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From ladiesagainstfeminism.com Lady Lydia Speaks  Elizabeth's Hydrangeas by Xiaogang Zhu, available from AllPosters.com "What is there to do at home?" If you are a new homemaker, you might receive this question from all sides. This article might be worth printing and distributing to friends and relatives who have questions about the purpose of women staying home and taking care of the business of guarding, guiding, and keeping the house. The Bible uses the words "house" and "home" interchangeably. It should be expected, then, that our dwelling is not just a structure to be looked after, but also a place where real people come together to form good values and bond with each other as husbands and wives, or parents and children. Care of people combined with care of house means there is plenty to be done at home.  Kitchen from BHG.com The house will need to be kept clean and well-ordered daily. Instead of waiting for a cleaning day, develop a routine each morning of going around the house, putting things away and putting things aright, and set things in order throughout the day. Cleaning up after yourself can save you a lot of time in major housework. You might try working in the bedrooms first and then around to the family rooms and the kitchen. This sort of thing is what makes each homemaker unique, because each one knows the needs of her home and family and can adapt the schedule and routine to those needs. Besides this, there are meals to prepare, grocery shopping to be done, and clothes to be laundered. When a woman stays home to do this, she can prevent expenses from mounting up and keep the family budget within the income. When these things are neglected, the costs for convenience foods and new clothes will be astronomical. I believe that we can all live within our incomes if we can get rid of debt and do many things ourselves that we would ordinarily have someone else do. Staying home and doing things yourself means that things like cooking, sewing and mending, haircuts, and home repair can be done at a minimal cost. There will regularly be occasions to prepare for special family celebrations. The homemaker is usually responsible for keeping the family history recorded in scrapbooks and photograph albums. She also keeps clothing regularly sorted as people outgrow them or no longer use them. She keeps the family first-aid supply box replenished. She keeps needed supplies, both food and non-food, in stock. Bookshelves need to be regularly straightened, magazines and papers need to be sorted. Correspondence and bill-paying need regular attention. The list is limitless for the things that must be done to maintain a home and a family. This is further proof of how much a woman is needed at home. Any woman who truly loves her home will want it to be beautiful, and so she will keep an eye out for things that need to be improved. Eventually, the inside of the house will need a fresh coat of paint, or the furniture might need to be refinished. Things will wear out and need to be replaced. There is plenty to do. Using slipcovers on furniture, she can change the colors of her decor without great expense. She can add any kind of embellishment to reflect the season.  Casual porch dining from BHG.com There is no need to tire of housekeeping, because there is also plenty to do outside. In just a small area of yard, many homemakers have made garden paradises complete with birdbaths and trellises. Furniture can be placed on porches, thus creating an extension of the house and an extra room. When that is finished and the winter comes, there will be many things to do indoors that come with the season. In the spring, it will be time to start all over again, but don't think for a minute that it will be repititious or boring. Each year, yard work or house maintenance is a little different and offers new opportunities to be creative. Using flea market finds or "junk shop" castoffs can help you piece together comfortable spaces indoors and out without breaking the bank. Yes, there is plenty to do at home. You'll either be actively engaged in creating a wonderful place to live, or you'll be resting up from the effort. Don't be daunted by the many jobs that come with caring for a home and a family. These things rarely happen all at once. Rather, they are gradual, with different things needing to be done on different days, months, or years. Sensible women know that they don't have to do everything, and that as long as the house is clean and orderly and their families are happy, that is what counts. A woman whose heart is in her role at home will come to instinctively know what needs to be done and will seek to do her very best whenever possible. For the most part, her job lacks the stress of an occupation motivated by product demands, for she is motivated by love. That love is reflected in her home and family.  Cottage room from BHG.com There will always be opportunities to do things for others: a baby shower, wedding preparations, hospitality, visitation, benevolence. The wise homemaker also observes the attitudes and emotions of her own family and sees to their needs. The work at home can provide many lessons for the woman willing to add to her skills: woodworking, painting and refinishing, repair work, decorating, sewing, gardening, hairdressing, clothing construction, food preparation, social planning, writing, educating children, and much more. When you make a determined decision to dedicate yourself to marriage, home, and family, the list of things to do at home is endless. In all that you do, make sure that you remember that the most important thing is the attitude of love you have towards your husband, your family, your neighbors, and your home. Don't look at all this work as though it were a terrible burden. Look at it as an opportunity to be used in a mighty way. For those first-generation-in-a-long-time homemakers, there are now plenty of homemaking sites and weblogs from which you can get encouraging ideas and motivation, as well as homemaking books and magazines. It all may seem rather daunting now, but one day you will be able to look back and smile at the stability in your marriage and your family.  Red room from BHG.com © Copyright 2002-2008 by LAF/BeautifulWomanhood.org
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