Get A Fresh Pair

Well, we finally made it back from our big summer adventure across the US, toting along a 5 year old, 3 year old and 8 month old. Let me tell you all...America, she is beautiful. Gone for two solid weeks - camping, tee pee sleeping and hikes galore. Loads of fun, but it's always so good to come home.

(Just call us Clark and Ellen)

Full disclosure, if you haven't figured it out already, I am a complete dork. I am one of those people that cleans our house before we leave for trips. There's nothing better than coming home to a clean house, and nothing worse than traveling and coming home to a dirty house. Plus, it allows for a fresh perspective once you get home.

A couple of times of year, when we are gone for a week or more at a time, it gives me the chance to walk into our home upon return and look at it with a pair of fresh eyes. It's like seeing it for the first time again. You see the good, and you see the bad.

There are times when my freshies see things that I love and I impress even myself. And then, more frequently, there are times that I am slightly appalled by some styling choices I have made in my home (i.e. why is everything so cluttered). It's amazing what your eyes get used to when you see the same things day after day.

I am currently reading two books (see dork comment above). Terrifyingly to my husband and children, they are 7 (Jen Hatmaker) and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Marie Kondo). A fierce combo. If you know anything about these books, you understand that my family has some legitimate concern about coming home to an empty house and being fed spinach and sweet potatoes for weeks on end, while surrounding themselves with things I find "joyful".

But, I digress.....back to the point. Use these breaks from your house to come home, assess the space, and find ways to make your home exciting. More often than not, it just takes getting rid of things, clutter, excess. This does not mean you need to go out and buy new pieces. Move things around. Switch rugs in different areas of your home (my daughter just lost her bedroom rug to the sitting area). Rearrange your chachkies, or just put them away for awhile. Create a blank canvas if you need to so you can really see what lays behind all that "stuff" we all unknowingly accumulate. Find a way to channel your inner Marie Kondo and find sparks of joy in the things around you, the things that already made the cut. Clean it up.

And, if all else fails, just go back on vacation.

Keep it simple, keep it real, 

Rachel