Staying home..

So the last couple of weeks, accept for our trip to Utah, I have been home for the most part. It is really nice to be home for more than two days a week! I'm not sure what I usually do all of the time, I guess just what ever I felt like but I know I wasn't home much. My house is easier to keep clean, the laudry hasn't been piling up so much, and I have been getting some of the cleaning done that just doesn't happen on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of extra cleaning that still needs to be done but who knows maybe one of these days I will get it done! Now if I could only get all caught up on everything maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty about doing other things like maybe some sewing and scrapbooking! I guess we'll see!

I found this on a website, I kind of liked it.. I guess I can relate in some ways. I don't even know who wrote it.


A Homemaker's Attitude Adjustment



I don't know about you, but there's not a lot of housework I really LIKE to do. I don't like to mop, I don't like to clean bathrooms, I don't like to fold laundry, and I don't really like doing dishes. I do these things, but you know, I don't enjoy them a bit. Sometimes I feel that the work never gets caught up. Just about the time I get something clean, someone gets it dirty agan. My husband really likes for me to keep the house neat, and I know that. So I try (sort of), but never with the best of attitudes.

In the past few weeks, the Lord has really convicted me about my selfishness and my bad attitude toward my husband. The things that are my responsibility, and should bring me joy, are the things I'm complaining about. I believe with all my heart that the place God has for me is just where I am - a "keeper at home", and yet I was feeling dissatisfied and disgruntled all the time.

I have asked the Lord to forgive me, and to help me find joy in the work He has given me. I want to "walk worthy of the vocation" to which I've been called (Eph. 4:1). The Lord has reminded me of three lessons which my mother has been trying to teach for years. I just thought these might be a help to someone else:

1. Prioritize your life, and make sure the Lord is at the top of the list.
Then, hubby is second. My job is to serve him, and if I do not care for him properly, then I am not right with the Lord. That means, if he likes a clean house, then I should do my dead level best to keep it that way.

2. Be creative. Working at creativity is what elevates being a housekeeper to being a homemaker.
Instead of coming up with whatever you can find for dinner, plan a menu. Try some new recipes. Your husband will probably die of shock! Not only will it make dinner a little less boring, it will proably help with the grocery bill. If he likes the house to be decorated for the season (which my hubby does), plan ahead, and do it early, instead of waiting till the last possible minute, and grumbling about it (like I usually do!). Creativity is what makes homemaking fun. It gives you an opportunity to be good at what you do. If you think you are just not a creative person, find good resources. Martha Stewart Living (magazine) is full of ideas (Just make sure you don't try her stock tips. You might wind up in jail!). Keep some spice in your homemaking (and don't just stick it in your cabinet).

3. Let your motivation be love, instead of duty.
This is a principle which changes your outlook on everything. Remember when you were dating (or courting) your husband, and you couldn't wait to make his favorite meal, or pie, or something just to show him you loved him? Do you ever do that now? It doesn't seem like such a chore when you do it for love.

The same is true in our relationship with the Lord. It is so easy to do the right things because we know they are right, but not because we love and desire to please the Lord. When our relationship is based on love for Him, nothing will seem too hard (2 Cor. 5:14) I have learned this lesson before, but I feel that I am learning it all over again.