A is for Atmosphere

As mothers, we are homemakers. HOME + MAKERS! 
Home is such a commonly used word — let’s take a moment to conscientiously consider what it really means!
Home is where we hang our hats — and our hearts.
Home, home-base, where we come to rest, find comfort, feel loved and protected, get nourishment.
It takes time and conscious effort, and it’s more than a matter of decor… we create home, including the sensations that can either contribute to our family’s well-being or greatly detract from it. No need to become Martha Stewart! Integrating our individual personality is a pivotal part of the equation as we piece together an atmosphere that is greater than the sum of its parts.

If our homes are messy and cluttered, do our children see us working on cleaning it up? We might call the daily disarray in our home  “revolving messes” because yes, in general, a home blessed with babies might not always be tidy… but in general, we can make sure its a different mess than yesterday!
What else do our children see in our home?
They constantly see our example… let’s make sure it’s an example we want them to follow!
Do they see their parents flirting with each other?
Are our walls decorated with pictures and quotes that assist us in relaying our values to our children?
Do they see us smiling at them more often than frowning?

What kinds of smells drift on the air in my home and how does this affect my family?
If it is cigarette smoke, quit NOW! It will benefit you AND your children!
What about dirty diapers? One ingenious idea is to keep the diaper pail underneath a window at the back of the house and throw the dirty diapers out the window so that smell doesn’t permeate the home!
What about the smell of food misplaced around the house by toddlers or teenagers?  Apple cores and orange peels in the crevice of the couch… Enforcing the concept of ALL food stays in the kitchen ALL the time can hopefully keep that from happening!
What about PET smells? These can be overpowering — but we love these creatures almost as much as the children (who can also be pretty stinky). One mom might burn incense to cover the smell. 
What about the kinds of smells coming from the kitchen? Are they the stench of the trash not getting emptied often enough? Or are they the aroma of home-cooked meals?

What kinds of noises do I allow in my home?
Is yelling tolerated? Or do I consciously try to exemplify and encourage calm and kind interactions? Manners and politeness and friendly conversations.
What about the sounds of music? What about earbuds? One family’s rule is: only one ear can have an earbud — the other must be exposed so you can hear when Mommy calls for you.
Did you know that orchestral music not only grows more dendrites in our brains, but it also contributes to a sense of calm, peace, and general well-being. One mom keeps her radio softly tuned to the local classical station, sending these vibes all day long.
READING ALOUD — our families NEED to READ together, often! May the sound of good books be heard in our homes, daily!

We all want to help our family have healthy appetites, and that starts with giving them healthy things to taste on a regular basis.
When it’s snack time, do I take a minute to slice up an apple or put peanut butter on celery sticks?
At dinnertime, have I made sure a veggie or two are part of the meal, offered in an inviting manner?
If the main thing my family is tasting is sugar or non-nutritive comfort food, how can I re-adjust to help us enjoy and benefit from food that nourishes?

This sense might seem a little hard to place — what is my family’s skin feeling inside our home?
Hopefully, it’s feeling other skin! Do we hug often, snuggle much, give high-fives, and maybe nice little massages? The saying goes that we need 8 positive touches each day! 
Maybe it’s comfy, clean clothes; warm baths; fuzzy slippers; clean sheets and warm blankets on the beds.
Make sure it’s never malignant touching. Spanking or smacking might be instinctive reactions, so take time to retrain your brain to refrain and handle those triggers using positive parenting skills. 

This is more of a sixth-sense, something hard to define and beyond those initial five senses that our physical bodies are based on.
This is the overall sensation that people feel within our home — the “ambiance” — perhaps a sense of comfort, stability, welcome, and security.
Perhaps our home will never be featured in a magazine because the pictures — which a magazine shows — would only reveal a tendency toward untidiness! Maybe our decor, salvaged from the second-hand store, will never be pinterest-worthy.
​Such displays cannot capture the essence of our home: the fact that my children feel valued and comfortable here; that my husband and I conscientiously strive to provide a pleasant atmosphere of serenity and strength, a haven, a refuge.