31 Days to Clean

Having a Martha House the Mary Way

Sarah Mae

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31 Days to Clean | 31DaystoClean.com | Facebook.com/31DaysToClean

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“It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted.” Mary O’Connor

“Long-term, gospel-motivated obedience can only come from the grace of what Jesus has already done, not the guilt of what we must do.”  -Tullian Tchividjian

Introduction

“I don't remember my mother ever playing with me. And she was a perfectly good mother. But she had to do the laundry and clean the house and do the grocery shopping.” –Patricia Heaton

I struggle with managing my home well. Cleaning does not come naturally to me; in fact, I think my DNA is allergic to it. Yet here I am writing a book on cleaning. But see, this book isn’t about how to dust properly or organize your cabinets just so (I am definitely not the person to write that kind of book!). This book is about the “why” and the vision and the heart for taking care of our domains.

The heart of our homes is not in the ability to keep it perfect at all costs; the heart of a home is love. We live in a thing, a non-eternal structure that needs to be maintained. The thing is worthless without the life we bring to it and through it. This book is about bringing life to the mundane in order to love well.

We’re on a journey, a 31 day faith-step journey towards ruling, subduing, and loving. We are forgoing perfection; we are choosing life.

Day 1 - Why Clean?

I have a question for you: Why do you want a clean home? That may sound like a silly question, but I think it’s important that YOU discover for yourself why you want a clean home, and I’m not just talking about the need to keep the roaches away. If you do not own your reasons, you will be unmotivated and quite frankly, bored with the whole idea of persevering in cleaning. However, if you can name it, you can claim it; you can and will be much more motivated to keep going towards your goal. I believe that if you can generate a list of the “whys” then you will be able to look on them and remind yourself day in and day out why you are spending time on the “mundane” things that never seem to stay accomplished. YOU need to have purpose in what you’re doing, you need vision, or you will continue to stay in a rut. Once you figure the “why” key out, you will already be one step ahead of yourself.

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Mary Challenge: Identify specific reasons you want to make your home a haven, and then complete a mission statement based on those reasons.

Write down on a piece of paper exactly why you want a clean home. Be specific. Maybe your mission will be in the form of a paragraph, a poem, or a list. Consider adding a verse or a quote that motivates you. When you are finished, it should take you no longer than a minute to read over your “mission statement.”  Now dress it up! Make it pretty, put it in a frame, just be creative and have fun! Put it somewhere where you can see it every day.

Martha Challenge: Look over all of the Martha challenges in this book and make a list of any supplies you need to get – organizing supplies, cleaning supplies, etc.

Day 2 - Created to Give Life

“Life-giving is about receiving from God in order to give to others.” Barbara Mouser, Five Aspects of Woman

You were created to be a life-giver.

All women are life-givers; God made us that way. Life-giving, in its most basic sense, is raising life above the level of mere existence. We give life physically and spiritually, in many forms. We also give life intellectually, socially, and artistically. We as women have been blessed with the very nature of life-giving! At its core, life-giving is all about love – loving others with what God has given us.

What are some specific ways women give life?

1. •Our Words

2. •Our Home – Decorating, preparing meals, creating an atmosphere of peace, hospitality

3. •Education – To yourself, your children, or others

4. •Church – Using your gifts

5. •Socially

6. •Culture and the Arts

7. •Heritage and Traditions – Enriching the lives around you

“Who is woman? She is the redeemed Life-giver, enlivened by the love of Christ and continuously renewed by Him as she nurtures others.” Barbara Mouser, Five Aspects of Woman

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Mary Challenge: Start looking at your domain as something to make come alive! What can you do today to bring life to your home, your children, your husband, and your sphere of influence?

Martha Challenge: Kitchen – Clean out and scrub down the refrigerator and freezer. Try using 2 tablespoons of baking soda per 1 quart hot water to wash interiors.

Day 3 - 10 Ways to Give Life to Your Home

By Renee Behringer, My Sister-in-Law

1.) Retrain our tongues to give words that encourage, comfort and edify others.

2) Offer life-giving and grace-filled words to husband and children.

3) Make our homes a place of grace where mistakes and sins are not met with anger but with love and hope.

4) Decorate our homes to make home a place of beauty. Beauty raises life above mere existence.

5) Develop necessary cleaning skills and habits; clutter causes stress.

6) Face our anger, anxiety, fear and depression. Our homes reflect our mental/spiritual/emotional health. Ask the Lord to replace these emotions with faith and hope. (Check out the Core Lies Ebook for more information.)

7) Plan regular times away from home to rejuvenate and gain perspective.

8) Persevere in planning fun activities for family on weekends or ordinary weekdays.

9) Play praise or worship music to lift everyone’s spirits. (Even King Saul in the Bible, when the Holy Spirit had left him, was refreshed and calmed by David’s worship.)

10) Ask the Lord: What areas of my home are causing stress or bringing spiritual/emotional/mental ‘deadness’? What can I do to bring life to those places instead to make them a place of refuge?

“And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:10-11 (NASB)

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Mary Challenge: Ask your family what makes them feel the most loved when it comes to you caring for your home – ask them to be specific so that you can begin (or continue) to give life to your domain.

Martha Challenge: Kitchen - Dust tops of refrigerator, cabinets, and shelves. Clean and shine the outsides of drawers and cabinets.

Day 4 - A Place to Put Your Feet Up

Have you ever walked into someone’s home and felt like you couldn’t get comfortable? The whole place was just too clean, too put-together, too…untouchable? There is something to be said for a space that invites rest; a “come-on-in-and-prop-your-feet-up” kind of beckoning. I like places like that. I like melting into a comfy couch that was made for long hours of coffee and conversation.

Cleaning isn’t just about scrubbing floors, making beds, and clearing out clutter (although those are good things), it’s also about creating an environment that encourages people to feel welcomed, loved. I believe one of the ways we can give love through our homes is to have a “put your feet up” atmosphere.

5 Ways to Create a Sense of “Put Your Feet Up”

1. 1.Don’t, under any circumstances, have plastic coverings on your furniture. Nothing says uncomfortable like plastic under your behind.

2. 2.Do consider having some throw blankets and soft decorative pillows around that whisper, “go ahead, get comfy friend, you won’t wear out your welcome.”

3. 3.Don’t make everything perfect. What I mean is, let your home be lived in; let others experience that “lived-in” feel.

4. 4.Always have coffee or tea made (or ready to be made).

5. 5.Be a listener.

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Mary Challenge: Invite over a friend and allow them to “put their feet up.” Don’t worry about making everything just right, instead, enjoy their company.

Martha Challenge: Kitchen - Clean your oven and microwave. Try putting slices of lemon in a bowl of water and microwaving for 2-3 minutes; the steam will loosen up food particles. Don’t forget to wash the exteriors!

Day 5 - Priorities

If you’re anything like me, you have good intentions, but you fall short. For example, I always say that God is first in my life, but is my life reflecting that? Do I spend time with Lord each day? What does my prayer life look life, or my time spent on hiding God’s Word in my heart? You can see where I’m going with this. It’s easy to say what our priorities are, but it’s really important that we take an inventory of them so we can honestly evaluate where are weaknesses are, and where we need to find ourselves bent down before the throne of grace. See, only the Holy Spirit can change us; our striving will not “fix” us. We can take one step at a time, by faith, but He will do the hard and necessary work from the inside out.

A Sample List of Priorities (these are mine-maybe yours are similar):

1. God

I want be in constant communion with Him, growing deeper in relationship by prayer and time in His word.

My work-in-progress goal: Get up early each day to sit at His feet. If this doesn’t happen, I won’t beat myself up, I’ll just try again the next day.

Verses/quotes of motivation:

“In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” Psalm 5:3

“In your presence is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11

“For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.” Jeremiah 31:25

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” Mark 1:35

2. Husband

I want to be a faithful, life-giving wife, bringing help, comfort, and companionship to my husband; I want to be his biggest fan and his best friend. I need to be a soft place to land for him when his long day is over.

My work-in-progress goal: Respond to him lovingly and intimately. Make an effort to serve him first. Be careful not to nag. Show respect. Give him and myself tons of grace when we mess up.

Verses/quotes to motivate:

“A wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1

“She does him good and not evil all the days of his life.” Proverbs 31:12

“Man finds fulfillment and glory in two main areas-work and love. When he succeeds in his work, his masculinity is confirmed. When a man wins the woman he loves and she responds to him sexually, he is marvelously glorified as a man.” Barbara Mouser, Five Aspects of Woman

3. Children

My goal is to train my children in the Lord, so it is imperative that I have the time to plan bible times, activities and fun things for them. I also want to home school, so I must get my time under control in order to plan and execute homeschooling properly. I also want to just have fun with them – carved out times in the day that are theirs.

My work-in-progress goal: Work hard at getting my home in order so that I can be freed up to spend time with them, not worrying about all I have to do. Gain control of my time and schedule so that I have adequate time to plan activities/schooling for them.

Verses to motivate:

“Teach them to your children, And talk about them When you sit at home And walk along the road. When you lie down and when you get up. Write them down and tie them on your hands as a sign. Tie them on your forehead to remind you and write them on your doors and gates.” Deuteronomy 6:7-8

“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

4. Home

I want a clean home – not a perfect home – but a home of comfort and peace. I want a place where my children feel security and warmth, my husband has a haven, and a place where people can show up and make themselves at home. I also want to take pride in the domain God gave me to manage.

My work-in-progress goal: Work hard, putting off laziness, and putting my family before myself by taking care of the home God gave me.

Verses to motivate/quotes to motivate:

“She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:27

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for me…” Colossians 3:23

“Do all things without grumbling…” Philippians 2:14

“Hospitality is the message you give a person about their value.” Phyllis Stanley

5. Gifts

I want to use the gifts and talents that God gave me to strengthen the church and be a light to the world around me.

My work-in-progress goal: Use my specific gifts to continue to facilitate bible studies.

Verse to motivate:

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10

6. Personal

I want to carve out time to sharpen my skills, enjoy my hobbies, and fill my cup! I’m putting this last, not because I don’t think it’s important to develop ourselves as women, but because I believe the other things come first. Plus, I will be able to enjoy “my” time more if I have everything else in order.

My work-in-progress goal: Take time for the things I enjoy!

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Mary Challenge: Come up with list of priorities that make sense for you and your family (I suggest rating them, 1-5, to evaluate how you’re doing).

Martha Challenge: Kitchen – Wash your window treatments and/or clean your blinds. Wash the inside of your windows.

Day 6 - The Six List - The $25,000 Piece of Advice

I used to be a Mary Kay lady. It’s true! Lipstick, red jacket, tights and all! And I have to say, I’m thankful for my Mary Kay days because of one very important piece of information I was introduced to: The Six Most Important Things List.

The “six list” originated during the 1920’s when a man by the name of Ivy Lee revealed his secret to success to Charles Schwab, the owner of a steel company. Lee charged Schwab nothing to share his secret, but only asked that Schwab would pay him what he thought it was worth after trying it out for 90 days. Well, it worked. The six list secret worked so well that Schwab wrote out a check to Lee for $25,000 (this during a time when an average worker made just under $600 a year). So, what’s the secret?

It is so very simple.

Every night before bed write down the top six things, in order, that you need to accomplish the next day (no more than six). Then, go systematically through the list, completing the tasks in order, crossing out each thing as you go.

The story goes that when Schwab sent Lee a check, he also included a note saying the advice was the most profitable business lesson he ever learned. I’ll bet it is just as profitable in other ways for us homemakers. Want to give it a try?

Read the $25,000 story about the “six list” here.

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Mary Challenge: Print out the attached Six list and use it for six days in a row. Put the most important things first, and then finish them in order (do not skip around). What you don’t accomplish on that day’s list put at the top of the next day’s list.

Martha Challenge: Kitchen – Clean out and organize all your cabinets.

Day 7 - The Curse (What We’re Up Against)

Raise your hand if…

You ever wonder why it’s so difficult to keep up with your work…to keep “on task?”

You ever feel like no matter what you do things just get messy anyway so why bother?

You feel depressed and overwhelmed at the work that just keeps piling up?

Friends, there is a reason that the laundry keeps piling up along with dishes, that the dust settles, and that work in general just seems so unproductive. Two words:

The Curse

That’s right, the Curse where God pronounced judgment on our domains:

“Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field…” (Genesis 3:17-18)

Because of Adam’s sin (he is ultimately accountable for the fall, not Eve, because he was given responsibility for life and work in the garden before woman was created) our domains rebel against us as we have rebelled against God. Our commands to rule, subdue, and be productive are all the harder to fulfill. Everything is heading toward decay, and we are striving against it. No matter how many loads of laundry we do, there will always be dirty clothes. No matter how many times we clean the kitchen, for as long as we live it will get messy again. This is all part of the Curse. Work is not the Curse, unproductive work is.

Characteristics of the Curse (from the Five Aspects of Woman Bible Study):

1. •All of creation now tends toward death, decay, and disorder.

2. •Work is not the Curse; unproductive work is the Curse (destroys your labor).

3. •Pollution pictures sin.

4. •Evil is temporary and abnormal.

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Mary Challenge: Read Romans 8:20-21. What is the hope in the Curse?

Martha Challenge: Kitchen – clean out and organize your pantry.

Day 8 - Overcoming the Curse

On Day 7 we talked about the curse, and how because of it our domains rebel against us. How in turn we are left feeling overwhelmed and depressed at the mess that just never seems to stay cleaned. How do we overcome this? How do we use it to motivate us?

Here’s how:

We have to keep our eye on the eternal value of our work. If we are in Christ, then everything we do not only has value here on earth, but it has value for eternity. What we do actually earns us rewards that will last, literally, forever. We have work that was created by God for us to do, and we have the power, approval, and authority to carry it out. We also have to remember that the Lord is using our domains and the struggles therein to perfect us in our worship and service to Him.

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1: 2-4 (NASB)

How we take care of our domains – how we stay on task – is all about our response to God. He gave us our domains. He gave us, as women, the ability to give life to them! We have to decide what our response to Him will be. Will we respond grudgingly and feel hopeless because it’s just another “rule” to follow, or will we accept our tasks with joy; giving thanks for all the goodness and blessings we have been given? Remember, He knows our weaknesses, and He’s not looking for perfection, (He already sees us as saints if we are covered in the blood of Jesus)!

Taking care of our domains is something to take joy and honor in, and ultimately is something that will lead us toward Christ like character and humility.

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Mary Challenge: Think back to a time when God refined your character through difficult circumstances. Write it down and thank Him for His faithfulness.

Martha Challenge: Kitchen – Clean out and organize your drawers.

Day 9 - Confronting Laziness

“She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.” Proverbs 31:27 (NLT)

“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.” Martin Luther

Laziness…the snare we willingly step into.

I have had to confess my sin of laziness time and time again, but it’s hard. It’s hard because I don’t want to admit that I struggle with being lazy – tired maybe, but lazy, not me! Well, it is something I have to confront daily, and I know I’m not the only one. If laziness is something you find yourself in, the first thing you need to do is confess this sin to the Lord, and then allow His grace to wash over you as you seek to have a spirit of diligence and reliance on the strength of Jesus.

Words of wisdom in confronting laziness:

“So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed with all their tragic effects that too little attention is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans.”Colossians 3:23 (God’s Word Translation)

“When someone asks where you work, don’t answer, “I don’t work; I stay at home.” Instead, answer, “I work at home.” When you manage your home, plan the meals, handle the finances, juggle the calendar, and make sure that family members enter the world relatively groomed and sanitized, you work a lot. Think of yourself as the COO of the home.” –Tsh Oxenreider, SimpleMom.net

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Mary Challenge: Every time you find yourself saying, “I will do that later,” I want you to stop and pray, asking God to give you a spirit of diligence. Then, with an obedient heart, go to work. If (and when) you fail, allow His grace to lift you up and begin again. I know you can do it!

Martha Challenge: Kitchen - Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors. Add some fresh flowers to brighten your day.

Day 10 - Feeling Overwhelmed

The house is a mess. Dishes all over the counter tops, toys everywhere, papers askew, laundry piled up and overall “I’m-so-behind-on-life” disarray. It’s depressing just looking at it all. “Didn’t I just get this messed cleaned up?”

When I look around at the mess, I see Mount Everest. I get stuck, I feel depressed, and I have no idea where to begin…or if I even want to. I just feel so…overwhelmed sometimes.

After learning about the Curse, I at least have a clearer perspective on my housework. I can see the eternal reasons for taking care of my home and family, and the immediate gratification of a well-kept home is like the cherry on top. But I still struggle with being overwhelmed from time to time; what’s a girl to do?

Here are some things I’ve come across that have been helpful:

When the house is a mess, only work on one room at a time.

This little nugget of advice has helped me so much! I tend to just start cleaning, haphazardly moving from room to room, cleaning a little here and a little there. Then I started only doing one room at a time – what a difference! I stay focused on my task, and when I’m through with one room, I can look at it and see results.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Sally Berger

Be generous to your trash can.

Throw things out! The more things I realize I don’t need and can definitely live without, the less stress I create for myself. Just let it go!

Get rid of half the toys.

I’m serious. Okay fine, maybe for you half is too much, (or not enough), but the point is, your kiddos don’t need to have out 5000 things. Grab the toys that the kiddos don’t play with all that much, (or just won’t even notice they're gone), and either get rid of them or send them to the attic, (you can always pull them out on a rainy day).

Do the 15 minute thing.

FlyLady says to put the timer on for 15 minutes and go to work, doing everything you can in that time frame. It is helpful, especially to those who like a challenge. Throw in some Pandora radio and you are set!

Just get moving!

I spend so much time fretting and being overwhelmed that I stay stagnant, which leads to me feeling worse, and then ultimately, I give in to laziness and a “why bother” attitude. Just get up! Force yourself to do SOMETHING.

“Action is the antidote to despair.” Joan Baez

Envision the big picture.

You know that warm and comfy feeling you get when you walk into a home that is well taken care of, clean, and inviting? It’s not sterile, (I know people who actually put plastic coverings on their furniture – how uninviting), but tidy, warm, and peaceful. That’s the kind of home I want, and that the kind of home that motivates me to see the big picture instead of the piles. What’s your big picture?

Get off the computer.

This is probably the best advice I can give you. For me, the more I’m on the computer, the more depressed I get and the less I do. Shut it down friend. 

Keep your eyes on the goal.

Getting our work done while pushing through the tough, I believe, will reap eternal rewards. Your family, (and yourself), will be more comfortable and less stressed - think on this as you persevere up the mountain. The view from the top will be exhilarating, (or, at the very least, peaceful...and clean).

Get something new for your home that brings a smile to your face.

Buy or find something to put in your home that matches the vision you have for your space. Perhaps it will be something unique from a yard sale you go to this weekend, or something beautiful that lifts your spirit. Whatever it is, find it, place it, and enjoy it.

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Mary Challenge: Light a candle, find a cozy spot somewhere quiet (only for 10 minutes – send the kids outside, wait until naps, or pop in a DVD), sip on your favorite beverage, close your eyes, and envision your big picture. Think about your home and what you want it to be. Do you want it to be a place of refuge? Inviting? Warm? Fun? Picture your home in all its clean and organized glory, and then burn the image into your brain and heart. Now grab your journal (or notebook, or scrap of paper) and write down your big picture. Ask God to help you physically create the vision for your home life.

Martha Challenge: Living Room – Clean your window treatments and wash the inside of your windows.

Day 11 - Limitations (Life is Hard)

"God is good, & life is worthwhile in spite of its pain. I am regaining the joy of giving by accepting the pain & struggle. I do all I can to alleviate my sufferings & those of others. But even when pain & death do hold sway, I am not utterly quenched or without hope. At the depths of suffering, I keep finding Christ who is there before me." Barbara Mouser, Five Aspects of Woman

Babies, homeschooling, sick kiddos, depression, emergencies, etc. all limit our ability to run our days according to our ideals.

For example, last night I set my alarm for 5:15am, went to bed with a smile on face fully planning on rising early, reading my bible, and finishing this ebook (which has a deadline). Guess what happened a little after 11pm? My dear little boy got sick (the gross kind of sick). A bath, new blankets, and lot’s of love later…he did it again…and again (they never seem to hit the trash can!). Then my little two year old woke up and would not sleep. I finally faced reality and turned my alarm clock off. Life happens. We need to recognize our limitations and just accept them; the more we fight them, the more we bang our heads up against a wall that isn’t moving.

If you are someone struggling with pregnancy, depression, chasing after little ones, balancing job and home, etc., just do something. Make your bed, vacuum; put some flowers on your dining room table. Do one small thing to bring life to your home even if you don’t feel like you have much life in you at the moment.

I’m going to leave you with something I wrote a while ago on one of my good days. It reminds me of what to look forward to – a future hope:

“Some days I wake up and I am so tired and I feel so gloomy…my spirit inside yearns for more, but my body halts me. Then there are days like today when I wake up and feel so fantastic-physically and mentally! My giddiness totally pushes out the darkness of the day and I hear the birds sing instead of the rain fall (although I do love the rain!) Why is this? Why can’t I wake up ready to take on the day every day? Why is it that on days like today my coffee is only a supplement instead of a defibrillator bringing me back to life? I want my life to be a light shining for my children…I want them to see a bouncy, jolly homemaker whizzing through her tasks with all the joy of the Lord! Boy do I fall short! It’s days like today that I glimpse what heaven will be like and my body and its physical limitations and weariness will be but a shadow…”

“And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9, NASB

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Mary Challenge: Let grace cover the areas you cannot change. Don’t beat yourself up or think you aren’t doing enough. God knows where you’re at; His grace is sufficient.

Martha Challenge: Living Room – Wash your walls and dust the ceilings.

Day 12 - The Thing We All Have in Common-Imperfection

No one has it all together, not even your super organized cleaning friend you’ve been wishing to be like.

She is not perfect, and neither are you. And that’s okay.

We have Jesus’ perfection imparted to us for all of eternity if we know Him (Hebrews 10:14).

{Deep sigh of relief}

So, what’s all the fuss over getting it all together? Life is just one big faith step we take one day at a time. We are all just walking it out, doing our best as we fight a sin-saturated world that pushes hard against us. Give yourself a break, friend. You’re not alone in your struggles or your feelings of failure. And you don’t have to be good enough. Your worth does not lie in your ability to clean well; your worth and value lie in Christ alone.

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” Harriet Braiker

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.” George Fisher

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Mary Challenge: Think about some areas in your life where you have been striving to be perfect (or nearly so). Perhaps you are comparing yourself to another mom, or putting unnecessary burdens on yourself because of what someone has said or written. Take these areas before the throne of grace and ask God to replace any lies you are believing with the truth.

Martha Challenge: Living Room – Clean and organize shelves and electronics. Shine wood furniture.

Day 13 - Fighting Fatigue

Do you ever wake up feeling like a Mac truck hit you…and then ran back over you?

There are some mornings where that’s exactly how I feel. It doesn’t matter how “organized” I am for my day, if I have my priorities staring me in the face, or a routine to kick my behind in gear, when I’m tired, I’m useless.

Here are some “energizing” tips I’ve found that may help you push through your fatigue:

Move

Apparently, inactivity makes you more tired. This means you need to do something…like running, dancing with your kiddos, kickboxing, swimming, hiking, walking, or…cleaning! 

Only get the sleep you need

Turns out, I function much better on six to seven hours of sleep as opposed to eight. In fact, when I have more than eight hours of sleep, I’m like a sloth…I just want to sleep more! Figure out how much sleep you really need, and then get it. Try experimenting with your sleep patterns, keeping track of the times you lie down and wake up. Write when you feel most rested – maybe you will see a unique pattern that works for you.

Remember how we talked about feeling overwhelmed?

Well, work on the suggestions I gave on overcoming feeling overwhelmed (Day 10) because evidently, stress makes you tired too.

Increase your magnesium (this one’s out of the blue!)

This is what Colette Bouchez from WebMD has to say:

“In a study done at the Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, N.D., women with magnesium deficiencies had higher heart rates and required more oxygen to do physical tasks than they did after their magnesium levels were restored. In essence, their bodies were working harder which, over time, says Heller, can leave you feeling depleted.

The recommended daily intake of magnesium is around 300 milligrams for women…”

Have a snack!

Add a handful of almonds, hazelnuts or cashews to your daily diet.

Increase your intake of whole grains, particularly bran cereal.

If you’re not prego or nursing, my number one suggestion is: CAFFEINE! Allow yourself to indulge in some of it, preferably in coffee. 

“Planning for your energy involves thinking about your meals, sleep hours, workout schedule, and stress management ahead of time and making time for them.”

- Dulce Zamore, WebMD

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Mary Challenge: Pick something (or a few things) on the above suggestions list for fighting fatigue and put it into practice for one week and see what happens.

Martha Challenge: Living Room - Steam-clean carpets or area rugs and wash wood floors.

Day 14 - The Secret to Having Energy

I have tapped into an energy giving secret.

Are you ready for it?  It’s just so simple…

Allow yourself the freedom to do something you get jazzed about.

Seriously, that’s it, and let me tell you, it works!  Find something you thoroughly enjoy, something that makes you come alive, and then make time for it in your schedule.  When I do this, I don’t drag as much.  In fact, I become a much more effective wife, mommy, and homemaker. (Disclaimer – if your “jazzy” comes at the expense of your family, it’s not worth it).

So whatever it is that makes you come alive, gives you energy, gets you jazzed, carve out a couple hours in your week and go for it!

Maybe you will even find yourself exploring how you can combine your jazzy activity with your main priorities.  Wouldn’t that be a lovely and energizing collision?

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Mary Challenge: Figure out your “jazzy,” what makes you come alive, and then see if you can find a way to incorporate it into your week.

Martha Challenge: Bedrooms – Clean and store winter bedding. Bring out your summer bedding! Flip your mattress. Wash your pillows.

Day 15 - I’d Rather Do Anything But Clean (Motivation)

Unless I’m in some crazy cleaning groove, I would rather do anything other than clean. I relate with all of you out there who struggle with the motivation to clean.

It’s not that I don’t like having a clean, peaceful home; it’s that I find cleaning terribly boring. However, cleaning is part of life, and it must be done or life becomes chaotic and stressful (if not for us, for those around us). Here are some tips to help you get into perseverance mode (A.K.A. a cleaning groove):

1. •Read over your mission statement (you should probably do this every morning).

2. •Put sneakers on, so says the FlyLady (it actually helps – you feel like you should move when you have sneakers on!)

3. •Do the hardest thing first. You know that chore that feels like a mountain (for me it’s the kitchen…and laundry…)? Climb it before you do anything else. Once you “eat that frog” everything else will seem like a mole hill.

4. •Play music and dance while you clean.

5. •Get your kiddos involved and make it fun. Have a competition to see who can clean different rooms the fastest – have a prize.

6. •Remind yourself how happy your husband is when he comes home to a clean home…think about your children enjoying a clean environment (for the most part-I know how it is with kiddos!). Think on the eternal value of your work.

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Mary Challenge: Write up a lesson plan for your children about the eternal value that taking care of your domain has. Find scripture, inspirational quotes, books, anything, that will reinforce the “why” behind getting ourselves in gear to clean. There is just something about teaching our children that will dig truth deeper into our own hearts.

Martha Challenge: Bedroom – Wash mirrors, walls, and insides of windows. Wash window treatments.

Day 16 - Willing Hands

“She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.” Proverbs 31:13 (ESV)

Even though it’s hard to get motivated to keep consistent when it comes to cleaning, do you have a willing heart to keep things clean? Do you have willing hands?

If you’re anything like me, you dream of the ideal…

But then your ideals fall flat. “I just can’t ever keep it together!” we moan. I now know that my problem is not my inability to pursue my ideals, it’s the fact that I stay stuck on the word “can’t.”

I can pursue my ideals and I can do them {mostly} consistently, with the Lord’s help and grace.  My block is that I always think they are out of reach, which in turn keeps me in a rut. I give up, my hands stop being willing.

But you know what?

I am healthy (praise God), I am able-bodied, and I have the ability to practice self-discipline.

I can follow through with my ideals. I can choose to let go of perfect and instead cling to “do-something.”

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Mary Challenge: What’s your block? What’s holding you back from allowing your ideals to guide you in the day to day? What can you do about it?

Martha Challenge: Bedrooms – Steam clean carpets or area rugs, wash hard-wood floors.

Day 17 - Your Cleaning Style

Let’s be honest, we are probably not going to become Martha Stewart. That’s okay.

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me…You…are intimately acquainted with all my ways…For You formed my inward parts You wove me in my mother’s womb…” Psalm 139:1,3,13

God formed our personalities and He knows how we work and how we don’t. He knows where we struggle and where we excel. If you are not a naturally “neat and organized” type A personality, just accept it, and live out of who you are. I used to beat myself up all the time, “if only I were like so and so, I would be such a better wife, homemaker, mother…” These are thoughts from the enemy! We do have a responsibility to our families and the domains God gave us, and we must lay down our flesh minute by minute, by the grace of God, to do our best. However, let’s not get trapped by perfection, comparisons, or any other distractions that steal away the truth that God loves us and we are a work in progress!

With this said, I want you to think about your personality style, and what works for you. Maybe you love the idea of having a schedule and you are great at writing one out, but when it comes to actually following it, well, let’s just say, not so much! Perhaps, for the time being, you need to not be scheduled, but instead focus on getting certain things accomplished by a certain time in the day. For example, set a goal to have your kitchen clean before breakfast, or maybe for you mornings are better spent hanging out with your kiddos and just gathering yourself for the day. So for you, you might say, “I will have my kitchen cleaned by noon.” That’s a realistic goal that doesn’t put you in a box…there is freedom in flexibility.

My number one rule is: DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP! I don’t care how many times you “fail,” don’t quit, press on, and know who you are in Jesus. Figure out your cleaning style, and go with it, not trying to be anybody else. Work hard, get what you need to get done, confess laziness, and accept God’s grace. Oh, and know that you are not alone – I’m here encouraging you!

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Mary Challenge: Take the D.I.S.C personality test (http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/aw8npyx/DISC-Personality-Style) and allow yourself to get to know you better.

Descriptions of the different D.I.S.C types: http://www.discinsights.com/cyber/scripts/disc.asp

Martha Challenge: Bedrooms - Clean and organize shelves. Shine wood furniture.

Day 18 - Making Your Personality Work for You

I think it is super helpful to understand our personality types. I do not think we need to solely rely on them or become obsessed with them, but they can serve us in helping us better understand our strengths and weaknesses, and how we can use them in our cleaning/organization efforts.

Today we’re going to look at the best ways to get and stay motivated for each personality style. Here we go!

The “D” Style

You are very results oriented and you like the bottom line. You’re not into routine, and you want the fastest way possible to get your work done. You thrive on challenges, and you are also a great motivator. Let’s use these qualities to get you moving!

Motivation: Challenge

You need to be challenged, so try giving yourself a challenge each day. Maybe it’s one big challenge, or a few small ones. Either way, you will achieve real results if you meet your challenges. If, for example, you want to go to sleep in a clean bedroom each night, challenge yourself to spend 20 minutes a day straitening up your room and making your bed. Challenge yourself to do it during a particular time of the day until it becomes habit (say between 9 and 9:20am every morning). You need to see results or you will soon give up, so developing a habit for you is imperative! Heck, challenge yourself to form a new habit, just one, and give it all you’ve got!

The “I” Style

You would rather do practically anything than clean! You’re super fun and very people oriented, so cleaning your home, with no one to really talk too but little ones, is extra hard on you. If only you could have someone over every day to talk and clean with you, this whole cleaning thing wouldn’t be so bad!

Motivation: Positive Feedback/Fun

Here are some ways you can get motivated:

1. Reward yourself (or have someone reward you) for doing certain tasks. For example, if you keep your home in order and clean for a week, your husband takes you out to dinner (or some other fun thing). Work something out with your hubby where you are rewarded for your work – have tangible goals that you have to meet, but keep them small and realistic – you are not detail oriented!

2. Have fun with cleaning! Play your music loud, dance while you clean…just make it fun!

3. You dream of having a clean home, but you just don’t think it’s possible with your personality. It is! You can and will have a clean and welcoming home! Just think, if you can keep your home tidy, you will be more willing to have people over and be the fun hostess that you are!

4. Ask your husband/friends/kids to tell you when you are doing a good job – you need all the positivity you can get. Negative feedback just puts you in a slump!

The “S” Style

You are a sweetie! You S types are so friendly and soft, you make us D types melt! You are extremely loyal and supportive; you need security and stability. If someone is willing to gently guide you and teach you ways to be clean and organized, you will fair very well under their authority. In fact, you enjoy having someone guide you, you find comfort in it.

Motivation: Affirmation

You need to be affirmed in that what you’re doing matters, and that you’re doing a good job. Some tips to help you would be:

1. Ask your husband or kids to affirm you when you do a good job

2. Affirm yourself! This may be difficult for you, but when you complete a goal or give your best efforts at something, tell yourself, “good job!” Thank God that He is the ultimate provider of stability and security, and His promises will never fail.

3. Find a program that teaches and guides you – you can find plenty on the web, such as Flylady.

The “C” Style

You are a super detailed person, and you love structure and quality. You are a natural organizer, but you can sometimes be critical and perfectionist, which can get in the way of the big picture. You seek facts, and you want to know the most systematic way to get things done.

Motivation: Structure

Make a schedule and get yourself into a routine (seriously, like I need to even tell you this!). You won’t have much trouble with consistency, but what you may have trouble with is how to do everything “right” and still relax to spend time with your husband or kiddos. You need to have realistic expectations – get what you need done, but don’t expect perfection. Strive for excellence, but land in the softness of grace.

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Mary Challenge: Try one of the ideas listed with your personality type.

Martha Challenge: Bedrooms – Clean out and organize closets. Purge baby, purge! (And give to Goodwill)

Day 19 - Finding Joy in the Self-Disciplined Life

How do we live a joy filled life of self-discipline?

I think the joy part comes in the accomplishment of living a self-disciplined/self-controlled lifestyle that promotes peace instead of chaos. Below are some tips to help you on your journey toward a life of self-discipline.

Six Tips in Leading a Self-Disciplined Life

1. Commitment

You have to be willing to commit to a lifestyle of submission to the Holy Spirit. Submission is not easy, and we will mess up, but we can hold onto our ideals of self-discipline while loosening our grip on the idea that we control our lives. God is molding us, and self-control, (which goes hand-in-hand with self-discipline), is a fruit of the Spirit, so it will come in time as we bend our spirit to the One who does the changing.

2. Set and complete goals

This is important! Start small; don’t say you’re going to clean the whole house when you know you will get tired after 45 minutes! My goal, for example, is to clean my kitchen every morning by 9am, and I intend to complete that one little goal. The reason I’m choosing that particular goal to work on is because I don’t like cleaning my kitchen, so I want it out of the way before the day really begins. Don’t get too wrapped up in the setting of goals unless you feel you can complete them – remember, one step at a time and a ton of grace!

3. Do what you say you will do

This has everything to do with integrity and trustworthiness. I want to be someone who follows through with what I say, but I’ve got to commit to doing it…will you?

4. Learn to say “no”

If you can learn to say “no” you will free up time and much unneeded stress. Seriously, this has helped me big time! If it’s not a priority, or you’re only doing it out of guilt, don’t do it! Saying “no” is all part of time management, so only say yes if you know you can commit without your other priorities falling on the way side.

5. Practice

Anyone who has learned a life of self-discipline will tell you that it took time and practice. As we continue to work toward the goal, focusing on what lies ahead, we will naturally become more self-disciplined – but it takes hard work. Practice, practice, practice! Practice getting up early until it becomes a habit (or at least easier). Practice getting your kitchen cleaned before noon until it becomes second nature (okay, that’s a stretch…). The point? Don’t give up.

6. Don’t give up

This says it all – don’t give up.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)

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Mary Challenge: Do a study on words “self-discipline” and “joy” in the bible.

Martha Challenge: Bathrooms – Clean out and organize your medicine cabinet and closet. Throw away old cosmetics, beauty products, medicine, and junk in general! Update your first-aid kit.

Day 20 - Time

Ever feel like you have a billion things to do but not enough time to do them?

(Just for fun, let’s put a “billion” in perspective: One billion seconds ago it was 1959. One billion minutes ago…are you ready for this one? Jesus walked the earth!)

I always say, if only I had more time! There are so many things in life I want to do and be, but I feel stifled by the restraints of time. But you know what? I don’t use my time wisely. I am a slave to time, and I have allowed it to be stolen from me more times than not. What a waste!

“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NASB)

I decided to “number my days,” and I discovered that if I live until I’m 70, I have 42 years left on this earth (or 504 months, 2,184 weeks, 15,330 days – I have already been alive for 10,367 days). How am I going to use what I’ve got left? How are you going to use what you have left?

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Michael Altshuler

We are never going to “find” more time, which is why we are commanded to use it wisely (Ephesians 5:15,16).

I like what Chuck Swindoll says,

“God has given you…sufficient time in each day for you to fulfill His perfect plan-including the interruptions!”

I never looked at it that way! Here I am complaining that there is not enough in the day (life), when what I’m really doing is saying, “God, you didn’t know what you were doing when you created time on this earth.” He knows exactly what He’s doing, and He knew exactly how much time we would need to accomplish His purposes. Talk about a renewed perspective!

“Like a budget for money you need a budget for time.” George MacDonald

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Mary Challenge: Take an honest appraisal of your time.

Write out how you are using the hours in your day, and keep a log; be specific. This is a good exercise to do, because once you can figure out exactly how you are spending your time, you can then pull the weeds of wastefulness and work towards a more productive and time wise schedule.

“Those who make the worst of their time most complain about its shortness.” La Bruyere

Martha Challenge: Bathrooms – Wash mirrors and inside of windows. Wash window treatments and walls. Dust ceilings.

Day 21 - The Importance of a Plan

By Darlene Schacht, Co-Author of Reshaping it All

Many of us seem to be doing just fine flying by the seat of our pants while others have set guidelines, goals, and rules for their lives. Is one necessarily better than the other?

In other words is there a benefit to following a plan? The answer might seem obvious, but if it’s so obvious to us then why do so many of us continue to live impulsively?

In Proverbs 6:6-8, the scripture tells us,

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”(KJ)

Living impulsively says, “I’ll just wait until winter and gather my food then.” But living wisely considers unforeseen obstacles and prepares for them in advance. Nobody tells the ant that the ground will be frozen in winter, we know that, but they don’t. They are designed to plan ahead, and so they do so instinctively. In the same way, God foresees obstacles in our future that we don’t. Therefore He advises, “Go to the ant.” Learn the importance of planning ahead.

The important things in life require us to step up and carefully consider the cost. I can’t imagine driving my car across a bridge that was thrown together by someone who said, “Let’s see how much weight it can take before this thing breaks.” But I can drive my car over that bridge with confidence when I know that it was carefully planned out and designed with endurance in mind.

Both planning our goals and the means of getting there, gives us a greater chance at success than living impulsively would. When things are organized and on schedule the likelihood of success is increased. Unexpected obstacles often stand in our way, but if we invest in foresight, and consider the ways we will deal with each hurdle, we are leaning on wisdom rather than chance.

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Mary Challenge: Take some time to prepare a plan for managing your home.

1. 1.Envision the goal.

For example if we want to have a Martha house by the end of the month, you’ll need to determine what that finished work will look like.

2. 2.Formulate a plan.

Formulating a plan allows us to break one large task into smaller tasks, while at the same time it keeps us on schedule. It also calls us to consider the cost before we commit.

3. 3.Do the necessary work.

The important things in life like family and faith deserve our time and attention. If we desire to have a Martha house, let’s ensure that we do it the Mary way, and not neglect the eternal souls in our care.

Martha Challenge: Bathrooms – Clean toilet, scrub shower and tub, clean floors.

Day 22 - Developing a Workable Schedule

How many of you have a schedule? How many of you have a schedule that you actually follow every day? How many of you like to write schedule’s but never get around to following them?

I am in the latter category.

I love to write schedules and make myself little plans, but following them is, well, not my best strength. In order to remedy this fault of mine (and yes, I consider it a fault) I have decided to come up with a schedule that fits my God-given self! It must be flexible, easy, and workable.

I want you to do the same – up for the challenge?

For those of you who hate the word “schedule,” please don’t brush me off here! I am not suggesting to pencil in something for every minute of the day (or hour for that matter). What I’m going to suggest is coming up with a schedule (routine, mama’s workable day, whatever you want to call it) that works for you.

Here are some suggestions in creating a workable schedule:

Go back to your list of priorities and review it (if you haven’t made one yet, get to it!). If you’re priority is to keep your house in order and pay attention to your kiddos, but you find yourself on the computer more often than not, you may have to regulate yourself by setting a time limit.

Make sure to schedule time for your hobbies (blogging, reading, writing, scrap booking, etc.) Maybe you only have time in your day for 15 minutes of a certain hobby, or maybe you can block out two hours. Whatever the case, use the time you’ve scheduled, otherwise you will probably end up wasting time or losing it altogether. I schedule my time with Lord as the sun is rising – not because I’m a morning person but because if I don’t it won’t happen. I need that time in the morning to give me strength and insight for the day.

Do what comes naturally. When creating your workable schedule, figure out what’s already “set” in your day. What already comes natural to you? Start there and don’t try and change it – just go with it – you will add on from here. For example, we eat dinner at 4pm (yes, I know, we’re weird), so this goes naturally into our schedule, so why change it?

Write it down and then stick it somewhere you see every day. Yes, it can and will change – be flexible.

You can be as detailed or simple as you like. You can come up with a complete cleaning schedule with different things to do each day of the week, or a general one. Either way, do what fits you.

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Mary Challenge: Write out a realistic routine for your family-something basic-and put it in a place where everyone can see it.

Martha Challenge: Home Office – Wash inside of windows. Wash window treatments. Wash walls and dust ceilings.

Day 23 - Dealing with Distractions

I hope you have your “bobbing” shoes on because today we are going to make like a gazelle and flee!

Ah yes, we are adapting some Dave Ramsey now! He talks about the importance of making like a gazelle and fleeing from financial traps, i.e. credit cards, by bobbing and weaving like a gazelle does when trying to escape from a cheetah. You can check out his full description here.

I’m borrowing the term because I think it relates to distractions. Distractions pull us away from our priorities and leave our goals collecting dust on the bookshelf of good intentions. We must scream “CHEETAH” when we sense a distraction and then bob and weave to get away! (Some distractions are important, however, like our husbands wanting a kiss, or our children asking us to read a book. Even if we are in the middle of something, always take time for them).

Ask yourself some questions:

What is distracting you from spending time with the Lord?

What is distracting you from doing your housework?

What is distracting you from finishing that organizing project you began?

What is distracting you from spending quality time with your kids, training and teaching them well?

Figure out your main distractions (computer, telephone, T.V., etc.) and then find ways to flee from them when they interrupt a higher priority. For example, I turn the ringer of my phone off during most of the day so I do not get sidetracked with talking. I’m working on not even turning my computer on in the morning until I spend time with the Lord. These are a couple of ways that have helped me “bob and weave” from the distraction cheetah.

“Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.” Proverbs 6:4-5 (NASB)

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Mary Challenge: What distracts you on most days? What can you do to lessen the distraction?

Martha Challenge: Home Office – Steam-clean carpet or area rugs, wash hard-wood floors.

Day 24 - Organization

By Kimba, ASoftPlace.net

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?” Isaiah 40:12

The Lord created the universe with order. Each star, planet, animal and rock has a purpose. The world is not haphazard, unrelated or disorganized.

I believe that’s all the evidence we need to know that God intends for us to live with order and, please don’t flinch, organization in our homes. If you’re sighing right now, then you’re a lot like me. Creating order out of chaos doesn’t come naturally. In fact, it’s an ongoing battle in my home. One that I often feel I’m losing.

I can’t find my car keys. Where are my son’s tennis shoes? And don’t get me started on the missing insurance card debacle.

But, I know that it’s part of my job to bring order to the piles of paper, mountains of toys and collections of craft supplies. Why? Because order brings peace, calm, and contentment. Chaos and disorganization brings anxiety, confusion and a whole lotta wasted time.

Part of the problem is that we’ve got too much stuff. Do I really need 12 (or 30!) pairs of shoes and a separate room for the kids’ toys? This organization thing would be a lot easier with a lot less stuff.

Which brings me to my first tip. Get rid of some of your stuff! How much is up to you. But the less you have, the less there is to keep organized. Try a garage sale, Craigslist or Goodwill and if all else fails...say it with me...garbage day.

What does having an organized home mean?

First, let me tell you what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that you need to race to the nearest Container Store and stock up on organizing systems full of matching folders, baskets, bins and shelves. Those are pretty (and pretty expensive!), but they’re not necessary. And don’t let the beautiful pictures that you see in catalogs and online intimidate you to the point where you don’t do anything.

In fact, I think it’s the misconception that organizing your home is all about finding the perfect system or process that keeps us from getting our stuff together. It doesn’t have to be perfect or beautiful. It just has to work. For you.

So, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the plethora of resources and ideas out there, just don’t get so bogged down in the “what” and the “how” that you miss the “why”.

Some of my favorite online resources are:

Organizing Your Way: http://organizing.yourway.net/

I’m an Organizing Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/

Like Mother, Like Daughter: http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/

Unclutterer: http://unclutterer.com/

Back to my question...What does an organized home really look like? I believe that a reasonably organized home means that you can find what you need when you need it. You don’t have to waste tons of time hunting for your stuff. And did you catch the keyword? REASONABLY.

You don’t need to neglect your family in an frenzied effort to organize your drawers, closets and cabinets. You just need to make sure that constant chaos doesn’t cause you to do that same thing.

Here are a couple of my favorite organization tips:

1. 1.Mama’s happy if I can find my car keys. Put a hook or a bowl by the door to catch your keys and put them there. Every. Single. Time.

2. 2.Store things where you use them. I was forever nagging my kids to get their books off the family room floor and on the shelves in their bedrooms. Then I got smart and put a bookshelf in the family room.

3. 3.Don’t worry about being conventional. If your kids do their schoolwork in the dining room, then use your china cabinet to store school supplies. Figure out what works for your family and do it without fear.

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Mary Challenge: Pick one hot-spot in your house and do something to bring about order. It doesn’t have to be huge. Maybe you should figure out how to keep track of bills and school forms. Maybe you should just put a pretty bowl by the door to keep track of your car keys.

Martha Challenge: Home Office - Clean out your desk. Clean out and update files. Organize office supplies and drawers.

Day 25 - The High-Low Cycle

Raise your hand if you’ve cleaned for a week or two straight, keeping everything in order, then bam, back to your messy ways.

Me too.

I call this the “high-low” cycle. You get on a high and manage to maintain your home for a little while, and then before you know it, your old ways creep back up and you are back at square one again. How demoralizing is this cycle?! Here’s the truth of the matter, you will most likely deal with this cycle the rest of your life.

You were hoping I’d have a quick fix for you, eh? Sorry, no can do (or if there is, I haven’t found it yet – anyone? Anyone have one?).

Here is what I do know: We are called to persevere…and to hope.

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5, NASB

Hope keeps me going, the hope of something better one day. Everything we are doing to care for our families by way of our homes we are doing for an eternal purpose! It all matters! God is molding us with each pulled weed of housework, with every spill lovingly cleaned up, every mouth wiped and diaper changed and kisses given and…

It matters and it is not insignificant. Your work in the mundane is the refining of gold.

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Mary Challenge: Pay attention to the times of the month when you have more energy and are motivated to clean. Get a calendar and spend three months writing how you feel each day; after that time see if you notice a pattern. Perhaps you can better prepare for your days if know what’s coming.

Martha Challenge: Home Office – Clean off and organize shelves. Shine and protect wood furniture.

Day 26 - Laundry

“One load a day keeps the chaos away.” -Flylady

Laundry, my nemesis, piles up all day long while mocking me, “it will never end…muhahahahahaha…”

It is true; laundry will never come to an end, so I had better find myself a new perspective on my so-called nemesis. In fact, I think I will refrain from using the word “nemesis” in the same sentence as laundry any longer. It’s time for a perspective check.

“Thank you Jesus that my family has clothes to wear.”

We have a lot of clothes. You know how it is, clothes, like bunnies, just multiply. I am sure that if I were to just quit with the, “oh, but that is just too cute, I can’t get rid of it” mentality, I would have much less laundry on my hands (and all over my floor). Here’s the deal, I believe we do need to have grateful hearts when it comes to our things (thankfulness goes a long way), but I also think there is a reality at play that just makes taking care of our things very difficult (hello curse, nice to see you again). What’s a gal to do when it comes to taming the laundry beast? The number one answer seems to be, “do one load a day.” You already knew that though, didn’t you? Now you just have to do it.

And for good measure, try on some of these fabulous tips from fellow everyday mamas:

1. •Get socks all one color - girls have white socks, boys have black - makes sorting much easier

2. • Have a family closet - all the clothes are in one place (the closet can be a room)

3. •Only have a few outfits each – biggest help with laundry

–Renee Stam, http://www.babystam.blogspot.com/

1. •“When all the children were still at home, they each had a day for their laundry. If it wasn't brought up to the laundry room by 10am I no longer would do it, they had to.”

-Kari Andres Kentner, http://goatfarmerswife.blogspot.com/

1. •“Delegate, delegate, delegate! If the children are old enough to be able to unscrew the detergent cap and retain the knowledge of how to run the machines in my house, they're old enough to do their own laundry…even the short one!”

-Liz Miller

1. •“For me getting laundry washed isn't the problem, it's the folding it all and putting it away (plus I would have to redo the folding often as the kids would "dig" through their drawers to what they wanted). Now each child has their own “clean basket”. When clothes come out of the dryer I sort them into each child's basket (I match the socks because they are too hard to find). I do not fold them or put them away. When the kids are instructed to go get dressed (or P.J.’s) they go to their basket and pick out what they need. The exceptions are my clothes, my husband's, and dresses/dress shirts - those get hung or folded.”

-Angela McKenzie

1. •“I use to get overwhelmed by laundry, then I traveled to Ethiopia in January '11. My perspective changed drastically! We visited a school located in a tiny village in the southern part of the country. The clothing we saw was extremely worn and dirty (there are no natural water sources and limited wells so clothing doesn't get washed). We were told that the clothing people wore was most likely the only clothing they owned. We were at the school for five days and the morning of day three I realized that the staff had been wearing the same clothing all three days. I wondered if it was all they owned. Yep, day four & five they showed up wearing the same shirts. It humbled me and gave me a WHOLE new perspective on my life and my laundry…God showed me how MUCH I have and the ugly sin of discontentment that was in my life.”

-Ingrid, http://www.reachinghiskids.blogspot.com/

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Mary Challenge: Find a laundry system that works for you and your family. Perhaps you will take on one of the above tips, or come up with your own.

Martha Challenge: Home Office – Carefully wash computer and printer (and any electronics) with a damp cloth. Use cotton swabs to clean out the crevices in keyboards. Clean screens with soft cloth.

Day 27 - Becoming Friends with Goodwill

I know that some of you out there have way more purses/shoes/jeans/etc. then you actually use. As a woman, I understand the need (wink, wink) for these things. However, they create the great nemesis: laundry (oops, I wasn’t supposed to say nemesis)! Well, maybe not the shoes and purses, but I think you get my drift.

In an effort to reduce our curse load, I am creating NATIONAL GOODWILL DAY! Go through your drawers, closets, and any other random spaces that your clothes/shoes/purses hideout and pull out anything that you realistically do not use and will not use for that one day you just know will come when you need that particular white purse with the silver chain (sorry, I digress…). And if you’re saving those too tight jeans for the day “when I’ll wear them again,” just give them up my friend. In the event that you do lose that “last 10 pounds,” celebrate by buying a new pair! Oh those cute little trinkets from Aunt Mary – GONE! PURGE BABY, PURGE! For some of you, this will be very hard, like letting go of some good friends, but sometimes, you’ve just got to let go. Remember, you don’t have to do it alone – we’re here for you, we support you, and we really can’t wait to pick up your once dear friends on a sale rack next week for $1.00. (Thanks in advance).

The reduction of clutter: bliss.

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Mary Challenge: Get a box ready for Goodwill. No wait, get boxes ready for Goodwill.

Martha Challenge: Utility Room – Wash inside of windows and clean window treatments. Wash walls and dust ceilings.

Day 28 - Who Are You Trying to Please

By Sally Clarkson

I love entertaining, and I was really pleased with how everything looked on the day of the open house. The living areas were decorated with the bright greens and reds of Christmas, a table full of lovingly prepared Christmas delicacies greeted our guests, lighted candles and a fire in the fireplace added warmth to the room, and the melodies of familiar Christmas music filled the house. It was such a festive atmosphere that it made me forget all about our bedroom in the back stacked floor to ceiling with all the leftover stuff that had cluttered the house the day before.

All went well until a small group of friends reminded me of that one room. They asked, “Can we sneak back to see the rest of the house?” What could I say but “Sure, as long as you promise to overlook the piles that we haven’t gotten to yet.” We headed down the hallway for a guided tour, and they were admiring the home the Lord had provided for our family when we finally reached my overloaded bedroom. Someone commented how nice and large our bedroom was, and then it happened. The unraveling began. One of my friends casually commented that when she had moved into her house an older woman had given her some advice. This woman said that if you really love your husband and want to show him that he has first priority in your life, then you will make your bedroom the first place you organize and decorate. Ouch! That one simple comment cut straight to my heart and pierced it. She was right! It was obvious I had not paid any attention to our bedroom. I hadn’t been thinking of Clay at all, only myself and getting my home in order. I felt a deep stab of guilt as I realized how I surely must have disappointed my dear husband over the past two months. I had labored so hard to make my house nice, yet I had neglected his needs. What must think of me? Why hadn’t I seen what I was doing? I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Whatever good feelings I had about my new home started to unravel.

After several days of feeling heavy-hearted and discouraged, I decided to tell Clay how sorry I was that I had not been a better wife. I brewed him a cup of his favorite tea and sit down with him on the couch. I reviewed the past two months, then explained what my friend had said and how it had cut me to the heart. I apologized to him for not being more sensitive toward him, and for neglecting our bedroom for so long. I promised I would make it my highest priority immediately. I waited for a response that I was sure would confirm my concerns. Clay looked at me a puzzled expression and said, “What in the world are you talking about?” I thought maybe he didn’t understand how I had offended him, so I explained it all again. He touched my shoulder and very matter-of-factly said, “Honey, it doesn’t bother me at all that our bedroom is a mess. What’s important to me is to have the main areas of the house neat and orderly. When they feel settled and homey, then I feel good about life…you’ve done a great job!” I felt an immediate sense of relief from the guilt I’d been feeling. But that was followed by an equal measure of indignation as I realized what had happened to me. Without even knowing, I had judged myself guilty by someone else’s standard. I had condemned myself by that standard and was left feeling like a complete failure.

This story first appeared in Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson, ©2009, Apologia/WholeHeart. Reprinted by permission of publisher. All rights reserved.

Mary Challenge: Are there areas in your life where you are experiencing a burden of guilt? Ask your husband what he thinks about what you are feeling guilty about.

Martha Challenge: Utility Room – Scrub sink and clean drains – use Drano or some other drain cleaner.

Day 29 - To Hire Help or Not to Hire Help

There is nothing wrong with hiring some help if you are able to do so.

Seriously, where did all the guilt and shame come from when it comes to wanting (needing?) a little help around the house? Granted, if you can’t afford it, that’s life and God will give you the grace you need to get through, but if you can afford it (and your husband is cool with it), then I say go for it. If I could, I would have someone come once/week to help with the hard cleaning.

“She rises while it is night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.” Proverbs 31:15 (Amplified)

Here’s a perspective that I found that is incredibly helpful when I feel sorry for myself that I can’t have hired help:

“I remember when it hit me that the Proverbs 31 woman had maids working for her. I thought, ‘How unfair it is that she had maids and I have to do all this work on my own (pout, pout).’

Then the Lord opened my eyes. He helped me realize how many maids I actually had! There was the washing machine and dryer, the vacuum cleaner, the dish washer, the microwave, the slow cooker, the oven, the toaster, the coffee pot and my favorite — the bread machine. When I stopped to think about it, all my appliances were performing services just like the maids of the Proverbs 31 woman. How convicting. No more pouting for me!” –Blair Massey, Christian Homemaking

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Mary Challenge: Spend some time in prayer thanking God for all that you do have. The areas in your life that you feel like you’re drowning in, ask God to show you where you can find some help.

Martha Challenge: Utility Room – Clean out and organize closet.

Day 30 – Contentment in the Season of Your Life

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV)

It is so easy to compare ourselves with others. Just last week I felt the monster of envy when I saw pictures of a friend’s house and how she had decorated it so beautifully. And it was clean; spotless. I felt sad.

I shared my feelings of discontent with my mother-in-law who graciously reminded me that my friend did not have children. She also encouraged me to remember my season of life, to keep my mind on heavenly things, and to thank God for all the blessings He has given me.

Her counsel is wise and kind. We are all in different seasons of life, and for some us, that means not having the things we’d like or being able to order our domains exactly how we would like.

If you find yourself depressed or angry about not being able to have the home you so desire, might I suggest that perhaps you are trying to find life in something other than the Life-giver? He is the only One who can give us life; our worth and value come from Him alone.

Enjoy the seasons God allows you to move through; pray for a contented spirit.

“…give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” Proverbs 30:8-9

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Mary Challenge: Write down 10 things you are thankful for today.

Martha Challenge: Utility Room - Throw away any expired cleaning products or bottles you have lying around. Sweep and mop floors.

Day 31 – Balancing it All

Being a loving, respectful wife, being an intentional parent, caring for the home, and all the other commitments we hold close sometimes seem impossible to balance.

I have a tendency to put each commitment in a “box” and focus solely on that particular commitment. When I only work on the box, I neglect everything else. But if I see life as a whole and do the little things, the puzzle pieces of life emerge into a picture of meaningful connectedness.

Life becomes a routine made up of the little intentional things I choose to do throughout the day. I focus on one day at a time, leaning into faith and keeping my mind on the hope that is at the end of my journey. I choose to forgo perfection.

What keeps a household running well and in balance? Love.

Instead of striving to be a perfect wife, I will choose to kiss my husband before he leaves for work.

Instead of striving to be a perfect mother, I will choose to giggle with my kiddos throughout the day.

Instead of striving to keep my ideals, I will choose instead to let them gently guide me.

Instead of striving to change myself, I will choose to let the living Word of God change me from the inside out according to His timing and will. I’ll just keep my eyes on Him.

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Mary Challenge: Kiss your husband, giggle with your kiddos, and soak in the Word of your God.

Martha Challenge: Rest. You’ve done a great job!

10 Ideas for Keeping Your House Clean

By Kimberly, RaisingOlives.com

Keeping the house in order is a beautiful way for women to serve their families. It demonstrates love and respect for our husbands and children in that we think that they are important enough to provide them with a clean, welcoming and beautiful environment. It also enables us to be available to serve others by opening our homes at a moment's notice or being able to temporarily drop the home routines without things falling into chaos in order to go help those who need us.

Here are eight of my ideas for keeping your home in order.

1. Watch your heart. Examine your heart, pray and ask God to help you keep your home in order for the right reasons. If your motivation is to serve God and your family then not only will it be easier to keep this task in it's appropriate place, but you will also recognize the need to be diligent to keep up with your responsibility. Ultimately self-control (doing what you should do, when you should do it) is the solution to keeping your home in order.

2. Minimize stuff. I think a natural human tendency is to believe that we need more stuff. If only we had_____, it would be easier, nicer, more comfortable, we would be happy. Sometimes we may need more stuff but remember that keeping stuff requires time; time to store the stuff, time to clean the stuff, time to put away the stuff, time to organize the stuff. This is all time that is no longer available for other activities. So ask yourself, is this stuff worth that time? If it's not then it's time to pass it on and allow it to bless others.

3. Have a place for everything. I know this is cliche, but it's oh so true. Piles of stuff will accumulate and the task will become daunting and overwhelming when we have things in our homes that do not have a place to go. When the house does get cleaned these things will simply be moved from one place that they do not belong to another place that they do not belong, and faster than you can turn around they will be a mess once more.

If you have more stuff than you have space, refer back to #2.

4. Pick up after yourself. If you don't have too many things and everything has a place then this becomes easier. When you finish a project or are ready to leave a room, look around and make certain that everything that you got out has been put back into it's home. Developing the self-discipline to make this a habit will go a long way toward keeping your home orderly.

5. Teach your children to pick up after themselves. In theory, if there is a place for everything, your children don't have too much stuff and they see you picking up after yourself this should be a simple task, in theory. However, in my experience only one of our ten children has seemed to easily fall into the habit of picking up after himself. With instruction, diligence and prayer on your part children are able to learn the habit of picking up after themselves. As a bonus your sons and daughters in law will be very grateful for your faithful work in training your children.

6. Adopt the "two things" rule. We have a rule in our house, the two things rule. Whenever anyone in our family moves from one location to another they are supposed to do two things to make the area look nicer. The two things should be quick and simple like picking up a toy, rinsing the out sink after brushing their teeth or wiping fingerprints off a light switch.

7. Make it easy to clean. When possible store cleaning supplies where you use them. For example, I keep a cleaning cloth and disinfectant spray under the sink in each bathroom. This allows me to spot clean the bathroom in an instant whereas I may not take the time to go collect the cleaning supplies and then come back and clean.

It's also a good idea to invest in some good quality cleaning tools. If you have to lug a 75 pound vacuum up the stairs every time you vacuum the bedrooms then you probably won't vacuum them as often as you should.

8. Have a daily routine. There are certain cleaning tasks that must be done everyday in every home (washing dishes, wiping counters, etc.). What needs to be done daily in your home will be dictated by the number of people who are living there, how messy you are and the level of cleanliness that your husband expects. Set aside a regular time every day to attend to these mundane cleaning tasks.

For years and years we spent a half hour every morning cleaning. It enabled us to begin our school day in a tidy home and even if we weren't able to get to bigger cleaning tasks it was enough to maintain our home and keep things running smoothly.

We recently moved chore time to the afternoon and lengthened it to 40-45 minutes. During this time we are able to tidy and clean our whole home and finish dinner preparations and get it on the table. Now daddy comes home to a clean home with the table set and dinner ready.

Your family size, ages of your children and daily schedule will all contribute to what type of cleaning routine you adopt.

9. Have a weekly plan. Laundry, errands, cleaning, cooking and bills; home managers have a lot to keep up with. One way I've chosen to try to stay balanced and ensure that nothing gets completely overlooked is to dedicate one day of each week to focus on one area of responsibility. My focus days are laundry, kitchen, town, office and cleaning.

Each day has specific tasks that I tackle in addition to the regular responsibilities. For example, on laundry day I wash all of the sheets and towels, get caught up on all the laundry and clean the laundry room. I also tackle ironing and mending and it's the day I work with my girls on their sewing projects if they need help. On kitchen day we make bread, tortillas, granola bars, cookies, granola, etc. We also do some deep cleaning in the kitchen and work on our menu plan. Town day is the day for grocery shopping and running errands. On office day I catch up on correspondence, pay bills and keep up with paper work. Cleaning day is reserved for any deep cleaning that needs to be done.

10. Be content with realistic standards. Although we find ourselves in different circumstances, with different responsibilities and husbands with different expectations, we are all constantly bombarded with pictures of the "Good Housekeeping" ideal of how a home should look. Our standard mustn't be set by the world's expectations, but rather by our role in Christ's body and our husband's desires.

Talk to your husband, think about the role that God has called your family to fill and then decide what the standard should be and be content with where God has placed you.

I have a little secret for you, my home has never been featured in a magazine and with ten children running around it's often loud and chaotic and the floors are frequently dirty, very dirty and yet it is a warm place of peace and solace for my family and it's regularly filled with scores of visitors who stay for hours. My home may not be a showplace in the world's eyes, but I pray it's a place that clearly shows Christ's love to others.

Keeping a Healthy Focus & Balance on Hospitality

By Sandy Coughlin, ReluctantEntertainer.com

I've often told my friends that if you want to keep a clean house, entertain every weekend. There's just something about knowing that company's coming that makes me dig in and get myself organized. It motivates and inspires me to clean, but really what I've learned over the last 20 years is to not sweat the big stuff. In other words, I've learned to keep a positive perspective and a healthy attitude on the reason my friends are coming over in the first place. That would be to enjoy a delicious meal, to get to know our family, and for our family to get to know our guests in a more intimate way. It's an honor to be invited into someone's home for dinner, so if guests are coming to "inspect" or "critique" the state of your home, then I can assure you they really are not your friends.

Comfort is what people are looking for, not the most elaborate or perfectly decorated home.

Here are 5 tips that help me to keep a healthy focus and balance regarding a hospitable house.

1. Organized: At nighttime, get everyone to pick up their "stuff" and make sure the kitchen is clean.

2. Cleaning: Every day, do one cleaning chore (sweep the kitchen, mop the floors, vacuum, etc.)

3. Bathrooms: Always have one bathroom clean and ready for company.

4. Ambience: Make sure you have "one room" where company can hang and mingle, a room that you feel good about. Make it warm and cozy with color, pillows, candles, family pictures on the wall, fresh flowers -- make it you!

5. The Table: Know where your tablecloths, napkins, extra dishes, candles, etc. are located. Make sure your dining room is ready for entertaining.

Hospitality is a beautiful thing when we open up and share and make others feel warm and welcome; it's when we become authentic and real and knowable with one another and it has nothing to do with the physical state of our home. If you fight perfectionism, here's some wisdom taken from my book, The Reluctant Entertainer. "The best thing I ever did in fighting perfectionism was to surround myself with imperfect people. I found friends with messy houses, dirty toilets, unorganized closets and cupboards, and better yet, imperfect kids. I became healthier and more courageous to be myself when I realized that we're all real people living real lives."

Hospitality has nothing to do with "perfect," and this, my friend, will be the greatest gift to yourself: When you can realize this and relish in its beauty.

A Word on Guilt

Guilt.

It pushes hard on a spirit like a bag of bricks on a back. Guilt keeps you slow, sometimes unmoving; wrecked. I’m talking about the guilt that says, “you are a failure; you will never get it together.”

So we move slow, aching all the way, heaped up in our “failure” for not doing all that we should be doing. We squirm in our skin because we want to please God, but why bother, we’ll just keep messing up. “I want to keep trying, but there’s no point. I’m just a mess.”

A gob of fleshy, glorious, God-image mess.

We’re all there; we all have a mess. Guilt says, “keep trying to get out of that mess, {snicker}, you never will. Try harder anyway. Oh, and you are disappointing God.”

Quiet that slithering guilt voice for a minute and listen to what our God says…

You, with unveiled face (I see you, I know you!), are being transformed into my image by my spirit.

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

Your soul stands naked before Him, and there is no shame if you are in Christ Jesus. He sees you and He sees Jesus because your spirits are welded together. And He loves you. We are all a mess. We will all fail. Stand up straight.

Let the bricks hard fall.

Put one foot in front of the other and walk. You have the strength and the power of the Universe Painter inside you. He will, by His spirit, change you, mold you, in time for His glory. You just walk it out, in freedom.

You can’t lose His love.

So keep walking; and give your spirit permission to breathe. You are free.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” Romans 8:35 (ESV)

“I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Romans 8:39 (The Message)

Resources

LIST PLANIT Website – Get 20% off Memberships and ePlanners by clicking here and using unique code: 31DAYS

Five Aspects of Woman Bible Study, by Barbara Mouser

Seasons of a Mother’s Heart, by Sally Clarkson

The Reluctant Entertainer, by Sandy Coughlin

Organized Simplicity, by Tsh Oxenreider

FlyLady.net

About the Author

Sarah Mae has a past that would be her present if it weren’t for Jesus; His wild saving grace and gentle leading keep her in awe. She is the wife of Jesse (her rock and super handy-man dude) and the mommy of two lovely daughters and one busy little boy. Her days are spent hanging out with her babes, indulging in dark cherry mochas, homeschooling, admiring beautiful words, dreaming of wild blue skies, creating the sweet aroma of home, and messing up (only to fall into the arms of grace). She would love to have coffee with you.

She writes at LikeaWarmCupofCoffee.com, and RaisingHomemakers.com. She is also the co-host of the Christian women’s blogging conference, Relevant. You can find her on Twitter at @sarahmaewrites.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Day 1 - Why Clean?

Day 2 - Created to Give Life

Day 3 - 10 Ways to Give Life to Your Home

Day 4 - A Place to Put Your Feet Up

Day 5 - Priorities

Day 6 - The Six List - The $25,000 Piece of Advice

Day 7 - The Curse (What We’re Up Against)

Day 8 - Overcoming the Curse

Day 9 - Confronting Laziness

Day 10 - Feeling Overwhelmed

Day 11 - Limitations (Life is Hard)

Day 12 - The Thing We All Have in Common-Imperfection

Day 13 - Fighting Fatigue

Day 14 - The Secret to Having Energy

Day 15 - I’d Rather Do Anything But Clean (Motivation)

Day 16 - Willing Hands

Day 17 - Your Cleaning Style

Day 18 - Making Your Personality Work for You

Day 19 - Finding Joy in the Self-Disciplined Life

Day 20 - Time

Day 21 - The Importance of a Plan

Day 22 - Developing a Workable Schedule

Day 23 - Dealing with Distractions

Day 24 - Organization

Day 25 - The High-Low Cycle

Day 26 - Laundry

Day 27 - Becoming Friends with Goodwill

Day 28 - Who Are You Trying to Please

Day 29 - To Hire Help or Not to Hire Help

Day 30 – Contentment in the Season of Your Life

Day 31 – Balancing it All

10 Ideas for Keeping Your House Clean

Keeping a Healthy Focus & Balance on Hospitality

A Word on Guilt

Resources

About the Author

Table of Contents

Introduction

Day 1 - Why Clean?

Day 2 - Created to Give Life

Day 3 - 10 Ways to Give Life to Your Home

Day 4 - A Place to Put Your Feet Up

Day 5 - Priorities

Day 6 - The Six List - The $25,000 Piece of Advice

Day 7 - The Curse (What We’re Up Against)

Day 8 - Overcoming the Curse

Day 9 - Confronting Laziness

Day 10 - Feeling Overwhelmed

Day 11 - Limitations (Life is Hard)

Day 12 - The Thing We All Have in Common-Imperfection

Day 13 - Fighting Fatigue

Day 14 - The Secret to Having Energy

Day 15 - I’d Rather Do Anything But Clean (Motivation)

Day 16 - Willing Hands

Day 17 - Your Cleaning Style

Day 18 - Making Your Personality Work for You

Day 19 - Finding Joy in the Self-Disciplined Life

Day 20 - Time

Day 21 - The Importance of a Plan

Day 22 - Developing a Workable Schedule

Day 23 - Dealing with Distractions

Day 24 - Organization

Day 25 - The High-Low Cycle

Day 26 - Laundry

Day 27 - Becoming Friends with Goodwill

Day 28 - Who Are You Trying to Please

Day 29 - To Hire Help or Not to Hire Help

Day 30 – Contentment in the Season of Your Life

Day 31 – Balancing it All

10 Ideas for Keeping Your House Clean

Keeping a Healthy Focus & Balance on Hospitality

A Word on Guilt

Resources

About the Author