My home is the second most important thing in my life, after my family, but to me they are completely interlinked. The two things go hand in hand, which I think I've touched on before. Home really is where the heart it. As a stay at home wife I feel that it's my job to have our home running smoothly. My lovely Dicky B works hard for our money so the least I can do is have a welcoming haven for him to return to each evening. Even when I was working this was still important to me, not just for him but for Ben and Bex too. Home really should be the place we feel safest, the place we run to at the end of a tough day or to tell your family the good stuff to. I'm not ashamed to say I'm a housewife. I'm proud of the job I do and I work hard for it all to run smoothly. If my home is untidy or cluttered, dirty or messy I feel I'm not doing my job properly. And I get very well paid thank you! My husband knows the effort I put in for him and the family, although it is much easier now being just the two of us. He allows me to buy things that I feel improve our environment and let's me treat myself. I don't often get a 'how much?' or ' you bought what?!'
It's really important for your happiness to keep your space clean and tidy. There's nothing worse than having a mess around you. It's so difficult to relax because even if you think you can ignore the mess around you it'll be niggling away in your subconscious! There are so many small things that I do each day that only take a few minutes of your time. I always make the bed. There's nothing worse than going to bed at night in an unmade bed. Yes, I know you're only going to mess it up again but the feeling of climbing into a tidy bed is so blissful, not quite as amazing as climbing into a freshly changed bed but close enough! I load the dishwasher as I use stuff and I'll always wash up before I go to bed; I hate coming down to dirty dishes. Such a depressing way to start your day. The same as I'll tidy up before bedtime. Cushions plumped and things neatly tidied up even if they're not away. I want my house to be a home, not a show piece but somewhere that is relaxing and homely. Your home is a place to relax and refuel for whatever each day may bring.
When my hubby comes home from work I have candles lit around the house and the dinner will be prepared ready to cook when he's ready. These are only small things but they make our home welcoming. By doing things as and when they need doing it's easier to keep a house clean and tidy. You spilt the milk, clean it up straight away before it becomes a stubborn mess that'll take twice as long. The bin is nearly full, empty it. You've got a pile of clean laundry to put away, just get on and do it. No one really likes housework so it's just easier to do it as it comes up. It's something I've told Ben and Bex many times since they left home.
When I was working full time we had a maid who came in five mornings a week. She pretty much ran my house for me and was a life saver. She would even be a few steps ahead of me and do something that I had been thinking about asking her to do. The only thing I wouldn't let her do is tidy up after Ben and Bex. She was there to help me not clean up after them, so if their rooms weren't tidy then she wouldn't go in. I'm very lucky living out here because the maid services are really good value. Even though it's only two of us at home we have a maid who comes in for 4 hours twice a week. I know, I know, I'm spoilt. The thing is that I will do my own housework if I have to. The only thing I really hate is ironing! So the lovely Josephine comes in during the week and within her first week asked who my other maid was. I know we don't make too much of a mess but because I keep on top of everything she honestly thought that I must have someone else coming in to help.
When we first moved into this villa I had friends who wanted to come and see out new home. Who wouldn't, we are all basically nosey creatures who like to see new things. I had so many flattering comments about how I had put the villa together, the layout of our furniture, and the feeling of home that it evoked. One of my lovely friends suggested that I wouldn't be able to keep it as tidy once we had lived here for a while; a year later it's still as tidy. This is mainly due to the fact that I spent more time sorting things out properly with this move, I've got my paperwork organised and I'm living by the 3 minutes for each room per day rule. This doesn't involve the cleaning just the tidying up and putting a room back to it's original tidy state once you've moved on. Everything has a place and goes back once it's been used. As I said it's much easier with just two of us living at home. Having a toddler whose job is the take out what you put away or a teen who thinks that everything gets done by fairies overnight, is a bit like trying to win a losing battle. It can be done though, trust me, I've been there, fought those battles.
A friend once said that my home portrayed the warmth of my heart and was as welcoming as I myself was. She said it was a physical expression of my warm and loving personality. I took that as a huge compliment. I want you to walk through my front door and instantly feel at home. If you do then I've done my job well and I'm happy.
Making a home is a beautiful thing. You don't need the best of everything you just need to fill it with love. Oh, and follow the three minutes per room rule!
It's really important for your happiness to keep your space clean and tidy. There's nothing worse than having a mess around you. It's so difficult to relax because even if you think you can ignore the mess around you it'll be niggling away in your subconscious! There are so many small things that I do each day that only take a few minutes of your time. I always make the bed. There's nothing worse than going to bed at night in an unmade bed. Yes, I know you're only going to mess it up again but the feeling of climbing into a tidy bed is so blissful, not quite as amazing as climbing into a freshly changed bed but close enough! I load the dishwasher as I use stuff and I'll always wash up before I go to bed; I hate coming down to dirty dishes. Such a depressing way to start your day. The same as I'll tidy up before bedtime. Cushions plumped and things neatly tidied up even if they're not away. I want my house to be a home, not a show piece but somewhere that is relaxing and homely. Your home is a place to relax and refuel for whatever each day may bring.
When my hubby comes home from work I have candles lit around the house and the dinner will be prepared ready to cook when he's ready. These are only small things but they make our home welcoming. By doing things as and when they need doing it's easier to keep a house clean and tidy. You spilt the milk, clean it up straight away before it becomes a stubborn mess that'll take twice as long. The bin is nearly full, empty it. You've got a pile of clean laundry to put away, just get on and do it. No one really likes housework so it's just easier to do it as it comes up. It's something I've told Ben and Bex many times since they left home.
When I was working full time we had a maid who came in five mornings a week. She pretty much ran my house for me and was a life saver. She would even be a few steps ahead of me and do something that I had been thinking about asking her to do. The only thing I wouldn't let her do is tidy up after Ben and Bex. She was there to help me not clean up after them, so if their rooms weren't tidy then she wouldn't go in. I'm very lucky living out here because the maid services are really good value. Even though it's only two of us at home we have a maid who comes in for 4 hours twice a week. I know, I know, I'm spoilt. The thing is that I will do my own housework if I have to. The only thing I really hate is ironing! So the lovely Josephine comes in during the week and within her first week asked who my other maid was. I know we don't make too much of a mess but because I keep on top of everything she honestly thought that I must have someone else coming in to help.
When we first moved into this villa I had friends who wanted to come and see out new home. Who wouldn't, we are all basically nosey creatures who like to see new things. I had so many flattering comments about how I had put the villa together, the layout of our furniture, and the feeling of home that it evoked. One of my lovely friends suggested that I wouldn't be able to keep it as tidy once we had lived here for a while; a year later it's still as tidy. This is mainly due to the fact that I spent more time sorting things out properly with this move, I've got my paperwork organised and I'm living by the 3 minutes for each room per day rule. This doesn't involve the cleaning just the tidying up and putting a room back to it's original tidy state once you've moved on. Everything has a place and goes back once it's been used. As I said it's much easier with just two of us living at home. Having a toddler whose job is the take out what you put away or a teen who thinks that everything gets done by fairies overnight, is a bit like trying to win a losing battle. It can be done though, trust me, I've been there, fought those battles.
A friend once said that my home portrayed the warmth of my heart and was as welcoming as I myself was. She said it was a physical expression of my warm and loving personality. I took that as a huge compliment. I want you to walk through my front door and instantly feel at home. If you do then I've done my job well and I'm happy.
Making a home is a beautiful thing. You don't need the best of everything you just need to fill it with love. Oh, and follow the three minutes per room rule!