Home Means More

Posted by Bruce Borden in M/I Homes Culture

It’s the feeling of relief when you pull into your driveway at the end of a long day. It’s the smiles, smells, sounds, and sights that greet you when you unlock the door. It’s the place that’s always been there when you take off your shoes, drop your keys, and reach for a snack.

It’s home.

Home’s Sights

For the morning bird, home trickles in gentle morning light, fills the kitchen with the smell of fresh coffee, and allows the sounds of newly awakened nature to compose the perfect ambient soundtrack to a new day. For the night owl, home creates the soft glow of a reading lamp or movie, positions a soft chair to cuddle a little one back to sleep, and has your midnight snack within easy reach in the fridge.

Home’s Sounds

Listen closely: if you’re still, you can hear memories from cozy winter evenings or sleepy Saturdays grace the walls, peek out from the kids’ bedrooms, or bounce around the family room.

The energetic summer days and busy school mornings, on the other hand, jump out from backpacks, half-eaten cereal bowls, and beach bags. Sunshine drives them through the halls and down the steps until they’ve reached the car and are ready to get going.

Home’s Smells

What wafts through the air on Mother’s Day? Warm pancakes and a cup of coffee just the way she likes it! What else do kiddos still in their pajamas need more after a morning of opening presents than gooey cinnamon rolls? How good do those burgers on the grill smell to your hungry guests as they enjoy accoutrements and beverages on the patio as they wait for the main course?

Home’s Scenes

Home doesn’t require a set routine or outfit. Home won’t tell if you’re wearing sweatpants just out of view of your Zoom meeting for work. Home doesn’t mind if plans are canceled and you end up on the couch or in a bubble bath instead.

A family room could be used as a slumber party hangout, sick day recovery zone, or yoga studio on any given day. An afternoon of cards on the coffee table or a loud and lively game day certainly have different feels, but your family room suits them both just the same.

Home is safe, and it’s there to comfort us. Recovery, rest, and relaxation are just a cozy blanket and soft bed away.

You can truly be yourself at home.

Your favorite colors, decorations, gadgets, and furniture are there to keep you happy and surrounded with the things you love most. Home is why staycations can be just what the doctor ordered to get you back to feeling rejuvenated and invigorated.

A tickle fight or craft project can take place where your kids love to spend their time while you try out a new recipe in the kitchen; depending on where you are in the house, you might simultaneously hear whisks mixing ingredients for a delicious, freshly baked concoction and the constant hum of giggles as young imaginations create the silliest work of art to hang on the fridge.

An unwinding day meets its perfect end as a sleepy head is moved from your shoulder to a cozy bed, or as your furry family members curl up in their favorite place to hunker down for the night (that might be the kiddos’ beds, too!).

And speaking of your family fur babies, the occasional splatter of water from a freshly bathed pup or a muddy pawprint on a rainy afternoon might make an appearance, but where else to both create a mess and clean it all up again than home?