Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Simple Homemaking

Some times the things that we should love the most, become a burden to us. To make homemaking the joy that it is supposed to be, simplify your life as much as possible. The main things that need to be done are:

Dishes washed
Laundry done
Meals prepared
Children's immediate needs
Clutter controlled

Every time you are in a room, go around and straighten it up. Better yet, don't drop things casually in places they don't belong. You'll only have to pick them up later. Dishes can be collected in the sink, until you have a large enough load to warrant washing. Just keep the top of the cabinet top free of dirty dishes, and you'll feel more optimistic about the job.

If you do a load of laundry every day, you are more likely to keep up with it and not get overwhelmed, than if you save it up and do it all at once.

Before you leave the bathroom, clean it up. Wipe the sink, faucet and mirror. After a bath or shower, wipe the tub and walls with a wet cloth and a little soap. Fold and stack things orderly before you leave that room.

If you will clean your bedroom and get dressed and ready for the day before you even leave that room, you will find that homemaking is a pleasure and living at home is relaxing rather than stressful.

1 comment:

Serena said...

I entirely agree with you about this. It has taken me quite a while in my life to get to the point that these things are pretty much habit. I'm still working on the bathroom habit, but it is a lot better than in the past.

When our children are old enough, we can deligate some of these chores, too. My 11 year old son does the dishes and now, occasionally, I have my five year old daughter do the plastic dishes and maybe the silverware. They all help with folding laundry, even the 3 year old. He is doing wash cloths and dish cloths right now and getting where he does a beautiful job folding them. I fold his clothes and then have him put them in his drawers. We can get laundry folded and put away pretty quickly when all of us are working on it. My 11 year old also burns the trash and empties the compost bucket outside.

What is exciting about this is that my husband had been praying (unknown to me at the time) for my relationship with Father to deepen and that I would desire to get in and study the scriptures. For weeks now I have had such a desire to study and have been doing so. The house has not been falling down around my ears and we are even getting the home schooling done. My husband has been excited to see Father answering his prayers, too. Now I am having to write what I am learning and I am enjoying that so much.

One more thing that helps when you have children is making sure they clean up behind themselves throughout the day. We do it before mealtimes, before daddy gets home, and before bedtime. They don't get to join us for the meal until their mess is cleaned up - and they sure can make a mess!
Love and shalom,
Serena