my space

 i thrive on peace and order, but for too long now it seems like i never have enough of either. we usually have it on saturday afternoon after we spent all of saturday morning doing chores and restoring order to our home, but once a week was not enough. it's a vicious circle really, life gets crazy, so house hold responsibilities get neglected, which makes for more crazy, which makes me run straight to the ice cream. we pray as a family for a good spirit to reside here in our home so that whoever comes to share our space (including us), feels loved and welcomed and safe. it's hard to have that spirit when everything is so chaotic.

so i really only set one goal this year, knowing it was kind of a big one, to not only find more order and peace in my house, but find a routine to help me keep it that way.

i spent about three solid weeks painting and finishing little projects hanging over my head, purging every closet and storage space in the house, making a million runs to the DI (good will), labeling bins and organizing.

i  had accomplished the "find more order and peace" part of my goal, but i knew the bigger job would be to keep it that way.

the answer has been simple, a list of small tasks, that have to be done, every day. period.

beds get made every day.

bathrooms get wiped down every day.

at least two loads of laundry get done every day.

the kitchen is cleaned after breakfast and after dinner every day.

spend twenty to thirty minutes straightening every night.

that's it. doing these five things religiously has REVOLUTIONIZED my life. i feel so empowered! i have more mental stamina and time to tackle the big chores and projects that need to be done because i'm not so overwhelmed by all the little stuff. it's a simple solution, i know, i'm kind of a slow learner. but it's working. when the kids get home from school and my second shift starts, things are in order and i can focus on them and their needs and getting dinner made. there is a happier, more peaceful feeling here in this space that makes me smile, and more able to grab yoplait whipped yogurt instead of ice cream.

so here is a tour of my clean, and organized space. why i am doing this? one, i would love to have some detailed photos of the different homes i lived in growing up, think of the memories those photos would spark! two, it's a sense of accomplishment for me, a reward of sorts after all that i have done. a pat on my back, as self indulgent as that may be. and three, who knows how long i will be able to keep this up, so i'd better take photos NOW while it's good. (just keepin' it real ya'll.)

welcoming space

 visiting teaching, music playing and pondering space

 gathering space

cooking, eating and laughing space

allie's primping space
(my next project is to paint these cabinets)

blogging, crafting and nerding space

sanctuary space

nose powdering space

ethan's little boy space

allie's uber-girly space

taylor and spencer's smells like teen spirit space

boys' too much cologne to impress the girls smelling space

play space

ahhhh. now i need to throw a party.