Never Too Little

Today, I want to encourage you to enlist the children in helping to make your house a home! 

(If you don't have children, keep reading, chances are, you just might have some someday.) 

Remember, on day one when I said that I have been helping people make their houses homes ever since I can remember? Well, that was 100% true. 

My Mom, my Grandmas, my Ghiddu, my Aunts, my neighbors, my friends moms. I have pretty much always enjoyed helping people with cooking, cleaning, organizing, and even pointless tinkering. I say pretty much always because I know that there were plenty of times when my Mom made sure that I helped even if I didn't want to. For the most part though, people just noticed my eagerness to help and took the time to TEACH ME TO HELP.

That is the key here. Children who respect you are eager to help they just need to be trained to be helpful. 

It begins with "folding" washcloths, "dusting",  setting the table, and putting away silverware. 

Pretty soon they can sort laundry, load the dishwasher, wash floors, and vacuum. 

Before you know it, they will be able to do everything you do as well as you do it. Eventually, they'll be able to do things you just can't do anymore! 

At 22 I am very grateful that my Mom took the time and PATIENCE to teach me all that I know. Yes, there were others who helped. But, mainly, it was my Mom. 

I think it was Scott Brown and his wife (I can't recall her name) that said this, "If you aren't willing to inspect, do not expect."

Teach your children to do jobs and make sure it is a job done as well as they are able. Tell them what you expect and hold them to it. 

Get It Done

Figure out what you need to do and how often you need to do it. 

Today's task is to set up a basic schedule. Use your list from the other day (need, must, goals) and figure out what will be done daily/weekly/monthly/seasonally. 

I put together a document to help make this easier. 

Click here to download it! 

Just so you know, you won't need these papers forever. Getting organized is mainly about making (new) habits. Once the habits are made, you don't need "helps" anymore. I have a schedule that is permanently in my brain. I used to use charts, but now they I have them tucked away. 

Sunrise, Sunset

You know the feeling when you think that life is going to get back to "normal"? 

It's a good feeling isn't it? 

What about the feeling that comes AFTER when you realize it's really not getting back to normal after all? 

That's the feeling I've got right now! And, I'm actually sort of enjoying it!

This week, I was supposed to be away visiting friends. Plans changed and I'm heading out in a few days. I have a heavy heart for some. I am praying that God works out some very important things for them. I also have a happy heart for some. One of my best friends is getting married this weekend. We'll get together to do the rehearsal and then it's the real deal on Saturday. 

I hope your life, normal or not so much, has you feeling the JOY of the Lord! 

Remember, I got real not too long ago. I'm having to make that JOY mine because I know that God is at work to give it to me! Keep at it. 

                       ******

Today's point is simply this: 

It is easier to keep a house clean than to deal with an explosion. 

Room by room, job by job, day by day. The little things count. A place for everything and everything in its place. 

If you made a list yesterday, AWESOME! Today, I just want you to think about what I mentioned a few sentences ago. 

If you follow that rule, you will usually feel like you have a house that cleans itself. Usually...Somedays, it's definitely an explosion. 

The Bottom Line

The very first and most important step to running a home smoothly, consistently, involves PLANNING. 
Today, consider planning what gets done around the house. Just sit down with a piece of paper and write a list. Don't worry about organizing it or breaking it down. That will come later. Write down:
1)The things that NEED doing. (Vacuuming, dusting, window washing, etc.)
2)The things that MUST be done. (Meal prep, bathroom cleaning, laundry, etc.)
3)GOALS that you would like to accomplish (in the area of home making, not hobby). (Putting up freezer meals, making charts, putting together a home binder, couponing, etc.) 
I took the time to make a little document for you to download if you like. I filled out one so that you could see what it might look like.
Click here to download!

If you use this, I'd love to see yours!  What are somethings that MUST be done in your house, "or else"? 

31 Days: From House to Home

Here we go, 31 straight days of making our houses into homes!

If you are new around here, and I hope that some of you are, use the different tabs at the top of my blog to get to know me a little better! Be sure to comment! I'd love to hear anything that you have to share each day. 

WHO: My name is Victoria and I've been helping people make their houses homes ever since I can remember. I'm only 22 and don't have any children of my own, but I know what it takes to keep things running smoothly, consistently. W-O-R-K. And lots of it! 
WHAT: I will be sharing a bunch of the basic things I have learned and consider essentials in home making. Everything from schedules, traditions, and entertaining (the "fun stuff)  to cooking, cleaning, and laundry (the "not-so-fun" stuff). 
WHEN: Everyday through the month of October. 
WHERE: Right here on www.myjourneyforhim.blogspot.com 
WHY: I picked this topic because it's pretty much what my life is all about. I always joke that if I'm not scrubbing my floor, I'm probably out scrubbing someone else's. And it's true. I love people and where there are people there are serious opportunities to make them feel at home. I also know that this doesn't come naturally to everyone. So, I want to help! 

This is going to be one of the longer posts. Normally, I will pick a small topic and share a few things each day. 
Sometimes, it will be at the beginning or end of a normal post. Sometimes, FHTH will be the only thing on the blog that day. 
Whatever the case, I hope that we all learn a thing or two from this link-up! 
PS - If you've been around for a while, stick around! I don't want you to get tired of the theme I picked, so I'm also going to be putting up things that I usually post.