The Solution Project : A Home Experiment

Abby here, in my kitchen with my favorite "reminder mom" shirt. I'm tackling some pain points in my home, care to join?

Are there things in your life that irk you every time you encounter it? Maybe:

• A drawer that always gets messy

• A door that always squeaks

• Bags that you keep tripping on, or a system that just doesn't work?

• (How do so many papers always end up on my kitchen island?! Just me?)

Perhaps it's a trigger or cycle that's causing friction with your family.

• Are you snappy every day when it's time to cook dinner?

• Maybe no matter how much you want to go to bed early you still find yourself scrolling until 2am.

• Constant missed bill payments due to miscommunication with a spouse

Friends, You are not alone. We all have sore spots in our homes. Because we are creatures of habits, it's easy to do the same things over and over, even if it's not working. So, to help us all, I started an experiment, of sorts, to find solutions for my home. I'm trying to train my brain in a new way. When something doesn't work I'm trying to tell myself STOP, how can we do this better? This is what I've done so far:

1. I've gone through my home and "normal day" rhythm and made a list of everything that annoys me, raises my stress meter, or frankly just doesn't work. (ie: Eleanor's rug is always crocked and it bugs me every time I walk into her room)

2. Then I crossed out things on the list that are out of my hands. Those things I choose joy and ask the Lord to give me patience in the process. (ie: Living on a dirt road leas to a constant dirty car. I can add in some frequent car care, but at the end of the day a spotless car is just not a realistic expectation.) 3. Going back to my list, I went in with my "solution mind" on. How can I change this outcome for the better? Instead of setting myself up for frustration failure by continuing cycles that don't serve my family (or mood), I implemented a solution to make things better.

Here are some thoughts that might help spark ideas for you:

• Can you buy a command strip hook for the kid's backpacks that always end up on the floor?

• What would it look like to swap some closets or shelves around for what works for your home flow?

• Perhaps make a fun playlist to listen to at the dinner rush or drive home to give you that last "happy boost" for the day.

• How could you rearrange your budget this month to get rid off all your dingy towels that you hate, and spring for some new fresh ones for your home?

• Can you WD-40 the squeaky door that keeps waking up the baby?

• Perhaps you could start a new "family rules" that dishes get placed in the dishwasher after a meal instead of the sink to save you some cleanup time later.

• So forth and so on.... You get the idea...

It's amazing how the smallest of things can help the rhythm of a home or day. Here are some very simple real life examples of some solutions I've implemented into my home. I still have mannnnnnny to go, but I think this is the kind of experiment that takes lots of time and that's okay. A house is built in a few weeks or months, but a home is like a person, it grows and evolves over time. You never stop caring and cultivating a home.

Please know , this is totally a COMPLETION IS BETTER THAN PERFECTION situation. Do what you can now. It may not be "the norm" or "pretty" but if it helps your home run smoother go for it. If it solves a problem, that's a win! Most of my solutions are from things I already have. No need to buy new things!

(Spoiler. These are not ground breaking. But I hope you see how simple these solution-minded steps can be)

The Issue: Scattered art supplies

Solution : Arts and Crafts Supplies Stored In Kitchen

I pulled out the main items I use with Oliver and they now are stored in the pantry to prevent me going up and down the stairs a million times. Crafts happen at the kitchen table so this has worked for us.

The Issue : Messy entryway

Solution : Shoe box and bucket of socks by the door.

A wire basket for shoes, an old Easter basket for hats and socks. This helps us get out the door fast.

The Issue : Pesky iphone cord that I had to break my back every night to plug my phone in.

Solution : Buy an extra long phone charger.

The best $10 amazon purchase of the year.

The Issue : Cranky rushed Sunday mornings

Solution : Breakfast in snack cups in the car

I'm quite a stickler for "eat all together at the table". But sometimes you have to break your own rules. We get to church about 2 hours before service so we do dry cereal on our 40 min commute, then fruit (which is more messy) once we get there.

The Issue: Dreading Dinner because of zero plan

Solution : Meal plan Saturday + Grocery Pick Up Sunday = Set for the week

I found this at dollar spot at target and it's helped my visual self tremendously.

Your turn! Do this experiment with me!

Start a list on your phone or paper.

Every time you look at something and get flustered write it down.

Then ask yourself, "What can I do to make this better?"

Pick TWO for this week. Don't try to conquer the world here.

The world is full of joy if you look for it. Let's all grow to be more solution minded together. The World Is Our Oyster, Abby

PS - Don't forget... The Cirkles are cheering you on. Double PS - If anyone has a solution for my forever unorganized kitchen utensil drawer I'll take it!