Sunday, February 9, 2014

Making a House a Home

Making a House a Home 


What makes a house a home? A home is more than just the structure itself; home is a safe haven, filled with love, understanding, struggle, sweat and above all, God. But having a home is a goal that must be worked for. It may take time and energy to really make your house a home and there are many elements involved in this end goal. Let's start with the obvious, a clean home.
A Clean Home = A Happy Home: Let me just start by saying, I know that I have a very small platform to be able to even talk on this subject because I don't have children yet and keeping a home clean while having kids must be an unimaginable feat, but I do have a husband and we can get very lax when we're tired. We sometimes come home so tired and so desperate for one-on-one time together that we change into comfy clothes, leaving our work clothes scattered on the floor...and this can go on ALL WEEK! This tragedy sometimes even doubles on the nights my husband coaches basketball because he wears dress clothes to teach in, brings clothes to coach in and then comes home and puts pajamas on! Bless his heart, but where do all of these clothes end up? On the floor in the living room...ugh! Before I go throwing him under the bus, let me just admit that I am as much of a culprit of this bad habit as he is. We are so busy and so tired during the week that I know if I let every piece of clothing I own pile up in a corner, I'll have time over the weekend to clean, and trust me, by then it's driven me so crazy that I would have cleaned it up anyway. I can't imagine how difficult it will be to keep our humble abode clean once we have high chairs and teething rings sprawled all over creation and three children running around - sigh, but a happy, healthy family is the ultimate dream!

I cleaned up the house today and we discussed helping each other stay on track with putting clothes away at the end of each day. Hopefully it works this time! But honestly, this is a topic under Making a House a Home because having a tidy home truly makes a difference. Where all other aspects of our lives keep us busy and stressed, having a clean home can be one place where the stress of laundry piles and sinks filled with dishes don't have to consume our time. Make a plan that suits your family's style and addresses your family's habits. Get everyone in your home on board and work together to encourage each other to write over the old habits, creating a stress-free mess-free home!


Organize For Life: Keeping with the A Clean Home = A Happy Home theme, staying organized in your home is also on the list because it can make daily life smoother and more successful, resulting in a happier home! You know your home and your family best! In our home, the two very small areas in our very small apartment that I am most proud of are our medicine drawers and our personal files.

In our bathroom we have a deep medicine closet, and with that being said, I brought a pharmacy into our marriage. I have all sorts of cold medicines, cough medicines, allergy medicines...yeah...before I got my tonsils out a few years ago, I got sick a lot! Anyway, we bought two sets of plastic drawers from Walmart and we stored the medications by illness (for example, cold medicine is in one drawer, allergy medicine is in another, etc.). 

 I'm also proud of our home filing system. We bought a nice hanging file box and I made files such as:
  • Jenny's Health Files
  • Andrew's Health Files
  • Chase
  • Investments
  • Car Insurance
You can find lots of good outlines to redo your family's files on Pinterest. Some of my other favorite family organization tools can be found in the links below!
Knowing When to Let Go - Giving to the Less Fortunate: Being the granddaughter to people who grew up during the Great Depression, I should have inherited pack-rat tendencies, but instead, I did just the opposite. While members of my family stockpile things that we've never used and have only touched when cleaning the garage, I found the need to recycle my items. I have had a blessed life and was never short of having enough clothes or possessions. My parents did everything in their power to provide for my brother and I and I will forever be appreciative of that. Since I was small, I've always been good at selling my things or giving them away, which is a unique trait in a child, and even now I try to go through my closet and pull out clothes that I don't wear at least once a month. This is such a wonderful thing because so many people are less fortunate and need gently used clothes at more affordable prices. But this can be a challenge for some, like some of my family members, but it's important to remember that God doesn't want us to be consumed by our lives here on earth and what metropolis we have built for ourselves. Sometimes, we struggle to let go of worldly possessions because they hold sentimental value or they belonged to someone we love. This is common, and I'm sure everyone has at lest five material objects that hold some value to them beyond the item's purpose. Letting go of some things to not only de-clutter your home, but also to lead a more Godly life is a healthy choice. The less we cling to our possessions, the more room we have for God in our hearts and in our lives. Worldly possessions are only temporary comforts in this life and Jesus is the only infinite comfort for eternity. 


Family Time: Whether your family consists of just a husband and wife or extended family and kids, family time is still equally important! Turning off electronics, going outside, taking vacations, going to church and so many other activities can be staples in starting traditions and keeping your family connected. 

 Some of my favorite links to benefit your marriage can be found below - 

If you enjoyed the links I shared above, check out my Pinterest board: Family Values
Some of my favorite links to benefit your family can be found below - 


If you enjoyed the links I shared above, check out my Pinterest board: Little Feet


What can you and your family do to make your house into a home? Thanks for reading and I hope this inspires you to make changes for the better!



Happy Living & God's Blessings!
J.M.
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