Home is a vocation, a blessing and an art. Starting a family and taking care of your home is NOT easy! Be kind to yourself.

Home

Remember that home is also where you live. Things are constantly changing. Things are being used. People sleep, eat and breathe at home. Most family members are at home rather than away as a general rule. His family enjoys life at home. To do this, they must use the bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms and relax and play in the living areas. They are living their lives at home, and daily life alone can cause frequent masses. Patience and hard work are what it takes to keep a home in order. However, this is not just her job as a housewife or her only job. Your job as a homemaker is also to teach, train and delegate.

Family

The housewife with a family is not the only one who lives in the home. She shares her home with her spouse and/or her family, pets, as well as friends and visitors who visit. Everyone who lives in her house should be required to do her part. Even young children can help clean a room or dust furniture while wearing socks on their hands. Be creative! Don’t be a workhorse, but ask them to do their fair share of it.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to chores for kids is that they should do as many main jobs as their age. So if your child is 6 years old, your child should have 6 things to do around the house. Don’t make them all older, just 2. My rule of thumb is 2 main tasks and 2 smaller ones to add to the child’s age. Major tasks might include: dishes, folding a load of laundry, putting away folded laundry, vacuuming, or sweeping… you get the picture. Smaller tasks might include things like: setting the table, cleaning a window, watering the front yard, pulling 20 weeds, and cleaning a sink. Remember that children need patience and reminders. NEVER redo an assignment your child has done. If it’s done satisfactorily, leave it alone. If it is done in a careless and unacceptable manner, then they must redo their work and then re-inspect it. In my house, if they have to redo it more than once, another task is added. This encourages them to do it the right way the first time.

Relax

There is a difference between an unpleasant and dirty house and an inhabited house, sometimes messy. To be honest, some of the most comfortable and pleasant homes to be in are the ones that are NOT perfect. This includes small clutter like: toys left out from a play day or even clothes piled up on the couch. People have to live; people have a lot going on in their lives. Houses should not be like this on a regular basis and attempts should be made to clean them. Everyone has a bad week and sometimes you just can’t do it all. RELAX and give yourself a break. Be aware of the fact that you are not perfect and not everything has to be perfect! You have to live in your house. You don’t have to live in filth, but being late is acceptable and forgivable.

When it comes to cleaning your house and you find yourself falling behind and feeling overwhelmed, remember that 70% done is better than nothing! I have been a single mother geographically many times over the years while my husband supports the family as an American soldier. With seven young children, I have been overworked, overly stressed, and at times have struggled to keep up. I have adopted the motto: 70% is better than nothing. When it comes to things my kids have or haven’t done, or things I can’t do perfectly, I often remind myself of this motto.

One day a friend came over to the house while I was mopping the floor. He was stressed because my house was messy and the floor was so sticky and dirty. He had swept the floor that morning with the intention of mopping immediately after, but many interruptions prevented him from doing so. Situations like running errands, babysitting, etc. Later in the afternoon, when all the chaos calmed down, I was able to finish the floor again. I looked at the floor. It could have used a little more mopping but I just needed to mop it up at this point so I could make dinner and start the bedtime routine for the kids. As I mopped, I punished myself for half-done work. I had to keep reminding myself that 70% is better than nothing. It was at that time that my friend came to visit me. This friend saw me mopping and pushing a few crumbs here and there. I realized that this person was probably wondering what was wrong with me and why I didn’t stop and do it perfectly. Without my friend saying a word, I explained my motto. This friend then said, “I was wondering what you were doing, because you didn’t even sweep before you mopped!” He knew that he had swept before, but that was not important to me at the time. He knew what was important at the time and that was just getting the stickiness off the floor. Strive to do the best you can, but if it’s not feasible right now, then do the best you can with the time and energy you have.

Ask for help if you need it. Take a walk to clear your mind and you may find that it will help you feel more energized and ready to work, or go to sleep knowing that tomorrow is the day to start over. Housewives have more responsibility than most people realize. The home should be swept and clean, but don’t become a slave to your home. As Margaret Mitchell’s leading lady Scarlett O’Hara said, “I’ll think about it tomorrow… I can take it then. After all, tomorrow is another day.”