Written by home columnist Emily Walker of Remodeling This Life.

The new year is here, and with it comes the end of a nice break for most of us. As much as I enjoyed the lazy mornings and fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants days of the holidays, I was really looking forward to getting back into the regular routine.

Something about a new year sparks in me a desire to establish more order and intention in all that I do, so when back-to-school and the new year came together, it was perfect timing for establishing some new, old routines to keep home life simple and days running smoothly.

I tend to dislike schedules but thrive on routine. A routine makes everyone in my household happier, everything runs more smoothly, it establishes reasonable expectations, and it makes for a saner home.

Here are some basic routines that help keep our house tidy and the people smiling around here.

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I have had a bad attitude about my house lately. In the midst of yet another home renovation project, a little too much drywall dust flying and too many unfinished little projects have left me feeling like our house just isn’t good enough.

Mostly, this happens when I am having people over. I start to feel like it’s not good enough for company. I worry what they’ll think of my rooms with no baseboards and rooms closed off for construction. I get too caught up in my furniture looking a little too much like little messy kids live here.

My husband informed me the other day that my house attitude needs a paint job.

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This past weekend, my husband and I repainted our living room. A few years of kids running around and putting scuffs and dings on the walls, not to mention one major home improvement project, made this painting a necessity.

To ease my mind about taking care of the furniture during the process, we moved almost everything right out of the room. We removed mirrors, shelves, photos off the walls, and books off of the shelves, and then moved almost all of the furniture out of the room.

It was then that I decided this was the best time ever to really simplify the space — I was going to reset the room, declutter, and start with a clean slate.

From my experience, here’s how to quickly and easily simplify your space by resetting a room.

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Written by home columnist Emily Walker of Remodeling This Life.

New or old, every home has a story.  Every story begins somewhere, and some go back farther than others.  One of the benefits to our recent economy is this: more people are buckling down, staying still, finding contentment with where they are and learning to love the homes they live in.

As new construction slows and older homes are being lived in and loved, each home is telling more stories from one single family than they might have otherwise.  In this shift to getting back to basics, home has become a haven rather than a savings account — a place to share memories and build a foundation for generations to enjoy and appreciate.

Here are some ideas about making your home one that will tell stories for generations.

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