I feel like I've been caught in somewhat of a "writer's block" again when it comes to my blog. I love blogging, but lately, I feel that the only posts I write are my weekly pregnancy update posts. I feel like I never have anything else to talk about, which I know to a certain extent is because of the fact that I really don't do much outside of my normal, every-day routine of taking care of Rylee here at home.
We don't get out of the house much, partly because we don't have much of ANY money to spend (not that you have to spend money every time you leave the house, but I mean even just using gas to go anywhere), but mostly because the heat this summer has been particularly overwhelming. To say that it has been HOT this summer seems to be quite an understatement. Just walking out to the mailbox to check the mail wears me out, and that's at 10 o'clock in the morning. It's definitely not a good idea for a pregnant woman and a one-year-old to be out in the heat unless we really have to. So, my days consist of pretty much nothing but playing on the living room floor with Rylee (while I still can... I know the bigger I get as my pregnancy progresses, the harder it will be for me to play on the floor with her, especially since it appears that my sciatica is starting to act up again). When she takes her morning nap, I do my Bible study (I'm currently on week 4 of an 8-week study called "No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern-Day Idols" by Kelly Minter). When Rylee takes her afternoon nap, I usually take a nap myself. Although I've been feeling a lot better overall (as far as nausea and whatnot) for a month or so now, I still get pretty sleepy during the day, so I usually take advantage of a nap when I can. Unfortunately, though, I'm probably going to have to cut out some of those afternoon naps, because that is the only real time I have to get things done around the house without having to keep up with Rylee at the same time.
I know I've mentioned it before, but I've been seriously lacking on my duties around the house lately (especially since I got pregnant). For the first several weeks of my pregnancy, I didn't feel like doing anything, because I was nauseous and exhausted all day. Now... well, I don't have as much of an excuse. I truly desire to keep a clean, tidy house, but I've realized that I'm lacking the self-discipline to fuel that desire. My "job" is to be a stay-at-home wife and mom, and although my first priority in that right now is taking care of Rylee, I also need to be getting things done around the house. I have been failing miserably at that half of my job (and therefore, in some ways, also failing at my job of parenting Rylee, because I'm not setting good examples for her). If taking care of things around my house was a "real" job that I was getting paid for, I'm afraid I would've been fired a long time ago, and I'm ashamed to admit that.
God has BLESSED me with the opportunity to stay home with my babies. Jordan works very hard outside of the home so I don't have to, so the least I should be able to do is work hard inside our home. When I don't take care of my home the way I should, I am not honoring God, my husband, my kids, or even myself. I am not taking care of the blessings God has given us.
My biggest struggle, as insignificant as it may sound, is washing dishes. I HATE washing dishes. We have a dishwasher (praise the Lord!), but as you all know, not ALL dishes will fit in a dishwasher, meaning they need to be washed by hand. This would not be a hard task at all, if I would just wash the couple dishes I dirty up each day. However, I will let them sit in the sink and on the counter, telling myself I'll wash them later or the next day, and before I know it, several days have passed by, and they have piled up all over the place. Then, I feel overwhelmed by them, so I pretend they're not there, allowing them to pile up EVEN more... and it just gets crazy. It's totally unacceptable, and I know that. What makes me feel terrible is that sometimes, Jordan is the one who finally ends up washing the dishes. I should NOT let that happen... he works hard enough, and has very little time at home. When he is home, he should not have to worry about doing things around the house that I can easily take care of on a daily basis while he's working.
God has been pricking my heart on all of this for quite a while now, and I'm tired of running away from Him and from the responsibilities He has given me. I am ready to get serious about being a more Godly wife and mother, and a huge part of that is taking care of my home. I have a couple verses from Proverbs 31 quoted at the top of my blog, and I want what those verses say to ring true in my life. I desire to be a woman worthy of being compared to the Proverbs 31 wife, and right now, I am far from that. I'm praying that, with God's help, that will soon change.
Having said ALL of that, I sat down today and made a list of all the household responsibilities I could think of that need to be taken care of on a daily and weekly basis. It's a "rough draft" for now, as I'll probably think of stuff to add to it over time, and I would like to convert it to something more attractive and permanent to display in my home somewhere (probably in the kitchen) as a daily reminder/check list. (Right now, the list is written on the back of the sheet of paper my doctor's office gave me yesterday telling me when my next appointment is. Hey, it's the first sheet of paper I grabbed. Like I said, it's a rough draft.)
Anyway, here's what I've come up with so far:
Daily Household Responsibilities
- load/unload dishwasher
- wash sink dishes
- wipe off kitchen table, counter tops, and stove
- clean cat litter box
- pick up Rylee's toys
- sweep and vacuum all floors (maybe not necessarily EVERY day, but at least every other day or so... our floors get dirty very quickly between having a toddler and a cat)
Weekly Household Responsibilities
- change bed/crib sheets
- take out trash (this is one of the few things I prefer Jordan do)
- do laundry
- clean bathrooms (toilets, bathtubs/shower stall, and sinks)
- dust (wood/glass furniture, ceiling fans, air vent, etc.)
- mop kitchen floor
- clean refrigerator
- clean windows, mirrors, and TV screens
Am I forgetting anything obvious? I know there will probably be many days and weeks when I fail to accomplish everything on these lists, but at least by having them, it will give me more motivation to get the tasks done. It's already hard enough trying to get stuff done while taking care of Rylee, and I know it's going to be twice as hard once Baby Ryan is here, so I want to try to get in at least somewhat of a groove now so hopefully I'll be able to keep it going. Anyway, I guess that's about it for now. Pray for me as I strive to make these necessary changes in my lifestyle!
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