Domesticity - devoted to home duties and pleasures
The nest may be constructed, so far as the sticks go, by the male bird;
but only the hen can line it with moss and down!
- Frances P. Cobbe
Today is cleaning day at our house, so I thought I’d share just a few things that help to nurture our nest. Actively managing our homes nurtures the beauty and peace that can be found there. It brings contentment and gratitude for the place we call home.
1. I don't know about you, but I tend toward idleness or piddling. It helps to keep my focus toward Proverbs 31-- "She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness....Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates (Proverbs 31:27, 31). I do want a fruitful harvest, and I know idleness and piddling will not produce it.
2. I view my homekeeping as stewardship of my giftedness. What better place to receive the benefits and blessings of what we do well?
3. Weekly Routines—No matter what the routines are, they help us follow through. God created day by day. It helps me to have a day for each major task, and it changes with seasons (weather-wise, family-wise, and me-wise).
4. Daily Routines—I divide the day into segments that I fill with daily routines. These have varied over the years, depending on family situations, etc., and yours would be different. I have five segments with wiggle room that helps me plan and move through the day. I try not to carry tasks from one segment over to the next unless it’s absolutely necessary. Instead, I carry it over to the next day.
5. I try to do a little each day as time permits. For some ideas, here’s a link for 40 Household Jobs in 5 Minutes or Less.
6. I generally pick up as I go. I try to be consistent in not putting it down, but putting it away. All those little things add up to lots of time when it has to be done all at once.
7. Delegate responsibilities to the children. My daughters were doing their own laundry (not the ironing) when they were nine years old. Children can do a lot more than our culture expects of them. A homeschooling lifestyle allows time for learning life skills.
8. To help with clutter, I kept a basket for odds and ends left out at the end of the day. Anything I had to pick up after the children were off to bed went into the basket, with a small fee the next day for retrieval of each neglected item by those old enough for allowance.
9. I find it helps to preview the evening before as to what I'll be doing the next day. That way, if I need to make any preparations, I'm ready to get going with it. It also helps me begin the day focused and not piddling away the time.
10. These are just some of my frameworks for living a disciplined life. I use a pencil when I make my plans because I know God has a big eraser. First and foremost is to glorify Him.
Live and love the season that you're in. Rainbows and childhood too soon disappear.
