One of the sayings that I heard all while growing up was, “Many hands make light work.” And it’s true. But it’s also true that many homemaking ideas and tips make “lighter work” as well because of the various short-cuts we can learn from each other.
One of the ideas I came up with years ago, and a goal I strive for in my own homemaking, is that every room where I have been should be a little bit better because I have been there. I try to do that both in my spiritual/personal life as well as in my homemaking tasks — “poking holes in the darkness” wherever I go. And I’ve seen that it makes a positive difference!
Concerning homemaking ideas, I try to straighten up or put away at least one thing that is out of place when I go into or out of that room so when I leave it, it’s at lease a bit improved. A little here, a little there, seems to lighten the load of doing so much all at once when I do major cleaning (and makes things look a bit better in the meantime).
I also remember someone once saying that he learned that it takes more work and energy to drop clothing on the floor and have to go back later, pick them up and then put them away than it does to just put them away in the first place. I try to remember that tip when I’m tempted to drop my clothing on the floor when I’m changing.
Of course, that doesn’t apply if you expect your spouse to pick up after you, but then you have an entirely different energy drain and marriage problem going on as you battle with your spouse who resents the extra work you are causing her or him by your immature actions! Please be”kind and considerate” as you’re told in the Bible. Don’t cause unnecessary problems within your marriage and your home by not cleaning up after yourself.
Another thing I’ve tried to remember is something that my husband said to me years ago (and has reiterated several times since). He told me that when he enters our home he feels an “Ahhh… I’m home” in his spirit — that our home is nice and clean and pleasant to enter into — a haven of peace for his heart after he leaves a very hectic and energy-draining world.
He and I realize that there are times and circumstances when it can’t always be that way …life happens! And you can’t always control the cleanliness and peacefulness of the home, plus, there are things that need to be done to maintain the home so it stays that way. But it’s a goal I try to over-all strive for as much as possible, to make our home a haven.
With that as an over-all priority, not only does my husband and others who enter our home enjoy the benefits of peacefulness, but so do I …eventually, after I manage with intentionality to get it that way!
Author Jill Savage says it well:
“One of the reasons I’m at home is to provide a home environment my family wants to come home to. As best I can, I can create a welcoming, soothing atmosphere to speak love to my family. If you’ve never considered being intentional about creating a welcoming environment with fragrance, give it a try and see if it affects the mood of your family.” (From the article, “Homemaking Tips that Create Security” by Jill Savage)
I can attest to the fact that it definitely affects our moods in a positive way! And others have said the same thing about our home — that it’s very calming and peaceful.
But how do you do this when you have little ones (and/or even big ones) running all over the place messing up things faster than you can you can clean (especially when you’re tired)? I have sure been there and have tried to do that, and sometimes miserably unsuccessfully!
My sons are grown and married now and have homes of their own. But there was a long season of time when we had a houseful of our own children plus others running in and out of our home. And when I was in the middle of this season of our lives, it was a continual juggling act of figuring out what was most important to do, how and when!
We now have grandchildren as well who come over and make their imprints well known all over our house. And quite frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way!
So, to help all of us, I’ll give a few links below to articles and web sites I found that can be helpful when battling with that dilemma.
The first is an article written by Sandy Coughlin and posted on Crosswalk.com that you might find helpful. In this article Sandy writes about “changing things up a bit” as you go about your homemaking tasks, which has helped her and may help you. Please click onto the link below to read:
One of the things I’ve done many times is have mini races with myself against time where I try to see how much I can get done within 2-5 minutes (using a timer) or during a commercial for a television show. It can add a little twist and sometimes be a little fun to see if I can make a big dent in what needs to be done concerning housework. I challenge you to try it sometime!
Next, for those of you with children, the following is an article written by Kristin Chesemore where she gives three very practical tips as she discusses “Food and Clothing First”, “Minimal Cleaning”, and “Ruthless Paperwork Habits”. Please click onto the link below to read:
• EFFECTIVE HOMEMAKING WITH YOUNG KIDS
If you’re juggling with trying to be the “perfect” homemaker and are battling with guilt trips, misconceptions, and “when does mom get time off work”, the following article written by Cheryl Gochnauer, posted on the Kyria web site might give you insights. Please click onto the link below to read:
You may have noticed that the above article talks about home management and “team roles” and such. You may be in a situation where your home needs a complete overhaul of who does what, concerning managing the home and making it run smoother. You may or may not have a spouse who will help you with this, but if you do, the following article written by Kathy Peel, posted on the Marriage Partnership Magazine web site may be interesting and beneficial to read:
There are a few web sites provided below where you can find a LOT of help ranging from in making your home more organized, cleaner and calmer and more. The following are a few of them:
The first is a great web site (a personal favorite of mine) that provides all kinds of articles with on-going help available (on homemaking tips, recipes, family fun, frugal living, stewardship, organizing, parenting, etc.). As they say, “We’re taking homemaking to a ‘Higher Level” with spiritual values in mind. It is:
And then there is another web site where you can find tips to help you with your “cleaning, clutter, cooking, decorating, holidays, etc.” that you might find beneficial to read through. The following web site link will take you to the “Homemaking Archive” for:
There’s another web site link you might benefit from going to as well. Here’s the description:
“This is a collection of sites that inspire us to embrace the lost art of homemaking. Site topics include: parenting, marriage, child care, entertaining, cleaning, cooking, crafting, simple living, budgeting, debt management, finances, decorating, frugality, cleaning, motivation, goal setting, recipes, housekeeping, gardening, pets and much more! Only good information, support, and inspiration!”
To visit this collection of web sites, please click onto:
I hope this helps in some way. If you have additional tips to help in this area of marriage, please pass them along in the discussion section below. We would greatly appreciate it!
The above article was put together by Cindy Wright of Marriage Missions International.
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