Seriously?

Remember that big finger of conviction that I've mentioned before that shows up jabbing at my chest? Well, it poked me good this morning. I was reading the latest post from Penniless Parenting and saw my bad self reflected there in her plain and honest confession of being on the computer too much. My husband was teasing me about it recently, and boy did I have an overreaction to it. I read "Penny's" words and while I know I have to use my computer for various things, I recognized enough of myself in what she was talking about to be brought up short.

So, I got off the computer (right after I posted a response >grin<), and in the last two hours I have been busy getting things done that need to get done. I have gotten showered and dressed, given the girls a devotional to work on and instructed them in it, taken the sheets off my bed, gotten laundry moving along, halfway cleaned my bathroom, went over scheduling with the girls, and corrected 4 lessons of math (forever behind in correcting it seems). As I cleaned my mirror I chided my reflection, "Seriously? You can't do a better job of managing your time to get more done in a day?" Yes, I am a busy woman, but I know I can do a better job with the stewardship of my time.

So, what's the plan? Well, my kids have daily assigned chores, but there are still plenty of things that I know need to get done around here that are not big projects but would be good for me to fit into my day in 10-30 minute increments. So here's my -

"Seriously? You mean you have to get on the computer now? You don't have time to do this?" list:

Some laundry

Some dusting

Wash down some dirty walls

Sweep the deck

Some bathroom cleaning

Clean the sliding door in the kitchen

Organize a shelf somewhere in the house

Clean out a bin or shelf in the fridge

Sweep the kitchen floor

After 20+ years of marriage you'd think I'd have this down, wouldn't you? But I don't know if I'll ever have arrived. I realize that my list consists of artless housework, but as I once reflected when my children were young, 'what I do is like knitting a sweater at one end, and life keeps unraveling it at the other.' The Chatelaine's Key has a beautifully written piece on the virtue of rhythmically repetitive labor. Here's a small excerpt:

"My grandmother told me that when I was a grown woman, I would live my life in a sea of labor that was done each morning, and undone before I went to bed. I would wash the dishes and cook meals, only to see them eaten and the dishes dirtied again. I would wash clothes, dry them, and see them back in the hamper. She observed to me that it was necessary that I learn to do something that “stayed done at the end of the day.” She was telling me how important this was to her, and she wanted very much to pass on the knowledge."

Funny how with many things, if you describe them well or tweak your view of them, often rise in esteem and value. And upon further reflection, if I leave my blogging (the thing that stays done) and my penchant for browsing to a more appropriate time, my days' work will settle more easily into their rightful places, as will all else.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Ephesians 5: 15-17