Keeping a Home

Dear Mothers,

I am writing more about keeping a home organized as Kelly on our response group has asked me about it.

When my children were all home at different ages, I tried to keep one main schedule. This was before I began to homeschool in 1988. Early in the morning after Jim went to work, I would top clean the living room. I would spend like about 10 minutes in each room, just top cleaning, no vacuuming yet.

A few days ago, as Em was here, she was saying that she remembered the old health food store we all went to. Ya know, that one I had written about. I thought it had been torn down earlier but Em said, no, that she remembered going there with her Mom when she was about 5 years old. Emily says, "The new Pioneer stores weren't as good. I didn't like them, as they were too clean." Ya know, Dixie always said that if a house was too clean, then something crazy was goin' on there. If there was no dishes out, or children's toys on the floor, it wasn't right.

I wanted to start writing a bit about the nuts and bolts of homemaking. Some of you pretty much have things worked out, so don't pay any attention to me if I cross your schedule.

When I was a young Mother and raising the children, I would get so bogged down with keeping the house up and the home running smoothly.

One late afternoon, after a particularly trying day, our son Jimmy called unexpectedly from the airport to have his Dad come pick him up for a surprise leave from the Navy. Of course, all Jimmy's brothers and sisters got so excited and wanted to go with Papa to pick Jimmy up.