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Spring in the Northwest has been one of the coldest and wettest in half a century and I am still waiting for Spring Fever to take effect. I'll be honest, I'm tired of doing my dishes and folding my laundry and cleaning up after my two busy children. Even I, The Surrogate Homemaker can at times be uninspired by my home and the demands of keeping up with it. Lack of inspiration does not however change anything. We must still muster the energy to do the housekeeping and put food on the table.
Just like any other creative art being a domestic artist demands that I consistently stoke my creative fire with outside inspiration. The following are a few things I do to get inspired and motivated.
Buy a new home/lifestyle magazine- I am a visual person and I find that a new home/lifestyle magazine can be just the thing to get me pumped up to rearrange my home and purge the detritus that has built up over the winter. Some of my favorites are Real Simple, Architectural Digest, Martha Stewart Living and Sunset.
Cook something seasonal- Cooking seasonally is a good idea on many levels. The most practical of these are that eating seasonally ensures the highest quality and flavor and chances are you haven't had a particular seasonal delicacy since last year. This time of year I can make a trip to Pike Place Market and wander the stalls finding delicious spring onions, ramps, peas, spring greens and radishes. To put these ingredients to good use I search the Saveur Magazine web-page to find seasonal recipes.
Trade cleaning jobs with a friend- We become accustom to our own dirt and disorganization and it can become invisible to us. I find I am more motivated to do a thorough cleaning at a friends house than I am my own. Plus, I've been cleaning my house for months and I could use a change of scenery. You may discover that your friend finds a new place to put something or rearranges a bit, bringing a fresh look to a familiar space. Trading with a friend can work two ways. You can arrange to clean each others homes independently or you can work together. The second is the "wing-man" approach and it works really well for larger organizing projects.
I hope one of these ideas helps to kick-start your spring cleaning. Now to put my own advise into action and get started!
