As I mentioned weeeeeeeeeeeeeks ago, I am working on my household book! No, I don’t think I am being too much of a perfectionist, I’ve just been busy with too many other things and it is taking longer than I wanted!!!! Still, it is slowly taking form and I’ve been quite pleased with my progress, other than a few niggling thoughts in the background.

I couldn’t really put a name to these niggling thoughts, until I read these few posts from Morning Ramble:

Running a Household

and

Nana didn’t have a list

For so many years I have spent a lot of time making lists and doing up spreadsheets on the computer. In between, I bumbled along, sometimes doing well and just doing things as they needed doing, or at other times drowning in the amount of things to be done around me. There were times when everything just seemed to flow, and other times when every week seemed like a battle. This is life!

As I was reading Patty’s blog entries I thought to myself - “Yes, this is where I want to be in my own life!” It is a far cry from where I am now, but it is what I want to work towards. When I look at the differences in my life and Patty’s, one thing that strikes me is the simplicity in which she lives. She writes, “Our life was and still is simple.” Even when she had children around her feet, she just did the next thing that needed doing. A simple solution to a complex situation.

Of course in practice it doesn’t seem so simple to me! That is because as I look around me I still have sooooo much STUFF! I have been trying to follow Flylady’s program on and off for many years. I have decluttered. I have decluttered some more. I have decluttered even more…. and still I have too much STUFF!!!! I spend hours every year moving it around. I spend hours every week organizing it. I spend hours getting rid of it!! LOL!

We’re renting a big house, because we have so much stuff. It is costing us money. It requires maintenance… the house and the stuff. In one house we were renting last year we had 4 bathrooms! Ugh! The cleaning!!!! I don’t want to spend my whole day cleaning….!

My life can also be cluttered with other things that take up time - the internet, friends, shopping, activities, etc. At the moment we aren’t involved in any outside activities as we have just been taking time to get used to being back in Australia again, but come next term… we will be starting with some things like swimming and kids clubs.

Back to my household book. I have read many books that tell us that as corporate women who run an organization need planners, etc, so we homemakers do because we are running our own little organization. While I agree with the essence of this statement, I feel that we can become obsessed with it. At times when I had my Flylady routines going well around the house, I didn’t get as much time in with homeschooling. When I had a great week with homeschooling, my routines went out the window. Something just wasn’t working. Flylady works for some, but not for all. I think every homemaking system has its merits, but there isn’t one that just fits me, unless I make it myself. I think we all have to do this for ourselves. Take what works and use it.

So, back to my household book and whether I need it or not. I think for this season in my life I do. I would hope that one day I will be able to be more like Patty and just do things as I see them come up. I already do this with some things, to a certain extent. My routines are in my head, just natural. Other things I need to write down so that I don’t forget them.

Over the next few days I will share my household book with you. I will have some pages for you to download and use if you have your own household book. I will also continue to declutter my house and simplify my life…..!