Pacing Oneself to Keep House

Pink Flowers on the Table at Mrs. White's Home

I do not have a maid to help me keep house. There is no staff of workers to cook, bake, clean, decorate, and organize.  There is no accountant to keep the finances in order. I do not have a hostess to welcome and care for guests and residents here at our Estate.  Groceries are not delivered.  The shopping and errands and the management of the entire household is not completed by a head - housekeeper. Most homemakers do all of these things, and much more.  They do it alone.

There is a way to do these things, in a gentle, gracious way.  I will share with you just two common ideas. They are basic and ordinary, but can make all the difference:

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1.  Keep a Weekly Schedule.

If you do the shopping on Wednesday (for example), the heavy cleaning on Thursday, the Laundry on Friday, etc.  You will not be trying to do it all in one day.  If some emergency happens, or you are not feeling well, you can just do the basics and not worry about it.

If I am going to bake homemade bread on Tuesday, I will not go out on errands. That would be too much of a drain on my energy.  If I am going to deep clean the house on Thursday, I will not make homemade pizza.  We have to balance the heavy and light work for each day. This is part of pacing ourselves to do the many different tasks in a day.

2. Keep a Daily routine.

I believe the most time consuming work, each day, happens in the kitchen!   Pace yourself to have the energy and the peace to prepare these meals.  (If you have children who are old enough to help you, all the better!  It is a joyful time to prepare and serve food with the family's help.)

There are three meals prepared and served each day.  Many homemakers provide the family with easy food for breakfast and lunch. The main meal of the day is often served at the dinner hour.  It is the old, traditional "supper time," where all the family is home together for the evening meal.   This will vary in each home, depending on the family schedule. For example: If Dad works the night shift, perhaps the family enjoys a big breakfast or lunch together.
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If we kept a daily journal of all the things we do in a day, it would make us tired!  Yet in the midst of all the work, we can have many moments of laughter, tea breaks, walks about the garden, times for reading and resting, and just enjoying family visits in the parlour.   We can learn, through practice, to do all the work of "keeping house" in a gentle way, by avoiding stress, rush, worry, and fear.

Think on that which is good, and pretty, and pleasant. Focus on the beauty around us.  Be grateful.  Be courageous when you are weary.  Rest as often as necessary. Pace yourself with little simple jobs,  with plenty of tea breaks, seeking contentment and joy in home life.


Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Inspiration from the Mother of D.L. Moody - Poverty in the 1800's.

Precious Manners with Children - Tea Time: The Importance of Formal Ceremony at Home. 

Practical Help - The Secret to a Happy Home. 

Mrs. White's special book for homemakers:"Introduction to Home Economics:  Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking." Paperback, 200 pages. 

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