3 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Summer
With summer fully upon us, I find myself looking into the future of almost three months at HOME with two kids…. every day. all day. If you are feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, or crazy-mom-brain about the whole “summer at home with kids” situation….. don’t panic! There are a few key changes you can make to your house through intentional design (and even decorating!) that will make your days a bit smoother, more fun, and help you rock this mom-thing all summer long.
As the Decor Mentor, it’s my mission to help at-home moms create dreamy family homes. What does that actually mean? Family-friendly home design is functional and makes your daily life easier and more joy-filled; it is durable enough to withstand the active and rough-and-tumble lifestyle of all the humans and animals who call your house their home; it is affordable enough that you can breathe easy when someone accidentally wears their shoes in the house, or your needs change- you’re not investing in heirloom pieces for your life right now; family-friendly home design is beautiful- it makes you happy to come home and expresses your unique love for your entire family.
Make some time this week to try these THREE WAYS to take control of your at-home mom-life and enjoy your well-designed summer!
1) Create solutions to real problems, not Pinspirations...
Scrolling through Pinterest is fun, addicting even- but it can be dangerous and counter-productive. It can actually convince us that our homes NEED pretty, creative, photo-worthy solutions to problems that we don’t actually have in our own homes!
ACTION ITEM:
Create a new board on Pinterest to collect projects and inspiration for THIS SUMMER, and keep yourself focused on realistic project planning. You will actually get more done and feel more accomplished if you don’t write a to-do list that will never be completed.
2) Identify where your family makes messes+stresses.
Provide simple solutions. Simplicity is key for getting our kids/spouses/houseguests to follow the lifestyle we have designed in our homes.
ACTION ITEM:
think about 1 or 2 areas in your home where clutter gathers, things get lost, or people end up in a traffic jam on a regular basis….. you know, the places that give you hives just thinking about them! Write down the problem that needs to be solved- and then go look for a solution for YOUR home! Make plans to fix the problem in the next 10 days.
3) Make sure your designs match your mom-lifestyle
(simple beds to make, easy toy storage, plates at kid-level) and give yourself plenty of grace when it comes to enforcing a new rule/system. For instance, I have been asking my daughter to make her bed all year. I think it’s the perfect chore for a 6-year-old to start doing independently - without being reminded daily or nagged over and over. In our last house, her bed was tall, a double mattress, and had lots of sheets and blankets- I was still making it like a grown-up bed…..
I recently re-designed the kids’ room in our new house (check out more of the reveal over on my Instagram!) and the results have surprised even me! She now has a twin bed that is low enough for her to reach, and I make her bed with a fitted sheet and duvet. No flat sheet, no extra blankets, and only 2 pillows and her 4 favorite stuffed animals for decor. She LOVES to come down in the morning and tell me she has already made her bed- she is even folding her PJ’s in a little corner under her pillow for the next morning!
I was frustrated for so long because I had been setting an expectation for my sweet girl, but I hadn’t designed a space that allowed her to be successful.
ACTION ITEM:
Share an example of your “mom-lifestyle” that you want to achieve in your home- and what space/system/solution you’re going to work on designing that will make it happen!