Sunday, May 20, 2012

Peacefully Occupied

Suburban Housewife Hanging Out a Bit of Laundry, Seen Through Window in typical California Home

Can you imagine if we were not in a big hurry or always late? Each day, we mostly have the same routine. We know what is expected of us. So why do we rush around and have a difficult time? Why are we stressed out and feeling overwhelmed?

I venture to say it is because we are not being efficient or methodical.

It is so important to have a variety of projects going on in the home. We can get bored very easily if we only have housework to do. We need to make decorating plans, and occasionally re-arrange rooms to make them fresh and cheerful.

Simple tasks like sweeping a porch or removing weeds from the front property can be pleasant outdoor work because we can enjoy some quiet and fresh air.

Doing some late afternoon ironing to get a pretty outfit ready for the next day will keep us from being rushed.

Efficiency can be used during housework by combining other tasks at the same time. When on the phone - clean out a purse or peel potatoes. When cleaning the living room, wear (light) ankle weights for an extra boost of exercise. When removing clutter from a desk or counter, watch a little educational television or listen to pleasant music.

Keep to a standard routine. Meals should be at certain hours. Heavy chores should happen at specific times. Eventually, they will be common and memorized, and seem to happen on their own.

If we make homemaking the focus of our lives, the one thing we master and do well, we are more likely to be peaceful, and less likely to be distracted.

An expert at something is confident and peaceful.  But it takes a lot of practice to get there. At first there will be mistakes and clumsiness. But if we keep at it, eventually we will be occupied at home in a way that is greatly admired. This will also bring us a tremendous amount of pride in our daily work.

Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

An Honorable Profession - The Skilled Housewife.

When the  Children were little - The Mailbox in the House.

Make them want to be there - The Romance of Home.


4 comments:

Nicole said...

I agree with all of this, Mrs. White. My days seem to consist of constant homemaking. I'm inside, then outside, then teaching, then reading, then cooking, then folding laundry, then back out to water flowers, then back inside to dust mop the floors. But it's an easygoing kind of day. In there I stop to watch the birds, to nurture my newly planted trees, to pull some weeds from my garden, to fill my birdfeeders, to just admire beauty.

Alice said...

I have just recently discovered your blog. It is just the encouragement and inspiration I've been needing in regards to my homemaking, and I just wanted to say, THANK YOU! :)

Lisa said...

This is a lovely website as I do yearn for yesteryear and your photos transport me there. So old-fashioned, just like me. Thank you for your lovely blog. Have subscribed via email!

Cathy said...

That's one of the things I love about being a homemaker--the freedom to be creative and go from one thing to another. Homemaking need never be boring, and it isn't just dishes, cleaning and laundry, either. There are so many things a woman can do in her home.