The Pick-Up

As a stay at home mom I am always looking for new ideas and ways to keep my home clean and organized, or at least appear that way! I am currently reading a book by Claudine Wolk called "It gets easier!... And other lies we tell new mothers". I was so excited when I read this section on the art of the pick-up. It is something that I try to do (my home is not always clean, nor does it appear this way) but, when I follow the pick-up rule I found that my home is a little bit cleaner and my head is a little clearer... something about having a messy home makes me want to just shut down sometimes! "The first rule of housekeeping and the most helpful one is the art of the pick-up. Through the years I've actually encountered women who appear to have a perpetually clean house. Eventually I had to ask them how they do it, and they revealed their secret. The secret is that their houses are not always truly clean. The fact that the house looks clean is just an illusion. Quite simply, if you keep your house picked up at all times, it looks clean, even if it isn't. The added bonus of the picked-up house is that when you finally have time to clean something, you can get right down to the cleaning without having to do the hour-long pick-up first! Picking-up is always the best place to start, too. Just start putting things away. The more organized an area is, the clearer your head becomes and the more ready you will be to deal with the tasks at hand." Having three kids means that my house has toys spread out everywhere pretty much all of the time... this becomes overwhelming to me sometimes! But, by picking things up throughout the day I can at least feel like I have done some sort of house work for the day and feel good about the state of my home. I usually try and pick-up during nap time, before Thaddeus comes home from work, and at bedtime. Hope this gives you some ideas on how to maintain a cleaner home and a clearer head! What are some ways you keep your home clean?

Currently Reading

I am currently reading "Parenting by The Book" by John Rosemond. I just started it yesterday so I'm not too far, but I am already learning so much! I have never put much thought into how the world around me influences my parenting... mainly b/c we try not to be of this world... but as a mother it is very easy for me to care about and judge how other moms do things. The first chapter of the book is called "The Great Deception" and here is an exert: "Progress constantly infuses culture with new energy, but in the 5th commandment God promises a stable, secure society to people who adhere to fundamental family traditions. But that understanding went by the boards in the 1960's, the single most destructive decade in the history of the USA." "In the 1960's, however, the now-adolescent television industry began to take on a rebellious, activist character. Its movers and shakers became determined to use the influence of television to reshape America consistent with the vision of the emerging neoliberal, secular elite. And they succeeded." "By the mid 1970's, the United States had become a full fledged "progressive" culture. Progressivism holds that just as most technologies (such as computers) are better than old technologies (typewriters), new ideas are better than old ideas. For the most part, the progressive mind-set rejects tradition." In the chapter Rosemond is talking about how before the 1960's parenting was a very traditional thing. And it was, in most cases, much easier to be a parent before the 60's arrived. Generally, parents would parent the exact way as their parents and grandparents had... If they had a question about what to do with johnny not listening they would go to grandma and find out what she did, whereas now a days we ask someone outside of the family, or read a book or magazine, or even look online... which i am very guilty of! I find them very helpful actually, and the internet is usually my first choice in finding info. I really feel like I connect well with what Rosemond is saying. As far as my parenting goes I do not want to emulate my parents parenting style... It's not that I think they did a bad job or that I don't respect them, it's just a preference. And I don't think that I'm alone in that... at least according to Rosemond. I find it very interesting how our culture and media have such a huge impact on our lives and how generations can be shaped by them! I'm looking forward to delving into this book and learning how to parent from the Bible!