31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way

Cleaning...

Not Cleaning...

CleANing..., but why?

So, it's no secret that I HATE to clean.  Well, I should rephrase that ... I don't HatE to clean...I just don't understand why we need to do it!  Yes, there is the roach and insect issue, but beyond that ~ WHY???

True, a clean home is honoring to God and your family...have you read Proverbs 31 or Titus 2?  Go, now and read.  If you are like me you will shake, get an eye twitch, become nauseous, get a sudden migraine, your palms will sweat and you will feel the need to hide in the closet (with the lights off and the door closed!). 

I always wonder: "How can I ever measure up to that?" 

Housework takes time away from reading, chatting on FaceBook, watching movies, playing in the yard with my kids, doing yard work, planting/growing a garden, exercising (hey, I might exercise more if I didn't have to clean), taking pictures, blogging...do you get the idea and the visual image that I have other things to do besides CLEAN?

In my efforts to be a better wife (in the house keeping area), I bought a book.  (Escapism...it's my reality! If I'm reading a book about what I need to be doing then it doesn't really count as procrastination or avoidance.)  31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way. I grabbed my phone (because my mom has my Kindle...thank goodness I have a phone that has a Kindle app...whatever would my mom do?) and started reading.

I made it through the introduction just fine!  I thought, "Wow!  This lady has truly nailed it on the head!  I'm so glad she wrote this book JUST FOR ME!"

Next, I got to Chapter 1..."Why Clean" 
     Why, indeed...
             My thoughts exactly...

Then I got to the homework part...

Identify specific reasons you want to make your home a haven, and then complete a mission statement based on those reasons. 

(Oh boy...doomed for failure in the first chapter ~ the first day.)

So, I did what every obedient wife does...I went to my husband for counsel, and I asked him, "Why do we want a clean home?"

His response:  A blank stare.  Maybe he had gas.  I don't know...maybe he was forming a politically correct response, or trying to justify a clean home because deep down inside perhaps he too wants me to do more blogging or reading...or jeepers creepers more exercising!  His verbal response was something like this..  "Because I want to know what our house would look like clean."

My response:  "Whatever."  I said it with dignity...not teenager sarcasm...I'm an adult!

Finally, I sat down with paper and a pen to create a list of why I want a clean home...Here is what I came up with ~

Why I want a clean home...

by Robyn

• so I don't see mounds of dog hair floating on the floors 
• to have nice, shiny floors
• it smells good
• so my children don't get sick
• I think...cleaning is suppose to make you feel good (I'm not real sure about this one!)
• so people can sit on the sofa without dog fur sticking to them when they leave
• so I don't have to panic every time someone shows up to the door
• so the bathrooms are clean when guests show up
• I think it might be pretty awesome to actually be able to see through the window...currently the windows are "artfully" decorated with finger prints and nose prints (4 kids...2 dogs...1 cat...at least I relocated the chickens!)
• so I can be outside playing or working in a garden
• so people can come to my home and feel comfortable
• to serve my family as a Godly wife
• to serve my husband with respect so he loves me.

After creating my list, I wondered...how much of this is authentically me?  I know that I want my friends and acquaintances to enter my home and feel comfortable.  I know that a clean home makes my husband feel happy when he comes home from work.  I know that I feel happy when I walk into the house and it is clean.  I can't help but wonder though...what is it going to take to turn myself around.  Is a Mission Statement going to be enough?
We will see...

A personal mission statement provides clarity and gives you a sense of purpose.  It defines who you are and how you will live.

Great...this is what I get for living in the age of technology...I can look up anything I want easily, but I don't know how to put it in to practice.  I could use a little help here friends...

Robyn's Household Cleaning Mission Statement

I will serve my husband and my children by providing a clean and welcoming home to family and friends.  I will put God first and seek His help to maintain the discipline and self-control needed to maintain the daily chores.

Now, I need to figure out a plan...

please...

someone....

tell me what "daily chores" are!