Children have a lot of stuff. Whether it’s baby gear or LEGOs, it’s a constant challenge to avoid surrendering your entire home to the proliferation of primary-colored plastic.

Meghan Wallace James understands the struggle—and the struggle is real. A life-long passion for home aesthetics led to her career as a feng shui consultant in Los Angeles. Meghan helps her clients change their spaces to manifest the things they desire from life. Whether it’s love, health, money, or something else, Meghan has a (literal) basket full of tools that she totes around to help transform people’s spaces.

As a the single mom of two boys, Meghan has a unique perspective on how difficult, yet important, it is to keep your home from looking like the clearance section at Babies ‘R Us.

TRANSFORM YOUR SPACE, TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE

“I believe we are all intuitive when it comes to the energetics of space. I had a chaotic adolescence, and my solace was in the aesthetics of self and home—minimal, organized, and beautiful. If I could embody elegance and live gracefully, perhaps my world would morph and evolve into something more gentle. And it did!

Later in life, as my marriage was unfortunately, yet amicably, ending, I ‘rediscovered’ the art of placement and fully embraced the science I now had a name for: feng shui. I was extremely purposeful when setting up my new home. I wanted fresh vibes only—‘no divorce juju,’ thank you! I created a warm, yet open place of solace for the boys and me to heal within.”

MAKE YOUR HOME A SANCTUARY

“Our homes can be such an oasis. They function as portals for physical manifestation when properly aligned and infused with positive intention. It’s all about directing the flow of energy, getting it in the front door and then giving it room to flow freely and beautifully. We know when a place feels good, feels light—and when it does not.

Parenting is exhausting, no matter how you spin it, so building rejuvenation into your home is vital. My go-to ways of achieving this are, as I mentioned above, minimalism, organization, and beauty. From local produce to clean sheets to empty, streak-free kitchen counters. Clear the clutter! Be in the moment and witness the artistry of daily living.”

EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE

“My goal is raise children who feel inherently free, but I also set firm boundaries. They must learn to live around heirlooms and art from the beginning, respecting the environment that fosters our growth, because that is important to me, and I live here too. I have created a game out of living economically (hello, single mama!), while making it feel like a luxurious decision.

The children and I use an antique industrial unit that has twelve large bins; six are filled with different toy categories, such as LEGOs and dinosaurs, and six are filled with my own hobbies. We have a few lovely built-in bookshelves that easily accommodate all of our books, and then they have one toy chest that is half dress-up clothes and half their major life obsession: firetrucks. We designated a spare bedroom as the playroom, and that is where all of the toys live.

I am firmly anti-sprawl. They have a small bedroom that literally contains a bunk bed and two houseplants. All of their clothing is in hanging bins in the closet, so that they can start to dress themselves and put away laundry—still working on that one, honestly. Sleeping chambers are for sleep. You should walk in and feel drowsy (or sexy for the tired parents out there!).”

START WITH LESS

“During the inevitable nesting phase of pregnancy, or preparing to welcome home a new child, focus on purging and organizing rather than shopping. It is so exciting to make those first baby purchases, but space it out and acquire it on a need-to basis, which helps you curate just what YOUR baby needs. Babes need so little at the start… literally diapers, a soft blanket, and a breast (pump).”

ELIMINATE WITH EASE

“As the seasons change, I do a whole house purge. It’s one of my favorite activities. Working as a forced team, the boys and I sort through their possessions, making decisions on what stays and what goes, and how we want to organize it for fresh play. By this point, they trust that by parting with something, they are making room for something new to come in; it’s never too early for a little Law of Attraction.”