An Old Wise Saying

"The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."

Proverb 13:4

I don't know how many times I would wish to walk into my kitchen and see dishes MAGICLY disappear!! But...that never seems to happen. Well, there was this ONE time when my sweet husband surprised me and washed the dishes one night (he's done that plenty times before and after that of course).

It's amazing how I'm coming to see how lazy I can be. Laziness is such a sneaky word to me. What I mean by sneaky is that I think sometimes when I just need to be told, "Zinnada, you're being lazy!" I often get nice and sweet words like, "Oh Girl! It's alright! You'll get to it when you can." I know those who have said that to me at times truly meant well. But, sometimes, I really needed to hear, "Girl! You need to just DO IT!" (laughing).

I'm so thankful for friends who would tell me the truth. I remember one time in college, I had one friend who told me the truth about my dorm room. She simply said, "Zinnada, your room is a mess! How do you expect to keep a house as a married woman when you can't keep a room clean now!" I confess, I did roll my eyes at my friend at that time. But, deep down, I knew she was right. (laughing) Since then, I've been growing in housekeeping the older that I get (especially now as a wife and mother).

I believe our housekeeping gets better as we age (if we want it) and go through new stages of life. Now, that my kids are getting older, I'm in the stage of being better able to teach them how to keep the house clean than how I was able to do it when they were younger (and when I was pregnant).

I've been working on a new cleaning routine. I've also been able to come up with another cleaning routine for my kitchen. I've heard a wise saying that says to "wash as you cook" or "never leave a dirty dishes in the sink". Well, I've been working on that and it's been SO HELPFUL!! Here's what I've come up with:

Daily Kitchen Cleaning Routine

Mornings

1. Put dishes away
2. Set up for breakfast
3. Help wash morning dishes
4. Clear out the sink.
5. Wipe down the counter tops and stove

Afternoons

1. Set up for lunch
2. Help wash or load dishes in the dishwasher
3. Wipe down the counter tops and stove

Evenings

1. Assist Mommy with dinner
2. Set up table for dinner
3. Help rise and or load dishes in the dishwasher
4. Wipe down the counter tops and stove
5. Empty trash can set it by the front door to be taken out (wash if needed)
6. Clean the trash can and area
7. Put cookbooks, appliances, or toys away
8. Arrange work area
9. Put table cloth & dish cloth in the washer to be cleaned

10. Sweep the floor

Thank You Lord for how much this is helping me to do better with taking care of the house that You have blessed us with. In Your name, Amen.