Catalyst Community:Change in Seasons-Erica Sprague

The word “community” is defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular interest in common. Catalyst Midland has launched a series titled “Catalyst Community” focusing on different communities — sometimes geographic, sometimes a common interest. 

In this week’s Catalyst, we focus on change.

Our teacher is Erica Sprague, a science teacher at the junior/senior high school in Beaverton. She just  started her 19h year in education. Erica is a teacher both inside and outside the classroom. She now also has a presence on social media (Facebook) to share home economics ideas. Her goal is to encourage us to practice some of the skills that may be diminishing in our fast moving society.

Article: 

My life revolves around the seasons. As a teacher and mom of kids in school and sports, our schedules are always changing based on the time of the year. When one activity ends, another follows and there is a flow to our family routine. Despite being busy during the entire year, I always take the time and look forward to moving furniture in my house-seasonally. It's as regularly scheduled as the holidays and I can honestly say I anticipate these changes, despite them being a lot of work!

Moving your bed or seating areas to an inside wall in the winter can make it more comfortable.
It really doesn't matter when you move your furniture, but it's a good idea to move beds, dressers and larger pieces to clean in those corners that never see the light of day! In my house, when beds get moved, walls get washed and I usually find all sorts of strange objects that have fallen in the cracks. Other than cleaning, what else can moving your furniture do for your household?

1. Change up the traffic patterns! Simply moving your furniture may alter the traffic flow through the house. This can extend the life of your carpet. When you move furniture, it's also a great time to freshen up carpets with a steam cleaner.

2. Stay warm or cool! Is your furniture covering a vent or return? Is the bed close to drafty windows? Moving your bed or seating areas to an inside wall in the winter can make it more comfortable. Likewise, having your bed by windows in the spring and summer can be enjoyable.
When you move furniture, it's also a great time to freshen up carpets with a steam cleaner.
3. Adapt to change! Changing up your living space, especially during seasonal changes can help you adapt and adjust to the incoming seasonal shift. If you suffer from the blues as fall ushers in winter, a new arrangement can be just what you need to improve your mood.

4. Reenergize your space! If your furniture hasn't been moved in a while, changing it up can reenergize your home or work space. If you're in a rut or life seems hum-drum, maybe pushing that couch to a new wall or even moving the desk can have surprisingly positive effects on everyone in the home.

It's October and I'm a couple weeks behind in moving my bed and as the days are abruptly getting colder. I find myself more than ready to move the bed, get out the heavy blankets and hunker down. We've already moved the couch to face more of the windows to get the most out of our dim winter afternoons. It might seem like a huge and daunting task to rearrange the whole house, but start with one room or one item and see how it feels! 

Are you a furniture mover? Let me know in the comments. Be sure to follow the page Home Ericanomics on social media!