We’ve had a lot of delays and we’re nowhere near done, but somehow only days before New Year’s Eve, we had a new bedroom to sleep in, and a brand new bathroom to enjoy – only seconds before our house guests were due to arrive for five days! Now that the rooms are usable, the fun part begins. I’m talking paint colors, DIY projects, reading nooks, revamps, and of course – home security. Just changing two rooms has caused us to rethink the rest of the house too. It was time!

We live in the middle of four acres of New England woods. When we bought our house several years ago, the locksmith suggested we needed security for our home – especially with a toddler and a baby on the way – but we weren’t ready for that step yet. Luckily we weren’t, because we hadn’t yet imagined the way technology would make it easier than ever for us to have a safe and secure home. Now we’re working on a smart home, piece by piece, and we’ve had the best luck with MONI Smart Security. That’s why I’m so excited to share my 5 ways we’re doing a home refresh for the new year.

1 – Create a passion space. I say passion because that can vary. For example, in my sister’s house, she’d create a fitness space. Here, it’s all about creating a reading space. It’s a place to dream and be quiet and better yourself. I always creating a room for quiet, too, whether in this space or another one in your home. You can find a small table or nightstand, pillows, candles, books, etc. In our house, we’re doing that with our bedroom since it’s going to be quite big.

2 – Have fun with one accent shade. We have bold taste in our house, but we keep the boldness to the numerous photographs and pieces of art on the wall. It’s such fun to narrow it down to using just one shade of an accent color. In our case, it’s a dark blue. You can find it all over the house, and even on the front door. We have one dark blue wall in our bedroom and bathroom, as well as the hallway leading to the master suite. And we have dark blue linens! We love it.

(That mannequin is going to hold a costume my husband made. It isn’t as random as it looks!)

3 – Rearrange your accessories and art. Every now and then we need a revamp, don’t we? We’ve had the same photo gallery up for ages, and I keep saying to our guests, “Those photos are so old!” I’m a photographer so we need to switch it up with new family photos! We also move small shelves, bookends, pillows, and rugs every now and then just to see how it will look.

4 – Let there be lots of light! I love light personally, and depend on it for my mood and for my photography. That’s why it’s cost-effective to buy a fun new light fixture or bed lamp, or to work on new shades/curtains/blinds. Feel that freshness!

5 – Explore the amazingness of MONI Smart Security professional monitoring. Now that we’re making such important home updates, it’s time to stop putting off what should be #1 on your to-do list. Not to mention it’s so easy to protect your family with MONI professional monitoring. This monitoring experience is different from any other home monitoring experience.

How so? It’s because MONI delivers unmatched speed and personalization in home security through the integration of the latest smart technology with their award-winning monitoring capabilities. My family feels safer with MONI, because we are safer with MONI. MONI has 24/7 monitoring capabilities that has allowed them to be trusted advisors and providers for nearly 25 years. As a result, their over 1 million customers (like us!) feel more secure every day.

They have also responded to customers – as illustrated through high customer satisfaction rankings. MONI knows people want options in home and life security, and this is one of many reasons they offer a variety of equipment that includes the latest smart home technology and setup options. There’s everything from activate yourself options (like the Nest Secure system) to professional activation. On a personal note, the activation could not have been easier! There’s always a friendly team of professionals to help monitor your home 24/7. The setup and enrollment process took only minutes. The sense of security?

I love MONI’s commitment to the future of a connected home. I also love that with using MONI, the burden is off of me to check my notifications and contact authorities myself. That is all taken care of by MONI. Such a feeling of security.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of MONI Smart Security.