Married to the Empire

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Finding Joy in Housekeeping

I received some money for both my birthday and Christmas, so I took it and went nuts at IKEA. My craft room is getting an overhaul, and it should be more roomy and functional when I'm all done. After Steven put together my new shelves, I set about moving books and magazines from my old shelves to the new. In doing so, I ran across these:



When I first quit teaching (10.5 years ago--how time flies!), I was so excited about keeping house, decorating, cooking, and just really all things domestic. I subscribed to and bought off the newsstand all sorts of homey magazines, and I would pull out articles and photos of things that inspired me. Those notebooks pictured above house all those articles.

I hadn't looked through those notebooks in years, so I spent some time flipping through them. I was struck by the realization that I seem to have lost some of that fire I had back then. Maybe it was just that things were so new back then, and after more than 10 years of being a SAHW, it's just not that exciting anymore. It's not like housekeeping really changes: the laundry needs to be done every week, the floors get dirty again soon after being mopped or vacuumed, meals are cooked and eaten and food needs to be made again... The constant and neverending nature of it all can make it monotonous and tiresome. I go through periods in which I love to cook, then it's followed by times of wanting to just eat out because I feel uninspired and sick of cooking.

I'm sure all of that is perfectly normal, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I want to reignite that fire and joy in keeping house. I want to feel excited again about my home. I'm praying about this, as I do believe I'm blessed and privileged to be able to be at home. Tomorrow I'll share something that I find inspiring and encouraging in this endeavor.

2 comments:

Amy W said...

I'd say you're pretty normal. :) If it makes you feel any better, I go through the same cycles of cooking and not wanting to cook. Planning meals, and then not. Can't wait to hear what's inspiring you!

Beth said...

What a timely post. As a SAHMom who homeschools 2 boys, I struggle with the same problems. I can have a great day - clean house, delicious meal, clean clothes, schoolwork done - and yet the next day it all starts again. I look forward to learning what is encouraging you!