You long to come home to a haven.

But so much seems to get in your way. 

It’s hard enough to fit homemaking in when your busy days speed by in a blur.

And it’s even harder to stop and figure out how to create a haven.

As much as you want to be a rockstar for your family, you’re beyond frustrated by the tiny amount of time and energy you have to care for your home and conquer your mess.

Quite frankly, it can feel impossible to care for your home and attempt to feather your nest while you’re living life.

But that’s exactly why Home to a Haven was created … to encourage and equip you to transform your home into a haven. Even in the busiest seasons of your life.

What others are saying …

“My biggest frustration with homemaking is constantly hearing, ‘It’s okay that you don’t have it all together; I don’t either.’ And then the conversation ends – or worse. I guess it’s nice to be briefly reminded that we all struggle, but … what next? I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you for your hopefulness and encouragement and answering, ‘What next?’ You tell me progress can be made even in a few minutes; something can be done! Thank you so much!” – Meredith

“I prefer to spend my time in my garden because I’ve felt overwhelmed by all I need to do inside. But instead of saying ‘I have a clean home,’ I’m going to think and say, ‘Hilary is helping me clean and declutter my home, five minutes at a time!’  I think my mind can believe and accept that.” – Aly

“I absolutely love this and so appreciate this blog! This is SO PRACTICAL and SO HELPFUL! Thank you for the insight and giving me motivation toward a different perspective allowing me to feel less overwhelmed.” – Shannon

Imagine …

Imagine feeling satisfied as you walk in your front door.

You’ve spent your busy day out and about, but you can hardly wait to get home because you know an oasis awaits you. And not just any oasis … but one you absolutely adore, because it’s filled with your favorite things.

You may be tired after a busy day and fully know what you need to do tomorrow, but you’re home and you absolutely feel at peace.

Your home is exactly where you want to be.

When you become a member of Home to a Haven’s online community, you’ll be encouraged and equipped to transform your home into a haven.

A little about my own haven…

Hi! I’m Hilary, and years before I had a family of my own, I wanted to spend time with friends and family in my home and bless them with whatever modest space I was living in. 

So I studied how to create a welcoming home and tried plenty of ideas along the way. Not everything worked … there were plenty of mishaps in the kitchen as I taught myself to cook! And you’d better believe the learning curve was steep as I figured out the best ways to clean my home.

I’m thankful I had the time to learn and experiment in my home before I was married with children, because I never expected all the extra work (and mess!!) a family would bring.

Needing to tackle the work and mess of a family home when my time and energy was zapped has been a huge source of frustration.

After a lot of exasperation, I’ve noticed my mess multiplies when I don’t have much time at home – or a good plan of how to use the time I do have.

Yet as much as figuring out how to care for my home was helpful, it didn’t instantly create a haven for my family. 

In fact, it didn’t matter where my family lived or how much (or how little) we had. And it didn’t matter how spotless our home was. A bunch of material possessions or spic and span rooms didn’t create a peaceful home.

Like it or not, my attitude did.

I quickly discovered that I set the tone for the home. (Sound familiar in your own home?) 

If I lost my temper easily or chose to be critical, my bad attitude rubbed off on my husband and kids. If I was discontent with our home – and let everyone know it – our home was not the welcoming haven of my dreams. But …

• If and when I walked closely with the Lord, it showed in the way I treated my family.
• If and when I invested in our relationships, our bonds grew closer and sweeter.
• And if and when I chose to be content with wherever we lived and worked with what we owned to make it a comfortable home, it became a refreshing place to live.

Today, my home has become a haven that’s peaceful and restful for both me and my family. I’d love to help you change your home into a peaceful and restful place, too.

Getting started

If you know you could use some encouragement as you start finding a better way to care for your home and create a haven – and if you’d like someone to help guide you through the process – you’re in the right place. 

To get the latest blog posts (and occasionally some special deals for your homemaking), subscribe to Home to a Haven’s weekly e-mails. 

“I LOVE the tips! I have been married for 15 years, and a stay-at-home wife and mom for 5 … and I am still trying to get a handle on it! I will be implementing these!” – Taria

“I just wanted to tell you that I totally feel like the Lord put you in my path for a reason. Everything I’m struggling with has been in your blog. It’s amazing, to be quite honest!! He’s using your words to remind me to seek Him. Thank you for your words, Hilary!” – Jessica

“So glad to find you. I’m 68 and wish there would have been help like this when I was first married and with small children. I pray you have much success in helping ladies with the most important job in the world.” – Martha

Just a little bit about me …

In case you’re wondering just who Hilary Bernstein is, I’d love to share. :)

I’ve always known I’ve wanted to be a writer, so before I became a mom I spent a decade as an editor and writer at magazines and newspapers.

I graduated, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at Otterbein University, interned at Release Magazine, Towers Magazine, and Worldwide Challenge magazine (at Cru’s world headquarters), served as staff writer at Christian Mission magazine, then transitioned to lifestyle editor at The Gazette, a daily newspaper in Medina, Ohio. At The Gazette, my editorial responsibilities included anything related to home, family, food, travel, and entertainment. (Basically, only good news!) Currently, I’m writing a book of devotional readings for Barbour Books.

Once my husband and I became parents, I wanted to stay home with our son and daughter. To keep writing, I started a blog – Accidentally Green – in 2011. Here’s my young family when I started blogging:

And here we are today:

Over the past nine years, I’ve written thousands of blog posts, several eBooks, and was the site editor and contributing writer for both The Humbled Homemaker and Keeper of the Home.

I began blogging at HilaryBernstein.com in 2015, but in 2018 I transitioned to Home to a Haven to help Christian women transform their homes into havens.

How can I help you?

I would absolutely love to know how I can help you. What situations are you dealing with in your home? What are some of your biggest challenges? Please share what’s going on in your life and home in an e-mail! 

To learn about Hilary Bernstein’s partnership with Haven of Rest Ministries, click here.

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