Houeskeeping

The job of keeping a home is an honorable one. There is a difference between a housekeeper and a homekeeper. A hired housekeeper will keep the home clean and do the duties as expected of her employer, but a homekeeper does the duties of her home from her heart. She does it out of love for her family. She looks upon her duties as the most important job in all the world. It takes a lot of patience, skill, commitment and love to be a keeper of your home. Be faithful. In due time, your family will rise up and call you blessed. - Martha Greene



I found this quote when I was looking at a review on a book. The Treasury of Vintage Homekeeping Skills. Believe it or not, I actually like to be a housekeeper. Yes, I will admit it. In the Bible it says that Mary stored these things in her heart. In a way, as I am cleaning the hand prints off the glass doors, folding the kids clothes, picking up their hot wheels off the floor, shifting baby dolls around, picking up yarn, wiping down the spray of water on the mirror in the bathroom, I try to count it as all joy. I want to store these things in my heart as part of my journey in motherhood. To keep your home, is to love your home. I had a friend that moved away years ago and she said she never minded folding clothes. Each item she picked up out of the basket, she prayed for that person. Love that. Yes, MY KIDS DO HELP WITH CHORES!!!! Very important to know that! Maybe I will make another post about the chore chart that FINALLY works for us. I think it is important for them to do as much as they can do so they realize it takes everyone in the family to keep a house running smoothly. And I think it helps a TON for them to know that picking up, cleaning up is hard work (and rewarding). So, when they go play at another person's home, they are considerate of their friend's home. Try not to pee on the toilet, someone has to clean it up. Try not to put every single finger and hand on their glass doors or mirrors, someone has to clean that up. Don't take out every single toy, someone has to clean that up. Just be considerate. Having fun and being considerate are friends! We work on these things every day. Hopefully one day, when they have homes of their own, they will not even have to think about keeping their home - it will come naturally. No matter what career they are called to do by the Lord, they will always have a home to "keep".