Category: Life at Home

Your relationship with your home? It’s complicated… Not too unlike your relationship in high school with a certain fella’ named James. Ohhhh wait. Just us? Anyways, your home is the center of a lot of things – thoughts, emotions, feelings, memories, expectations, obligations… For instance, the kitchen simultaneously reminds you that you cannot buy those diet-sapping chips one more time, and you need to start making dinner if you hope to put something on the table anytime soon.  But, it’s also the place of all those everyday memories like baking cookies or making pb&j’s that you wouldn’t trade for anything. And, that spectrum of experiences is pretty reflective of the nature of life itself.  Life is filled with a bit of it all — the good, the bad and the ugly.  It’s okay that our homes are such a representation of our lives.  It’s good to be reminded that there’s a lot of hustle and bustle alongside the opportunities to celebrate and find peace. So, maybe there’s no define-the-relationship conversation needed, after all.  Maybe complicated is precisely what home is destined to be.  There will be ebbs.  There will be flows.  Perhaps, the question instead should be — despite the complications of your home and your life, are you celebrating?   Warmly, The Platinum Team]]>

Home is… Spring cleaning in September. Better late than never? We don’t know about you, but despite our honorable intentions, spring cleaning never seemed to manifest this year. The hall closet has definitely exceeded capacity, and who knows what’s gotten shoved in the back of the pantry. So, here’s to getting rid of those slacks that don’t fit right… and never have. Here’s to weeding out the stack of junk mail that’s weighing you down. We won’t pretend that spring cleaning is a joyous occasion. But, we do know battles are better fought in connection with others. So, as you partake in whatever aspect of spring cleaning you desire this week, be reminded – you’re not alone in that fight. As we strive to overtake some of the chaos in our own nest, know that we’re there in spirit with you too.   Warmly, The Platinum Team ]]>

The two seconds at the table devouring the semi-nourishing “meal” you managed to whip up.  It’s accompanied by the predictable banter you share with your family every day, and then the race to clean it all up before hitting the hay. We must confess – we’re not unfamiliar that dinnertime dash.  We’ve lost touch with what asparagus and rice truly taste like because they’re so speedily swallowed.  And, we do tend to ask the same questions at the table day after day. So this week, we’re slowing down dinner to make it a bit more meaningful.  And, we want you to join us.  To create more engaging table conversations, we’re equipping ourselves with some thought-provoking questions:

• What are you grateful for?
• What made you smile today?
• It’s five years from now.  What are you, who are with with, and what are you doing?
• If you had a free ticket to travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Pick one or more question(s) to test-drive around your table this week.  As you eat, give each family member or friend a chance to share.  Challenge yourself to slow down, savor your bites and really listen,  And, for those of us that are parties of one, as we enjoy dinner let’s phone a friend to share in the conversation with us. Warmly, The Platinum Team   PS — Let us know how it goes.  What conversations did you have?  What flavors did you savor?  And, don’t feel limited to our questions alone.  We’d love to hear what others you come up with.  If someone captures some photos of this action, we want to see them.  Email them our way — [email protected]]]>

Home is… The war zone. Thanks to that annoying neighbor of yours. You know which one I’m talking about. Though it’s hard to imagine a world in which home feels like a true place of peace, we challenge you – believe it’s possible. (A visualization of a “for sale” sign outside their home will do.) All kidding aside, we dare you to choose to change the conversation. Do something nice for that neighbor. We know they don’t deserve it. Do it anyhow. Farmers market produce on their doorstep. A bouquet of flowers. It’s up to you. If it’s too much of a stretch to dream up a plan to be nice to the annoying neighbor, do something for that other neighbor of yours – the one you don’t really pay much attention to because thankfully, they don’t do anything to annoy you. Whatever the route, whichever neighbor… celebrate that act. You’re taking action to add a bit more kindness to our community. We think that’s worth getting excited about 🙂 Warmly, The Platinum Team]]>

Home is… That messy kitchen. If your eyes glaze over at the thought of cleaning, you’re in good company.  If you generally try to race through those incredibly draining and oh-so-undesirable tasks as quickly as possible, you’re not alone. Buy, you know… the dishes don’t clean themselves… not even with assistance from the dishwasher, apparently. (Yes, we do have a bit of a grudge against that dishwasher.  See our last post.)  And the laundry and dusting? They typically need our hands on deck too. So, given that the cleaning isn’t going away anytime soon, lets try out a different approach. What if we could actually create some sort of way to derive a smidge of pleasure from those tasks?  Yeah, we know.  Sounds a bit like blasphemy.  But, bear with us for a moment or two. What do we love? Some good tunes.  Norah Jones. Joni Mitchell. The Black Jets.  The Rolling Stones (Are you judging our music tastes, right now? It’s okay. We’d do the same.) Anyhow, the tunes are up to you.  Pick your own favorites.  Then, next time you embark on that beautiful journey of cleaning the toilet, bring a little music with you.  And, while you’re at it – don’t race.  Take your time.  Sing along.  Dance a jig. (Preferably put the toilet brush down for a moment, though.  We take no responsibility for any wayward toilet bowl cleaner that gets flung outside the bowl.) For goodness sake, whatever cleaning task you need to tackle next – choose to love that task.  You’re going to do it anyway.  You might as well join us in finding a way to experience a little joy on the journey. Then, let us know — how did it go?  The tunes and dancing are just a start.  We’d love to hear your creative approaches to making your glamorous chores a bit more enlivening.  Warmly, The Platinum Team PS — If someone captures some photos of this action, we want to see them.  Email them our way —[email protected]  ]]>

In an ideal world, life at home would look a bit like this –

Every dish would come out of the dishwasher in pristine condition, glimmering in the morning light. The kids would make their beds like pros, and as far as every nook and cranny goes — dust would never settle there. Each room would be draped in peace and poised for memory making.

Right…

The reality is – home typically looks a bit different. The counter is cluttered by a stack of bills, the kids shoes are strewn across the living room. And, as far as the dishwasher goes — it typically spits out dishes caked either in a cloudy film or particles of who-knows-what sort of leftovers. Given all that, the peace and memory-making feel far from accessible.

But, they don’t have to.

To us, home is the reality of daily living – accepting and learning to be at peace with the state of things. We’re given a choice – see only mundane or find beauty in the ordinary moments. Knowing these things, we’ll be discussing what it looks like to reclaim home as a place of warmth and comfort, even amidst the reality of daily living. And, in the meantime, if you figure out how to convince the dishwasher to produce legitimately clean dishes, please let us know.

Warmly,

The Platinum Team

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— This post is part of our Life at Home series. Each month, we explore different thinking, techniques or tools related to the concept of a home and what it means to live well in ours. — You know that feeling AFTER you finish organizing your closet? Amazing, right? The resulting sense of mental white space is a priceless reward. Except… Who are we kidding? You paid quite a price for it. With discipline, you dedicated yourself to the loathsome process of confronting your chaotic closet. And as you did so, you kept battling images of lounging by the pool. Somehow any and all images of leisurely weekend activities kept drifting through your mind. But, there you were… trapped in your closet, of all places. Does it have to be such undesirable drudgery? What if there was a different way of approaching that task of putting your home in order? That’s what The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is about. Within her book, Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo presents the distinct process she uses to help clients simplify and organize their homes. We should make clear — Kondo is not promising a good ol’ time. But, she reframes the onerous task in quite a refreshingly meaningful light. A few things we took away from the read:

-Focus on what you want to keep versus what you want to get rid of. Fixing your energy and attention on what to “get rid of” casts the whole activity in a negative light. Instead, it’s best to place your emphasis on what you are choosing to keep. Doing so puts you in a more positive mindset from the get-go.

-Ask “does it spark joy?” To figure out what you want to keep, Kondo offers this filter question. She insists that you take each item in hand as you ask this question and pay attention to your reaction in both your mind and body. Yes, it may seem too out there for some folks, but following her advice was just right for us. Don’t be surprised if emotions come to the surface. Letting go of things that are no longer serving you can be tough, but there’s also a lot of reward in truly seeing those things that do, in fact, “spark joy” for you.

– Working by category, take EVERY item you own and put it on your floor. Yes, we hate to even bring this up. At first, it makes a massive mess, but she’s right — it helps. For example, all of your clothes come off the closet rod into a big pile. You are then able to take each item in hand, see it in full light and determine whether it sparks joy. This prevents you from overlooking items or lazily leaving items in the closet that truly ought to be discarded.

This just scratches the surface of Kondo’s distinct approach to simplifying and organizing your home. With years of experience in tidying, Kondo has many more insights to offer on the topic. If you’re looking to get your home (and/or life) in order, this read may be for you. And, since we’re all for supporting local businesses, we recommend checking in with Changing Hands, Bookmans, your library branch or other favorite local spots to get a copy.]]>

“He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This post is part of our Life at Home series. Each month, we explore different thinking, techniques or tools related to the concept of a home and what it means to live well in ours. Goals are glorious. There are crazy statistics out there affirming the fact that the setting of a goal increases the likelihood of its achievement. So, we wisely set and achieve them in many areas of our lives. Home ownership is realm in which goals show up too. Which room will be the next to re-do? What project will inch your home closer to a goal? Let’s repaint that. Let’s refinish that. Or, let’s move. Some days it feels like everyone else is busy working on some amazing D-I-Y project for their home, molding theirs into a more Pottery Barn-esque picture or moving into some impressive estate. While you… frankly, you’re just hoping your kids will put their toys away for once. And, that the laundry pile will stop growing. That’d be nice too. So, the goals for our homes — they are good to have. And, the D-I-Y projects are fun too. But, sometimes, all those things become a burden — another item on a to-do list that’s entirely too long. If you find yourself in that latter camp — the one who’s just trying to keep up — consider this a dose of encouragement to let go the need to set another goal or achieve something else. Of all the arenas of your life, at least cut yourself some slack at home. There, if nowhere else, you should find a sense of rest, not a need to do or be more. Perhaps your home is just fine as it is. Totally messy. Imperfect. Even with the outdated furniture. And, the chipped paint. Maybe today it’s okay to choose to let go of the need to change something else or plan something new. Maybe it’s time to take those goals you feel pressured to set, and toss them out the window. And maybe, just maybe, that will change your day for the better… allowing you to move through your home and your life with a bit lighter load.]]>

— This post is part of our Life at Home series. Each month, we explore different thinking, techniques or tools related to the concept of a home and what it means to live well in ours. — Today is another typical Monday. The list of to-dos for the week feels a little daunting. The number people who need your attention feels a bit overwhelming. And, the assignments from your boss won’t stop growing… as with the list of items needing cleaning around the house. Yes, today is another typical Monday. But, who says it can’t also be far more than that? The difference between a mundane Monday and a meaningful one often lies in our mindset. There are choices we make — seemingly ordinary ones — that determine whether each day feels significant or holds any importance. That number-crunching that needs to be done for your boss? You can decide to begrudgingly wade through each moment of it, or you can grab your headphones and work to some energizing and relaxing tunes. Sure, you didn’t save the world by doing so. But, your elevated mood lets you bring a more positive energy to those around you. And, when it gets to dinnertime, you can resign yourself to another predictable meal. Or, you can take the 10 extra minutes to try out the recipe for that homemade salsa you’ve been dying to test-drive. No, you didn’t transform into a celebrity chef overnight, but you did give your creativity muscles some needed TLC, which lets you bring a more innovative, vibrant spirit to all the other things you do. Transforming today. That notion might sound like too much to tackle… especially on a Monday. But, it likely won’t take so much effort as you first assume. Yes, some little doses of awareness and intentionality are helpful. But, your choices don’t have to be all that dramatic. And, your investment of time doesn’t have to be massive either. Just pick a small step. No need to bite off more than you can chew. Today is another typical Monday. So, what are you going to do to add just a bit of magic to your day and the day of those around you?      ]]>