My open concept living area, littered with clots of dirt hauled in by our puppy, books , books, and more books lined as a trail to the kitchen. The kitchen counters covered in coffee mugs, unsorted mail, a half eaten bowl of stale popcorn, two dead moths (ew!), and a cobweb on my windowsill. The highchair tray has yesterday's (or two day's ago?) remains of breakfast crusted on, and there are dirty socks under the table.
This is humbling and embarrassing to write, declaring to all of you that I am possibly the world's worst housekeeper.
I am a trail-leaver, always leaving this and that behind me. With me, stuff rarely finds a home, other than the kitchen counters or an unoccupied nook in our desk.
My personality is a dueling portrait of perfectionism and chaos. What to do when I can't seem to keep clean yet melt down over every mess?
My solution is to learn to keep a tidy, organized, and clean home. Learn. This must be learned, as it is anything but natural for me. Yet now, with two little ones and a growing heart for hospitality, I see this need written in red.
So I am setting an action plan of learning and doing, cleaning and maintaining a tidy and guest-ready home. Even with two babies and a puppy. (I'm beginning to sweat a bit . . .)
Why is this so important to me? Consider the scene I presented earlier. Starting my day in a home that is not only unpleasant to be in but is also hindering anything productive from happening in my day to come is not a good thing. Time is limited. I desire to spend time reading with Rafferty, going on a prayer walk over this mountain land, baking apple-spice cookies, and writing.
When my home is orderly, I can breathe deep, quiet my heart, and have peaceful, intentional days. When my home is dirty, untidy, and unorganized, I feel pressure to get it clean quickly, overwhelmed by the clutter, and frazzled. Frazzled leads to stressed in a quick beat, stress leads to short tempers, complaining attitudes, and unsettled, chaotic home.
I believe the home is of great value. I want our home to be a Christ dwelling refuge for my children, as well as for my husband and myself, and anyone who walks through our door. I want beauty, reflective of God's image, to be clearly seen in this atmosphere. And that is truly what I am set to do; I want to build an atmosphere fit for seeing Christ and the beauty he brings to a home.
Mess distracts. A clean home can enhance the atmosphere, bringing life and peace.
I am working on plans for how to make this happen, searching for tips and how-to's. I will keep you posted with what I am learning and how I am setting this plan into action on a practical level!
I hear 'ya on this one, Ruthann! Our two extra bedrooms only seem to get more piled up with crap when I "clean." : ) I'm learning too!
ReplyDeleteRuthann,
ReplyDeleteI too have been on this journey for a while. One of the things that has helped me immensely is menu planning. It sounds so prosaic, doesn't it? But when I plan what we are going to eat in advance, it saves a lot of thought, decision making, and hemming and hawing on the day. It makes me more organized in advance, for I plan my shopping around my menu. It also saves me money for I buy what I eat and I eat what I buy.
You may have discovered this already. But I thought I'd share it in case you haven't.
Angela
woo hoo, new action plan!!! excited to see what you learn.
ReplyDeleteRuthann, love it! We will both be on this journey together! :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean! I love a clean house but it's challenging with babies. I know this sounds cheesy, but have you looked at the cleaning tips from MarthaStewart.com? They're in the home/garden section. They have so many great ideas for organizing and cleaning and they recommend only using baking soda and vinegar. It's so easy and cost effective. They also have a to-do list of things of things you should do every day, every week, every month, and every season. It keeps me on track and makes it seem less overwhelming. Hope that helps. :)
ReplyDelete