Mica Santayana Canto: And They Lived Tidily Ever After
Having a spotless home seems like a dream for some parents—sometimes an elusive one. But that doesn’t have to be the case any longer! Mica Santayana Canto tells us how to make our spaces functional and organized.
This story about Tidily Ever After’s Mica Santayana Canto first came out in Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition available on https://sarisari.shopping/.
Keeping spaces neat and tidy seems to be something thrown out the window the moment you have kids. After all, it can be difficult to maintain your household while you’re busy tending to the needs of your kids. But while it’s a change most parents expect, it can still be disheartening to see at the piles of clothes, toys, and other household objects scattered around your home.
Keeping your house tidy doesn’t stop at looking good. When you have a clutter-free household, you save the energy you would normally use for cleaning up or finding things otherwise lost in the mess. More importantly, it helps you clear your mind so you focus on the things that matter the most—like spending more time with your family.
So for parents looking to start a decluttering practice, where do you begin? To find some answers, Modern Parenting spoke with Mica Santayana Canto of Tidily Ever After, a bespoke home transformation company that incorporates decluttering and organizing services. She shares some rich insights on how parents can keep up with a consistent decluttering practice.

Know why you’re decluttering in the first place
When starting out decluttering, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount you need to clear up. To
make things easier, Mica says it can help to take things one step at a time. Part of that includes having an
intention for each room you want to declutter.
Knowing these details gives you a clearer picture of what does and what doesn’t belong to the room.
For instance, a kitchen wouldn’t have a pile of clothes in the corner, because that wouldn’t make sense.
Similarly, a pile of dirty dishes wouldn’t belong in your bedroom.
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
Learn to categorize — not throw — your stuff
Over time, you might accumulate a lot of things, especially as your kids get older. At this point, it can be tempting to simply throw all the excess away regardless of how your spouse and kids feel about it. Aside from potentially causing a rift in your relationship with them, it’s also not necessary.
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.

Make use of what you have
As parents, it can be tempting to stockpile things in case your family needs it in the future. But sometimes, the things you hoard tend to be forgotten, defeating the purpose. The easiest way to prevent clutter from accumulating in your household is to limit the things you buy—and that includes what you use to declutter. Not only does it help you make more intentional purchases, it also keeps your decluttering practice sustainable and environmentally friendly.
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
Set limitations to your space
You’d think that the more space you have, the easier it is to move around and clear up clutter. But that can’t be further from the truth. As it turns out, when you have less space in your area, it’s easier to organize and be creative with how to use it.
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
Involve the whole family
Any daunting task is made more bearable when you have help. And when it comes to decluttering your household, your family is your greatest ally. And yes, that includes your kids.
“Kids are like sponges,” Mica explains when talking about how she keeps her house clean with two children.
For her, starting them young helps it become part of their regular family routine as they get older. To illustrate, she gives her daughter as an example.
“[My daughter] is an artist, she loves to draw, and we would have piles and piles of artwork,” Mica shares. “We would really go through her piles of artwork and she would decide for herself what she would keep, and what she would give away. And that simple habit of doing that with her has been really beneficial. [And now] she organizes, she declutters herself.”
Don’t burn yourself out
No matter how efficient your decluttering process is, it’s normal to feel tired and drained every now and then. After all, decluttering isn’t something you do just physically; you also deal with the sentimental value
each item poses. How do you prevent getting decluttering burnout, then? “First, give yourself a time limit when you start a session so it’s not as overwhelming,” Mica suggests.
She notes how her tidying sessions with clients usually take around 4–5 hours per cleaning session.
But for those who don’t work with a professional, she suggests tidying up for at least five minutes a day, perhaps using the Pomodoro technique to time yourself to make sure that the decluttering stays as a form of self-care.
To read the full article, grab a copy of Modern Parenting’s special Mother’s Day-Father’s Day 2023 Print Edition. It’s available on sarisari.shopping. Or you can download the e-Magazine from Readly or Press Reader.
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