Thursday, March 8, 2018

5 Tips For Refreshing Your House | With Kids And a Budget


When the windows come open in the Pritchard House, something stirs inside me. More like, itches my skin. Maybe...DRIVES ME CRAZY would be the best term. I must clean.

Must, must must.

Everything.

It's like an insatiable drive screaming in my ear: REDO IT ALL!! THA PAINT, THA DECOR, ALL THA CLOTHES, THA MENU -- LEAVE NOTHING UNTOUCHED!!
Budgets don't understand spring fever. Neither do little girls who hate comfortable relaxation on the couch. Seeing as how it is barely March, I do have time before Spring officially shows up. Here's the sane approach to freshening up the entire house on a budget and with kids.

#1.  New flower arrangements <pictured above, in my case> don't have to mean two zillion dollars at JoAnn fabrics. What's in your yard? Once a week go outside and make a nice bouquet from whatever is blooming. (Ragweed is a no-no. Keep that in mind. If it's yellow and disintegrates in the breeze, STAY AWAY!! ) I happen to be lucky enough to have a Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law who did a ton of decorating in years past and have a lot of left overs. That helps too. 


#2. Dig out the old new. Satisfying the craving for "Fresh" doesn't have to involve brand new. I was ready to do something different in my bedroom ((ANYTHING)). After waiting around and looking at different comforters, I decided to "act in the now!" and dug Ethan's old bedspread and pillow shams out of their storage tote. We went from ruffles to a more "gender neutral" look, but every time I walk into my room, the change delights me. 


#3. Kid-Containers are the bomb. I'm not one of those moms who just adore time without their pesky kiddos. I love mine. But when you're trying to make a floral arrangement with one hand and the nearly-two-year-old is twirling around the living room with an orange juice pouch, things can go south pretty quickly. A lot further than North Carolina. 

  • The high chair and gold fish crackers usually make for a happy Mom + Baby. (Boom. Mother Of The Year Award.) 
  • The bathtub and a few toys are also an easy fix for over-zealous curiosity. (I can see into my bathroom from the living room. Don't do this if you'll be far away. Obviously. And you might want to make sure they've had their dirty diaper for the day. #voice of experience
  • Baby carriers are great for my tiny one. 

*Haven, modeling my dish soap under the freshly decorated mantle.

#4. Go slow.  One room a day is a fantastic way to start the cleaning. If life is crazy, one drawer a day is a way to keep progressing - and nobody said you had to finish it all. Hit the highlights - Shhhhh!

#5. Enjoy This. What do you love? What does your family love? Think about it and incorporate elements into your spring decor. It's about making a comfortable, happy atmosphere for your family to enjoy - nothing else. Clear out the clutter of comparison and "who's going to see.." - this is for you and yours. Have a cup of something hot, turn on beautiful music - make it fun. 

So what about you? Any tips for wanna-be-decorators and new-mommies like this one? I'd love to hear them!!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

your house looks so nice!!!

I love spring cleaning but here in WI we just got like 7'' of snow, so I'll be waiting a bit longer till I can have the windows open:)

Rebecca Pyatskowit said...

So cute! Your house looks so nice! Haven is such a great model! :)

Justin and Kaitlyn said...

I love your decorating style, Anna. So classy and clean yet beautiful.
I'm the type of person who has to rearrange their living room furniture and decor at least once a year haha... Loving tip number 2--sometimes thats the key to changing things up and it cost us (best part) nothing!!

~Kaitlyn

Bethany d said...

How is your house so adorable?!?

Anna said...

Thanks girl!