Creating Warmth in your Home

June 26, 2009 By

This month I’ve been encouraging you to put on your artist’s hat and create an authentic home—a home that supports, encourages, and nurtures everyone to be their very best.  So far, we’ve talked about how to cast a vision for your ideal home and create an atmosphere to influence family members to be the best they can be.  This week, I want to talk about love and warmth.

Fun and Laughter 

Most people love their families (well at least a few members anyway!) but we can get so caught up in the daily tasks of home management, stress of work, getting homework and everything else done that we forget to have some fun and laugh along the way. 

How to Get Started 

To begin creating more warmth in your home, think about the following questions:

  •  How (and how often) do you show appreciation and gratitude in your family?
  • When a family member comes home for the day, how is (s)he greeted?  Is it with happiness and energy or barely a grunt in that direction?
  • How often do you give hugs and kisses or touch each other in your family?  When you kiss your partner, is it the pecking kind of kiss or the ‘let’s put the kids to bed early tonight’ kind?
  • When was the last time you shared a really great side splitting laugh together?  Or even a few chuckles?

 Laughter is probably the most underrated medicine for relationships and improving the happiness scale in your home.  It takes away stress and bonds you tightly together (ala the “inside joke”).  Affection and appreciation also convey to your family how much you love and value them. 

 I challenge you this week to look at these areas and see if sharing a laugh, putting an arm around a family member, or expressing your appreciation doesn’t make things feel just a bit lighter and easier. 

Do you have a favorite memory or story of how laughter helped bring you closer to a friend or family member?  Share it with us!

 Have a fun week!

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Adjust the Atmosphere in Your Home

June 23, 2009 By

Now that you have cast a vision for your ideal home, it is time to create a nourishing atmosphere in your home.  Atmosphere is defined as “a surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence”.  Pay close attention to the last word, “influence”.  We start and end our days at home.  Home is where we learn and practice new things before we do them in front of other people. It is where children develop relationship skills and learn how to navigate in the world.  Even as adults, home is where we come to recover and regroup after a long day’s work.  The atmosphere in your home influences your ability to show up big and bold in the world and accomplish your dreams.

How to create an influential and nurturing atmosphere

Ask yourself the following questions:

  •  Are members of your household accepted and loved unconditionally?
  • Do they feel safe to try new things and be themselves?
  • How often do you and your family spend time encouraging and affirming each other?
  • How much focused time do you spend doing things together without distractions?
  • Is everyone responsible for their own actions and belongings?  Or are some carrying a big burden while others get a free ride?

 When you cultivate an atmosphere of love and acceptance, safety, togetherness, and set some boundaries/responsibilities you are creating a place where everyone can feel supported as they develop their talents and become their best.

What is one thing you can begin doing (or stop doing) this week to enhance the atmosphere of your home? Share it with us!

 Have a great week!

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Is Your Home a Good Place to Be?

June 17, 2009 By

Do you think of yourself as creative?  Creativity is more than being a painter, sculptor, writer, or musician.  We are the creators of our homes along with our families. 

A woman’s home is a reflection of her life 

When I first heard this many years ago, I didn’t believe it.  I didn’t see any reflection of myself in my home.  All I saw were the kid’s toys, laundry piles, and my husband’s things scattered around the house.  Then it dawned on me, just as I was invisible in my home, I had become invisible in my own life.  I had put everyone’s needs above my own.   That was a wake up call for me. 

Today, you can see my imprint all around my home.  Right now on my coffee table, amid the baseball gloves and harmonicas, you can find my latest read, magazines I love, a great scented candle, and some work papers.  You can look at the household décor, the walls and shelves of my home and find things that bring me joy—pictures and keepsakes that remind me of great vacations and all the people that I love.  I’m even in a few of those pictures myself! 

How to create an authentic home that supports everyone to be the best they can be

The first step is to evaluate where you are and then cast your vision.  Your assignment for this week is to answer the following questions:

Describe the home that you have currently co-created with your family? Think in terms of the following areas:

  • Physical Aspects (décor, organization)
  • Emotional Aspects (what emotions do you feel in your home–happy, sad, relaxed, stressed)
  • Relational Aspects (how do people treat each other in your home)
  • Other Aspects

 What is your ideal vision for you home?  Think in terms of  the following areas:

  • Physical Aspects (décor, organization)
  • Emotional Aspects (how would you like your home “feel” to you)
  • Relational Aspects (how do would you like people treat each other in your home)
  • Other Aspects

 Next time, I’ll share some easy practical steps to begin creating  an atmosphere of support in your home. 

Happy Creating!

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