I am a big believer in creating an atmosphere to enhance or promote a mood, feeling or trigger something to begin. I use oils to do that as I believe the sense of smell is strong and can totally change your attitude, kick-up my motivation and bring just general happiness and well-being. Music takes me to another place whether it be helping me energize before/during a workout or big event or a calming force when I need to concentrate and be focused. Research shows that light can also play a huge impact on our mood and behavior. When used appropriately, it can enhance productivity, affect our emotions and even how well we sleep. Since we are going through a ton of change over here in the Joy household, including major home renovations, recent travels and most importantly both kiddos going to school, I am looking for ways to support and encourage a healthy routine, and to me, that all starts with getting a quality night’s sleep!
My kids have always been pretty good sleepers, but as they get older, there is the urge to stay up later with mom and dad, reading one more book, asking for one more glass of water, etc. – you know the tricks! I wanted to try and find a way to encourage them to WANT to go to sleep, and I was really excited and intrigued to try out Philips Hue smart lighting. Once I learned that lighting could help us establish a quality nighttime routine, I was game to try it out. I want our home to be calm, loving and kind especially at nighttime so if there’s a way I can get my kids to bed without my “mom voice” then all the better.
Our routine usually goes something like this //
Dinner: 6:30-7:00
Play or Read: 7:00 – 7:15
7:15- 7:30: Bath
7:30-8:00: Phillips Hue Light selection with Amazon Alexa! Brian is into the blues and greens and Grace loves the pinks! Then it’s PJ’s, ONE story, feed the fish, put on essential oil diffuser, tuck in and GOOD NIGHT 🌛
There are 3 key points I wanted to share after trying the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance starter kit:
INSTALLATION
Installation was SO easy! Brian did it for us but I watched him and definitely could have done it myself. You can replace your existing bulbs with their smart bulbs (which come in the starter kit). The brand also offers a variety of lamps and fixtures.
CONTROL
I can easily control the lights with Alexa (which I use all day long), the Hue app on my phone or a Hue smart switch. Also, because I have the app on my phone I can easily turn the lights off or on if we are away from the home without worry. I also like how I can just set a timer so it automatically knows when each phase of our routine starts so that I am notified by light instead of checking the clock all night. It keeps me calmer and present while we transition to each step. There are 16 million colors you can play around with, and you can set different scenes for each part of your routine. It’s so easy to get started (it may sound a little overwhelming with so many options). There are easy to use pre-set scenes you can use to begin your routines. There’s a Relax pre-set that helps your kids wind down. Then there is the go to sleep routine that does the work for you! It gradually dims the lights and turns them off easing the babes into a deep sleep. Then in the morning you can use the energize light scene to welcome and energize everyone to start a new day! I also like to play around with the settings to help promote a good work from home atmosphere especially now that winter is coming and the natural light won’t always be readily available.
RESULTS
It has only been a week but I am already feeling a difference. The mood is set and the kids are responding well! They think it’s so fun too. Brian loves to boss Alexa around so he likes to experiment with different colors after school while they hang out. I am also looking forward to utilizing the warmer tones more once it’s wintertime to give us that cozy feeling.
If you are interested in learning more you can check out Philips Hue’s website here.
Thank you for sponsoring today’s post, Philips Hue!