No More Perfect Homes

“Make peace with real life” and “kids make clutter” are two of the biggest truths on this chapter. It was like opening my eyes to seeing something that has been in front of me this whole time and I am just trying to deny. How does your house looks like? Mine is described on the second of the top two truths hahaha. Overall there are some great pieces of advice on this chapter.

The author talks about each part of the house and starts with the kitchen. Why the kitchen? Well, usually that’s were families gather the most. She also suggests that the kitchen should be clean enough to have access to things, make a meal and find things easy. It does not need to be perfect. One of the initial tips is to evaluate the clutter. And get rid of what you don’t need. The author mentions that after all is done, to give your family a tour and tell them where everything is. I disagree. Making them part of the change is the best way to do it. The best way to make people participate on the change is to make them own it.

Let me group a couple of the rooms in the house here. The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the house. Make sure to assign one day a week to cleaning it. The kids bedrooms can be one of the grossest. In our house, the kids room might not look horrible but if you look closer, you can find some buggers on the walls by one of the beds. I am not telling you which one.

My kids’ room is definitely full of clutter. “kids and clutter go together, it is who they are”. I do agree that it is still ok to throw away their extra papers when they are not watching. They never miss them. If we look for perfection, we and them, will never measure up to it. One final tip I am taking away is, if they have a box full of trinkets. They need to throw away one before they put another one in.

Laundry. Laundry with kids is a forever cycle. It is a never ending story. One tip I can contribute with here is multitasking. I use the laundry time for podcasts or audiobooks. Some people like watching TV. Whatever can help you either relax or learn something new.

Last spray of tips. Have “company ready rooms”. A room or rooms that are always ready for you to receive visitors. If this is not for you, you can leave your rooms with the “lived in” look. Some people might want their home tidy and straight. Some others might not. Comparing is a discontent curse. Do not compare your home to someone else’s. You two are different people.

A house DOES NOT make a family. Change your expectations of the look of your home according to your current reality. You might have plenty of chores and not a lot of time to straighten the whole house. If this makes you uncomfortable hosting in your home, there are always options. You can receive people in your backyard, front porch, etc. What we have does not define us. And remember, it can always be worse.

Denny

Remember, you can get the book HERE.

The audiobook, at the time of this recording, is free with a new audible account or $0.99 if you already have an account.