- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- home style today articles
- home style today q&a
- traveling today articles
- traveling today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
The Emotional Home
5 Simple Ways to Create a Welcoming Home
By Teri Brown
Because of the Feng Shui movement there has been an increased interest in how the inside of your home affects your emotional health. While most experts can't say for sure that the placement of your furniture can really bring you peace or prosperity, most agree that the d袯r and tidiness of your home can have a huge impact on how you feel.
Dell Smith Klein of Prescott, Ariz., calls herself the queen of clutter, but with a neat freak husband she has learned to hit a happy medium. "My home can have a positive or negative affect on my emotions," she says. "I'm a nut about having a lived-in home. Nothing affects me more negatively than a sterile, nothing-out-of-place house. Give me a place with a magazine or Bible on the coffee table, a fluffy shawl thrown over the end of the couch and I'm happy."
While having a sterile home is not the aim of Interior Designer Paula Jhung, having a clutter free home that is easy to live in, is. She says that leaving a tidy home in the morning blesses your whole day and continues to bless you when you return to it in the evening. "If you approach cleaning, decorating and organizing your home as a way to add beauty to your life, it becomes less of a chore," she says. "It adds a spiritual aspect to the mundane. For instance, sun dried sheets, candles, freshly cut flowers and plants all create an atmosphere that is relaxing and rejuvenating. Taking care of such a home is a joy."