigns; first, the We Can! Program sponsored by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health to enhance children’s activity and nutrition, and second, the book I have been reading titled, “Simplicity Parenting,” by Kim John Payne, which offers simple strategies to simplify your home to reduce stress and over stimulation.  

How does all of this relate to a child with a congenital heart defect?  Physical fitness, good nutrition, fun with the family, and a safe and clean home, are basics. In my home, and in my readings, I have found that learning to live with a chronic condition is not only challenging for the child who is affected, but for his/her family and friends as well. Our school-aged heart kids may be fearful, feel they are different, and may struggle emotionally and socially. My theory is that happy and relaxed, healthy parents will raise calmer, well-adjusted, healthier children. 

Spring cleaning to me – it’s a holistic approach to life.  Consider spring cleaning your family!

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/index.htm

http://www.simplicityparenting.com/

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/chronic.htm