I have been an active student of the mystical "Virtuous Woman" since I was eighteen. She seemed to me to be the epitome of the Christian woman and I want to be just like her. As I first began studying I was overwhelmed with the thought of one day being able to care for a family, run a business and be a good wife as she was. One particular study session as a young wife and mother had me bemoaning (aka - whining) that I simply had too much to do. Of course, the Virtuous Woman could get everything done, have time to run a business and have a terrific wardrobe!! SHE HAD MAIDS! But as the Lord began working on me I realized that I had maids too. At the time of the Virtuous Woman there was no running water, except what she went and fetched from the well. There were no fast food restaurants, unless you count picking up raw fruits and vegetables at the market. (Wouldn't my son have loved for me to count that as a fast food meal!) There was no bread store to run to when she ran out just before company came. The laundry was done down at the river. Her wonderful wardrobe had to be shorn from the animals, turned into thread or yarn, dyed the desired color then woven into the material all before the garment could even be constructed.
Today, we are so blessed in all the modern conveniences we have. The problem is that we are not good managers of our "maids". We do not delegate authority. We all have the washer and dryer down... we at least know how to work them. But do we have a regular schedule of when to do the laundry? Or do we wait until there are no more clean clothes available? Do we dread the thought of Mount Washmore? Meals are on the fly most of the time, yet if we took the time to plan... crock pot meals would be waiting when we arrived at home. Fresh bread could be ready with the use of a bread machine with timer. Even doubling a recipe could feed your family one night and the other half of the recipe frozen for a quick meal weeks later. We haven't even discussed sweeping, vacuuming, bathroom cleaning or window washing!
As the CEO of your home, learn to take the time to plan your work. Production managers at manufacturing plants know that the product will not be put out unless there is a specific plan. Your home is the manufacturing plant; it isn't going to be neat and clean or the family fed without a plan. Are there kinks every now and then that get you off schedule? Absolutely! But with a plan, you will quickly be able to get things back on track.
There are many resources that you can use to help learn how to plan to accomplish your homemaking goals.
FlyLady -- the mantra here is "Baby Steps" and "15 minutes"
Motivated Moms -- printable chore planning system for purchase; includes daily Bible reading plan
Messies Anonymous -- support for Messies who desire to organize home and work
Emilie Barnes -- author of More Hours in My Day and many other books; email newsletter available
Organized Home -- includes a little bit of everything for homemaking tips (including meal planning)
If you need help in meal planning, check out these resources.
Books: (all can be found at Amazon.com)
Once A Month Cooking by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson
Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites by Mary Beth Lagerborg
Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer by Susie Martinez, Bonnie Garcia, Vanda Howell
Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month by Deborah Taylor-Hough
