Have you been in a home that just feels nice and you really can’t put a finger on it? There are things you can do to increase the overall feeling and good atmosphere in your home. Take a minute to observe your home. What is the overall feeling your home gives off? What do you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste as you look around? Using the 5 senses can help you set the tone in your home and improve the overall good feelings there.
SEE
What people see in your home leaves a definite impression-for good or bad. Is it super clean, or dirty, or is there clutter everywhere? Look around your home with new eyes. Does anything need to be cleaned up or sorted through? How about your family members? Are they getting along, fighting, or playing together? As a professional organizer I see a lot of clutter and chaos in homes. That can really affect the atmosphere of the home as well as the homeowner. There is an invisible weight that people seem to carry that is lighter when things are organized and cleaned.
Do you like what you see when you look around your home? If not, there are definitely things you can do to make your home look better.
To Do:
- Clean your home weekly…vacuum, sweep, mop, dust, and clean bathrooms.
- Do daily jobs. ie: dishes in the sink, pick up anything if needed, take a 5′ quick clean to pick up and put toys and other things away.
- Clear off the kitchen table and counters. This makes me feel so much better!
- If your are in over your head or it is too much to handle hire a professional organizer, or get an organized friend or a family member to help you get it back to a manageable space. Everything needs a home so that it will be easier to put things away.
- Make sure your kids are helping with the chores. Here is my post on How to raise hard working kids.
- Have a project out that you can work on together like a Lego build or a puzzle. We love doing puzzles and now that my kids are older, we keep one on the coffee table and work on it throughout the week.
- Is there a wall that needs painting? Spend a day patching holes and touch ups.
- Clean the carpets. You can rent a carpet cleaner if needed.
- Hang family pictures on the wall and display meaningful things.
- Open the blinds and let some sunshine in.
TASTE
Food is a big part of life at our home. What you eat can majorly affect your health. Bad eating habits can lead to obesity, diabetes, and so much more. Make sure to get those kids eating healthy foods. Treats definitely have their place and can be gro eat experiences together as you make treats, cookies, or homemade breads. My daughter just made cinnamon rolls for the first time today. It was great for us as we worked in the kitchen together to make something so yummy. Plus, I’m helping her learn to be self sufficient! Certain flavors really bring back amazing memories for us.
To Do:
- Have family dinners together daily. Here’s my post about Family Dinners.
- Eat healthy snacks. Pick fruits and veggies with lots of colors of the rainbow.
- Meal plan for every night of the week. That way you have food and don’t need to run to the store or go out every night. It will also save you money. I do my meal planning every Monday and then go grocery shopping on Monday as well.
- Cut and wash fruits and veggies right when you bring them home from the store, then put them in the fridge at eye level so your kids will see them first when they are looking for a snack.
- Try new foods to expose your kids to new flavors.
- Have a theme night every night (like Taco Tuesday). Here are some ideas.
- We love popcorn at our movie nights.
SMELL
Smells can affect your health as well, they can trigger memories of happy times. Bad smells can really set off the good happy atmosphere of your home. Yuck! Beware of pet smells, stinky teenagers, old rotting food, dirty dishes, or trash that needs to be taken out. I’ve learned that clean doesn’t have a smell. There are certain smells that can trigger good or bad memories.
To Do:
- Wash clothes regularly and make sure that your kids are wearing clean clothes.
- Teach kids to wear deodorant daily and to shower regularly. I’ve been to the high school…you may still need to remind your child!
- Clean and vacuum your home regularly.
- Clean out your fridge. Throw out any expired or off-looking food. I usually do this about every 6 months.
- If you have a stinky garbage can or it’s overflowing, take it out (or have your kids do it).
- Bake homemade bread, cookies, and treats. These leave such a great smell in the home. You can always share some with a neighbor!
- Use essential oils and a diffuser to add a safe, light smell to your home.
- Take care of and clean up after your pets. Be sure to give them baths regularly. Who is the designated pooper scooper?
HEAR
Stop and listen. What do you hear in your home? Are they sounds of joy or strife? Sounds of laughter or crying? What we hear tells a lot about what is going on in our homes. What could you do (or encourage your kids to do) to create sounds of joy in your home?
To Do:
- Have regular family prayer together. Nothing sounds better than hearing your family members pray for you and for them to hear you pray for them.
- Make sure to have some quiet time. Take time to meditate and ponder. Maybe early in the morning, after bedtime, or during naptime. I used to make my kids have “quiet time” for 1/2 hour or so even when they were too old for naps.
- Play nice quiet music in the background. We like Hymns, symphony and orchestra, or Christian radio station like KOSY. My family really enjoys listening to music while we are working or doing homework.
- Listen to uplifting podcasts while doing mundane chores. This is a great way to help make the chores seem a little more bearable. Do you have a favorite podcast or one that your kids like? I’m always looking for new ones.
- Stop any bickering immediately. Don’t allow any fighting in your home. I believe contention of any kind will drive the spirit away and leave your home feeling dark and sad.
- Help kids find activities that they can enjoy and do together. My kids love to play the Wii or kick the soccer ball together. It does me good to hear them laughing and getting along.
- Don’t argue with your spouse in front of the kids. My husband and I take our serious discussions into a closed door room. Take time outs to cool down if needed.
- Say something positive each time you greet your kids. I heard the ratio should be 5 positive to 1 negative comment. Imagine how that will impact them if they are hearing that many positive words!
- Tell your kids you love them when you tuck them in at night. We also do this after family prayers.
- Sing songs together. My kids like my husbands music. They love to play songs and sing together. We also like to sing hymns before family prayer.
- Don’t allow any mocking, name calling, slamming, or teasing in your home. Encourage kindness instead.
- Play conference talks while getting ready in the morning or in the car.
- Be positive. Get rid of hurtful talk and gossip. Put away any unkind words and replace them with good ones.
- Share daily good news with each other as you eat dinner together.
- Talk with your spouse regularly and have alone time. Really focus on listening to him.
TOUCH
I have seen warmness and physical touch leaving family life. Unfortunately there are so many evil people in the world that it has affected the way people touch their own family members. Kids need physical touch! It is a love language for a reason. Look for opportunities to show appropriate physical touch to your family members.
- Show affection for your spouse in front of the kids. It’s important for kids to see a good relationship modeled for them. Let them see you hug & kiss.
- Hug and kiss your kids (on the cheek) every day. We like to do this after family prayer and when we tuck them in. You can also do this before they leave for school. If you start doing this when they are young, it won’t be awkward as they get older.
- Give a pat on the back or touch their arm while talking to them.
- High five after a great thing they did.
- Rub their feet after a hard day. The kids like to rub Dad’s feet on Father’s Day.
- Lightly rub their back when sitting next to them. My mom gave the best back rubs. We all fought to sit next to her at church so she would gently rub our backs.
- Give a hug when you are proud of them.
Hopefully this doesn’t seem too overwhelming. These things really have helped our family have a cheerful atmosphere in our home. Is there one thing that really stuck out to you? Start there. Every change you make will help the atmosphere improve in your home. Let me know how it goes!
Here is my post about making your home a little bit more like heaven.