Last
month we had
our first
Keeper’s At
Home meeting
for the
ladies of
the
church I
attend.
Elaine was
sharing with
us her
thoughts on
organizing
in the
home. I will
share my
notes and
thoughts
from the
things
Elaine
mentioned
and
hope they
will be
encouraging
to you as
well.
Elaine first
started by
mentioning
we need to
have our
spiritual
lives in
order
as Christian
women. Your
home can’t
be a refuge
from the
world with
peace and
order unless
you have
submitted
yourself to
the Lord in
spirit so He
can come
dwell in
your heart
and home.
Then you
change the
physical
reality of
your home
to what it
should be,
because
there is
peace in an
orderly
home. An
example of
how our
spirits
effect the
physical
reality of
our lives
was this. A
missionary
in Africa
spoke of
going in
homes where
he was
preaching
the gospel
to those
who had
never heard
of Christ.
The homes
and the
children
were dirty
and
unkept.
Sometimes
the children
didn’t have
any clothes
on at all.
Once they
became
Christians
he noticed
these
physical
aspects in
the home
changed,
even
to the
children
being clean
and clothed.
Elaine
shared many
practical
applications
for us. Some
of these
ideas she
shared are
as follows:
As you are
getting
ready in the
morning
clean as you
go. See how
long it
takes
you to get
each task
done and in
the future
you could
use a timer
to keep
yourself on
time and
ready for
the next
task. If you
start your
day getting
ready in the
bathroom
pick up
after
yourself.
After taking
a shower you
could
use a
squeegee on
the shower
door to make
it easier
when you are
scrubbing
the
shower later
on.
In the
kitchen
clean your
dishes as
they are
dirty or
rinse them
off and put
them in the
dishwasher.
Fill the
dish washer
with table
dishes, not
pots and
pans. It’s
quick and
easy to wash
the pots and
pans
yourself if
a large load
won’t fit in
the
dishwasher.
If you have
small
children
teach them
to avoid
messes.
Teach them
to eat at
the
table with a
mat and
large plate
to lean
over. You
can use
plastic
color
plates,
cups, and
silverware
for each
child. If
your child
has the
green color
for their
dinnerware
buy them
green wash
cloths as
their
napkins.
That child
can then
wash their
own
dinnerware
and put the
washcloth in
the laundry.
With
the laundry
give each
child their
own color
for laundry
tubs, one
for clean
clothes and
one for
dirty
clothes. You
could put
pictures on
the side of
the
tubs for
children who
can’t read
yet. Maybe a
frown face
for the
dirty
laundry
bucket and a
happy face
for the
clean
clothes. As
they grown
older they
can
fold the
clothes in
the their
“happy”
basket.
Learn to
organize
your
mealtimes.
You can use
something
like Menu’s
for Mom’s
to have a
grocery list
and meal
plan for
your week.
The days of
your week
can
be organized
such as
laundry day
is Monday,
Tuesday’s
are errand
days and so
on. If you
attend
church on
Wednesday
evenings
make sure
you have
simple
dinner
meals to
prepare such
as a crock
pot meal.
If you need
to iron
clothes and
have room in
your closet,
go ahead and
do your
laundry and
ironing for
the week.
Another idea
is to iron
the clothes
for
yourself or
your family
before you
go to bed. I
usually have
my clothes
ironed
for the next
day before I
go to bed
and hanging
so they
don’t get
wrinkled
again
during the
night. I
wear a lot
of cotton
dresses and
blouses so
ironing is a
must do for
me!
An idea for
your
children’s
chores is to
create a
chore chart
with a one
color
for each
child. If
Amy is the
red color
she knows
she will be
bathroom,
dishes,
and feed the
dog on
Monday’s by
looking for
her color on
the chart.
To motivate
your
children
with an
evening pick
up have a
Redemption
box. Your
children
have to get
everything
picked up by
8PM. As you
go around
the house
and
see anything
they left
out you put
it in the
Redemption
box. You do
not put
essential
items in the
Redemption
box such as
a tooth
brush. You
can decide
how
the children
will redeem
those items
in your
family for
Saturday
night
Redemptions.
In your home
you can
consolidate
all ‘like”
items
together.
Such as put
all the
CD’s in one
spot. Keep
all the
sewing
fabric in
the one spot
and so on.
It makes
it so much
easier to
find what
you need and
to sort and
get rid of
extra items.
If you home
school you
can save
back toys
for the
younger
children
that are
only used
during the
school
hours. When
school is
over those
toys are put
away.
One of
Elaine’s
daughters
had a
special doll
that was for
school time
only.
As the mail
comes in
open it and
sort it. You
can have a
basket that
the bills
are placed
in. As I
open bills I
write on the
envelope
“due 9/15”
etc. then
keep them in
order of
what needs
paid in the
basket. It
is important
to have a
filing
cabinet for
paperwork.
Create a
file for
each member
of the
family and
place
important
paperwork in
it for each
person such
as birth
certificates,
immunization
records,
etc.
I really
appreciated
all the
ideas Elaine
shared with
us. I am a
person who
loves to be
organized.
At the same
time I am
not a rigid
“I will
stick to my
schedule”
person! My
Mom would
drop
anything to
go help if
someone
needed it,
and she
passed that
thought on
to me. There
is a reason
to keep a
schedule but
you don’t
want to
become a
slave to it.
There are
times you
will need to
flex
and meet the
needs of
your own
family or
friends
around you,
even if your
house
isn‘t clean.
Another way
to keep your
home
organized is
to declutter
often. I
have cleaned
house for
elderly or
sick people
who needed
help as a
teenager. My
brother,
sister, and
I did the
housekeeping
for my
great-grandparents
when they
were not
able to on
their own.
From these
experiences
I told
myself I
would
never ever
allow myself
to collect
so much
stuff! It is
so easy to
have things
pile up on
you and
before you
know it
you’ve
become a
pack rack.
Even
in this you
can have an
organized
approach to
taking care
of it all.
If your home
is
seriously
overcome
with odds
and ends of
items you
really don’t
need try
tacking 1
room each
month. Have
a get rid of
tub with
you, a trash
bag for
items that
no one else
can use, and
tubs for
storing or
organizing
things you
can’t live
without out.
After my
great
grandparents
died this
“seriously
overcome
house” put
my Mom,
aunt,
sister, and
I to the
test. We did
go room to
room and had
to decide
what would
be garage
sale,
auction, a
family keep,
or
off to the
trash bag.
At the time
there were a
lot of
things that
seemed to be
of
sentimental
value that
we all kept.
After a few
years of
much of it
sitting
in the attic
my Mom took
her box out
and weeded
through what
she truly
wanted
to keep. If
you have a
lot of
sentimental
items I
would advice
this method
so
you don’t
regret what
you threw
away later.
For other
homes you
may be able
to go
through 1
room a week.
I have done
this
before! I go
through the
closets, and
linen
closets
while I am
at it. If I
have
sewn or
bought new
clothes I
try to go
through my
closet and
get rid of
something I
haven’t worn
in the part
year as the
new clothes
go in. This
fall
when I get
all my
fall/winter
clothes out
I will weed
out clothes
from my
spring/summer
set. I’ll
make sure
each skirt
has a blouse
or shirt
that goes
with it, the
dresses
aren’t faded
and so on.
Then I will
give to
Goodwill
anything I
don’t need
or want. The
same thing
goes for
shoes and
everything
in
my dresser.
An idea I
got from my
great-grandma
Schmidt is
to have a
gift
dresser. As
the
year goes by
and I find
something
that would
be a great
Christmas
gift,
birthday
present, or
baby shower
gift for
someone I
know, I buy
it and stick
in the gift
dresser. One
drawer is
full of
wrapping
paper , gift
bags, tissue
paper, and
bows. I have
some folders
in there
with cards
for various
occasions
such as
weddings or
baby
showers.
This dresser
came in very
handy the
summer I
attended
7 weddings.
J One year I
sat down and
wrote on a
calendar all
the
birthdays
and
anniversaries
of people I
would send
cards and or
gifts to in
the year.
Each new
year I sit
down and re
write the
info onto
the new
calendar and
in five
minutes
I’m ready
for the
year!
Once you
start
organizing
your home
I’m sure
you’ll come
up with
plenty of
great ideas
yourself. I
am blessed
to be the
daughter of
a woman who
loves to
be organized
so I’ve had
plenty of
lessons in
real life
growing up.
Take a look
at your
local
library for
some books
on
organizing
so you can
brush up on
or
learn your
skills as a
domestic
engineer.
For more
extensive
ideas on
organizing
your home
check out:
Manager’s of
the Home by
Terry
Maxwell
Books on
organizing
by Emilie
Barnes
Books on
cleaning by
Don Aslett
His books
are
wonderful!
