If you have little children in your family, a messy house is inevitable. Yes, you can teach them over time how to be tidy and pick up after themselves. My book, Connoisseur Kids, has excellent tips on how children can not only become tidy, but love being tidy as well. However, when you have very little ones, such as babies or toddlers, a mess is often inevitable.
Our lives should not crumble just because our surroundings are sometimes messy, however. Life does go on... we just need coping strategies and a good perspective, which I share with you today.
Today's video shares 5 tips to remaining dignified in the MESS. I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. What is your experience dealing with the perpetual mess of having a family? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.
📍 We are taking a break from The Chic Assignment in January and will resume in February.
📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)
📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.
Stephanie D. writes, "I need to remember, "you can be right, or you can be happy!""
Stephanie, that bit of advice from Monday's video resonated with a lot of people. We know we're right... but it's not worth the fight :) Ha! another one!
Thank you for watching. I would love to know your thoughts on today's topic.
My Homemaker Series continues on The Daily Connoisseur. Today, I’m going to share with you the homemaker’s biggest obstacle.
In this series, I aim to explore the secret world of homemaking, its delightful aspect as well as the darker side to it. So far in the series I’ve revealed three enemies to homemaking, as well as the homemaker’s best friend.
Today we are going to reveal the homemaker’s biggest obstacle. How is an obstacle different than an enemy? Aren’t they the same things? Well, yes and no.
An obstacle is defined as a thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress.
An enemy is a thing that harms or weakens something else.
Today’s exploration is definitely an obstacle. It’s a beast that almost every homemaker deals with. Are you ready to find out what the Homemaker’s biggest obstacle is?
CLUTTER
Yes, the homemaker’s biggest obstacle is clutter. Let’s think about that definition again. A thing that blocks one’s way or prevents or hinders progress.
How many times have you wished to do something in your home, but got choked up by the clutter? Perhaps you have a hard time finding things, or you’d like to do a deep clean, or you’d like to finally get organized, but one look at all of that overwhelming clutter and you just fold. It’s too much.
CLUTTER: the biggest obstacle of homemakers.
Clearly, something needs to be done. There are many ways. There are many thought processes. There are many techniques. But ultimately, the clutter has to be dealt with. Systematically. I suggest timing yourself (Do you remember the homemaker’s best friend?) Give yourself a realistic amount of time to work with each and every day and, without fail, even if you do it at 8pm or midnight, address that clutter. Clear those hot spots and stagnant spaces.
I write about clutter in my Madame Chic books. Mainly because Madame Chic was an incredible anomaly as a homemaker. She never had clutter. I mean never. Did you fully grasp that? JAMAIS. Ha!
I lived with my French host family for 6 months and I never saw clutter. And no, Madame Chic didn’t follow KonMarie, or Sweedish Death cleaning or Flylady or any of the other trending systems (which, by the way, are all excellent systems that could greatly help you). She just did it.
Systematically go through your belongings and tidy them up. Get rid. Donate. Throw away. Don’t overly consume. Establish routines every day and make sure the whole family is involved. Clear that clutter. Because that clutter is the biggest obstacle you face as a homemaker. It’s what’s blocking you from blossoming truly.
Here’s a four-pronged approach to how Madame Chic dealt with clutter: 1. She dealt with her tasks and belongings immediately and never let anything collect where it shouldn’t be. In other words, she didn’t allow clutter to build up in the first place.
2. She did not over consume. She wasn’t constantly buying things to bring into the home. She was very selective. Those of you who follow my ten-item wardrobe will get this deeply.
3. The whole family was on board. Train your children young. Train them to pick up after themselves immediately. Never leave it. These habits are easier instilled when the child is young.
4. Take joy in the process. Don’t dread it. Be excited about what you will be able to accomplish now that this obstacle is out of your way.
Thank you for joining me for my Homemaker series. Be sure to share today's video with a friend who needs homemaking encouragement.
This video is dedicated to Andrea Mills, who was a fellow YouTuber and a wonderful homemaker. She tragically passed away a few weeks ago and has left her large family behind. If you feel inclined to donate to Andrea's family, I have left her GoFundMe here.
On Instagram I shared the cover of Connoisseur Kids on Instagram to announce the pre-order. Thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered my book. I appreciate it so much!
Comment of the Week Unknown writes, "Hi Jennifer, That was a beautiful video analysing how your spring/summer wardrobe performed for you. I live in a warm climate where winter is short but chilly. Our summers are hot and last for months. I have a capsule wardrobe too. But sometimes the discipline to plan for the forthcoming season lags due to being a busy mum! Ha! So I appreciate the encouragement to actually sit down and take stock rather than casually purchasing just whatever. So thank you! I have divided my wardrobe into 3 seasons...transitional (being spring/autumn), winter & summer. I get 2 months of autumn transitional, 3 months of winter, 1 more month of transitional, then 6 months of summer. My transitional wardrobe stays in place from autumn to spring, I just swap out a few things once winter hits. Summer means quality pieces for me, they get such a hard wear with needing to wash on the daily. Thank you for encouraging us to evaluate for ourselves what we need based on our style, climate & budget. We are more resourceful than we realise! Plus our own personal style grows and changes with us, so good to honour that. Your 10 item wardrobe really is here to serve you, enabling you to get on with what matters most!"
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I loved reading your approach to the ten-item wardrobe!
Thank you for joining me for today's video. I would love to know... do you find clutter to be an obstacle in your homemaking? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.
Many of you recently saw my video, The Number One Enemy to Homemakers. If you haven't watched that video, I highly recommend you do. Today, I’m going to share what I believe is the number two— the second enemy— to homemakers.
I’ve been thinking a lot about homemaking lately. Why, with so much technology and so many conveniences, some of us (myself included) still struggle with our homemaking. My revelation in the first video shared what I believe to be the number one enemy to homemakers, but that’s not where it ends.
This issue is quite complex, and there are many more enemies. It’s important for us to call them out and be aware of them in order to conquer these beasts— these road blocks that prevent us from living a beautiful life at home.
As I have pondered this topic, I truly believe that the number two enemy to homemaking is: PERFECTIONISM.
PERFECTIONISM Think about it. I’d like to think that I am not a perfectionist. That’s something other people struggle with. But I believe that most of us struggle with it, in some form, whether we acknowledge this or not.
PERFECTIONISM As women, we tend to seek perfection and beauty. Whether that is in our décor, or in our homemaking. Sometimes we feel if we can’t do a project fully and completely, executed perfectly, that we shouldn’t even bother. We get defeated before we begin. If we can’t do it perfectly, we don’t want to do it at all.
PERFECTIONISM this also goes for our décor. We all have a home— a dwelling place we call our own, but for many people— that home isn’t exactly how they would like it to be. It might be the décor that is unsatisfactory. Maybe you dislike your furniture. Or maybe you really don’t like your bathrooms or kitchen. Perhaps your sofas are a bit run down like mine are.
Subconsciously we do not take care of our homes as well as we should because our homes are not as we would like them to be.
How I like to combat my perfectionist tendencies is to just focus on the exact task I’m doing and not get ahead of myself. I do that task to the best of my ability, keeping in mind the other tasks I have to do. I try to enjoy the process.
PERFECTIONISM Because we see perfect homes and décor and cleaning routines on social media and suddenly feel bad about what we have.
I’ll give you an example of perfectionism in my own life. I have this YouTube channel, and I have a few followers on Instagram and I’m a published author. Technically some might call me an “influencer”. So a perfectionist thought might be: someone with my line of work should have nicer furniture and décor. Well, I’m going to show you a few very real things in today's video.
Fighting past my perfectionist tendencies, rather than going into debt to show off a lifestyle that isn’t in my budget right now, I am going to live with what I have. Because yes, even published authors and YouTubers have furniture with rips in it.
I think about Madame Chic a lot when this subject comes to mind. As I mention in my books, her kitchen and bathroom were very outdated. So outdated that by American standards we would instantly be itching to re-do them. But she lived with her outdated kitchen and bathroom and thrived with them. She created some of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had in that outdated kitchen.
Her furniture was antique and sometimes it was a bit shabby. But she kept her home beautifully. She didn’t suffer from comparison and perfectionism, she embraced what she had.
Let us not let our perfectionism get in the way of showing our homes the love that they deserve. Rather than comparing our homes to others, we should embrace what we have and love and appreciate it. Yes, upgrade when it’s in the budget, but if it’s not, love that shabby sofa, that outdated bathroom, Love and scrub and take care of your things because perfection is a state of mind.
Note: in today's video I'm wearing a lace tee (linking similar), my Mott & Bow jeans Use code JLS10 for %10 off (Until July 31, 2019), and a Cath Kidston apron (a gift from my mother-in-law).
News 📍PRE-ORDER my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS, which comes out September 10th from Chronicle Books.
On Instagram I love all of your photos of the Madame Chic books on Instagram. If you would like your Instagram account to be featured on my blog, snap a photo of your book and use the hashtag #jenniferlscott to be featured. Here is a lovely one of Lessons from Madame Chic...
Comment of the Week Reggie P. writes, "This assignment brings such happy memories to me. The Blue Danube was one of my dad's favorite songs. While he has long passed from this world, these precious memories are like a sweet visit to me. Thank you!"
Thank you, Reggie! I'm so glad this month's Chic Assignment brought up so many good memories for you. The Beautiful Blue Danube is a magnificent piece.
Thank you for joining me today. I would love to know... do you struggle with perfectionism in your daily life? How does it help you? How does it hinder you? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.
