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- Set a timer for 10 minutes each day to clean
- Turn cleaning into play time, so my daughter can participate
- Hire help (a girl can dream)
- Break up all the cleaning duties so it seems less intense through out the week
Then I had a realization, maybe my problem isn't that my house is too messy, maybe its that my expectations are too high. Perhaps now, is as good a time as any, to give myself and my family a break.
I have been such a grouch lately. My poor husband got the brunt of it, when he didn't jump at doing the dishes, when I asked him at 10 p.m. one night. I was unreasonable.
On Sunday the parish priest used his homily to make such a profound statement. He said that some of the parishioners have come up to him and said that while they really enjoy his homilies, sometimes they wish he would use the homilies to convince the congregation to repent.
The priest said that while repenting is important, he would rather his parish be a place of refuge. He said that the world is brutal and is always telling people what they are doing wrong. He wants the truth of the love of God to be spoken from the walls of his Church. The love of God will make people feel like they are home and cared for---and that will keep people coming back.
I will say his philosophy certainly has worked on me.
Given my recent overwhelmed state of mind, I realized that the statement the priest made can also be applied to each families' home. My worry and frustration causes my family to not want to be home or to not feel welcomed.
Accepting imperfection, while trying to become better can make a home so much more welcoming.
I'd rather a messy house, then a frustrated family.
I'd rather a messy house, then a frustrated family.
When you are in a challenging season in your life, what expectations do you let go?
Agreed about the messy house and happy family. When I look around at our messes, I try to remind myself that although I hate the mess, I love the people that made them :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Colleen! That is such a good way to look at it. Messes drive me crazy... but it is hard to have fun with the ones you love without making them :)
DeleteYES! Lower your standards!!! Even being home all day, it is very hard to keep up with the mess! Recently, I broke my week into days and gave myself a task each day. It seems to really help. I'm the type of person who needs an agenda, so to speak. Without it, I'm likely to just not do anything!
ReplyDeleteThanks Leanne! I need an agenda too... I tend to not do anything if I don't have some kind of list to get me motivated.... Taking it one day at a time is very helpful.
DeleteI agree...some things just have to go...to the bottom of the "to do" list! On the side of the coin, sometimes, we just need to do it...like the Nike commercial says! One thing that I have done when I have been very overwhelmed by all that needs to be done is to actually set a timer to see how long a certain task takes me to accomplish...for example, I loathe vacuuming the stairs...and in my mind it takes an hour. Well, I timed myself once...it took 10 minutes. No, it wasn't anymore fun b/c it didnt' take 50 minutes longer than planned, but I just seemed to blow it up in my mind. My husband's housekeeping philosophy is what he calls "surface cleaning". We pick up all floors, counters, and bedrooms at 7 PM and call it a night. That way everything looks picked up in the AM. Hope those suggestions help! Good luck with your rotations!
ReplyDeleteThanks! That is so funny, I did that just the other day. Dishes are my least favorite and unfortunately they have to be done every single day. I timed myself and they only took 15 minutes... I was also convinced it was at least and hour.
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