...to form a new habit. Just 21 days. Three weeks to change a part of yourself or your routine. I've heard this for a long time and always be intrigued. My problem is that I don't do well with a change in routine and I am not usually one who can just say, "okay, I am doing this, and I will start today." Change is hard under the best if circumstances, even more so if it is learning to do something that is hard for you. I've done it a few times in the past...losing weight after I was done nursing Caleb (25 lbs in 20 weeks), blogging on a regular basis, and...well okay, that is all I can remember in the recent past.
Until now. Today marks 21 days in something really big for me (us). It would be nothing much to most people, but for me it is a big milestone.
My house has been clean for 21 days. Twenty one days in a row I have been able to walk into my house and NOT see kids toys all over the floor. I have NOT seen unmade beds or dishes to be done. I have not seen piles of laundry beckoning me. Instead, I have seen a house that is welcoming to me, to my family, and to others.
I not not a tidy person by nature. I don't really enjoy cleaning. I know some people really do (and oh how I have prayed over the years that I will learn to love it). But it is just something that I don't find pleasure or relaxation in it. Jason, unfortunately, is not very tidy either. Throw in three kids age four and under along with their toys and stuff, add in one pregnant lady who works full time as well as running a business on the side, put it all together in a 750 square foot house and chaos is sure to reign.
I hated it. I really did. And it brought me a lot of stress. Now don't get me wrong, I worked to keep it clean. But the kids could mess up much faster than I could clean and I lacked the energy (or desire) to spend every moment of the day cleaning. The house had moments of looking decent, but it wasn't something that would last for long and before I knew it the laundry would pile up...again...and I would have to spend an entire day doing nothing else. Not a fun way to live.
But before Christmas, we had our flea infestation (and Alaina's severe allergy to them). Because of this, our whole house got rearranged. We switched bedrooms with the kids. Furniture got moved around. EVERYTHING had to be moved in order to vacuum and powder. It was a three week process during which we had family visit, had Christmas, bought some new furniture, and cleaned anything and everything in the house. We steam cleaned the carpets, reorganized closets, and one night stayed up REALLY late putting the kids room back together. And then it was done. The whole house was clean, organized, and looked the way we wanted it. It was that fresh "we just moved in" feeling. And we wanted it to stay that way.
So, Jason decided some things were going to change. Every morning when we were done working (8:30) we would send the boys to school and then we would have our own chore and cleaning time. The kids would help make their beds and pick up any toys that were out. We control the toy situation a lot by rotating toys (been doing that for 7 months) but we still needed a bit more. We got rid of a few more things, found "homes" for each and every toy (so they would know where they go) and gave each of the kids a little cubby for their odds and ends. So, in the morning they pick up and make sure their room is clean when they start the day.
We also put laundry in EVERY morning, regardless of how much there is. Most days it is just one load. It gets done, folded, and put away EVERY DAY. No more LONG Saturdays of 8+ loads of laundry.
The place where we work was finally able to fix our kitchen sink. It has leaked since we moved in and was a major deterrent from doing dishes. The re-piped everything and even hooked up the dishwasher. The dishes get done a few times a day and they get put away when I have a few extra minutes (waiting for coffee to brew, before we head out the door, while I wait for one of the kids to finish eating, etc.)
We vacuum every other day (part of the continued flea control). The boys (Jason, Levi, and Caleb) play trash man every day. The books get put away, the sippy cups are finding their way to the sink, and my coffee cups don't clutter my desk.
Twenty-one days...a new habit is formed.
Our house is lived in. I do not have the desire (nor will I ever) to have sterile- looking/feeling place. I want it to be obvious that it is a place where people play, read, eat, cuddle, and LIVE. Walk in any any given moment and you will see glimpses of our day...a sippy cup on table. A truck book on the couch. Matchbox cars in the place Caleb last was. People live here, love here, sleep here, pray here, and work here. I want my kids to feel like they can enjoy the home they live in. But, at the same time, I want them to learn how to keep a tidy home, how to take care of the things God has blessed us with, how to have a welcoming place for others to come. It is a lesson I have been failing in teaching until now.
And I pray that God will give us the strength to continue to do something that doesn't come easily.
You may wonder why I write all this out. Well, it's because it is an area I wasn't sure I would ever be able to change about myself. And I want to encourage others that whatever your biggest issue is, it can be changed. It can be changed with prayer, hard work, and determination. God will always enable us to do what He has called us to do. God is a God or order and He wants us to live orderly lives. He is giving me the strength (and now even the desire) to do this thing He has called me to. He can do it for you too.
Maybe you struggle with home issues like me. Maybe you know you need to PUT DOWN the mop and spend more time reading and cuddling with your kids. Maybe you need to start exercising and taking care or your body. Maybe you need to set time limits for yourself on the computer or TV. Maybe you need to stop criticizing the people in your life and start building them up more. Maybe you just want to start flossing every day. Whatever it is, you can do it. If we can, you can.
And BTW, our chore time only takes us about half an hour each day in addition to all the little moments during the day of putting things away. Half an hour to a clean house. I never would have believed it.
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Have a great Tuesday. I have my Bible study this morning and then I hope to spend the day catching up emails and other "business" stuff. Need to feel caught up. I hope your day is good and that you can go to bed knowing you did what was most important today.
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