The home is the truest and most clearest reflection of those who live within it...so get your house in order. - Seshat Mery Tut

While this article is geared towards mothers, I hope that it will inspire anyone who reads it to reach for “The Peace of Order”.

When it comes to mother hood, and life in general, a simplified life is the key to your happiness. Stay organized, plan things out, and take your me time. This trio will do your spirit some good! Motherhood and life keeps us busy and we just cannot afford to waste time. Every minute counts, so here are some quick tips to getting your house in order.

What Does Your Home Say About You? Do This Simple Exercise: walk throughout your home and take notes of everything that is out of order or unclean. Then sit down and evaluate what you wrote down. For example if there are a pile of clothes, unwashed dishes, clutter, unnecessary papers/mail, folded laundry, clean bathroom, spoiled food in the fridge, etc. Next to each thing that you found describe with adjectives what you see and the feeling that you get when you think about having to fulfill the task. Try to include the specifics of what in your schedule contributed to you not fulfilling the task as well. Do not be surprised if you find yourself writing out the same feelings and adjectives, and distractions next to many of the things you find.

Here is an example: Dirty Laundry: dirty, piled, large, tired. “I just felt tired and the task at the time just felt daunting and un-exciting.”

Here is an example: Stack of Mail: cluttered, piled, daunting, finances, broke, tired. “The thought of going through the mail and bills just depresses me and I figured that I would get to it later.”

After you have gone through each task, evaluate the words and thoughts in which you see written down on your paper and make note that these words and thoughts are very much a reflection of how you may be feeling about yourself and/or how others might see you. This will offer a clearer insight into the things that if fixed may make your life easier and happier. So if you see the word cluttered and tired pop up on your list several times, then you know that this is something you need to focus on fixing to obtain the “The Peace of Order”. You may need to jot down some ideas on things that help with clutter and being tired, whether it's your diet, a simple filing system, or even aromatherapy...get creative with your remedies!

Simple & Easy Mama Tips:

For Those Busy Days: We all know that some days in motherhood can be a lot more stressful than others, and many times I think the little ones have some sort of radar that clicks and pushes that stress even further. Not to fret though, there are some really easy tips to having a stress reliever at hand.

1. Leftovers: Sauces, soups, and stews are excellent for freezing for those stressful days when you just don't feel like cooking dinner. I have lots of curry sauces and frozen homemade samosas so that I can easily warm them up when I have a day that is truly stressful or for weekend lunches. Try to have at least 1-2 pre-made meals for the week to give yourself that much needed break.

2. It's Your Bedtime! Sticking to a bedtime for your kids will allow you to take control of some quiet time and will allow them their proper sleep. It is easy to just let them stay up, but when I stick to a structured bed time for our 4 year old, I find that I am more likely to spend at least 30 minutes doing something for myself, whereas if he were up running around, I would most likely be distracted and exhausted to say the least.

3. List it Out: I cannot stress enough(even to myself) how important having a to-do list and sticking to it is when it comes to keeping your sanity. The key is not to overflow your list with unrealistic tasks and goals and take one task at a time. Make a list for:

4. Groceries & Menus: I have printed out pre-made menu outlines that I can just fill in what I plan to cook for each day. On the opposite side I have my pre-printed grocery list which contains: items that I almost always purchase within one month, a small line next to each ingredient for the price, and a small section for miscellaneous items and special ingredients needed to fulfill the menu on the back, and any notes. This is a lifesaver for me because I no longer have to write out a grocery list every two weeks that looked the same as the last one. It is a major time saver. Before I go to the store, I just cross out any of the items that I will not need at the time. These are excellent to keep because you can put stars or highlight the meals that were a hit in your home to reference for further menu planning!

5. Weekly Tasks: Plan out your days by the week. This will allow you to foresee any conflicts and will make your days go by with a little bit more of a peace of mind. As I tell myself, Just Do It! When I stick to this motto, 95% of the time I find myself less stressed because those dishes that I would normally tell myself “Oh I will wash it later” are now washed and put away and that is one less thing I have to be concerned with. Again as busy moms, we do not have time to waste time...so Just Do It!

6. File It! I have just finished going through every file for our home and it feels amazing to know exactly where everything is again without the extra papers from years ago. With that said, take a day or two to re-evaluate and consolidate your files, this includes your daunting e-mails! Get rid of old papers and for the important documents use a shredder. There is no need to keep bills from years ago, but if you feel that you need them, simply set up a separate filing system to archive those documents, whatever you do, anything that is not dated in the current year should be out of sight and out of mind.

Here is how I have my current files categorized:

Current Bills: I made a folder for any company that we have to pay on a monthly basis. I have another that I keep unpaid bills in so when it comes to pay day, I know exactly what I have to pay all in one folder. I also keep an outline of what bills come out and when so that I will never forget to pay something.

Home Planning: I keep all of the files regarding 401k's to vacation and holiday planning together. I also have a section for the weekly menus.

Business: Keep all business related files and pertinent documents together here, especially if you are self-employed. Mine is separated by Business expenses, IRS, Secretary of State, Sales Tax, Business License, and correspondence/notes, and weekly outlines.

Homeschooling Matters: This is where I keep anything and everything that may relate to our sons homeschooling, which we named “Son of Light Pre-School”, including worksheets, weekly curriculum, and forms. Even if you re not a home-schooler, make a folder titled “Education” to keep your school related files in

Health & Legal: keep all of your medical records and legal documents together and keep them current and consolidated! If you do not have any major medical issues then this is a file that you do not need to keep in your main filing system.

I hope this article inspires some of you ladies to find your peace within organization. Maat can only be found in order, so as mothers, wives, and women, lets get our homes in order and our peace will follow!