Sunday, January 25, 2015

The Laziest Mother in the World

1930s-1940s Mother and Daughter Washing Dishes


I have been trying to conserve my strength by resting. This resting has gotten to the point of making me feel weak and ill.   The house does not look as lovely as I would like. 

I have been walking through rooms acting as if the little messes around me were normal.  All of my efforts have been focused on taking care of my two little grandbabies.  Despite this, I felt as if I was the laziest mother in the world! (gentle smiles)

The other day, I decided to find 15 minutes to exercise.  I did it just before bed so I could sleep!  The next day I was so tired, I feel asleep much too early in the evening. Those few minutes of exercise (using ankle weights and light hand weights) paid off. Today, I had more energy. I was able to take care of the babies, deep clean the kitchen, and still have energy.  My times of resting were more valuable and felt refreshing after doing all that work.

This was how my mother - in - law used to spend her days. She would work on dusting, organizing, polishing, and sweeping, then she would sit and relax in the living room.  She was a classic housewife who had a lovely, well kept, yet humble home.

Indulging in resting for too long can make us sick.  It can make us so weary that we feel trapped in a state of listless laziness.  We miss out on so much if we do not take care of ourselves.  We need a little bit of time each day to maintain our health.

As I realized that this morning, I put on a pretty apron and went to my kitchen. I have an old recording of Pasty Cline and played that on my kitchen radio while I worked.  The sound make me think of the old time housewives who were dedicated to organizing, home cooking, and cheerfully caring for the family.  It made me happy to work.  It also helped my health to recover, and my strength and endurance to improve.

It was a joy to care for the grandbabies and my home.  Yet I will admit that after doing my chores, it is lovely to relax on the little sofa in the parlour with one of the babies and indulge in a bit of restful "laziness."

Blessings
Mrs. White


From the Archives -

Those happy moments - Time with Mister.

You Can Do it!  - Housekeeping With a Will.

Have you seen our Vermont Property? - Tour of the Estate Grounds.




Mrs. White's special book for Homemakers - "Mother's Book of Home Economics."




An Invitation - Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email. 





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18 comments:

Jacqueline@ Deeprootsathome.com said...

It is so much fun and also rewarding to visit your wonderful blog! I am always refreshed :) Thank you for sharing words that edify and challenge us ladies to do our best for the families the Lord has given us!
Blessings!

Unknown said...

I agree with you that rest is important but too much makes us sick. I find that if I rest when I am tired I just get more tired, it is best to get up and do more to give me more energy. Thanks for sharing this great post at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

becky said...

Nice to hear from you. I have always found exercising a little each day keeps my energy level up.
"Motion is lotion" for these old bones:) Are you getting those blizzards up your way?
Becky

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

I've just recovered from a few weeks of illness. I still feel tired. Perhaps this would be just the ticket for me.
Blessings,
Laura Lane
Harvest Lane Cottage

JES said...

Thanks for sharing this. Today was a slow day for me and I appreciate this encouragement. I too felt lazy and unproductive because of it but sometimes we need to rest a spell in order to be a blessing later on (especially when hubby comes home). Thank you for sharing it on the Art of Home-Making Mondays!

A Salty Life said...

Watching babies/children is the toughest job on Earth! I am worn out when I watch my 3 yr. old grandson. I am glad that exercise helped you. I know how hard it is to find time for yourself. Don't feel bad about taking a nap though. Take care of yourself. I hope you feel well today. I'm praying for you.
God bless.
Chris
So Much At Home

Melinda said...

Dear Mrs. White,

You are one of the least lazy persons I "know". I do understand what you mean though about resting too much. God certainly did not intend for our bodies to sit around all day. :) Thank you for your blog. I know you've sent several out in the past few weeks but I want to say how grateful I am to have you back in my inbox.

Melinda Wood

Anonymous said...

Yes too much rest does make one listless. I know as I have a medical condition that makes me feel tired and another that causes extended time standing painful.Being a homeschooling mum of 5 I often find myself needing to relax on the recliner. However too much time resting is detrimental to my energy. My solution is to sit in the recliner for between 15 to 30 minutes then get up and accomplish a task then rest again. The trick is to not rest to the point where malaise sets in. I also hate the heat in summer and at that time try to get more tasks achieved in the evening when it is cooler.

Southern Lady said...

This is true. Even if having a lot of work to do makes me tired, I feel better than the days when there is so little to do I feel lazy!

Anonymous said...

I spend my days writing so activity was limited. One goal for 2015 has been to move more. It is so important! Thanks for this great reminder of the blessings of using the gift of activity. So glad I found you . . . visiting from Woman to Woman.

Mary Dolan Flaherty said...

Indeed! I was home for two days because of a snowstorm, and I couldn't wait to get back to work! I was, however productive in my writing and tackled a "big thing" that's been looming over my head. One more day, though, and I would have become lazy. I would think that taking care of grandbabies is tougher than taking care of one's own babies. We're older! Visiting from W2W

Unknown said...

I so agree. Since starting my career as a writer, I feel like I am sitting all of the time. I need to get up and move!!! You are right about the women who would work on their homes and then sit for a short rest. I hadn't thought about that in a long while. We may be more of the opposite these days. ~gina

KY W said...

I completely agree! Sitting around doing nothing makes me want to do more sitting around doing nothing! Exercise is a wonderful panacea to laziness. I found you on Wise Woman. Thanks for the post!

Debbie said...

Mrs. White,
I wanted you to know that I featured your blog on mine today. I hope you can find a few extra minutes to check it out today.

Debbie said...

it's all about expectations, really. what we expect, what others expect.....it's just a whirlwind of emotions.

i have worked from home for at least 10 years and i really love it. i have been mindful of my days, i made a few gentle guidelines to follow....and i made a deal with myself. everyday, get up, get dressed and be present. so far, so good!!!!!

bj said...

Rest is necessary along with a well balanced diet and a belly laugh every day.
Life is short and we have to be healthy to really enjoy it...and those grandbabies make us know why we were born. lol

Stephanie said...

My dear Mrs. White, what a wonderful post! I truly appreciate the wisdom and encouragement :)

Thank you so much for sharing with Roses of Inspiration. Have a lovely day! Hugs

doodles n daydreams said...

Yes, rest is a two way thing, too much and you become sluggish, too little and you cannot function properly. Finding the balance is surely the trick.

Diana