Recently I addressed two pain points in my home, and I'm super proud of myself.
1. The pencil/pen situation.
We do homework at the kitchen table, and I use a corner of my kitchen countertop as a pseudo office. I label food containers and Ziplocks with black-only Sharpies. Guess what I don't need? A gold paint pen. So why has one been inhabiting my pencil jar for the past 2 years? Don't know.
I gave our pencil cup a makeover and our quality of life has remarkably improved. I was irritated, rummaging for the right pen or pencil. No more.
Now this pencil cup houses the essentials: pencils for homework, red pen for making corrections, black pens for lists, a Sharpie, a highlighter, and a pencil sharpener.
2. Reading to kids. The pain point - where to read and where is the book? When we settle down to read in the evenings, I want to be comfortable and I don't want to spend 10 minutes looking for our ongoing chapter book. Call it off if we can't get started right away. That's my policy.
To combat these problems, I put together a book basket in my bedroom with our favorites and our current reads, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (George) and Ramona and her Mother (Caroline).
I'm much more likely to read to my children if I can be in my own bed and the book is right there!
It can feel like a big fuss to curate our home life, but it is worth it to take a few minutes and address some trouble spots.
I discovered a quote I like while reading the book, Living Forever Chic. The author shares a wise word from her best friend, Anne-Fransoise de Saint Saens-Henner, mother of 6.
"If I didn't keep everything in order, I could never enjoy my life. I have to be disciplined, otherwise I would have no time for myself. I would have no time to sit here and drink a glass of wine and chat with you."
Can I get an Amen?