(For an update on last week's post, see (Clean) Eating Like A Pioneer)
Little House Lifestyle practices and principles attempted, as of this blog post:
Guess what I'm not very good at?
Housework.
It's not that I don't know how to cook and
clean, it's that I have almost no handle on how much, or when, it gets
done. Why is this the case? I think it's because I live by the moment. If
I'm tired, I don't do the dishes. The next morning, the dishes aren't done, so
I do those instead of the laundry like I had planned to do. The laundry
piles up, so instead of vacuuming regularly, I spend a whole day trying to wash
and fold laundry.
Meanwhile, dishes are piling up and the
bathroom is growing things in the bathtub. And it continues on and on.
I'm the only person in the world that has
this problem, right? Probably not!
In fact, I know that I'm not the only person struggling with this because the cruel reign of dust and clutter is discussed in most mom 'get togethers' of which I've ever been a part! Not to mention the countless physical and intellectual resources out there for the floundering housewife.
Caroline Ingalls, of the Little House on the Prairie book series is an inspiration to me in so many ways, including her example of effective housekeeping. Every day, the pioneer woman would wake before dawn; while her husband went out to milk the cows, she would begin stoking the fire for breakfast preparation. She would cook, wash up, sweep up, mend clothes, tie rugs, prepare the next meal, every day. And she took pride in her ability to execute these tasks efficiently. I have a gut feeling that the pioneer woman might be a little bit appalled at the typical state of my house.
Granted, our homes are much bigger than the average pioneer home and we have much more 'stuff' taking up space. Those things equal more places to clean. We also have indoor plumbing and practice more thorough daily hygiene, which means bathrooms to clean regularly. We have toys galore, which means many hours of tidying up. But notwithstanding these differences, the Little House Lifestyle principle of homemaking is, in my mind, becoming a lost art and skill that we really could probably perpetuate if we tried.
That's the latest adventure I'm embarking on: housekeeping! To give me a better idea of what, what I am
Homekeeping Skills by Mrs. Martha Greene. This book was
first published in 2005 and is a tribute to the lost arts of homemaking.
The author explains:
"The job of keeping a home is an honorable one. There is a difference between a housekeeper and a homekeeper. A hired housekeeper will keep the home clean and do the duties as expected of her employer, but a homekeeper does the duties in her home from her heart. She does it out of love for her family. She looks upon her duties as the most important job in all the world. It takes a lot of patience, skill, commitment and love to be the keeper of your home. Be faithful; in due time, your family will rise up and call you blessed."
Honestly, I want to say that I am
motivated to keep our home clean out of love for my family, but I am not that
close to perfection yet. Right now, I am motivated out of stress--stress
that I have no counter space to cook on, stress that I can't find clean
clothes, stress that I know spiders are hiding in the dust behind our
couch. But I want to be motivated out of love for my family.
Deep down I think I am...it just gets smothered by the stress and urgency that
currently work in tandem with housekeeping.
Here's the reward of Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills (I'll use "ToVHS" for short) and pioneer housekeeping, as I perceive it, in general-- you don't seem to get overwhelmed!
How is this possible? Well, from what I understand from "ToVHS", the secret may lay in keeping a cleaning schedule, which I have never done. Here's how it works:
- Make a list of chores broken down by what needs to be done daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly (or semi-annually).
- Grab a calendar and assign the weekly tasks throughout your week, the monthly tasks one a day on various days throughout each month, etc.
- Then follow your chart: Each day you will have daily tasks, plus maybe a weekly or monthly chore.
Sounds simple enough!
Will it help? I have no idea. I hope
so! I am not naturally a schedule follower, so this will really take some
effort for me. As always, I will let you know how it goes.
My chart is up on the wall. I have gotten
all the daily tasks done for the day, so I don't feel a sense of urgency to
clean anything out of schedule. I think I'm ready. Do you want to try it
with me? Grab a calendar, make your list, and lets get organized and less
overwhelmed!
Do you follow a cleaning schedule?
What have you done that has helped you stay on top of housework? Comment below!
© Allison T. and "Little House Lifestyle", 2013.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and
written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to
Allison T. and "Little House Lifestyle" with appropriate and specific
direction to the original content.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I would love to hear your thoughts, so please comment below! (I do reserve the right to delete any comments that are offensive, spam, or otherwise distracting.)