Re-thinking Housework

Yesterday I was contemplating ways in which to maintain a sense of order, without infringing too much on my Beloved's good will.

I am now 24 weeks along with this little and seem to be carrying the baby rather low. Bending over has become almost an impossibility. Which makes picking up rather difficult. Simple things that we don't normally think about. Do you know how quickly the house can look like a tornado hit if you can't pick things up off the floor? Apparently, with 3 of the children under the age of 8, the speed in which it can happen is the blink of an eye! LOL

I have been working with the children on, "If you are done with something, put it away." And am constantly reminding them to pick things up off the floor, but since we are still in training mode (more with some than others), it still gets to looking rather wild around here. Yesterday was my Beloved's day off. He spent the better part of the morning trying to get out of the driveway (major snow storm the night before), and working on thawing out the watering trough; before coming in and helping me with the house. While he did it without complaining (and without me asking), he wasn't the happiest of campers. And while I greatly appreciate his help ~ am so very thankful for his help, I do realize he shouldn't have to give it. However, here I sit, unable to bend over ~ except in an emergency. ;-)

I know that there are women who are totally incapacitated during their pregnancies, and I am grateful that I am not among them, but I do need to deal with my limitations and figure out how to still be a good keeper of my home and decent helpmeet to my Beloved. One of the ways I am doing this is by working more diligently with the children, as mentioned above. Another idea I have come up with is to get one of those long-handled "grabbers" the next time we're in town. That will allow me to pick up stuff off the floor, without having to bend over, or call for help (which even in a household of 7 children isn't always available). I also think that we need to evaluate what is most important to get done, what can slide some, what just doesn't need to be worried about. Pregnancy is just a season, and it will soon be over, and I will once again be able to bend over and pick up whatever I want!

There are different times in our lives, when we may not be able to keep up with our normal expectations, or ideals. While that does not excuse us to let everything go, we do need to re-evaulate (along with our Beloved), and do what we can. It may mean that he has to do more around the house than he usually does, it may mean that you have to hire in help for a while, or for a particular job - such as having a young woman come in and vacuum and do laundry a day or two a week. The most important thing is that we are doing what we can (though it may be little or nothing sometimes), and that our husband still feels like he has a helpmeet, and that his home is still a haven for him.