Life Purpose of Mothers

Timesavers For Busy Mothers

2010-10-12T21:23:00.001-07:00

by: Nick Vassilev

When I look at the stereotype of the 1950s housewife, I think that she (a) is damn lucky not having to juggle running a house AND look after small children AND hold down a job, (b) has impossibly high standards of cleanliness. It seems absolutely ironic that the women's movement allowed women to do more things than housework, but modern living still seems to demand that our houses are just as spotless and germ-free than any 1950s home. Yes, I know that many professional women employ professional domestic cleaners. But some of us take jobs just to be able to meet the mortgage payments and can't afford a cleaner on top of that. Or else we are professional cleaners! You might think that a pro cleaner should have a spotless home, but the truth is that if you spend eight or so hours a day cleaning other people's houses, the last thing you want to do when you get home is do more cleaning... for no pay.

Yes, the men in our lives do help more than they used to. But this sort of arrangement only began with the Baby Boom generation (or even the Buster generation), and you can't really shake off the roles of centuries in less than 50 years. Women still end up with the bulk of the responsibility, even though our men no longer believe that soap suds and vacuum cleaners do not do horrible things to testosterone levels or virility.

For those of us in this situation, I came across some advice in a genuine 1950s women's magazine that my grandmother had hoarded. In paraphrase, this advice was that as long as you have clean clothes on your body and bed, and clean food utensils (crockery, cutlery, pots, pans, etc), you can let the rest slide.

And you have to learn how to cheat. Time is precious, and you don't want to waste all your spare time for house cleaning. Do some, but don't go overboard. I have read that some scientists are convinced that having hyper-hygienic homes is behind the upsurge in food allergies in children - children's immune systems don't get enough germs to work on from their environments so they start working on other substances such as peanuts. A bit of dirt won't kill you (dust, however, is harmful for asthmatics, so vacuuming is essential).

Here's some timesaving tips that have worked for me and other women I know.

1. Tablecloths are simple to pick up and throw in the laundry - much easier than trying to wipe stuck-on cereal off tabletops. Have a selection of tablecloths and rotate them, so you don't put pressure on yourself to get the one and only tablecloth washed, dried and back on in a hurry.

2. Have a designated clean laundry drop-off point and let everyone in the household collect their own laundry as and when they need it if you haven't managed to put it away. My mother used to do this when I was a teenager. I got so fed up with hunting for underpants every morning that I took complete responsibility for my own laundry (cunning old Mum).

3. Don't even bother buying clothes for children that need ironing. T-shirt material, polar fleece, denim and tracksuit-style fleece are durable, easy to wash and dry crinkle-free, especially if line-dried.

4. If you have a washing line, sort clothes ready for putting away as you hang them out (e.g. all towels together, all of Sally's clothes together, etc.). This takes no longer than hanging out laundry the regular way.

5. Have drop-off caddies or baskets in all main traffic areas for dumping those odds and ends that always get left on floors, bench tops, sofas and tables. Guilty parties.

6. If expecting visitors, only clean the rooms your visitors will go into and ignore the rest. They're not going to be going under your bed!

7. My son's kindergarten teacher said that giving small children household tasks and responsibility builds their self-esteem, as it helps them feel like they can contribute and make a difference. My kids, for some reason, seem to like cleaning glass, dusting the piano (cool noises) and cleaning the bathroom (water fights, throwing wet flannels and getting into the bath fully clothed). 8. Designate at least one room as a "no toy" room and keep this as an adult haven.

9. Lower your standards - kids are messy, so don't expect to have a perfectly clean home until they have left it.

10. Keep meals simple. Eggs, pre-washed potatoes, raw veggies and tinned fish are all healthy and easy to prepare.

Come to Jesus - Chris Rice

2010-10-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Your child is a reflection of you

2010-10-12T13:58:00.001-07:00

by Linda Maritez Nowlan on Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 11:16pm

I've been wearing my shoes with dust on them for weeks since I never had time to polish them. This morning I took time to look for the black shoe polish and finally I was able to polish this pair of shoes. Keysha was still sleepy but she asked what I was doing. I told her that I was making my shoes shining. Her response was just "Oh".
This evening after playing outside with kids in the neighborhood, I went upstairs to lay Jayden down on the crib. Then I heard Keysha coming into the room and said "Mommy, look my sandals..it's pretty.." Oh my....I almost burst out, but then I couldn't stop laughing at her. Her red sandals were polished and turned out black and her nose was covered with that black shoe polish. I was laughing because she looked like a clown. She started crying that she thought she was in trouble for touching things she's not supposed to. I grabbed her to the bathroom and asked her to see her face in the mirror. We both laughed together (she's so silly, as usual) . This little incident reminded me again that our children are copycats. They watch what we do and they observe it, and a lot of times they want to be like us. We need to be careful of what we do and say, because they will imitate us. If you teach them good things, most probably, they will do good, if you talk to them with good languages, they will say the same things. They are the reflection of us.

Jesus: In different wardrobe

2010-10-12T13:56:00.001-07:00

by Linda Maritez Nowlan on Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 7:47am

Yesterday, I went to Walmart to do a little shopping with a limited cash on hand. When I walked down to the parking lot, a lady approached me. She said that she hasn't been eating for almost two days, she hadn't had a shower and she felt embarrased to ask for money. She offered to wash my car to earn money to eat. At first, I was kinda sarcastic because a day earlier, my bos and I have had a conversation about an article giving facts that homeless people make more money than we do and they don't even get taxed. This phenomenon is nothing new to me, we see homeless people everywhere everyday around the world.... but why yesterday...why after we talked about it...and why me?? There were a few people at the parking lot at the same time and it was a busy afternoon.
The Spirit inside me spoke, so I gave her $5," This should be enough to buy you something to eat in Mc Donalds, I said. I'm sorry I couldn't take you to my house to take shower. She smiled and said it's OK. Her cheeck was burnt, it was over 100F yesterday and she was so sweating and worn out. Some people would've got heat stroke because of the temperature.
Then I left....and had a deep thought, very very deep...I was glad that I didn't reject her. She would've been Jesus, hungry and thirsty and filthy...wearing a different cloth.
Sometimes in this life, we think about the biggest thing to serve people needs, we think about organization, we think about our resources, etc..etc...our eyes are just blind to see the people around us, whether they are hungry, thristy, filthy, hurting, sick...just around us...
No matter where we live, America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Jesus will always show up in an unexpected moment to see if we are faithful, if we worship and praise Him only in mouth or in heart.

Whereever You may lead...I will follow

Blessings to you,
Linda

Mother, how are you today?

2010-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Mother, how are you today
Here is a note from your daughter
With me everything is okay
Oh, mother, how are you today