A Culture Of Love – the life giving home series
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Welcome to the life giving home series! In February we are going to talk about a culture of love. One of the most amazing things you can create in your home is an environment where everyone knows (and feels) they are loved. So how do you create that lovely home?
More about The Life Giving Home
Before we dive into the next chapter of this amazing book, let’s take a closer look at the entire book. What is it about and why should you read it?
The life giving home was written by Sally and Sarah Clarkson, they are mother and daughter and wrote this book together. They take turns writing a chapter and it’s really nice to read the perspective from two different writers, who have very similar thoughts.
In the book, they talk about how to create a home that is fun to be in, a joy to be a part of and that gives life to those who come into it. They take you on a journey of creating a lifegiving home, but do so in small and manageable steps.
Trying to transform your home within a month is exhausting, overwhelming and absolutely impossible. But changing one or two things each month will transform your home and life completely. And that is what Sarah and Sally try to accomplish in this excellent book.
February – A culture of love
February is the month of Love. With Valentine’s day around the corner, it is a month where we all naturally focus more on love. We personally don’t celebrate Valentine’s day, but it sure is a good reminder to spoil the ones you love!
What is a culture of love?
One of the first questions to ask yourself is: What is a culture of love? Because it is kind of important to know that before you can try to create one.
A culture of love happens when there is unconditional, generous and intentional love poured out to people in the home. It’s a way of life where we always value the other person above ourselves and do our very bests to make them feel loved.
One important thing to keep in mind is that love is a choice. Creating a culture of love is a choice. And it happens only when we are intentional about what we do. We plan date nights, special moments with the kids, time away from technology to bond with our children, going the extra mile for the other person, etc. It’s something you have to choose daily. And that makes it fun! Because there is always a new day to express our love for the people in your home!
Love languages
We have talked about love language before in this post, but it is one of the best books to read during the month of love. It focuses on the ways you give AND receive love the best. But not only that, it helps you to know how you can show the other person how much you love them.
Okay, let’s break that down. Because it might sound a little weird. I’ll use myself as an example to show you how it works. My love languages are physical touch and time together, while my husband’s love languages are acts of service and words of affirmation.
So in this example, I feel loved when my husband makes time for me and we talk on the couch, no phones, just me and him and having uninterrupted time together. He has to be intentional about that though, because when he thinks about how he would show love, he would probably do something practical like taking out the trash. While I certainly love it when he does that, it is not my love language. It doesn’t make me feel loved. It’s just really nice and convenient.
On the other hand. My husband’s love language is acts of service. So even though he likes being with me, there are better ways to show him how much I love him. I could clean the car for him, I could take out the trash, make him his favourite meals, etc.
Hopefully this gave you a bit of an idea of how the principle works and why it is important to know what your love language is, but also what your spouse’s love language is. But I would highly recommend purchasing the 5 love languages by Gary Chapman because it is an amazing book that will surely help you a lot! And he explains the love languages way better than I could ever do in an article!
Ideas for this month
This goes along with the five love languages, but it is very important to focus on the other person. What makes THEM feel loved in the home? Some things you can focus on during the month for both your spouse and your kids:
- Home made meals. There is just something about having home made meals together at the dinner table. Even if it might be hard to do that every day, try to make it a habit this month to do it once a week. Go the extra mile and make something your husband or children love and have a fancy dinner on Saturday.
- Crafts with the kids. Children always love getting undivided attention, so you can never go wrong here. But especially when one of them has quality time as their love language, this is a great way to spend time with them. Added bonus; make something Valentine related like these cute salt dough hearts my friend Julie made: DIY Salt Dough Heart Garland.
- Do extra things around the house. If your husband is like mine, you could do some extra things around the house. My husband loves it when he comes home from work and notices I did the trash for him. Or when I decided to clean the garage/shed.
- Have more date nights. Time together your (or your spouse’s) love language? Plan an extra date night this week. Put on your extra special lingerie set and make it even more special if physical touch is another one of his love languages.
- Buying a little gift. Now don’t think you need to purchase something crazy expensive. Just buy one of his favourite beers and have it next to his dinner plate when he comes home. Or get him a cute new mug to use at work.
- Say ‘thank you’ or ‘I love when ..’ a little more often. I love giving my husband compliments! It doesn’t have to be something over the top. Just thanking him for working so hard for our family, or saying ‘thank you for doing … for me’ can go a long way!
These are just a few ideas, but I hope it will spark some creativity in you to make this month extra special! Make it your goal to show some extra love this month. You and your family will love it!
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Find the other post in the life giving home series here.
How to become a wife of noble character
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