Samantha, who runs the Walking Outside in Slippers blog, told Bored Panda that she makes small mental task lists every day and tries to complete those housekeeping items each and every day. "The tasks could be as simple as emptying the dishwasher or putting away a load of laundry. Maybe most importantly, I invest in a professional housekeeping service once a month," she told Bored Panda. "That helps keep the house in a manageable state to the point that I can keep the house from getting totally out of control in-between visits. That said, I think parenting comes with a certain degree of clutter to be expected."
I was curious to find out what Samantha's philosophy for a happy and warm home was. She revealed to Bored Panda that kindness lies at the core of her family values. "My house is always a little bit chaotic because we all have big personalities and are a loud and busy bunch. But I stress to my kids the importance of us being kind to one another. Kindness and love are at the root of a happy home for me, even when things get crazy and we slip up and say things we don't mean."
Samantha also gave some tips on how to settle any arguments that family members might get into over chores. We've all been there, I think! Samantha said that there is no simple answer to this and that she herself struggles to get her kids involved in household tasks at the moment. "I have a terrible time getting my kids to do chores, so I don't have much advice in this department. Sometimes, with lots of praise and often with a small monetary payment, I can get my kids to help with chores they don't mind. I do insist my kids clear their plates after every meal, and clean their rooms," she added.
Chantel from Melbourne is a mom of two who has created a huge following for herself with her insightful and easy-to-follow videos on TikTok. She has over half a million followers on TikTok, as well as 263k fans on Instagram. And it doesn’t look like her popularity is bound to stop any time soon. For Chantel, her family and her home are the two most important things.
“I’m a busy mum of two beautiful and crazy kids. I’m the kind of person who loves lists and gets excited by organizing, cleaning, and making a home beautiful,” she shares on her YouTube channel. She shares a bit of everything, from tips and tricks about styling and organizing your home to cleaning hacks that will save you a lot of time (and will probably help impress even your mother-in-law, too).
Very recently, I had an in-depth talk about homes and cleanliness with relationship and dating expert Dan Bacon, the founder of The Modern Man project. He told Bored Panda that we should focus on making ourselves happy instead of trying to impress everyone with our homes. It’s impossible to make everyone happy with our home, so we should focus first and foremost on what brings a smile to our faces.
“A man’s home is part of what people initially use to judge his social status and character. However, how he behaves and acts with the people who come over to his place says so much more about him," Dan said that how our homes look forms the first impression, but our character, behavior, words, and actions are more important.
"A man might have a perfectly tidy, well-designed, and stylish home, but be very nervous and try too hard to impress people who come over. So, rather than seeing him as a cool, confident, successful man they can admire and look up to, most people just perceive him as a nervous, insecure guy with a nice place. Alternatively, they may see him as a guy who tries hard to please others with material things because he's insecure about himself and doesn't feel good enough in their eyes,” relationship expert Dan told Bored Panda.
When having guests over, it’s best to avoid talking about yourself too much. The less ego-centric you are, the more the people who come over to your place can speak about what’s important to them. "Remember that most people care more about themselves than other people. So, allow people to talk about themselves, rather than always trying to be the center of attention," Dan pointed out.
"Also remember to not try to oversell yourself or your place, to hopefully gain people’s approval. Be confident and secure in who you are as a person and let your surroundings provide additional clues about who you are and how you approach life."
The expert noted that different people thrive in different environments. While some feel confident only if everything is in order and perfectly clean, others can feel right at home living in a messy house. In Dan’s view, it’s best to “always do whatever we want” when it comes to the cleanliness, furnishing, and decorating of our homes. The number one lesson is to stop trying to impress others just for the sake of reputation. Our own happiness should be paramount.
