Thursday Tips: Creating a SenseSational Home Part 2

This week I'm continuing my thoughts on Creating a SenseSational Home over at  Thursday Tips at Coffee With Me. Head over and put your own tips in.  See my previous post on Creating a SenseSational Home. I'm also linking these up to Tuesday Tips by Couponomic Stimulus Package

I know that many people think that it shouldn't matter what their home looks like, guests shouldn't be coming for the "look" of their home, they should be coming because they want to be with them. Well, sure, that's true....for the most part. For example, I don't care if your furniture is new, old, or hand me down. I don't care if I come over and you have some dishes in your sink or some dust on the table, or laundry that still needs to be done. My home is not "perfect", but it's in "order". I know people who in the many years I've known them I have only been in their house a few times because their homes are not in order. I know people who when I go to their home it is so dirty that it's not a pleasure to be there, especially when pets are present and there is hair and pet odor all around, sticky counters and dirty floors. I grew up with pets, but my mom was very good about keeping things always clean.

So, today's tips for Creating a SenseSational Home are:

3. Bring Order to Your Home

• Have a plan of action for each day-stick to it and make it routine so when your husband comes home there is peace not chaos. (Not perfect necessarily, but a place that promotes peace). Here's a good plan if you need an idea.
• Have a cleaning plan so the underlying foundation is clean. Hint: Do a 15 minute pick-up every evening before bed. Even a 5 minute pickup is worth it. Have everyone in your home take 5 minutes to pick things up.
• What are your priorities? What makes you happy with your home?
• What makes your husband happy about coming home?
• Have a place for items--every item in it's place--put it back before moving on. 
• Manage paperwork/clutter--get a system that works for you and make it a habit. See my post here and here, on this. **Magazines easily create clutter. Once a month go through and tear out any articles/recipes you want to keep (or photocopy them), place them in a file or binder and give your magazines to another friend, give them away at a garage sale, or shred them for your garden compost.
• If space is limited, have less "stuff". Get creative with storage.

So this week, decide how you can bring order to your home. 

I know there are people out there who are better than I am at this and who's homes are probably a lot cleaner, but I do believe my home is in order. There are days when my home isn't as "in order" as other days due to busyness, but I know what I can handle, and try to even keep the "chaos" in order. If I have to leave dishes in the sink, I rinse and stack them neatly. 

Remember it doesn't have to be "perfect", but a home that speaks peace to those who enter. 

Next week we'll start looking at ways to Tantalize the 5 senses Through our Homes!!

With Joy UNquenchable,