A few tips for a peaceful home environment.

Nobody wants to come home at the end of the day to a house filled with chaos and upset! Likewise, no stay-at-home Mom wants to spend her days filled with turmoil, shouting, and never knowing what to expect.

First things first: the essentials, I like to call them. They all start with an “H”, just because I thought it would be cute.

1) Make sure there is peace with the “Honeys”.
There will never be peace in your home, no matter what tricks and tools you put in place, if your relationship with your husband is not grounded in the Lord and in one another. Worship together, pray together and grow spiritually as individuals, and as a family.

2) Make sure there is peace in the “Hallways”.
Okay, here is what I mean- this is where you decide some day to day rules you will lay out in your home. Expectations that must be met every day by everyone. Don’t look at what other families are doing, simply figure out what works for your family. Consistency is key here, if the children are expected to never yell at one another in anger, they must not see mom and dad yelling at each other in anger either.

3) Make sure there is peace in the “Hearts”.
A home will never be more peaceful than it is when everyone living under one roof loves God and has a desire to please him. Teach your children diligently the ways of the Lord. Let them know what pleases God also pleases you. And again – pray!!

Now, some more practical applications we have found to be helpful in our home:

-Limit the amount of sugar intake. I know, call me crazy but it actually DOES make a difference. At least with my children.

-Establish a daily ‘quiet time’. Even though I only have one child who still takes naps daily, all the children are required (at the same time) to take a break. The length of the break depends on everyone’s moods, and what is going on that day. Usually 30 minutes. Only reading, coloring, drawing are allowed during this time.

-Limit “free time”. As a homeschooling family, we sometimes easily finish school by lunch time, especially when my children get up early and stay on task! But I have found that the days when I allow them to ‘do whatever they want’, those are the days we have more fights, the house gets louder and louder, and children are actually in a worse mood. I try to structure their free time…what I mean by that is- try to give them choices of a couple things to do, so they aren’t bored and getting into trouble just pestering one another all afternoon. Of course these ‘free time’ choices can only happen after the family chores are finished. (That will be another post!)

-End of the day tidying up. When we know Dad is on his way home from work, we do our very best to do a speed clean and a quick tidying up around the house. Dad works hard and is on the go with his phone ringing, people complaining, and a lot of chaos all around him at work every day. When he gets home I want him to breathe a sigh of relief when he walks through the door of our home. I want this to be a place of refuge, not simply another battle ground.

What are some of your solutions to having a less chaotic, more peaceful home?