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By March, we are all anxious to get winter ice and spring mud behind us and move into a season of light and freshness. So, of course, the first thing that I suggest is to give your home a good cleaning, and clean OUT anything that you haven’t used in 2 years (unless, like my husband, you simply cannot part with the framed article from 1850… but please try!). This includes the linen closet, bathroom storage, closets, and the pantry.
- Once you have cleaned, the open spaces will open your mind to creativity. I am aware that if my dining room table is piled up with anything, my brain can’t get organized. I like having a dining room table that changes with the seasons and is inspiring. I usually play with textures like fabrics, colors, plants, and candles.
- Have these dry cleaned and experiment with hanging something lighter like white linen if you have window treatments.
- Swapping out your rugs is a great reminder to upgrade things that we see every day and yet don’t see the dirt (I’ll admit that I need to retire my mudroom rug after the winter months!).
- Clean your windows and put up the screens. Even if you have your windows cleaned after the last pollen, you will still want to open the windows in the spring.
- Get your plans ready to go outside by re-potting them and begin to plant your indoor seeds. Honestly, there is nothing like going to the local nursery just for some inspiration, even though we are a ways away from getting anything in the ground. Try putting a plant in the bathroom now that you have extra space. Flower Kiosk is my favorite local florist!
- Wash your bedding and think of a refresh. You can put away the flannel and wool and move toward cotton and linens. If you don’t want to buy new bedding, freshen the space with a new throw blanket or accent pillow. Brooklinen and Garnett Hill are great resources.
There is a saying that I firmly believe in that your home is a reflection of you, your happiness, and your mental health. Therefore, never undervalue the power of your home. Below is an article from DailyOM that says this much better than I.
A Stress-Free Home
Your home will be infused with supportive energy if you take the time to create a stress-free home.
Sometimes our lives are so busy that we treat our homes as if they were impersonal places that we merely pass through. But we can make sure that our homes truly feel like our sanctuaries by taking the time to tend to them like gardens, which need the care to offer us the beauty of their blooms. When we take the time to treat our homes like beloved treasures, we can shift their energy from being merely places to being wellsprings for the replenishment of our energy.
Consider that homes are the outer reflections of those who live within; if we feel that the current appearance clashes with how we’d like to see ourselves, it can keep us from fully allowing our light to shine. Updating our homes to reflect our inner landscape need not involve massive redecorating or a significant outlay of money. Instead, small things can make a big difference, like simply moving items so that we constantly gaze upon the things we love the most, liberating the treasures we’ve hidden in our closets, using our best dishes, and making minor repairs. Organizing and cleaning is a no-cost way to remove chaos from our homes and introduce more calm. Lovingly rejuvenating our personal space can become a creative project that increases the flow of good throughout all aspects of our lives and increases our feeling of connection. We can give old things new life by donating them to charity, opening space for newness to enter. Removing stress from our homes can be as simple as putting our bills into pretty boxes and choosing a specific time to deal with them or eliminating clutter so that we and our energy can move freely throughout our space.
Simplifying our space lets our imagination and energy roam free. We can choose to prioritize our homes, making them the true heart of our family’s activities. Then we are free to focus on what matters — time to ourselves, share with loved ones, and replenish our energy to have more to communicate with each other and with the world.
