Making Home a Haven
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I had mentioned that I was following Monday challenges on Tammy’s Recipes? Although I did not post last Monday, please don’t think that I have not been working on my ‘homework assignments’. My excuse is that I have begun working part-time and this has caused my blogging to be erratic at best.
I do have to say that having the morning routine has helped to keep our home and family from falling into a pit of utter chaos as I have returned to the working world. I have made one amendment to my original list however. Listing that I was going to ‘get up and get kids dressed for school’ was a bit of a cop-out. We do this regardless and I felt I should add something a bit more valuable to my routine. My added gem is…(drumroll please)…Making my bed. This puts a finishing touch to our bedroom and I find that when I make my bed, my kids make theirs too. Go figure.
Last week, Tammy challenged everyone to go to bed earlier. I struggled with this one and that is one of the reasons that I didn’t write about it. After a week, I’ve come to the conclusion that I cherish my evening hours too much to go to bed earlier. It is my time to chill out, read. spend time with my husband or even write this blog. My normal bedtime is around 11:30 and since our family gets up at the crack of…(ahem)…7:30, I’m still getting my 8 hours of sleep. This works for me and I’m not going to force myself to go to bed any earlier.
This week, Tammy suggests that we should work hard to be cheerful and shower our families with love. This is a critical part of making our homes a haven. Providing a happy, safe place for our children and spouses. I think that this is a good reminder and possibly one of the more difficult of the challenges. I’ve been finding it a particular struggle to take the time to clean the house, go to work, then return home after a few hours to find that all of my hard work has been completely undone. Because I am already tired, I find that I turn into a raving psychopath my patience is quite thin at these moments. And I am not nice.
One tool that I have been using to keep my emotions in check is my nightly walk. Thank goodness the sun is going down later these days! My brisk half hour walks are my salvation, and I’m sure that my husband and children would say the same.
My walk of solitude is very different from the family walks that we often take after dinner. On these jaunts, we take a snail’s pace (or toddler’s) around the block, stopping often to say hello to friendly neighbors who we haven’t seen all winter. No, my ‘mommy walks’ are my way to let off some steam as I speedily cross streets and pass houses, then slow down and soak in the sights, sounds and scents of nature in our local woods. I’ll often pause to sit on a bench and watch the river go rushing past, now high from spring melt and rain. When I arrive home, the noise and chaos of the kids is still there, but I am in a different place and I can better handle the stress. These walks are my coping mechanism.
Besides Tammy’s suggestions, I have also added a brief bedtime routine to my day. These two things on my list are simple, but they are sacred, and I find them very manageable:
- Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink before going to bed.
- Make sure to fold and put away any laundry that was done that day.
That’s it. Short and sweet.
Why am I talking about my home being made into a haven on a green-living blog? Because I believe that I do not make the best green choices when the house is a mess and I am feeling unorganized and stressed. If my home is running smoothly, then I am more likely to succeed on my green journey. My house is cleaner. My mind is clearer. And I am ready to conquer the world (or help save it)!
How do you make your home a haven? What do you do to decompress in the course of a stressful day so that you can be a loving person to your family?
Filed under Cleaning and Organization |5 Responses to “Making Home a Haven”
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Walking really does help to soothe the soul, doesn’t it? I’m looking forward to re-starting my car-free status. If nothing else, it ensures that I walk about 8km a day to get Graham to and from school. I felt healthier and happier when I was walking more. Too easy to fall prey to sloth during a Canadian winter.
You’ve added two challenges that, for me, would be big ones. I’m a clutterbug, so tidying is always a challenge. But I will heed your call and strive to make sure I do the dishes before bed every night. As for laundry, well, one step at a time.
Good luck!
Hey Craig-
We all do what we can, and only you know what your are able to accomplish. As a fellow clutterbug, I am trying to master these routines slooowwly so that they become absolute habits. I am very proud to say that I have been able to stick to my goals for the past couple of weeks and the house is looking the better for it!
As for the walking…it beats Prozac!!!
I’m a lucky woman because my husband finds doing dishes a relaxing routine. He meditates on his day, zones out… So I let him be and rarely have to touch them.
My promise is a well fed home. I try to make as much as a can from scratch. Cutting out pre-made and packaged foods has been a process, but it’s part of my day now and I’ve found it very fulfilling. I also know that my family is well cared for and well fed.
Thank you for sharing all your experiences with us.
Yanic
Okay, I have to say that I am jealous, Yanic!
Your promise to your family is a fantastic one- Pre-made and packaged foods are not good for our bodies or the environment. I also try to cook from scratch, but find that some weeks are more successful than others. This is something that I would really like to strive for and it is reassuring to hear from you that it does become second nature the more you do it.
Thanks for your comment!
[...] already have hinted in my last post that I had begun a brief 2-step evening routine. This is in addition to the 5-step morning routine that I have been doing for the past few weeks as [...]