Your house should welcome you home. Start with the front door.

“To feel at home, stay at home.” Clifton Fadiman

A sense of peace and calm should greet you when you walk through your front door, but too often coming home means being hit in the face with a long list of ‘must-dos’, chaotic clutter, unpaid bills, etc... When you have just finished a long day of work, the last thing you need is a long night of... well, work.  

Try to create some spaces in your home that feel warm and welcome.  For some, that means an organized entry way and warm, inviting living room.  Others want an efficient, open kitchen where everything has it’s place.  And some need a spa-like bathroom and restful bedroom for the ultimate retreat.  

Think you need to move to have these dreams come true?  No!  Every one of those things could be created right in your own home!  You might need a hand seeing how your green plaid couch can be used to create a serene, contemporary living room (that’s where we can help) but it IS within your reach.  

Here are five things you can do NOW to make your home more inviting for yourself and your guests.  Walking up to your front door should make you feel welcome, not unwanted.

1. 1.Sweep it: Leaves and shoes cluttering up your front steps?  Take a broom and sweep it away.  Such a simple thing, but it really changes that first impression.
   
2. 2.Clean it: How does your front door look?  Is the window dirty?  Is the door surrounded by cobwebs?  Is the doormat covered in dirt?  Clean it up!  
   
3. 3.Sniff it: While outside, take in a good whiff of fresh air, then go inside and sniff.  What do you smell?  Vanilla, cookies, fresh air?  Great!  Trash, diapers, or cat pee (yikes) - not so great.  Take out the trash and clean that cat box IMMEDIATELY.
4. 4.Gift it:  Go, right now, and find three things that you don’t use and don’t need.  Give or throw them away.  Right now.  No really.  Right now.
5. 5.Banish the kids: Keep the kid’s toys in their room.  They can bring the toys they are playing with into any room, but then they are stored in their room.  That’s why they have a room.  Kid’s refuse to put away their toys?  My parents put things we left out in “jail”.  First offense, the toy went to “jail” for a day.  Second offense, a week.  Third time that same toy was left lying around?  Well, my parents figured we must not care enough about it, so it was donated to another family.  Boy did we learn to put our toys away!  Remember, it’s YOUR home too!