I spend eight hours a day playing with 9 children under age 5. I dance and sing and chase tricycles. I clean up spilt milk, review the alphabet, and mop floors.
I don't know how to come home and be successful!
At work I do feel like I accomplish what I need to! After "putting out" all my energy I don't know how to manage my home! I am tired when I get home but since I enjoy cooking I can make nice meals and usually get some laundry done.
I know there are millions of women who do this day in and day out and have for years!
I want to have a lovely home! I would love to decorate, shop for the home and decorate some more!
I mop the floors in daycare each afternoon, but I am lucky to mop my kitchen once a week!
I don't like the priority there! (But it is a daycare requirement..so....)
I love the idea of Home Sanctuary's Small Things. I do find that to be reasonable!
My husband is the most wonderful helper! He does dishes, laundry and many other things around home.
What ideas/suggestions can you share with me?
How can I be successful at home? and work?
6 comments:
Rae:
If you don't mind my frankness, I think you may be wrong about the "millions of women" who are successfully keeping their homes and working full time. That is a lot of work, as you already know!
For us (I work less than 20 hours a week) the decision was to live more frugally and choose a different quality of life. I am by NO means judging you, but mean this to encourage you! I don't know if you've considered this possibility. We are quite "tight" on money but feel that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
"In choosing to allow one’s husband to support the family, a wife can turn her ingenuity toward producing a lifestyle even better than an additional salary would buy." P 374, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (chapter written by Dorothy Patterson)
I'm thinking about writing a blog post on this topic. Would it be ok if I link to your post? Please let me know. Thanks, and I will pray that God will help you to be satisfied and content and fulfilled wherever He would have you spend most of your time. Please don't be discouraged; everyone agrees that working full time and managing a household is very difficult, time consuming, and, some would say, impossible.
It is HARD!!!!! I feel your pain, because I feel like my kids are the full time job and my house is NEVER clean :) EVER!
All I can do is pray for you that God will give wisdom in job and home. I know that God does want us to be keepers at Home and that He will give you a way to do this. He has given you this desire- so there must be a way!
it is VERY HARD even when you stay home and work, whether it be by taking care of kids or working from a home office, whatever. It's VERY hard.
I have not arrived - my house is a disaster more often than I would like to admit, we've lived here for 2 years and there are still bare walls and boxes of stuff to unpack and decorate with.
The thing that has helped me to set a pattern and keep up with the basics is having a list of jobs that need to be done on a regular basis like dusting, mopping, etc. I assigned each one to a day of the week and shoot to get them done. My list is posted on the fridge, and it is just a guideline. I definitely *try* to stick with it, but I don't freak out if I miss a day or a job. I like to have that list accomplished by Saturday so I can spend time with Michael when he is home, but if not, then Saturday is catch up day for the jobs I didn't get done.
I've found that having the list gives me direction when I do have the time to take a few minutes and clean. My tendency is to get overwhelmed with it all and putter.
Anyway, hope this helps! Don't be too hard on yourself, either! God has a specific time & season for each of us for jobs and ministries at different points in our lives, and that doesn't look the same for every woman. *HUG*
Rachel - I think you are thinking through some great questions and struggles, and I am really glad that you've posted on this. I look forward to hearing more input from others.
First, I think your job at with the children is by no means just a "Job" you have a ministry and ministry is hard and wonderful. Praise God for what you are doing for these little ones and more.
I too struggle. Recently, Tim suggested that I set the timer for 30 minutes and just focus on say the kitchen. Do as much as I can in 30 mins, without leaving that room! I know this sounds pedantical, but sometimes I need to go back to the basics. This has reminded me that it doesn't take as long as it seems to get something cleaned up. I tend to get MAJORLY side-tracked and cleaning takes me forever. Also, having a place for everything is important, is speeds up cleaning and helps cut clutter.
I have to add something, thanks for posting the comment about the timer, Katie! I recently got one too and use it often. I cleaned up the house and now every day I set the timer for 15 minutes per area (kitchen, living and dining, bedroom, bathroom) and quickly clean them up. Now the whole house looks much better every day, and the task is not as overwhelming! Best of all I'm more motivated to put things away, and can get more done in the uncluttered space. Try a timer, Rae, they're awesome!
OH I really appreciate all the comments. I'm glad Im not alone in my endeavors....
The timer is a good idea! I too get extremely sidetracked and have 10 projects started and none finished :) hah!
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