Wednesday, October 31, 2018

When Do You Finish "Dreaded Jobs"?


As I told you previously, I joined Flylady for free email homemaking "nudges" when I had fallen behind, as many of us do when there are more demands on our time in other areas.  I noticed that Wednesday is "dreaded job day" and I appreciate having something tell me to take a few hours in the day to tackle the job that looks so formidable that I avoid it.  Today is the day to spend some time on a dreaded job, and I am going to enjoy it, whether I like it or not. After the regular daily work, I hope to tackle a dreaded job. 

I have so much homemaking and job debt. Do you?  Letter debt,  paper debt, mending and sewing debt, clothing debt, unused things debt, cleaning debt, a photograph debt.  The more I avoid them, the more the dreaded "interest" of increased accumulation mounts!  So today I am tackling one of those debts and going to erase all the interest, with God's help.

I think it is important when you have children around not to be harsh with them when they help around the house. Yelling and unpleasant attitudes on the part of the parent can spoil the ability to enjoy work and see its value and progress.  If anyone were to boss me or push me in my work, it would seriously hinder me.  We all like to be guided by word and deed, and people who are pushed are often not as motivated as those who develop motivation and abilities to do the best job possible.

And as an experienced parent, I feel obligated to tell you that when you are harsh with children they view it 10 times worse than you deliver it, and that you are building a relationship for the future, so endeavor to be gentle in your responses to your children. Avoid sarcasm and verbal entrapment, and point them to the right and the good in a kind and gentle way.

Mr. S. tackles dreaded jobs by scheduling them in 15 minute stages, and he eventually gets them finished. This is because he never allows himself to tire. He intersperses other jobs throughout the day so that he can restore his energy, and he stops and takes tea at least once a day.


He is providing my fashion column today with his one of his hats and a new plaid shirt which has all the autumn shades:  


I recently got some battery operated candles with timers from Walmart, and have kept them in the window throughout the night. They shut off after a number of hours. I get tired of electric lights and enjoy the softness of these kinds of lights.


Today is worth dressing up for, and by that, I don't mean formal clothing, but pretty clothing and a nice hair style.  The day is such a gift, is it not? We are so blessed to be alive and to have the chance to carry on the worthwhile work of the home. Let us dress up and make our homes the best we can, a shining light to our family and the street where we live. These are just a couple of ways to reflect our Redeemer to others and be a good influence.

If I were to have a daily homemaking email,, the one I would send out today would be to work on a spiritual area. Today would be compassion. Practice compassion by praying for your family members with all their faults and their physical ailments.  

I have a  lovely tea made of fresh herbs that someone sent me, and I'm going to have some. 

Some of you might like seeing the young English  Royals in Tonga.  and observe a few things. These people for the most part dress in a dignified and modest way. I do wish Harry had dressed up more and worn a tie but I don't suppose he is used to the climate. The dignitaries of the country were all rather well dressed. Note, they are wearing their national costumes, so some things are a bit unusual  to us.  I think you will notice the amount and hymns and prayers in the public ceremony.  I had not heard the words "Guide Me Oh Thou Great Redeemer" used in "Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah" and I quite liked it, because it was so personal.  The speaker says the island is blessed by God even more today.  I think you will see the formality of these people and their respect for God. This is quite a long video but I recommended it for children because of the uplifting and dignified content.

At minute 30, the students sing the famous Lion song that my children enjoyed so much when they heard it on tapes we had.  I hope you enjoy it too.

At approximately minute 37 they sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

From Wikipedia:

Tongans are ardent church goers. Church service usually follows a call and response structure. Singing in the church is often done a cappella. Although a church attends primarily to the spiritual needs of the population, it also functions as the primary social hub.
   
I enjoyed walking around in Hobby Lobby and I noticed all the black and white check things there. As you remember, I sewed a dress from this fabric and was remarking about the pumpkins in HL made of the same material.  

4 comments:

amulbunny's random thoughts said...

Mr Stan looks handsome as ever.
In our hymnal we have both hymns to the same tune but unlike the Anglicans we tend to sing a bit faster than they do. There used to be a Samoan church that I'd drive by on my way home from church when my children were little, and they'd have the doors open on warm days. If you had your windows down, you'd hear the wonderful harmonies from their voices. I do appreciate a capella singing when it's tuneful.
I have one huge job to finish before the end of the year and that is to sort my old clothes and get them to the charity shops. Since I'm sure I'll have several bags, thank goodness there are several places to donate clothes.

Lydia said...

I experienced the singing at a school called Nohwe Mission in Zimbabwe centuries ago ;-) and in church the singing was so nice.

Helena said...

I like this topic of how to get through jobs. I have learned I can stick with a task and then I've had enough, maybe the job got to a complicated or onerous stage. I stop that job immediately and go onto some other one. The new job is like a respite, a breath of fresh air compared to the last one. Eventually, I tire of the 2nd job. I might start a 3rd, or go back to some part of the 1st. I know how much total time I have to dedicate so I know at some point I have to stop all the jobs but the stage is set for the next attack. My work is very pleasantly apportioned and accomplished with this approach. I NEVER force a task; the time will come. It seems to be a lot about respecting a natural saturation with a particular job. Since I'm the master of my domain I can arrange things this way; it's a pleasant way to live.

Lydia said...

Helena these are very helpful points you have described.