You may have heard of the term “domestic bliss” which means something like happiness in the home or finding joy in home duties. Somewhere along the line I think we’ve lost the art of making our homes a place of comfort and peace for the benefit of our families and rather making our home a show piece or copy what others have done in their homes. So how do you find domestic bliss and what is domesblissity?
Origins of Domesblissity
If you haven’t put two and two together yet, you’ll realise that the name of my website and what I do here, that is educate people about the joys of home living and how to achieve it, is derived from the words domestic bliss.
Prior to the start of 2011, I had read a couple blogs. I didn’t have much time for such things with my children being quite young so using the internet was a real indulgence. I thought I’d use my time wisely and browse for interesting things to read.
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Two blogs that caught my eye were Down to Earth by Rhonda Hetzel and I Heart Organizing by Jennifer Jones. I used to find it relaxing and rewarding to read these two websites because I found I was exactly like them. Even though I lived a rich life by working and paying my way, I always found frugal ways of living just like my mother and grandmothers had taught me.
I was always an extremely organised person too so could totally relate to the posts Jen shared about organising. I started to think about creating my own blog (my first post was my ANZAC Biscuits recipe), now that I knew what one was and share my journey and the way that I lived with two young children so when they grew up they had something to refer to if and when they left home.
From that point on and over 1,400 posts later, I gained a few followers and the rest is history. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing my recipes, my craft projects and my way of life for many years that I turned it into a face to face professional organising business and online learning resource back in January 2017.
What does it actually mean?
When I was deciding on a name for my blog, I wanted it to sum up my way of life. If you asked me how my life was back then (and pretty much still is), it was hectic. I was a busy stay at home mum with two young children, only one income coming in from my now ex husband and making ends meet.
What I aimed to achieve every day regardless of the type of day I was having was domestic bliss. I played around with a few words and domesblissity was born.
It means achieving that warmth and coziness of home. That balance of comfort and order. There’s no denying being a parent can cause so much stress at home. There’s food to cook, the house to clean, washing to do and the endless parenting duties at every single milestone your child reaches.
Even though it was stressful most days, the main thing I tried to achieve each day was domesblissity. Freshly cooked, homemade food, clean clothes to wear and maintaining a roof over our heads. Even though we lost quite a bit of money coming in when I quit work to be at home with my family, I could still maintain that easier, simple way of life because I’d lived it all my life.
I didn’t have to worry about fancy decor or interior styles. I didn’t have to worry about the latest fashions or brand names and if I did need new clothes for anyone, I bought them secondhand from the thrift stores (something I’d done all my life). I had quite the wardrobe when I worked. A lot of hand made clothes but also designer labels at a fraction of the cost (not that I was impressed by designer labels but they usually lasted a lot longer than commercially, mass produced clothing).
I learnt to cook when I was 8 years old and it basically made me prepared to be able to cook anything from nothing which is very handy when you are on a strict budget and ultimately have the fussiest daughter in the world.
What does “domesblissity” feel like?
Domesblissity is definitely a feeling. It’s that feeling that home should be. It’s that feeling you have when you’ve just come back from holidays and you can’t wait to get home.
It’s that feeling you had when you used to visit your grandparents as a child and there’d be freshly baked goods coming out of the oven and a big family meal for lunch, unbuttoning your pants at the end of it because you ate too much.
It’s that feeling of warmth when after a cold blistery day outside at school or work, you’d come home to the warmth of the home and a large hot cup of tea and a cookie or hot pancakes. Something my mother would have for us after a rainy day.
It’s a feeling of being away in hospital, in an uncomfortable bed when all you’re longing for is the routine of home life. The hot coffee in the morning, getting the children off to school, going about your daily routine of household chores, hanging the washing in the sun, bringing it in to fold. Preparing the evening meal, talking about your day and having a few good laughs.
Domesblissity is all of those things. It’s that feeling of home life that makes us who we are as adults.
It’s not about the decor. It’s not about the latest knick knacks everyone is buying from the discount variety stores. It’s not about the latest must haves. It’s about that feeling that can’t be described but it sums up what home life is.
Along the way
You know the saying “life wasn’t meant to be easy”? Well that couldn’t have been more true than when my marriage broke down in the January of 2012 and then 3 months later my mother passed away. Boy, was that a shock to the system.
It involved 2 years of intensive psychotherapy but all the while, I still maintained domesblissity for the sake of my children and my home. The house may not have been as organised as I would’ve liked because I was going through so much but eventually it got back to how I wanted it after I started to feel better about things.
Life will always throw you curve balls. Having a baby will be a big shock to your home life and adjustments will need to be made. This is the time to not worry about the state of your home so much but rather looking after your newborn baby and yourself. As your child grows, you’ll find you’ll get back to an organised home.
It’s about finding that balance or domesblissity.
How to find “domesblissity” in your life
There’s really only 3 simple steps to follow if you want to achieve domesblissity in your life. They are:
- Simplify your lifestyle: This includes removing or decluttering everything in your home that doesn’t serve a purpose. Remember the less you have, the less you have to clean and organise.
- Love who is in your home, not what: Don’t concentrate on following the latest bloggers or social media influencers who are telling you and showing you their latest purchases to make you feel like you’re missing out. Don’t worry about the way your home looks. Just concentrate on trying to make it comfortable and cosy for you and your family.
- Be grateful: Be grateful for everything that you have. If you have food on your table, clothes to wear and a roof over your head, you’re very lucky. It’s a privilege denied to many, sometimes due to circumstances out of their control. Appreciate all the small things in your home.
For more information
If you’d like to find out about how I manage to make ends meet, read some of the recipes I cook or anything else that will help you find domesblissity in your home, click on the Resources section above.
You can always contact me if you would like me to help you manage your home, either face to face or online. I want as many people in the world to know this joy I have found in my home which really hasn’t cost me a cent.
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