Help for the Overwhelmed Housewife
Ever have one of those days?
“Ha!” you think. “I’ve had more than one of those days.” Those days that you just cannot seem to get it together and, although you love staying home with your children, those days you just want to lock yourself in your bedroom and cry. For all of you frazzled moms out there, take heart, and while you are at it, take a coffee break. There’s hope. No matter that you can’t even find the laundry detergent at the moment, you can have an orderly home, and your kids can have a sane mommy! It will take some work, but if you follow these tips you will see improvement in no time!
Attend to your attitude. There is nothing that will help or hinder you more in your housework each day than your attitude. Take a minute to breathe deeply and think optimistically about the work ahead. If you view duty negatively, you will be less inclined to get it done! Look forward to the positive results of working hard – cleanliness, organization, calm atmosphere, and a sense of accomplishment!
Evaluate your priorities. You might start thinking of countless jobs that need to be done, but remember to start with the basics. Make a list of several chores that need to be done in order of importance. Polishing your great-grandmother’s silver is probably less urgent than the fact that your husband has no clean socks! You can’t go wrong with starting out with laundry and dishes.
Set realistic goals. Be sure not to bite off too much at once. Focus on a few necessary tasks and plug away at them. It might be a good idea to plan on organizing one room a day. It is better to accomplish a little bit every day, rather than trying to clean your entire house and giving up in the process.
Start the night before. No one likes to wake up to a mess. Before going to bed, pick up those toys, straighten those magazines, and put away those dishes. You will be much more motivated the next day to keep things clean if you start out the morning with a clean home.
Commit to a few chores every day. Consistency is key. Consider making yourself a schedule that lists a few chores for you to do every day of the week, besides the daily necessities like dishes. For instance, Monday might be ironing and dusting day, Tuesday vacuum and mop day, etc. This can serve as a guide to helping you stay on top!
Use your time wisely. Learn to utilize snippets of time you didn’t know you had. If the family is watching a movie, fold some laundry while sitting on the couch. If your kids are doing homework at the kitchen table, wipe down the counters and scrub that pot you left in the sink. At the end of the day you will be surprised at how much you were able to get done!
Get going! Don’t wait till you feel like cleaning or straightening. Roll up your sleeves and go for it! You will be glad you did.
