Motivation

I read this post by Katie Bower after Melody went to bed tonight.

After reading it, I am so inspired to care more about our home. I know there are lots of things I don't love about our house, but this is going to be Melody's home for quite awhile (and mine and my husband's). How do I want her to remember it? Hodge-podge? Always messy?

Definitely not. I want her to remember that it was small, but it was clean and beautiful. That we had enough room to be a family in it.

Katie's post makes me want to go buy a can of paint. And finish (start?) a few more projects. And wash the dishes. I'm not feeling inspired to care for our home because it's the home that matters. I am totally with KB that our place in this world is temporary- and so are our homes. But mothers do create the atmosphere in their homes. They make it joyful or stressful, content or agitated, orderly or chaotic. Sometimes I forget that I have that influence in my home. Actually, I often forget that I have that influence.

I realize now that I have been avoiding the difficult projects in our home. While I have painted the living room, hung pictures in our bedroom, made Melody's room adorable, I have avoided the difficult things altogether (like dealing with metal cabinets in the kitchen or the bathroom with the teal porcelain tub and toilet). There is no art or photos in the rooms that I don't like, no paint on the walls. It's possible that I am in denial that these "ugly" rooms are part of our house.

Not anymore. I am going to tackle them a little at a time. I'm going to do what I can with what little we have and try to love our home more. Because it is our home. It's what Melody is going to remember. My efforts can only serve as a blessing to my family, myself and those we love by opening our doors to them.

Here's to choosing to see our home as a blessing- not a chore,
Rachel