Maintaining is much easier than catching up

I love the feeling of a clean home. Knowing that no matter who may stop by, my home is ready for company. It is warm and welcoming, it looks and smells clean. It's clutter free and organized. This is a proud time for a homemaker.

 Now let’s move onto how one is to achieve this.  Of course a good cleaning routine is a must, so to develop or if you would like you can use mine. :  )Added note: I will be posting my cleaning routine very soon. : )  Hard work is a must, your home is not going to be as clean and organized as you want it to be if you are not willing to put the work into making it that way. Determination, dedication and a little elbow grease takes you so far and let us not forget prayer. Yes, I said prayer, praying and asking God for the wisdom and desire to do this is not wrong to ask God. You are blessing your husband and your whole family by being diligent in keeping your home cleaned and organized. This is our God given role, why wouldn't you want to embrace it and ask God for guidance.

 Let’s fast forward a little shall we........ Your home is now clean, clutter is under control and it’s organized. You feel so proud of all your hard work, you stand and look around and take a deep breath of satisfaction. You can rest easy now that your work is done.That is true to a point. Yes you can relax some but you still have to maintain your home. Working daily to keep it clean and organized. If you let is lapse you will be right back to putting in all the hard work and soon your frustrated and give up. Thinking it's just too hard and takes up too much time to have the type of home you want. You start thinking that women that have homes like that do nothing all day but clean. That is not true.

When you clean a dirty home, yes it's hard, yes it's time consuming, yes it's overwhelming at times. But once you achieve your goal of a clean and organized home it is much easier to maintain that level of cleanliness.

 By cleaning daily and working your cleaning routine you will find it takes much less time to clean your home because you are cleaning it daily. It is much easier to de-clutter because you are working daily to keep your home clutter free by doing clutter runs. You will then know it's much easier to keep a clean home clean that to clean a dirty home in other words it's far easier to maintain than to play catch up.

 God Bless,

Tammy

The Prayer Closet

So many times in my life,when things get to heavy for me to carry. I go the Jesus,I cry out to my Heavenly father and he gives me peace.

There is so much stress in our lives. Taking care of our families and our homes,cooking nutritious meals for our family. So many times we take on all our duties and so much more from volunteering to help the needy,helping friends and family members,helping at our churches. Women have the need to care for others instilled in them from God and often times we feel the anguish others are going through because of this.

When going day to day in and the stresses of life get to heavy. I go off by myself so that I can be with Jesus,one on one time with my saviour. Sometimes I pray,sometimes I ready my bible and other times I just sit there feeling his presence and his love for me. When I return to my family or the job at hand I feel renewed and calm. I know I couldn't do what I do on a day to day basis with  Jesus helping me. When I feel weak he is there to strengthen me.

Do you have a prayer closet or a special place you go to be alone with Jesus?

The Happy Homemaker


photo provided by photbucket

I am linked up at: Women Living Well Blog

StedFast At Home

I wrote this article a few years back on my old blog.


When you read this term what comes to mind. Is it something bad in your views? Is it something that you relate to times that have long past when women stayed home and stood behind their man and kept the heads down and mouths shut? Or is it something else? I know for many of you what you believe this term means is all together something so very different than what it really does mean at heart.





I was like many of you, when I heard that, my alarms immediately went up. I thought, how dare you say that, I am no man's slave and I have a voice of my own that will freely use. I have a mind of my own and I'm a strong woman in mind,body and spirit. I am not a weak little woman doing what my man says. Does that pretty much sum up what you think when you hear stedfast at home or homekeeper,or even helpmeet?




I no longer see these phrases as I did, now let me tell you why. I began studying the bible alot more closer than I ever have in my life and began to talk to the Lord on a more personal level about what I felt my role was in my marriage and in the world in general. Now I believe the terms I have mentioned in the article as something to be proud of and cherish. I am no lower than my husband. I am not behind my husband. I am however his equal ,I work side by side with him to keep our home and life going. I have my duties and role in the house and so does he. He works outside the house and I stay home. I work hard and don't look down on my work as meager housework or that I'm just a homemaker or stay at home mom. I work very hard to make sure I keep a nice home for my family and that includes cooking good nutritious meals. On top of this I also keep our household costs as low and I can to save us as much money as I can in all categories of our lives. I hold my head high and I'm proud of who I am and what I do. I may not be out in the world working bringing home a paycheck but that does not make my role in my family any less important.




Here are a few bible versus that I have read that has helped me in ventures to be at peace with my choices in my life...


Psalm 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house.


--What does this scripture mean,well to me is says To bare children be fruitful --


Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house but with her own hands the foolish one tears her down.


-- A wise woman works hard to keep her home where a foolish or lazy woman doesn't.--


Proverbs 31 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good,not harm,all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark:she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a Field and buys it: out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously: her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she hold the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows,she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate,where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.: Charm is deceptive,and beauty is fleeting; but a woman that fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.


--Whew that's a mouth full,LOL Meaning work hard for her home and family and don't shame yourself or your family. --


Titus 2 : 5 To be self-controlled and pure,to be busy at home,to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands,so that no one will malign the word of God.


--This is pretty self explained. To show self control and work hard in your home and not be lazy and to help your husband.--






I know that's alot to read but I truly feel as a woman it's worth a good study. As you read this see how it's relative to your own life.






The Happy Homemaker

Our recent Bible study

This week we have been doing an extensive study on what God's word says about dating. This has been a very interesting study and my sons have had many questions. When we talk about dating as Christians,we are not talking about the kind of "dating" that the world promotes. What we are talking about is more like courting than dating. It is in the bible to do this not to play the feild until one sticks. Not to go from one boy/girl to another. To get involved with someone to early and/or moving into intimate phases of a relationship that should be kept for marriage while unmarried or even worse a teenager.

God tells us in his word to pray and find a wife/husband. Not to maybe sometimes pray when the mood hits me or maybe not pray at all or promise to pray and wait for God's choice for you but then run with your flesh as soon as someone comes along that tickles your fancy. The earliest example that the bible gives us on courting is in Genesis 2:18 It is not good that the man should be alone;I will make a helpmeet for him. The Lord didn't tell Adam hey go play the feild and be full of lust of the flesh and act on it. He made him a helpmeet from Adam's own rib. She was perfect for Adam because Eve was chosen by God for Adam. This is still true today,how do I know. Well first off  the bible tell us God is the same yesterday today and forever. So if he has not changed why would you think that his views on the proper way to find your future husband/wife would change. Why do you think he is going to turn his head and not look while you do things that you know you should not do as Christian young men/women.Young people today are making horriable mistakes by giving of themselves to whomever they feel an attraction to for the moment. How sad is it that our sons and daughter believe this is just how they are suppose to do things. When Jesus himself has made someone just for them and when they don't trust in him to bring he/she into their lives when the time is right,well why should he reward the weak in faith with a prize of the RIGHT man/woman.

God made marraige to protect us. God made marriage to keep us from fornication with the opposite sex. Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable in all,and the bed undefiled:but whoremonger and adulterers God will judge. In other words going from boy/girl to boy/girl and doing things you know is meant for marriage is a sin we all know it. But the world wants our young people and parents to believe this is normal. Noone courts anymore dating is the norm. How is someone suppose to find a wife/husband if they don't date around? How about praying?! God has a mate for our sons and daughters if only they show obediance to him and us (the parents) and be faithful. Keep themselves pure for their future husband/wife.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the worlds way of finding a husbadn/wife is not working it's a very broken system. Based on feelings and attractions that are led by the flesh not the spirit are leading our young people into very dark places. Divorce rates in America are rediculous. According to divorce rate.org the first marriage that ends in divorce in America in 2010 is 41%,wow and we are only 4 months into the year. But if a second marriage is in the work the rate goes up to 60% and a thirld 73%. I think we can see it's not working. Wanting to have a husband/wife is natural but going with the world and following your flesh is very much the wrong way to do it in my honest opinion,and from what I read daily and see on the news I think I'm right for believing this way.

There is a way to insure you are going to have the right person the first time. Pray,parents pray for your son/daughter to, for their future husband/wife. Children listen to the widom of your parents. Jesus tells us he is the way the truth and the light,why on Earth do you think he would ever steer us wrong. Have faith he will reward you with a happy lasting marriage.

The Happy Homemaker

Lessons Learned

I have been spending a lot of time talking with my children about the importance of living below your means. Not only do we talk with them about it but we also try to live be example. I have so many regrets of how we used our money in the past and we are still cleaning up the mess from living that way. If only we knew then what we know now,but could of,should of and would of won't do us any good now. All we can do is pick up and keep moving forward taking what we have learned and instilling it in our hearts and minds. To make it a part of our lives.

Yesterday while with my youngest son Brandon,I asked him,"What do you think it means to live below your means,what are the steps to insure you are doing so?" His answer was very good! He said " you don't go into debt,no loans and no credit cards. I mean it's stupid to get a car loan and it loses value as soon as you drive it off the lot." He said " it's best to save up and buy things straight out then you own it and are not paying more than it's worth buy getting a loan, the same is right about credit cards they make no sense,when you charge things and they are used up and you are still paying on them. How stupid is that! "

Yes he is a very smart boy. He also mention putting God first forever and always. And saving a portion of your income without fail.
What he didn't mention and it's probably because I haven't talked about it as often or gone into any sort of detail about it. That is taking care of all you have to make it last as long as it can.

1. give to God
2. save a portion of your income
3.no debt unless it's a mortgage
4.use up what you have before buying new
5. buy things used or on sale or clearance always try your hardest to get the best price on all things
6. use cash or debit,tracking every penny that comes in and out of your home
7. take care of what you have and make it last as long as you can saving you even more money

my seven rules of living below your means

*Photo provided by dsleonard on photobucket.com*





Happy Homemaking

Take a Look at the rooms your guest see when they visit

Do a little project with me. Go to each room that your guest see when they visit you. It could be the living room,kitchen,bathroom,each home will be different so each list will be equally different. Once you get your list made,grab your camera and take pictures of each room starting as you first walk into the room(s).

Once you get the pictures taken set down to your computer and upload them and take a good long look at them. You will see your home as your guests see it. Do you like what you see,is there clutter that you never really noticed? Do the walls need dusted or washed? A pictures says a 1000 words. Get out some paper and make a list of the things you see that need your attention. And incorperate those things into your cleaning this week or next.

The vital rooms in my opinion are the rooms that are visable to all. These are the rooms that people see when they enter your home and/or visit you at your home. This is also the first impression you will make to others. Are you a good homekeeper,organized and clean or are you a clutter bug. Of course you want the rest of your home to be equally as clean and organized but always make sure that your rooms that guests are in when visiting your home are 1.clean 2 clutter free 3 organized 4 decorated nicely to your taste 5 smells nice.

Did you know that dust carries odors? The thought of that curls me skin I can't stand it. I make a note to dust the trip and doors in my home all of it. The tops as well because dust will set there,yuck! I dust the outlets and light switches as well. Just a tip you might find interesting : )

It takes time to get your home the way you want it. Make sure you take the time to keep it that way. You will feel so great about your home and what it says about you. Others will love coming to your home because of the atmosphere you have developed there and of course your hospitality.

Happy Homemaking

MYO: Laundry Detergent

I know there are many versions for this but I wanted to share mine. So here goes...







What you will need....






1 five gallon bucket with lid


2 Cups borax


2 Cups washing soda


1/2 Cup baking soda


1/2 gallon white vinegar


1 bar of soap




grate your soap into a medium sized pan (I use the 6 to 8 qrt size),cover the soap with water and place on stove and melt over medium heat. Stir constantly to avoid it overflowing and making a big mess.


Once it is fully melted,add the borax and stir until completely dissolved (add water as needed),then add the washing soda and baking soda again stir until dissolved.


To the bucket add your vinegar and 4 C of hot water. Add your soap mixture to the bucket,it will fizz a bit adding it to the vinegar and water because of the baking soda. Stir and stir some more to make sure it's all well blended. Then fill the bucket up with hot water. Add the lid and wait 24 hours for it to set.


 1/2 cup per load.


I use baking soda and vinegar in my recipe because of the boosting power they provide. Vinegar kills germs and odors and is a natural stain fighter. Baking soda is a detergent booster making my recipe work harder and your clothes to come out very clean.




Happy Homemaking

Managing my home like......

When I had my own cleaning business,I knew what each of my clients wanted. When the day that I was to clean their home came, I had a plan of attack that was just for that home based on what the clients wishes were.

It's much like that for my own home. I know what we as a family need and I know how my husband I like our home to look and feel. That's where I start. It's almost like I'm my own client. LOL I run my home like I did my business. I know where to start what to do and when to do it. Having a take charge attitude like this really helps me keep things up the way we like them. Now I don't want to put out the attitude like we never have a messy home because that would not be true. We have 3 children and a dog in the home so you know we have our share of messes.


I get up in the mornings and I know what must be done that day. I know I only have so many hours to work and I start much like I did when cleaning professionally. I start and I don't stop until I'm finished.


Yes when anyone starts a new schedule it's daunting to them and takes a bit more time than they are use to. But I assure you that if you keep doing it,it takes less and less of your time. It becomes more of a habit and can be done rather quickly.


Personally I love my home being clean and smelling good. There's something in knowing that when someone comes to my door,my home is inviting to them. It's free of clutter,because I do clutter runs on a regular basis,and I don't feel a panic when I hear a knock on the door. I don't spend all my time cleaning, I have an alloted amount of time a day that I spend on cleaning and no more. It's taken me a bit of time to get my cleaning down like that only because my list is extensive,but remember I use to clean professionally and that carried over a bit in my own personal cleaning.


 Don't give up. Keep pushing yourself and you will get there.

Happy Homemaking

 

At my house

The above picture is of our Siberian Husky KiKi I took during the blizzard,she loves the snow

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Did you over do it this year eating to many cookies,cakes and pies. LOL That's a yummy part of the Christmas season. : )

We have been dealing one after another snow and ice and cold. It has been a doozy of a winter already. If the first week of winter is to be a sign to the rest of the winter it's going to be a bad one.

Today I am trying to get the house in order again. I made lists for the kids and they are busy working to get their chores completed. I have my list ready and have been working and marking off as I go. We have the tree down and just need to finish putting the decorations down and put them away. I am going to have John help me rearrange our living room. One of the side effect of my disability I can't do any moving or lifting of well much of anything,it's frustrating but that's the hand I have been dealt.

I am going to make cheese burgers with all the fixings for lunch today and make steak hoggies for dinner. The boys are looking forward to eating today. LOL Just like males huh,they do best with a full tummy.

Well I am now out of time,God Bless.

Happy Homemaking

Thursday at my house

The above picture was taken by John's brother and his wife while on vacation on year. Though I don't remember what city they were in,I thought this was such a neat picture. I wonder if we would get a free meal if we went to that resturuant,maybe if we showed our ID to prove we were Johnny and Tammy. LOL

Life has been busy around our house,as it is for many of you I would suspect. I have had so much going on that I feel like my mind is going 100 miles per hour. I had such great plans to bake and bake and bake and bake this year,sad to say I have bakes nothing. Yes that's right nothing,I have been so busy with the kids things and then church and we have had some family problems to deal with. It's just been a very hard year for us all around and this month has been no different,but God is good and still in control.

We finally got our shopping all finished and all things with the help of my dear husband are wrapped,THANK GOD! I have to say that I'm not a shopper but I hate wrapping even more,LOL. But it's all finished up and I am very happy about that.

Carissa is doing great at the Christain school ACA,her test scores are all awesome. Makes me feel so good to see her excelling. The boys are all doing so well,they are keeping their priorities straight which is a big things nowadays. Jason has seen first hand what can happen when you get careless,a friend of his is going to be a dad at the ripe ole age of 16. So sad!

Brandon had his very first high school varsity wrestling match last night,well he actually had 2 and he won both of them. He did so great! We are so proud of him. He has really dedicated himself to this sport and he loves it. He gives God the glory for all he does and he has been blessed for it.

Well it looks like I am out of time so until next time,God Bless.

Happy Homemaking

Learning as I go and being Thankful

I have always wanted a big house in the country. A house that was big enough for the size of my family. What I have instead is a small house that is not big enough for my family and no storage. As a matter of fact it only has 2 yes I said 2 closets in the whole house,and one bathroom. We are on top of each other in this house and have no absolutely no privacy,we are all so close together you can literally hear each word spoken. John and I wait often until the kids are in bed to have our talks,otherwise it's a family discussion even if it's not intended to be. : )

As you can see I still am not happy with our currant living conditions but I'm learning. I am learning to be Thankful for what I have. To see my home as a blessings and not see all the things that need to be done to it to make it more of what I want. To be content with where I am and not want more. Yes I still would love to have a bigger home but it's not a must have. If Lord willing the oppertunity presents itself for us to get a bigger home of course we will. But if that never happens I am learning to be content with what I have and that is a small home that is a fixer upper and that's fine by me. The up side to this home is we have an acre of land,we are in the country,we have nice neighbors that we have known for years,we have a lot of wild life all around us,the house is paid off (that's a big one),it's quiet and calming here. Just about everyone that visits us loves it here. They say it's relaxing and they feel so calm and warm here. That is inpart because of our hospitality but also our home and it's settings.

No it's not what I have always wanted but it's a blessing nontheless. So strange how God works sometimes,we were looking for a bigger home in the country and John got laid off in March. First panic set in but soon I took it as a challenge. It has not been easy by any means, we have had to cut back and trim our spending plan. Our boys have not been able to do things they did before John was laid off. I have been so very tempted to go to work to help but I am unable to. I am still under doctors care and am now disabled and unable to work. So I strapped on my fighting gloves and dug in. Making and doing all that I know to do to cut our utility bills and stretch our food and household items. The one thing we have learned from all this,well there have been many things we have learned,we wished we had all our debt paid off before this happened. Now we are still paying off debt while living off of 60% less income each month. It hurts but we are managing.

We are determined to get out of debt and stay out of debt. We don't even want to get another car loan,they are just not worth it. Instead we are going to keep an account open to save up for our cars and when we get enough in the account saved then we will start our search for a good quality used car. We still have hope to one day have a bigger home but until then we are content where we are.

There are so many lessons in life and we never stop learning them. The key is learning from your mistakes and changing the behavior that caused the mistake in the first place. For example we have struggled in our budget since he was laid off. A few times we have even over drawn due to not watching closely. I don't have to tell you how much that hurts,paying the nsf fees,ouch,that would hurt any budget but when your laid off and living off of only a fraction of what you are use to living off of. Yep that  is a doozy,but learning for our mistakes,we know to be more careful in our spending and more watchful over our money.

Sometimes life is hard and things happen that we just don't understand. I was bitter at first when I seen or heard of guys that worked in the same factory John did and that are still working there. Getting overtime because their work load is heavy but yet the company is not calling back their laid off workers yet. I would get so angry over this ,but even though I still don't like it,God has helped me ease that anger. He has a plan for us and well maybe that factory is not in his plans. We are learning patience and waiting on the Lord. For all things!

Happy Homemaking

How to manage your list

We all get company,some more often than others. And depending on how your company stays will help with how you manage your list. Will they be staying over night,all week,a weekend,are they coming over for dinner or just to visit for a of couple hours.

Either way you need to make sure of a few things if you want to ensure that your home is welcoming to your guests. If they are staying you will want to make sure the guest room is ready for them. Change the sheets,fluff the pillows,deep clean that room and guest bathroom.

No matter how long your guests are staying you will want to make sure that each room that will viewed by them is clean and organized. I do not have my home decorated very well,I took everything down while we were remodeling to keep it from being broken. Since we are not finished yet I am leary to put everything out again. But that doesn't mean that my home can't be cleaned and organized.

The beauty of your daily cleaning schedule is that it should include things that need to be done on a daily basis and will keep your rooms looking good. This will reduce your time of cleaning for company. Nonetheless you should make sure that all rooms friend and/or family may see looks presentable. By doing this along with your hospitality you are ensuring that your guests will feel welcomed .

 If you have company coming this weekend or for the holidays get your list out and start cleaning,decluttering,organizing,and/or decorating so that you will know for sure that you and your home is ready to welcome your friends/family.

Happy Homemaking

Line Drying My Clothes

Line Drying My Clothes

I love hanging our laundry out to dry. I have been doing this for years, beginning the first year of our marriage 17 years ago. My grandmother and my mother did it so it was no big deal for me to begin doing and I never gave a second thought about it.

I remember as a child running around my grandparents farm,also the same house my grandmother was born. I remember so much about those times in my life,they run through my mind like a movie projector. I can still see myself running barefoot and swooping down to run under the clothes line to pass as I was running through the yard to get to my next adventure. Making it to the well where my uncle was drawling water for my grandmother (see there was no running water at that time on their small farm),I turned around and take in the view of the towels and sheets that seemed to go on forever blowing in the wind. I can see my grandmother with her basket patiently hanging the laundry piece by piece until the basket was empty and all clothing was hung and behind her a large vegetable garden of dark greens and bright colors and beyond that the pigs were making their playful sounds. Up from the pigs you could hear the chickens and see them pecking the grounds and wondering around.

Later as I got older it's my mother that I see with her basket full of clothes patiently hanging one piece at a time until her basket is empty. Then she teaches me, at firs it was fun I mean after all I have seen this done countless times. Until our dryer went out in the winter and we hung clothes out and inside to dry,that was no fun and I complained and swore I would never hang clothes to dry when I grew up. LOL I have to chuckle a little at this because if I knew then how I would be now and what I know now I wonder if I would have been saying that.

Now that I am older I look at hanging out our laundry to dry as a tradition women have been doing for generations upon generations. There's something so peaceful about being outside with the soft summer breeze blowing,and me making my way down the line. A lot of time I take this as an oppertunity to talk to God,while I'm making my way down the line patiently hanging my laundry piece by piece until my basket it empty. 

Now it's my turn to teach my daughter the art of hanging the laundry to dry. How it connects you with nature and God and teaches you patience. All these in such a simple act of hanging your laundry to dry.

Happy Homemaking

Better At Home

Better At Home

By LadyLydiaSpeaks

The home is uniquely suited to the woman's guidance. If it truly is a home, and not a place just to sleep and eat, a woman will really enjoy being in it and caring for it. New readers to this site might conclude that being a home maker means being stuck in the house all day. It is in fact, less confining and more varying than the factory worker or the office worker, for here she is free to determine what is the best way to conduct her day. If she needs to go shopping, she may, and if she needs to rest, she may do that.


There is a tendency to read many things about the role of women, especially in a religious sense, and get the wrong idea. Sometimes it is easy to conclude that it is okay for a woman to stay home, as long as she is producing something of monetary value, or running a small business of her own. However, Christ liberated women when His inspired word was written, including Titus 2, which instructed women to care for husbands, children and the house.


There is nothing wrong with a woman having a business as long as she does not feel pressure and it does not interefere with caring for her family and her house. It is actually a shame and a poor reflection on her own religion if her home is neglected, but it is not a shame if she does not have a business at home. Having something to make and sell at home should be a source of relaxation and pleasure, not a source of stress and pressure. It should be only for the purpose of having a little extra money, and not for the purpose of providing a living or replacing a man's work.


If she is to do a really great job at these things, (homemaking) then she cannot have the distraction and competition from too many money making actitivities. What usually happens in trying to create a home industry (which there is nothing wrong with) is that it either gets neglected, or it becomes the most important thing to do. Dishes go unwashed, children are not supervised, and the laundry piles up. Proper meals are never cooked, and the homemaker is always rushing around playing catch-up, trying to make it appear that she has been homemaking all day.


It is better to concentrate on doing the things that make your home a pleasure to be in, than trying to hold down two full time jobs: one of home making and the other of earning money. Many young women think that homemakers clean house all day without pay. However, the women of the 1950's were very smart. They took care of their husband's earnings, and sometimes doubled it by spending wisely. They knew if they were careless and lived a wild life, they could ruin their husbands and waste the paycheck. They "got paid" by their savings accounts and the riches that they collected by making a home.


Later on, some of their houses increased in value and they could sell them and retire somewhere. In the 1950's very few women worked. Single women worked but as soon as they could, they got married and gave up their jobs, and were relieved to do it. Today they are being given a spin. "Why do you want to "give up" a job, "just" to stay home?" they are asked. When it is put like that, it sounds terrible, but what if someone said, "Why do you want to give up your comfortable, lovely home, just to work an ordinary job?"


For certain, many women work because they think they are getting something they cannot get at home: a paycheck, a retirement account, medical care, and other benefits. However, if a woman will work outside the home, a husband these days will certainly let her, knowing he won't have to work as hard or be as concerned with caring for the family. He will rest on his laurels, so to speak, and get less ambitious. He won't even mind earning less than his wife. He loses his pride in being the provider...or maybe today the young men have never felt that certain pride.


I was taken aback to hear a man complain how high his house payments were. He said that his house payments were $1,000.00 a month and they were about to lose their house. I asked him why. He said, "Because Betty, my wife, only makes $1200.00 a month!" Now I have heard it all. Some men, dependent upon their wive's salaries, have sunken to a new low, and women who work have helped them down the ladder by making the men dependent on their salaries.


Women need to let men know they expect them to be the providers and they will be the caretakers of the home. Taylor Caldwell's essay, "Women's Lib," written in the early 1960's showed how women working would make men dependent on them, and where it would lead. Today we see that she was right.


It is also hard on a woman's nerves and on her physical stamina to work a job day in and day out, and then have to take care of the home. While many men are now staying home because their wives have a bigger salary, it is not the best for them emotionally. Women are natural at nurturing and it is healthier for them to be home with their children. Too many times women are pressured into putting their children into daycare so they can hold down a full time jobs.


Women can get all the benefits they need, when their husbands really work. Retirement accounts double and triple, and the benefits in a husband's income are available for the whole family. By being the homemaker, the wife gives the husband a chance to excel in being the provider. There are many people who say that "it works for them" when the woman works, but they will find out just how much physical toll this will take on the woman. Men were created to work "by the sweat of their brow" but the last will and testament of Christ nowhere commands the women to be the providers. Rather, there is a distinct command to "marry, bear children, and keep house." I Timothy 5:14


One can see clearly the results of this: a very busy woman. If she is busy sewing and cooking and cleaning or just being there to guard it, she will not have time for wasteful living. I see young women going into drinking establishments, and as I pass by I think of all the women who stay home and care for their houses. If these women would also do that, they would not have time for social drinking. At home, a woman contributes to the world more than the eye can see at the moment. There is something far greater taking place than just cleaning house. She is passing on spiritual values to her family and her friends. She is showing a greater purpose in life--that of making a beautiful home. That is something that cannot be learned in colleges or schools or places of employment.


Recently in a college history textbook, I read an interesting part that explained to me why so many young women do not think that homemaking and wifehood is the highest a woman could possibly achieve in life. It said, amazingly with no proof and no documentation, that in the 19th century women were not allowed to work. It then went on to claim that the only thing a woman could do was keep house because she was afraid to do otherwise. Young women read these books and do not read the Bible, so they believe that homemaking is drudgery and working outside the home is better. Many of them have breakdowns from the pressure to have careers, which they were not physically created for in the first place. As can be shown historically, most women did not WANT to work, and knew that the more seriously they attended their responsibilities at home, the less likely it would be to have seek employment elsewhere.


Health also can be maintained better at home. When she is not well, she can take it easier. She may get horribly behind in her work but she will never lose her job. She does not have to share her working space with other people with different habits and she can control the atmosphere of her home. Lenin, Marx, and other communists, wrote that housework was demeaning, and that women ought to be liberated from it. These teachings have not been challenged enough and continue to make headway. I wrote an article earlier called "Do What God Says Do and Let Him Take Care of the Rest." It is a challenge to women to go ahead and step out on faith and become the women God made them to be.


Concerning children: there were women of the Bible who had only one, or two children, and some who had none, yet they were counted worthy. Adam and Eve only had 3 sons that were recorded (it isn't mentioned how many daughters they had, but we observe that before Jacob, most recorded families were small compared to his), and Rebecca and Isaac only had one set of twins. Noah had only three children. Jacob's family of 11 is the first really big family recorded, and one of the few large families really mentioned, but then the Bible goes on to show small families again. Moses had only two children, and yet Moses was used by God and was a great man. There were several "one-child" families, as well as some who had no children. This did not mean they could not fulfill the roles they were given. Sometimes people mistakenly think that everyone in the Bible had large families, however the Bible is worded in such a way as to refer to all descendents as "children." It may list the "children" of the patriarch, but the original language in many cases means "descendents." A patriarch would refer to his grandchildren and great grandchildren as his "children." If one will look carefully they will see that although it was a blessing to have large families, many people mentioned in the Bible had only one or two children. Most people desired large families, and women desired to have children more than they desired any other accomplishment, but there were some women with no children who still had a purpose. It is the same in any generation.


Even without children, there is a huge responsiblity when you live in a house. Things have to be looked after, and you can find yourself busy all the time. Each person has the responsiblity to work with what she has been given--whether a lot of children, few children, or no children, and do it to the very best of their ability. Childless women can be happy knowing that God may be using them for something else. Women without children are able to do more for others around them, and can put more time and effort into their marriages and their houses. Those with children can be happy knowing that they have a worthwhile work ahead of them in training those children. There are advantages in both states.


Generally, home is a better place to be. It is here that women can rest, and they can prepare natural foods into good meals, and where they can be at ease.

Happy Homemaking