I enjoy my homemaking responsibilities as I know that it is a key role in helping the whole family and this helps me to maintain a positive attitude. I think that it is good to have a schedule and to keep busy around the home. I know that my husband works hard at his job and so it is only fair that I work hard at mine. He wouldn’t be happy if I were out all day doing social or leisure activities or lazing around and I would feel guilty too. Some drudgery is inevitible but this is the case with any job and if I have to dust or clean the floor every day then my husband will have some boring paperwork to do or an awkward drive to and from work etc. I suppose we do both have quite high housekeeping standards so this keeps me busy most of the day but then I know that my husband can come home and relax in a nice house and if I have worked well in the day I can have freetime with him in and the children in the evenings.
I too have had a problem with housework. I love homemaking and am very creative. I have no problem dreaming up wonderful meals or projects to make my home more lovely. The concentration and self discipline was lacking so there was no follow through. FW helped me to realize that my lack of discipline in my home was self-centered and caused by my own laziness. The first thing I needed to do was go through my house and purge the unnecessary. My mother-in-law is one of the best housekeepers I know and she has very little clutter. I did this with my closets and clothing as well. Using the FW suggestions, I discarded anything unfeminine or unflattering. Having cut down on the amount of clothing makes ironing not seem so overwhelming - you also run out of clothes faster : ) I also had to make up my mind that it was just wrong to put off doing chores I found boring or mundane and make myself do them.
(After working for many years...) I now have the chance, the amazing opportunity, for the first time
in my life to truly be a Wife and Mom without the distractions of work and
business. This is an answer to prayer, though I was not so sure the first
week or two! Now I am finding that I can't wait to get DH sent off to work
each day so I can begin my plans and "work my magic" in our home - I rush
around all day and eagerly anticipate his return, because I just know how
excited he will be about what I've accomplished! I love doing things for
this wonderful, appreciative man - he is so gratifying! I feel like I've
truly been given a fresh start in life, and am finally doing what I was
created to do! Yay!
Thank you so much for your support!
On the front page of my morning paper was also an article about how the "modern" family doesn't eat together and doesn't cook, just heats up prepared frozen entrees, or take out. They claim the average family spends 50% of their food budget on take out or restaurant food which forms 20% of their meals. The article also talked about how husbands and children take their turns doing the cooking so the mother doesn't have to spend so many of limited "at home" hours doing it.
I was fit to be tied over this latest evidence of the breakdown of the family. WE had lamb stew in tomato sauce with lots of garlic and potatoes and vegetables in an atmosphere of glorious domesticity.
I love homemaking because my time is my own. I dictate how my day will go
and that is an awesome thing in this world. Many
high paid executives do not have the freedom that I have almost every day.
I love homemaking because yeast, water, and flour make the best smell in the
world!
I love homemaking because I get to decorate a corner of God's Footstool in
exactly the way I like it with total creative freedom.
No other person on earth will decorate in quite the same way.
I love homemaking because my kids get to lick spoons and bowls and smile
with whipped cream and sugar on their lips.
I love homemaking because I can sit and read to my children all day if I
want with every pillow we own under us.
I love homemaking because my uniform is a simple apron. When I put it on I
feel like my grandmother and want to do so many
"homey" things for my family.
I love homemaking because I get to keep learning new things to make my home
a special place for my kids and my husband. Last
year I learned decoupage and tole painting. (Many things from a library
book!)
I love homemaking because I get to work in my garden and cut beautiful
plants from it to bring into my house.
I love homemaking because I get to cook some of the most wonderful food on a
slim budget causing me to give thanks and praise
to Him who shows me the way.
I love homemaking because I can go to the library and check out other
women's wisdom which inspires me in my own kitchen and
home.
I love homemaking because I can stop my kids at any time of the day and say,
"Let's pray."
I love homemaking because I get to smell up my house with some of the best
smells on earth: homemade bread, apple pie, fried
chicken, baked beans, and cole slaw. And that's just one meal!
I love homemaking because I can feel the softness of yarn flowing through my
fingers as I knit an aphgan for my kitchen chair.
I love homemaking because I can sit with other women and their babies and
compare struggles and trials; then come away feeling
so much better to handle my own babies and struggles and trials.
I love homemaking because I can look at each room in my house as a blank
canvas to paint a beautiful picture on for my family.
And slowly, here and there, I pick up the beautiful treasures at thrift
shops or swap meets to make those canvases come alive
with love.
I love homemaking because I create the atmosphere all day in my home. If I
am at peace, they are at peace. And the King helps
keep me at peace because I have spent time at His Throne in the early
morning hours learning from Him.
I love homemaking because I have permission to fail while I learn. I have
granted permission to myself recently which makes me
feel a whole lot better about learning new things and not being afraid to
fail.
I love homemaking because I can plan special little surprises for my husband
that bring him such delight: homemade pickles that
taste like Claussen's.
I love homemaking because I fill little mason jars with homemade jams and
watch my kids open them in anticipation for breakfast.
I love homemaking because I can make lemon butter, scones, and devonshire
cream for my daughter and all her little friends for
"tea".
I love homemaking because all the little girls can dress up in hats that
hang in my living room waiting for their next visit.
I love homemaking because when my kids are sick it is no inconvenience. I
get to put them right to bed in their pajamas and bring
them a "tea table" with a flower, tea, and some special treat to make them
smile.
I love homemaking because I get to do things with beautiful fabrics.
I love homemaking because I can gather my kids in my room if I am sick and
have them take care of me or just lay next to me
and play.
I love homemaking because I get to cut my kids' hair and have them sit on a
special stool I designed for them. Then I get the
pleasure of looking at their hair for days knowing that I cut it.
I love homemaking because I get to scrub my floors by hand just the way my
grandmother did. Then I get to tell everyone to stay
off the floor just like she did.
I love homemaking because I get to hang out my clothes on the line just the
way my mother did and smell the sweet air in them
when they come back in the house.
I love homemaking because I get to stretch a budget beyond measure which
gives me great joy to see so much done with so little.
I love homemaking because I get to put a fluffy feather down comforter on
everyone's bed and run them out to the clothesline on
a windy day.
I love homemaking because I get to smell a freshly bathed child.
I love homemaking because I can put a fresh tablecloth on my table and
transform it into a fancy restaurant with a rose in the
center.
I love homemaking because there is always a new recipe to try.
I love homemaking because I can cover up "holey rugs" with beautiful
handmade throw rugs that someone's grandmother probably
made.
I love homemaking because I can cover up stained couches with beautiful
couch covers in a rose pattern my grandmother would
have worn to church.
I love homemaking because I can sit in any room in my house and it is used
to its fullest. No room is for show. Every room is
pleasantly occupied.
I love homemaking because no one can make me laugh like my kids.
I love homemaking because I can grab my camera and capture three muddy kids
in a moment.
I love homemaking because I can take full advantage of all the seasons.
Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring never get by me. I
enjoy each immensely.
I love homemaking because I can bring home some of the best books in the
world and know they will get read.
I love homemaking because I know my kids very well and can work with them
like no other.
I love homemaking because if I am sick of being inside I can go outside. And
if I am sick of being outside I can go inside.
I love homemaking because I can kiss my kids thirty times a day if I want.
I love homemaking because the weather never affects my plans to stay home.
I love homemaking because it makes me more in awe of my mother, grandmother,
and favorite aunts causing me to notice their
work in great detail.
I love homemaking because my kids can get really dirty and jump in the tub
before anyone's the wiser.
I love homemaking because no one can run this home like I can. No one knows
that man of mine like I do. And no one can tell
you about those kids that I live with like I can.
I love homemaking because I can watch a "Leave It to Beaver" or "Andy
Griffith Show" and be inspired by June Cleaver or Aunt
Bee to do a better job in my home.
I love homemaking because I have time to light candles, put on soft music,
and start a fire in the fireplace.
I love homemaking because I know where my kids are, and that gives me great
peace because they are beside me.
I love homemaking because I get to be HOME.
I love homemaking because God called me to this job and I love it!!!!
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