Master Bedroom Talk

Remember when I reviewed Total Home Makeover?  I continue to be inspired by the concepts in the book, and now that the babies are in their own room, it's time to turn my attention to my bedroom.

If you're anything like me, when cleaning, you pick up the high traffic areas of the house regularly, but your own bedroom tends to suffer during busy times.

It's a work in progress, of course, but I spent some time in there recently.

One of the things I tackled was the top of my dresser.  I'm not going to post a before photo (there isn't one) but I will confess that I found things that I put up there when I unpacked from China.  On June 30.

I feel like I'm starting to come out of the fog.  Oh, I'm still behind in several areas of my life, but it's starting to feel like managed chaos again.  Instead of just total chaos.

In working on my room, I thought about what I wanted to share with you.  The take away point I'd like to leave you with is not "Hey, I'm finally cleaning my room!"  What is really on my heart is the idea of making your room a sanctuary.

Is your room a pleasant place, or is it where all the random junk goes to nest?  Do you smile when you go into your bedroom?  Does your husband?  (Some of you just said, "ouch," right?)  Is it a place where you want to spend time, or is it just where you crash?  Is the atmosphere conducive to romance?

I touched a little on the idea of your sleep environment in my recent insomnia post.  Maybe today would be a good day to declutter a few things from your bedroom.  I tend to have a pile of things that belong somewhere else (school room, downstairs, whatever).  Take that pile to where it goes.

If you've had the same sheets ever since you got married, and you have 3 kids, it's probably time to spring for a new set of sheets.  Now would be a good time to get flannel ones for the winter.  (Confession:  We sleep on flannel sheets year round.  I just love them that much.)

What's on the walls in your room?  I have pictures of the family up, and it makes me happy.  Some people might want inspirational quotes or meaningful artwork.  Maybe you could blow up a photo taken from a special vacation and put that in your bedroom.  Maybe that would be a fun Christmas surprise for your husband.

Hit the hot spots.  My bedside table was about 6" deep in review books, junk mail, kleenexes, and a plate from the kitchen (oops!).  If you clean it up and realize how nice it looks, you're more likely to think twice before putting stuff back on there again.

Think about the atmosphere other than the clutter.  Do you have appropriate lighting?  Not too harsh, but enough to read by.  How does it smell?  Like sleeping man?  Woof!  Keep a window open when you can, and consider a Scentsy burner or an essential oil defuser to add a pleasant, relaxing smell to your room.  Don't go overboard, and do consider your husband's tastes.  If he hates the smell of roses, adding rose potpourri sachets all over is NOT going to be well received.  But if he suffers from headaches, and you have a little peppermint going in the defuser, he may come to associate being in the bedroom as a more relaxing place because his headaches lessen there.

Do you have the option of listening to music in your room?  Could you easily add that?  If you think about how your room sounds, smells, looks and feels, you can create a place of rest for you and for your husband.  You know all this already, but sometimes one needs to be reminded.

Have you clicked for us today? Thank you!