CUTTING HOUSEWORK DOWN TO SIZE (Part 2)

THE WEEKLY ROTATION

Once you've tried the daily “Basics” plan, you might be wondering about all those things that aren’t on the list.  You could ignore them and let them haunt you… (“Linda… I’m calling you… I’m that dirty bathroom that gives you the creeps…”)  Nah.  That’s not going to work.

I like a clean house.  You probably do too.  I have visions of sipping a cup of tea while smiling to myself because the house is clean.  Of not cringing when my husband invites someone over unexpectedly for lunch after church on Sunday.  Of enjoying the place I live fully, feeling like I belong there, that others are happy to be there, and so on.  Of imparting a sense of being cared for to my family.

I think the thing that women object to is having to do the same cleaning over and over.  Endlessly.  Or perhaps it is having the little munchkins mess everything up right after you’ve cleaned it.  Endlessly.  I remember cleaning all day on Saturday when I was a kid.  I don’t want to give up all my Saturdays in the future in exchange for a clean house.

So here’s the happy medium I found I can live with.  I break up my major chores and do two or three a day and do them after my “Basics” or after work.  Here’s what my list looks like:

Monday – Laundry (2-3 loads)*, Water house plants, Change sheets, Vacuuming

Tuesday – Errands, Bathrooms

Wednesday – Grocery shopping, Face scrub (exfoliation), Mopping

Thursday – Laundry (2-3 loads), Water house plants, Ironing

Friday – Dusting, Glass tabletops, Mirrors, Microwave, Clear out

        leftovers in fridge

Saturday – Take out all trash in the house, Make a menu for next

        week, set TeVO to record favorite programs, Face scrub

Sunday – Church, Day of rest, Call extended family

You will need to adapt this list for your own family.  When I had small kids at home, vacuuming had to be at least twice a week.  The bathrooms they used had to be done more often.

Now estimate how much time each chore will take.  Be realistic.  Some take 10 minutes and some take 45.  I’ve found I can get these done in an hour or two, depending on the day.  But I also found I’d planned to do so much on one day that it would take 11 hours to do it all back-to-back.  That was a shocker!  I realized it was more of a week’s list than a day’s list.  And I would have felt condemned and guilty for not getting it all done if I had not figured the time needed.

Once in awhile you get a crazy day, and none of these chores can get done.  Feel free to move the Monday list to Tuesday or cancel the Tuesday list until the next time if you have to.  I hereby extend my magic wand and grant you the authority to be IN CHARGE of these things!  Don’t let a list control you.  Decide what works for you, then make it happen.  Put on some peppy music, crank up the volume, and MOVE!!

Proverbs 31 talks how the about the virtuous woman smiles to herself when the snow flies because her family is prepared for it.  It says strength and dignity are her clothing because she has it together.  This was written in a day before electricity and washers and dryers and dishwashers and vacuums.  Actually, she may have had dirt floors!  Yikes!  I can take charge of my responsibilities and make my home a lovely and peaceful place.  Then I’ll make my cup of tea and smile.

*More on laundry and other specific chores in tomorrow’s blog!

CUTTING HOUSEWORK DOWN TO SIZE

 Shortly after I first got married an older woman friend gave me some advice about staying on top of housework.  She said to have a small list of “Basics” you do each day.  These are the bare essentials.  Do them first thing (after your devotions), and then if the day goes haywire or is filled with errands your home can be peaceful.  At least these things are in order. 

I’ve used this advice for almost 36 years.  It works well for me!  Here’s my list:

 

Basics:

• Dishes
• Beds
• (Floors)
• Clutter
• (Laundry)
• Dinner plan
• Email, Calls
• Make-up

I show “floors” and “laundry” here in parentheses because I used to have to do those daily when my kids were small, but now with the kids grown and mostly gone, I don’t do those every day. 
 

Adapt this list to your needs.  Decide what things must be done.  Then limit the time you spend on this.  It should take no more than 45 minutes to an hour.  Set a timer if that will help you.  Put on some snappy music.  Get ‘er done!  Then you can smile to yourself as the day unfolds and you are on top of the game.

Next time:  What about those other chores?  The Weekly Rotation

THE VALUE OF A WOMAN (Part 2)

Proverbs says a good wife is a good thing for a man, a gift from the Lord in fact.  Movies may depict the single male as living the good life, but studies actually show that married men are healthier, life longer, have better mental health, make more money, are less likely to be in prison, are less likely to be assaulted, and so on.  (By the way, the stats do not apply to those cohabitating.)

Some studies think this is because wives help husbands remember their doctor appointments.  Ha!  I think that they go AT ALL is because they want to live long and care for their families.  And because their wives remind them.  The partnership of marriage fosters companionship and caring.  (Not synonymous with "nagging" by the way.)  You want what is best for each other.  You love to see the other person flourish, grow, achieve, excel.  This applies to health and every other area of life.

I think women also give this kind of support in friendships.  The caring concern that encourages a friend to keep that scary doctor's appointment, that prays over the diagnosis, that watches someone else's children while they get treatment, that brings in a meal or a pizza to those going through difficulty is unique to women.

I hope my women friends grow in their appreciation of God's design.  Being a women is a great thing.  Not in the feminist, "I'm as good as any man," kind of way, but in the "God's design is wonderful" kind of way.  I hope you enjoy the grace and the good that flows from your heart and ideas.

THE VALUE OF A WOMAN

There is such a war in our culture.  You know, the male-female thing.  What a peace it is to settle into the idea that the Creator made me a woman and that that is a good thing.  He said it was not good for man to be alone.  That means that a woman is a good thing.  This week, let's talk about why it is good.

A good place to start is that the differences between men and women are good.  We often try to make our men like us or get frustrated that they don't think like us, react like us.  Actually, it's a good thing they don't!  What an emotional world this would be if men had our hormones!!  On the other hand, without women, how much nurturing and tender influence might be lacking? 

Women bring beauty to the world, caring, tenderness.  And yes, emotion!  Men's logic, reason, and sense of the bottom line ("Just give me the Reader's Digest version, dear.") are important to the mastery of the world.  But without the softening influence of women, it becomes a stark and hard reality.  This is not to say women are without reason or logic.  Far from it!  Yet I think those parts of us often function through a filter of intuition and sensibility.

More on this in my next posting.  :-)

I've always given my daughters advice about having a great life.  Now I've been asked by several other women to mentor them as well.  Maybe sharing this will spread the wealth of Splendid Life I enjoy.  :-)  I plan to write several times per week and share ways to make this journey richer - in joys, in time, in blessings.  I'll accept questions and try to answer those when possible.  Join me!