"To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." Titus 2:5
Home sweet home. Isn't it though? There's no place I'd rather be than home. I am a tried and true homebody striving to be a good homemaker.
I love to be a stay at home mom, housewife, domestic engineer, or whatever you want to call it! While all the other girls had dreams of a career, I have always wanted to a be a wife and mother and stay home to care for my family. This is where my heart is.
I don't have to be away from home very long before I desire to be back. Even with my weekly errands, if I have to make very many stops or am gone for very long, I start to feel guilty about being away from home. I feel that I should be at home, working at home in some way.
I have an amazing husband who probably would not care at all if I spent regular time out of the house for myself. I just have no desire to. First of all, I wouldn't feel right going to do something for me when there were things here that I could be doing. Secondly, I know that I wouldn't enjoy my time away because I would be thinking of the things back home. Don't get me wrong; I do greatly enjoy the rare time that my husband and I get out together.
Am I wrapped up in home life? Yes. This is where my heart is.
In my opinion, being the keeper of the home is the best job ever. However, I am not the best housekeeper ever. Luckily, there's so much more to it than cleaning and laundry. Keeping the home means keeping the heart of it well. To the keep the heart well, priorities need to be in order. God is first, followed by my husband, children, and then the house itself.
When I aim to please my husband, the other things fall into place. Stopping to watch a favorite show with him when he gets home actually makes a big difference. I have tried in the past to make sure all the housework was done before bed because that's what all the cleaning blogs and websites say you should do. When I do that, our couple time in the afternoon is almost gone. It doesn't work for me not if I want a happy home. The priorities get out of line. Who really cares if the rinsed out dishes have to wait until morning? My husband will leave for work before dawn and not be home until almost night. I have plenty of time to do them when he's gone.
There are days when things don't get done right away because our children need extra attention. If I constantly tell them "Mama can't play right now because I have to scrub the tub" or "Mama can't sit with you because I need to wash the windows", it's going to begin to hurt their hearts. (And mine!) They are so much more important than shiny windows. The house itself is getting put above the home. When I realized Better Homes and Gardens will not be showing up for a photoshoot and began to relax, the heart of my home was much better.
My heart is in making my home a happy, peaceful place for my family. Now, there is a certain amount of order required. Messes and chaos do not equal peaceful. I just have to remember there's a difference between house work and "home work".
This somehow became more about priorities at home than a heart for the home, but I think the two go together.
"When a woman says she is a housewife
she should say it with the utmost pride,
for there is nothing higher on this planet
to which she could aspire.”
John Seymour
"Our house is clean enough to be healthy,
and dirty enough to be happy."
Unknown
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