When I first moved out of my parents' house, I was excited. Not because of the freedom that living alone will give me but more because it will also give me the chance to decorate my own place the way I wanted to.

When I got married and moved in with my new husband thousands of miles away from home, I didn't get the chance to re-decorate our first home. He had way too many stuff and we couldn't afford to get rid of his stuff and get new ones just so I could play Martha Stewart.

Imagine my excitement when we decided to move to a bigger place. This time, he agreed to get rid of a lot of our old stuff so that I could inject more of my personality into our home. However, faster than one could say "re-decorate", motherhood got in the way and I couldn't practice my Martha Stewart skills anymore. I tried, though. But re-decorating wasn't really in my top 5 list anymore.

In addition, the bigger my son got, the more difficult it became to keep things in place. A few minutes inside the house is all it takes for my son to make it look as if a hurricane just went by. By virtue of NOT setting rules, we had allowed our son to make every single room in the house (excluding the kitchen and the toilet) his personal romping room.

I still aim to transform our present abode into the style that I have always wanted; even, if I have a toddler and a baby coming along. Like what Jodi Macklin said, "kids need to be taught to live amongst beautiful things. Don't wait until your kids grow up to enjoy your dream house-- enjoy it with them."

Should you have the same concerns as I, here a few valuable tips from experts who tells us how to make our house stylish, even if there are kids around.

In addition, you can take a look at Ready, Set, Decorate for an idea of which material (wallpaper, paint, flooring, etc.) to use which can stand up the demands of family life.

I'll be working on my dream place. What about YOU?!