Monday, April 24, 2017

~The Keeper of Home Series: Mindfulness & Keep it Simple~


It took me a great many years of keeping our home to understand the art of mindfulness and keeping it simple.  I feel these two skills are a crucial part of running a well tuned home.  The definition of mindfulness is; the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.  When we are mindful when running our homes, we are giving thought to the task at hand.  It is all too easy to just fly by the seat of our pants and just do things in a rush.  Many times this causes stress and we do not enjoy our home life as well.  One place I like to practice mindfulness is in the kitchen.  When we plan our meals ahead of time we are sure to have all of the ingredients needed to make the meal.  We also can choose to use better quality ingredients and feed our family a healthier meal than if we just grabbed fast food.  Tristyn and Kaylee got married on Friday, so I knew we were going to have house guests.  I planned this simple breakfast of home made blueberry muffins and fresh strawberries for people to enjoy.  Of course there was plenty of coffee and tea as well.  I choose to get up a bit early, so that this could be already prepared and I could enjoy visiting with loved ones.  Being mindful about this gave me a stress free experience.  I also practiced the art of keeping it simple.  I could have attempted to make a huge breakfast, but that would have taken away from actually spending quality time with loved ones.  

I like to practice mindfulness when decorating our little home.  There may be something I like and purchase, only to find it looks too busy in our little home.  I may try something out for a day or two, but when I come to see it is too much, I will choose not to use it.  

Here is an example of something I really liked in the store, but once I put it in our home, I saw it was just too much.  I used it for a while to put under my wax melt, but finally realized,  that it looked too busy, and I passed it on.  I think it is very important when decorating your home to make sure the items you choose you not only love, but that they fit in your home decor.  Even if I have spent money on an item, or been gifted something; if it does not look right, I have to pass it on. 



It is so very important to practice mindfulness when spending time with our loved ones.  Moments shared in our homes create memories that will last a lifetime.  We can choose to create good memories or bad ones.  Even if we are not in the best of moods, learning to control how we treat others in our homes is so very important.  Being mindful of that precious time we get to share with those we love and truly making it a positive experience, is such a good thing to learn to do.  We just have to try to look at the big picture and put our emotions or moods aside in order to create those positive memories.  They are truly worth more than all the riches this world has to offer, and it does not cost anything to have.  Just a little mindfulness!  
The art of both mindfulness and keeping it simple is so very important when planning your family's days.  I have found that our life has a lot better quality when we keep our schedule as simple as we can.  This is not to say that it will not get busy now and then, but most of the time I try not to over schedule our family. Planning your family's days helps them to run smooth, and ensures that we do not miss an important dead line, or event.   I plan our our days in advance but am flexible with that plan as things may come up.  There is a difference between being mindful and rigid.  Things may not always go according to our plan, so we must know how to bend when need be, or when it would benefit a situation.    

I think we all should create a little space in our homes where we can just go and relax.  A place that makes our heart happy.  My little Disney guest room does this for me.  It is a place where I can go and read or watch my Youtube and just get away from it all.  Someone said they were surprised that a grown women would want a Disney room.  LOL  I had such wonderful childhood memories from when we lived in Orlando that this space touches upon my spirit and makes my heart sing.  Being mindful of your childhood memories and incorporating them into your space can truly be a blessing.  Remember when taking on such a task to keep it simple.  I see cute Disney items all of the time, but I know that I already have this room decorated and I don't want to create a cluttered feel, so I pass them up.  That is not to say I would not ever bring anything else into this space, but I would first have to let something I already have go; so as to avoid clutter.

I hope that this little post is helpful in someway.  Being mindful and keeping things simple, truly help our little home to run well.  On a little side note, my son got married this weekend and I will being doing a post all about that in the next couple of days.  Have a happy Monday and a great week.  Hugs.  Juli

2 comments:

  1. Juli...
    First of all. congratulations on your son's marriage!
    Looking forward to the details!
    Also, I so enjoyed and agree with this post.
    I recently began learning about and implementing Mindfulness into my life.
    It is amazing!
    I too like to keep my home tidy and cozy, without being cluttered.
    Love your Disney room!!!
    We have our basement decorated in Disney, and I agree.
    It is soooo easy to buy those cute items.
    But...nowhere to put them!
    Have a cozy day, my friend!

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    1. Thank you Billie Jo! It was a wonderful moment in time for me. I would love to see your Disney basement! I hope you have a great week. Hugs. Juli

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