On Keeping a Clean House

Since all my latest projects are in progress, I thought I would use this post to talk a little about what I do with the rest of my time.  I am a career homemaker, and I love my job.  No, I don't get a thrill from scrubbing toilets or dusting shelves, but I do enjoy keeping our home in order.  Homemaking has gotten a bad rap the past several decades and I am sorry for that.  In the midst of recognizing that women have the ability to do many things outside the home, it is a shame that the energy, intelligence, and skill that goes into homemaking was not appreciated as well.  

I have always loved domesticity, even as a child.  When our children came along, and especially when we started home schooling, I discovered that I also love organizing.  There is a certain satisfaction that comes from taking a disordered space and making it functional and attractive.  To me, that is what housework is all about--making a home function well for whatever particular activities a family has, and making it a welcoming space not only for the family, but also for all who come to visit.  When people first come into my home, they usually do comment that our home is clean or organized, but after that it fades into the background which is just as it should be.  

One of the negative comments about housework is that it is mindless activity.  I have two thoughts on that:  What job doesn't have mindless, tedious parts to it?  And just because a task doesn't require thought, it doesn't mean the mind has to be idle.  House work affords me opportunity to listen to music or podcasts (while dusting or cleaning), watch a movie (while ironing), or just to think about things I have read or heard (while vacuuming).  I plan letters or this blog post, make phone calls while folding laundry, and sometimes I pray while I work.  

I have always been so thankful that my husband has valued my work at home.  He works very hard to take care of us, and I see it as an honor to take good care of him.  He in turn encourages me in my creative endeavors.  

I may not make any money in my career, but it certainly has its own rewards.