Comfort

I do not have an organized, clean home, although I crave one. I haven't found a magic bullet to 'keeping house', although I think it is somewhere in having no children, no husband, a live in maid, and perhaps being British royalty.

For those of us that fall outside that sweet spot, I think we will forever be playing a vicious game of cat and mouse with house chores. We all have different strengths and pitfalls in home making. I am not here to judge or even offer advice, but I will share what is inspiring me.

Laundry is my nemesis. I am trying to come up with a better system that doesn't leave me wanting to burn the whole house down rather than have to deal with the laundry.

I mashed up a bunch of your advice that I asked for on Facebook and it is helping. 

The main thing though, was a perspective change. I'm going to be totally honest, the main reason I wan't getting laundry done was because I just didn't think it was worthy of my time. I have a family to feed, a house to keep, a business to run, people to keep alive; laundry just fell to the bottom and I didn't make it a priority. 

Now I am trying to be more aware of when and how I approach laundry. I am doing it in the mornings, because that is when I am most productive. I am separating it by person now, which makes getting the kids to pitch in easier. And I am reminding myself that I need to quit feeling sorry for myself and just do the stupid laundry instead of resenting it and making a big deal out of it. 

I could go on and on about all the things I am trying, but I feel like a lot of days I am treading water. When it comes to keeping house, if I were leading you, it would be the blind leading the blind and we would all just end up on the couch watching Netflix with a glass of wine in a dirty house! That seems to be my sweet spot. But then the mess builds up and small people go unbathed and things start to smell weird.

So…...

Let's not set unrealistic goals that will just go unmet in a month or two and leave us feeling like failures. Instead, let's talk realistic lifestyle changes that help us to manage our homes better, which in turn helps us to manage our time more effectively and therefore be better people, wives, moms, bosses, and friends.

I cannot stress enough that making your home, your apartment, your space, a place that is comforting to you is so much more important than one that just looks good.

What comfort means will be different for each of us. Whatever you want the atmosphere of your home to be, it is in your hands to make it that way. A comfortable place where you feel safe and in control, can change how you start your day and how you end it, which ultimately can effect the way you respond throughout the day to the world around you. 

Take what works for you, ignore the rest. We are not striving for perfection, we are striving for comfort.

5 Things People with Tidy Homes Don't Do

Two Tips to a Tidy Home

The Lazy Genius Guide to Cleaning Your House

Or listen to the Lazy Genuis podcast while you clean!

Don't be ashamed to hire help and other tips.

I haven't read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up but I am intrigued by the idea of it.

I loved the simple, NORMAL, tips for creating a welcoming home in The Nesting Place book.

There are heaps, upon piles, of tips and advice out there. The main thing to remember is that above all home is all about creating a space where those that enter feel safe and loved. A place where the people within the walls of your home can forget about the world outside.

Don't get caught up in appearances. Don't underestimate the power of looking someone in the eyes and truly listening to them. Don't forget that the smell of cookies (homemade or NOT) cooking in the oven can bring more comfort than clean floors.

Keeping your house at a level that makes you comfortable to love others is all that matters.

Happy weekend friends!

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P.S. Check out these past posts on...

Living Well

When Marriage Isn't Easy

Working on my Ugly

Never be afraid to share your Truth