Mastering the Art of Making Home Happy

I was talking to my mom the other day about some recent discoveries I've made in the Housecleaning Department of Our Home.  As you can see from the photo above, my kitchen sink has just one saucepan, one saucer, one glass, one cup measure, and one wooden spoon in it.  (Still working on that tool clutter...)  The counter tops are, for the most part, cleared off and cleaned.  Things are in their place.  Order is prevalent and it makes me so happy.

In fact, this is the cleanest my tiny kitchen has been in I don't know how long!  Since moving here about four months ago, I have tried to make our little townhouse much more than the cramped-feeling thing that it seems to be but I have also not been very diligent to keep things in their place, either.  With the hubby working 50, sometimes 60 hour weeks, you could say I have *plenty* of time on my hands to keep on top of things and not let anything fall to the wayside.  Ha!  You could say that, sure, but here's the thing: it didn't excite me to really deep-clean and organize like I should have.  And because it didn't excite me, I just did the absolute basic necessities.  You know what that means! ;-)  I have always been one to let the dishes pile up and then do them all in one fell swoop.  Or let all the clothes in the entire household (excepting the ones on our bodies, of course :-P ) get all completely dirty before doing *all* the laundry in one day.  Yeah.  I was *that* kind of person.

Maybe I'm just getting older.  Yes, maybe that's it.  Because, now I can't imagine housecleaning any other way!  I've been told and encouraged by countless other moms to do it this way, but it just never worked for me before now.  Now, it excites me to put that one load of laundry in the machine, knowing that it's just that one for now because everything else is clean - or, to put those few dishes into the dishwasher waiting for a full load because all the counters are clean and I'm not going to turn around and see a whole other batch of dirty dishes when I thought I was done....

The creativity in me is blossoming again because I'm the kind of person who can't really think, create, write or do much of anything if my surroundings are messy.  I'm getting excited about baking new recipes with my little side-kick, writing again after soooooo long, decorating with themes, making crafts with my energetic two year old, and plenty other ideas too.  Hey, this addicted-to-sleep mama is even thinking that she could get up early and write or blog until the little one wakes up!  Wow - where did that come from?!

Now, this isn't to say that our townhouse is in spick and span order everywhere you turn.  Because, it's not.  Nope.  But I'm not beating myself up because I know I'll get to it someday soon.  And guess what?  I take off two days a week just like my husband.  We kick back, relax and enjoy each other and our little family.  Yes, that does mean that the dishes and the laundry might start piling up again but I'm pretty sure it won't be overflowing onto the counters or floors! (YES, floors.....)  Of course, this doesn't mean that we don't occasionally put a few dishes in the dishwasher or wipe off the kitchen table.  But it does mean that I'm not totally consumed with keeping things in perfect order.  My sweet husband doesn't expect it to be and neither should I. :-)

Don't feel bad if your home isn't in perfect order, or you don't really have a "system" to go by when housecleaning.  After all, I only have one child so far.  And although I think she's a handful at times, my "system" might be different if I had two, three or four kids to look after.  Do what works for you.  Do what makes you and everybody else happy and harmonious.  If letting things pile up works best for you, then yay!  At least you are accomplishing something and things *do* get cleaned, even if it's only on occasion. :-)

I saw a quote by Louisa May Alcott today and I thought it fit perfectly with what I'm trying to say:

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things
makes home happy and life lovely."

That's what we all strive for, right?  A happy home and a lovely life?  Because, it is in those moments of happiness and loveliness that we can better serve others, which means we are ultimately serving our King.  Praise God!