02.11.08

houseWork debt

Posted in Practical Household tips, Productivity, Stewardship/Organization, home management at 2:07 pm by trisha

Ever get to zero in your inbox , no pieces of clothing in your hampers- not one dirty dish? WOW! Congratulations! Doesn’t that feel great? And, how long does that last? For me, about 30 minutes for any of it.

I have to do two loads of laundry every day. If I don’t, I have a pile of clothes that could reach the ceiling in a few days. I am totally serious. There are the dishes, the floors, the bathrooms, the cobwebs, the dust, the pine needles in the entry, etc. If I don’t a little every day- balance withdrawls happen. Then, the house Work becomes so accumilated, it is like DEBT. It takes a whole day of work to get back up to zero.

I enjoy making the deposits- so that I don’t have debt. Yet, sometimes I do it to control my work, so it doesn’t control me. IS that good stewardship that leads to worship OR is that controlling work so I am in control? I believe that it is both. Most worshipful opportunities for me -are both. My drive to accomplish to my own end (glory) for self and the other side is to truly steward my life to God’s glory.

My aim is to see Jesus in my laundry. Not literally speaking. But, to see that He cares about the way that I do my laundry. He cares about how I steward what He has given me. Keeping busy to the glory of God. Not rules driven, but a tender submission- that says, the work never ends- and I am thankful I have the clothing and the hands to work with it.

Titus 2:5 says: -to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

HouseWork Debt is inevitable. Worship is stewarding these resources to God’s glory. Thanking Jesus that He is providing for me. God has called me to keep processing all of that, so that the people in my inbox, the clothing, the dishes are stewarded. Working hard and busy, smart and patient, making deposits to avoid debt each day looks like this for me:

• 3 (15 minutes) time slots for processing email
• start load of laundry before kids wake up and fold and put away during nap (30 minute job)(older children fold and put away their own clothes)
• load dishwasher after dinner and run it during nighttime
• empty dishwasher as I make breakfast
• 5 minute clean up in kitchen after every meal (children help)
• 1 room a day to clean and organize (30 minutes)

Tips for making houseWork fun and teachable:

1. Put on music and dance with the kids when putting up toys
2. Make organizing projects with the child fun craft time!
3. Let your children try to help with jobs- encourage their work ethic!
4. Read to your child while they do a house job
5. Game with Laundry: “Who can find the most clothing items that our yours,” or matching socks, or sorting.
6. Have kids dishes stored low in the kitchen, so that they can easily take and put away their dishes.
7. When a child is taking a bath, talk to him or her and clean out your drawers! (this takes only 10 minutes!)
8. Have a bed linen day, where everyone brings all of their bedding to the laundry room, and at the end of the day, everyone helps make beds (I do every other week)
9. Lay out clothes for the next day for your child
10. Make working rewarding, by talking about it. Encouragement and thankfullness for trying and doing is great!

Happy houseWork Debt Consolidating!

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