At The Well- Oct 6- Keeping the Home

 At the Well Monday, October 6, 2008

Hostess: Chelsey at Joyfully Living for Him

Topic: Keeping the Home

Discussion questions-

Let’ s get a little vulnerable here ladies – do you keep a neat and tidy home?

If so, what do you do to keep on top of this? Schedules? Routines? If you have children at home, do they get involved?

If you are lacking in this area, why do you think that is?

Well, to answer the first question, yes and no. I am obsessive about my house being perfectly clean at least once a day. Everything at once. That means everything scrubbed and swept, beds made, laundry put away, dishes washed, kitchen spotless, everything. But then the rest of the day is just maintenance. I don’t get weird about it all day, and yes plenty of messes are made throughout the day.     

Yes we have a routine and everybody is very much involved. We have a big family and nearly everyone is at home all day everyday. Everyone has a morning routine that requires different chores and the whole house is to be clean and breakfast eaten by 9 am. 9 am is our morning meeting time, for more on that see my First Things First book available at my bookstore, I will leave the Homeschool Freebie of the Day page up one more day so you can download it for free. Anyway after our meeting everybody gets about school or other needed tasks.  But they clean up after themselves. And if it gets too messy without somebody gathering someone to help pick up then I will instigate a pick up time. Usually before mealtime. And at bedtime. They know if the house is a mess when I get ready to go to bed, (usually last) that I will get everyone back up to pick up. I have to get up to an organized house. I can wait an hour or so to have the floors swept, or straggling dishes washed, but things have to be in order.

Some of my “must haves” that really help.

• I must have all beds made
• I must have the kitchen table clear and clean between meals
• I must have the bathrooms clean at all times
• I can handle dishes to be washed if they aren’t there too long but I must have the counters clear
• I must have laundry put way, no piling up
• I must have all clothes off the line at sundown, no lingering
• I must have the fridge clean
• I must have no obstacle courses, no legos, puzzles, dolls, or coloring books in the main areas of traffic, they can sprawl all they want as long as they pick it up when done and aren’t in the walkways

Persistence is the key. You have to stay on top of things. We have occasionally been to someone else’s house that has piled up stuff everywhere and I always remind my family that is what our house would look like if we didn’t stay on top of it.