Is your home a haven for your family, or does it look everything's gone haywire?
I have to admit there are times my home looks more like the latter. There are times when we have sickness in the household, or things get extra busy, and we get behind on things. But, I'll bet you're with me when I say that I truly want a home and haven--not just a house. And the Bible teaches us women to be "keepers at home" (Titus 2:5) and to work "willingly with [our] hands" (Proverbs 31:13).
Writer Emilie Barnes inspires me. Her book The Fifteen Minute Organizer has many good organization ideas and lists to help keep the home. I confess that I tend to be a perfectionist in that if I can't do a project completely and perfectly in a given timeframe, I won't even start it. This keeps me from accomplishing a lot of things that I need to do, and becomes a plain old excuse! Emilie's title reminds me to ask myself, if I just spend fifteen minutes right now on something, what could I accomplish?
My blogging friend, Monica, is bringing us some ideas, starting January 15, with her "Make Your Home a Haven" challenge. Click
here to find out more about her idea.
By the way, making your home a haven isn't just about organizing or cleaning--though that's a big part of it. There's some fun stuff in there too!
Here are some fun ways I like to create a haven:
-Light candles around the house on any given evening. (Don't forget to blow them out before bedtime!)
-Purchase pretty napkins from the dollar store. Use them for supper on an ordinary night.
-Use bubble bath that you've been saving for... when?
-Just before your family comes home, spray your favourite Febreze scent throughout the house. -Use linen spray on your bed sheets just before your husband comes in for bed. (He may poke fun at your "girliness," but, I assure you, he appreciates your effort to make his house a haven.)
-Be sure your house shoes/slippers (and your husband's too) are next to your bed before you turn in. You'll love the feel of them when you get out of bed in the morning!
Comment and tell us a special way, or two, that you are making your home a haven for your family.
I like to have a snack or supper ready for the boys as soon as they walk in the door from school :) this may sound silly but you'd be surprised how appreciative they are and there is alot of family talk in the living room while they munch. We find that we can connect with the boys more if they are eating lol Rebecca :)
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