The chapter covering Facet No. 3 is a short one entitled “Some are Almosters”.
What is an almoster?
Well Ms. Hoole describes an almoster as:
those who…”just don’t quite make it…Their intentions are good, and they almost make it. They spend lots of time and energy, but they don’t quite reach their goals, they don’t quite get the job done. Their houses are never quite clean, their ironing is never quite caught up, they are never quite ready, or quite on time. “
Sound familiar?
It does to me.
So often I feel like I’m a day late and a dollar short.
Fortunately Ms. Hoole says that there is hope for girls like us. She says that we are already “putting forth the time and energy” and all that we need is “some direction” to become “ideal homemakers”.
Here’s my direction for the week—finish off a tall list that I set aside for spring break and try out something that I’ve always considered something of a dirty word—-a schedule.
(As long as I’m giving up multi-tasking for awhile I may as well give scheduling a go.)
Any of you out there have any great schedules that work?
Or is there something else that gives you direction?
oh geez i think that is me! im still trying to plan our weekly meals and have yet to do it. maybe i should try and stop multi-tasking as well. i always have 10 things going at once.
I recently read “Large Family Logistics” and while my brood isn’t technically “large” I really enjoyed all the organizational and “schedule” ideas she has. You might check it out?
My biggest tip for keeping a neat and tidy home is to take something with you whenever you change rooms. I learned this tip from a girlfriend who manages to do it all perfectly and look fabulous too. When you climb the stairs, don’t pass the pile of stuff waiting to be taken upstairs. Pick something up (or two or three) and take them with you. And teach your children to do the same. What ever items are still on the stairs at bedtime must be retrieved and put away before the kids get stories read to them. Stop passing by the items that can travel with you. It takes some thought and practice but quickly becomes a good habit (kinda like going to the gym). Now I am the woman who everyone that enters my house says…”How do you keep it so clean?”
This has almost made me get up and finish the laundry that is almost done.
What if I’m ok with being an ‘almoster’? I do have some routines, like the aforementioned take something with you when you change rooms. And I do want to be better at planning weekly meals. And now that my oldest daughter is nearly 8 I’m working on having her contribute more to the household duties. But otherwise, the house will very rarely be totally clean for more than 15 seconds, and I’m ok with that.
I do have a sort of schedule, which consists of laundry throughout the week, grocery shopping and one major cleaning item on my no work day Friday (vacuum & dust whole house, bathrooms, or kitchen floor), and the rest of the major cleaning gets done at some point over the weekend. But again, this means the house is rarely totally clean.
If I DO really want the whole house to be spotless, I go for the sure thing. I have people over for dinner. 🙂
I like this series. Thanks!