Managing Your Home

Women are often called home managers, they are in charge of taking care of the home. That may look different for some women than others but there will be some basic similarities. One of those is to keep your home clean. I don't mean white glove clean, but clean. There should never be long periods of time with things growing in the toilet and trash overflowing. We have to discipline ourselves to take care of that which God has given us. Our house is kind of big, not huge, just big enough to hold our family, and it takes a while to get it clean. I don't know of a time when the entire house was completely clean from top to bottom, but a general picture of orderliness and safety is a must. As I type I'm reminded of the nights I've pushed through the girls' rooms to make a clear path to the door. After all, how would they get out if there was a fire. That isn't often, but it does happen.

I don't think it's a secret I like for the beds to be made at my house. The whole bedroom looks better if the bed is made and it's a good discipline to have. The idea of good habits in house cleaning gets your house in a good general order and it never gets completely out of hand. (... like mine did recently) Women have so many conveniences to keep a house in order that it seems I should do better about keeping clean. I don't have to hand wash all of our clothes or draw water up from a well. I can load a dishwasher, fill up my giant capacity washer and dryer and guide my vacuum around the house. I just have to discipline myself to do those things. It would be easy for me to get up from the table and say, "I'll do those dishes later." But what really happens is that the later it gets, the more tired I get and ... I wait till morning. Then I have a mess for the new day.

With a baby in the house now, I'm reminded that cleaning isn't always as simple as I make it out. A mom may not be able to jump up after every meal and do the dishes. I know that there are some meals that a mom never even actually gets to sit down. I remember those days too. The days of having many small children are hard physically. A mom might have to wait a few years to have the entire house clean at the same time. She may have to settle with short bursts of clean. She may not be able to plan gourmet meals for a while, hamburgers and spaghetti will be sufficient.  The days of having little ones every where go by quickly. Don't be afraid to take all the shortcuts you can. Clean the sink and toilet while they are in the bathtub. Let them sit in one side of the sink while you wash veggies and dishes. Rachel remembers sitting on the side of the sink with her feet in the soapy water. All of my babies have ridden in the laundry hamper to take the clothes from the dryer to the sofa, and they LOVE "helping" like that. Give them their own small brooms and wet cloths to help with. And remember that the days they use cooking oil to mop the kitchen will pass by quickly. Take lots of pictures and smile. (In case you're wondering, this picture of Abigail doesn't show an unclean floor. It shows life with a baby in the house! Let your children LIVE in the house too.)

As your children grow, give them responsibilities to help you. They need to learn good disciplines and to be orderly too. A comforter and pillow make the bed easy for your little one to make. And if they can pull a toy out, they can put it away. Insist on it, or you'll be picking it up for them. Habits like that give them the impression that they are in charge and you are their servant. Gradually add to their jobs as soon as possible. You'd be surprised at how young children can really help take care of themselves and the home. Sarah would stand on a stool at three years old to unload part of the dishwasher. Our girls have had all kinds of chores and we switch them up regularly to keep them learning.

I know that being a home manager doesn't mean your house is spotless. There are a lot of things that go into home management, but it's a start. Writing this may also give the impression that my house is always clean. It isn't! Sometimes it's really embarrassing. But we are a work in progress and it is better than it was. As I grow with my family, I am able to figure out ways to make things a little easier. So stop by anytime, and I'll try really hard not to apologize for whatever I haven't cleaned up.