4 - Clean Your Room!
(did you just have flashbacks of your mother? sorry! I know I did!)
(did you just have flashbacks of your mother? sorry! I know I did!)
The Magic Carpet Ride Master Bedroom is admittedly a stretch but I love the song (even though Steppenwolf is a little trippy) and the “master bedroom" is an incredible and sacred place. It doesn't need to be the grandest room in the house, have a professionally designed bedroom set, including an organza canopy bed with a chandelier, permanent rose petals in the shape of a heart, or Egyptian sheets (unless you can afford them-- then go for it!) but a Master Bedroom probably NOT have:
- half-finished projects
- dusty treadmills and stationary bikes
- piles of bills or mail
- ugly, faded, or peeling paint
- kids “artwork” or toys
- drawers and closets that can’t be opened without necessitating the jaws of life
- a mess of piles of laundry and ironing
- ripped sheets or flat pillows or stained comforters
- cobwebs, tumbleweeds, litter boxes, landfills, or black holes
- shoes in tripping locations
Because the MB isn't often seen by the general public, it can easily become an accidental dumping ground for everything homeless or misplaced. It isn't about having a perfectly immaculate Master Bedroom, it is about what makes you as a couple feel like you've escaped-- together. It probably won't even take a lot of money or time, just rearrange some of the stuff you already have (or maybe a quick trip to the Thrift Shop). Every couple is different on what makes an area a retreat, an oasis from the world (or the kids), but here are some thoughts:
- ULTIMATE GOAL: Create a space that is lovely and easy to clean (no more than 5 items on a surface is a good rule of thumb - beyond that begins to feel cluttered)
- Remove and Relocate anything that reminds you of stress or doesn't belong in the Master Bedroom (see afore mentioned list)
- Go around the house and find things that you love to replace the things that were stressful (a pretty lamp, a picture bought on vacation, a vase of flowers, a print you've always liked)
- Locate Pictures of you as a couple: trips / dates / honeymoon / vows (even if you need to tear it out of the wedding album to hang on the wall)
- Find some comforting subtle lighting options (I love Himalayan Salt Lamps - healthy and beautiful)
- Clean out under the bed, drawers, and closets (Does it fit? Do you love it? Do you wear it? Does it look good on you? - if any answer is no, donate it)
- Pick a good scent, especially if you don't spray your perfume in the bedroom. I like lavender and vanilla.
- Procure a bed that doesn't squeak or hurt your back (worth making a priority in the budget)
- Probably a comfortable place to sit if you can find the space. (Sometimes, I like to hide in our room when I need a time-out)
- Consider technology guidelines. TV? Computer? Chargers? Phones? The Minimalist has some interesting insight.
- Possibly get a “white noise” element to block out the real noise in the house (in our case it is the sound of chattering… it doesn't stop, even in their sleep – I know I should be grateful to have kids that talk to me. Oh, and we need to block out the worst sound of all. Really. I don’t even want to write it so that you don’t cringe… teeth grinding
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| Top Loading Display Case about $25 to make frame at Micheals on sale for $20 12x12 collage print for background from costco |
As a side note, personally, I don't want pictures of the kids in our room. I love the kids to death, I think they are adorable, the culmination of our love, a perfect fit for our family; I take a million pictures of them that I cherish and they are all over our house, but in our bedroom, it is just pictures of us, as a couple, mostly self-portraits through our decades together. Our top loading dating display case hangs in our room. Cheap artwork we've collected from local artists on our couples trips adorn the walls. Our room is nothing special nor worthy of an honorable mention in Pinterest, but we love it (although it does need a fresh coat of paint – but I'm leery because every time I paint our bedroom, it turns out periwinkle. My poor DH).
Quite honestly, if you ever feel like your whole life is a mess (we all do from time to time): your house is physically a disaster, the kids are difficult, the PTA hates you, work is grueling, your body isn't what it once was (and may never go back), you are tired, the budget is impossible, there is a spider in the bathroom, it is winter, you can't find a good book, there is nothing to eat in the house, your prayers feel unanswered, you and your spouse are at odds… start by fixing up the master bedroom. Make the bed every day. Preferably together. If you wake up together, you are apt to go to bed together, which I find tends to be a lovely habit. If everything else is falling apart, let your room be your own little paradise. Don’t wake up to a disaster every day; It is the definition of getting up on the wrong side of the bed. It will make such a big difference and lead to a thankful heart…
See you tomorrow at 7am! My bloggy buddy... since it is the weekend, I'm letting you sleep in an hour.
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