We have been in our new (to us) home for almost two full weeks, as hard to believe as that is. There are piles of things in every corner, empty spaces waiting to be filled with new furniture and walls that are awaiting paint and repair everywhere I look. There is confusion and disorganized pockets of chaos in nearly every facet of my life, and as hard as I’ve tried to maintain calm and functional, there are moments when I become unraveled. My focus has been spent primarily on maintaining the sense of calm, comfort and stability that my children need and expect from me and their environment but if there’s something I’ve learned about myself since becoming a parent, I too need those things in my home and environment to function my best.
If I’m being really honest, I am a bit of a germ-o-phobe and get really grossed out at the notion of living in someone else’s previous home. I’ve lived in enough homes in my life to know that all a new home really needs is a good cleaning and a solid month of living in to make it feel a part of us. Before we moved our furniture and 18 zillion boxes (literally two large truckfulls of stuff) into the new place, we had it cleaned professionally twice. Then, once we were in and the dirty feet have begun to leave their shoes at the door, we’ve started to clean these floors, windows and spaces again ourselves. Being that Evvie is crawling and climbing onto anything and everything, I’m very diligent about keeping the floors and cabinets as clean as possibly with safe sprays, washes and wipes. I’ve been receiving regular orders from The Honest Company for nearly four years now and one of my favorites is their Essentials Bundle. Every month I have a box of extra wipes, Lemon Foaming Hand Soap for the kids’ bathroom and an assortment of house cleaning products that we regularly run out of like Dish Soap, and Bathroom, Floor, and Glass Cleaner. These products are all plant-based safe and effective, not to mention many of them have refill bottles available, too. And opting for the bundle is so convenient for us because we end up spending about 35% less than we would if we bought the products individually. With our busy and active lifestyle, saving money on cleaning supplies is key to keeping my house, and my sanity, in tact.
Preparing our new home has been a group effort. Zoe was incredibly eager to wipe down her new mirrored closet doors-a little fashionista needs a full length mirror and she’s thrilled to finally have one. Jack and Beau couldn’t wait to clean their shelves and put their Legos up in their room, and as busy as I was unpacking the essential spaces (kitchen), it was helpful for all of us that they had little jobs of their own. They cleaned and prepared their own spaces to put their things and it made them feel a part of the process of making this new house our home. I have been very diligent about ridding our home of potentially harmful substances, especially those that we come into contact with on a daily basis. The Honest Company products are not only effective but I don’t have to worry about them being harmful to my children or smelling like poison. Two weeks into our life as a family in a new town, in a new house and we are already settling in and getting used to our surroundings. It’s already starting to smell and look like our familiar territory, and that is comforting and exciting for all of us.
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