How to Prepare for a Stress-Free Parenting Year

If I asked you what words come to mind when you think of your home, what would you say? Would you tell me that it brings you peace every time you walk in the front door? Would you say that the items in your home inspire you and bring you joy every time you look at them? Would you describe your household as organized and calm? A peaceful, calm household that is organized and filled with happiness and laughter is the type of home anyone would love to say they own. It is also the best type of home in which to raise a family . So, how do we ensure that we can describe our homes this way? It’s actually easier than you think, but you must take the first step.

Feng Shui is an ancient art and science of creating balance and harmony in our lives by the effective management of our environment; the benefits can be felt almost immediately. Applying feng shui principles to your home is the best way to make quick, effective changes to the dynamics of your family .

Read the following descriptions and note how you feel as you read each one.

House Number One:

- Unkept lawn with weeds, no flowers

- Front entry with shoes strewn around

- Kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink and crumbs on the counter. Stack of unopened mail and flyers piled high on the counter

- Living room is filled with toys, some lying on the floor, some piled high in the corner of the room.

- Bedroom has mismatched furniture, clothes on the floor or on a chair. Books and magazines stuffed under the bed, bed linen that is old and faded, dresser tops cluttered with gadgets, makeup, jewellery

House Number Two:

- Tidy green lawn with blue and white hydrangeas lining the house. Favourite potted plants on either side of the front door.

- Front entry is clear with shoes neatly placed on a rack and coat hooks for the coats.

- Kitchen is clean, bright and the counter tops are sparkling. Only a few daily used items are displayed and three fresh green plants or herbs rest on the window sill.

- Living Room is tidy and has labelled organizer baskets and tubs for the children’s toys. Special candle sticks bought on a wonderful holiday are displayed on the mantle and two dark green plants sit in different corners of the room

- Bedroom has neutral calming colours with splashes of a favourite decorative colour. Current books and magazines are stored in the matching bedside tables and the fresh, crisp bed linen is made up nicely. The only items on the dresser are a photo of you and your partner, a fresh bouquet of flowers and a jewellery box that holds the items you wear often.

Now, just by reading those two descriptions I’m sure you could feel how different it would be to live in each home. House number two gives a feeling of calm, joy, and beauty whereas house number one gives a feeling of chaos, depression and stagnancy.

The basic principle behind feng shui is that our environment is a reflection of our lives, either good or bad, because we are connected with them. They are the external representation of who we are. Therefore, if we change or move something in our home we will experience a corresponding change or shift in our life. In essence people can use feng shui to get more of what they want and less of what they don’t want. So, if for 2010 we want to feel less-stressed, to have more balance in our lives and to experience joy and happiness on a regular basis with our children, then we first need to set up the environment for that to take place.

Although I highly suggest you hire a feng shui expert to thoroughly survey your home and offer suggestions as to what needs changing, here is something feng-shui expert, Davina MacKail, suggests you can do right away to set the tone for your family life in 2010 – clear your clutter.

Davina says, “Everything you own is energetically attached to you. Things you love are like golden threads. Conversely, clutter is like dragging around a ball and chain. ”

“Look at your possessions with fresh eyes and ask yourself if each object reflects you and the home you want. If not, it is time to let them go. By removing the old, you create more space for the new – what you truly DO want.”

Davina says, “If you weed a garden and just leave it the weeds return stronger than before. But, if you weed a garden and then plant it with gorgeous plants and flowers the weeds have no room to return. Exactly the same approach should be taken with clutter. Make sure you know what you want to fill your newly created space with, be it more joy or more balance. This way you will stop the clutter from returning.”

Good questions to ask yourself when tackling clutter are:

Do I really love this object?

Does it enhance my life?

Do I use it?

Is it time to let it go?

Just as it is necessary to build walls and lay floors and a roof to build a house, so is it necessary to prepare your home, set the stage if you will, to build the type of family life you truly want. So, clear the clutter, create the feeling you want in your house using feng shui principles, and then allow stress-free parenting to begin flowing in.