There is no Place Like Home!

I have not dedicated as much time to the "Home" section of this blog, which is surprising because I absolutely LOVE the comfort of home.  I feel like we are all so busy that we need to make efforts to embrace our homes, and spend time as a family at home.  As my children were babies, I loved being home with them (even thou it was overwhelming at times), but what I loved the most was THEM being home with me.  There is nothing like seeing a baby or toddler NOT be rushed out the door, seeing them each morning with their messy hair enjoy their morning at home.  I believe our homes tell a story about us.   Since we got married, we have owned 3 homes, we are in the 3rd home now which we did an extensive renovation to (still in progress).  The renovations have led to the home we have desired, it is comfortable, peaceful, and similar to the design inspirations we see on Marthas Vineyard (the only thing missing is the ocean).  Lets get clear on something, your home does not need to be big, or anything great.  I know this because I grew up in a very small home and we did not have much money so things were tight.   My mom did the best with what she had and she turned our house into a home, I loved the coziness, cleanliness, and comfort of the home I grew up in.  It smelled good, it was safe and it was nothing special, but to those of us that lived there, it was a special place--there was life there, there was family and it was central to our life.  I have integrated these things that I have grown up with into my home, and the cool part is that I get to create it both from a visual(the way my home looks) and "feel" you get in my home.   My kids come in the door after school every day and it is so obvious they are so glad to be home.  Even thou it can get crazy around here and there are times I want to scream "taxi", we have far more good times at home, sitting around the island laughing, sharing and enjoying food and many other times we are cozy in front of the fire, listening to music or just having family conversation or playing in our backyard.  Our favorite family tradition at home is "family movie night", this is where we get jammies on, comfy blankets, curl up (sometimes add popcorn or an ice cream) and watch a family friendly movie.  It is so much fun and reminds me once again, there's no place like home!  Have a HIPP day and make your house sing like a home!