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the most dreaded chores and how you deal with them
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Hello everyone, today I am trying to get caught up with my laundry…..again
. I must say, this is the chore I dislike the most and when it gets very huge I dread it. Do you have any chores that you simply dislike or, dare I say, dread? What are they and have you found a way to make them easier or seem less daunting to you? I know a very wonderful christian lady here who I would consider a mentor to me. She used to absolutely hate ironing! However, her hubby’s job required a lot of button down shirts. For a long time she would put it off until she could put it off no longer and then go through the huge pile of ironing that would take most of the day to get through. Then it would start all over again. She realized she did not have a good attitude regarding this part of her domestic duties and came up with a plan, sort of. She started to pray over her ironing pile! Every time she would pass it and see the pile waiting there for her she would pray joy over her ironing until one day, as she was performing the task of creating wrinkle-free shirts for her husband to wear, she realized that she didn’t mind it that much any more. She kept praying over her ironing until she could actually keep up with her ironing and be joyful while she was doing it! I can’t help but smile as I think of my friend and her “holy spirit filled” pile of ironing. I wonder if I should try the same tactic over my laundry as well!
Hello,
I have been lurking for a couple years and have gotten some great info and advice hear but never posted. So, here it goes…..
Laundry was always a killer for me. I have 5 children 15, 11, 4, 3, and 15 months. My best time to do laundry was always during nap time or when the littles were in bed. Great, but sneaking in to put it away always caused someone to get up. Our solution (after reading many large family blogs) was to go to a family closet method.
My 2 older boys still have all of theie clothes in their rooms because they are old enough to be responsible for putting their own laundry away. My 3 littles have no clothes in their room. I have a large walk-in closet that their things are in as well as mine. Now I do not have baskets or piles of stuff sitting around waiting to be put away…..I can put things away while they are sleeping.
When I sort my laundry I try to wash my husband and 2 older boys clothes together so when it comes out of the dryer it get split 3 ways. I wash my clothes and the littles clothes together and when it comes out of the dryer it goes straight to the closet. I have a rolling laundry rack (similar to a luandry mat but not so industrial) I just rake it out of the dryer and roll it to the closet.
Having their closet a little more under my control has also seemed to cut back on laundry. Not that they were bad about changing before but it seems to have helped. For example pjs used to only get worn once…..now becasue they have to go into my closet to get clothes the pjs get put in the basket and they wear again the next night (they have baths right before bed so in my opinion they are still clean enough) Same thing with sweat shirts or over clothes that before I was washing alot….now not as often.
I also have 4 hampers and everyone has to drop in the appropriate one….whites, darks, towels, jeans/tough stuff. If it is out in the wrong basket I drop it on there bed for them to try again.
Hope that helps!
Laura
Linabean- Cleaning the bathroom was the dreaded chore for me. But years ago, I began to pray over it in the same way your friend encouraged you, and now I don’t dread it at all anymore.
In fact, when I am in need of feeling really connected to the Lord, I will go scrub the toilets…sounds funny, but it’s like the lowliest of the low jobs and reminds me of the Lord’s great sacrifice for me. I always feel refreshed and better after I do this.
Nanci
Mine is washing dishes! I absolutely hate it, and I have never owned a dishwasher, so this is real, honest-to-goodness washing dishes–several times a day. And, my window faces an inside wall, so no window to peer out of…just a spice rack. So I started taping Bible verses to the wall, and our prayer list is on the opposite wall. Now when I’m doing my dreaded chore, I can read the Word and pray for the needs of my friends and family. It makes the time go a lot quicker!
HTH, Faith 🙂
I wanted to add that being thankful for the chore is an integral part of changing one’s attitude.
For example, instead of complaining about cleaning the bathroom, I learned to be thankful we have indoor plumbing and running water.
Years ago, when dishes were an issue, I’d be thinking how thankful I was that we had food so we could have dirty dishes….same idea for laundry…thankful that we have so many clothes to wear.
I love this quote by A.W. Tozer: “The heart that is constantly overflowing with gratitude will be safe from those attacks of resentfulness and gloom that bother so many persons”.
I try to do the same thing as quietwaters (and maybe someone else mentioned) regarding my attitude toward the task, that does make a difference.
With that said, I do love to clean, almost too much…I have to make myself relax and just hang-out or I would be nonstop. That doesn’t mean that my house is spic ‘n span (is that spelled right?) it’s that we have too much stuff and I’m constantly purging (27 fling boogie from the flylady) or feel the need to purge. My house does not seem clean unless we have rid ourselves of much unnecessary items, which would be most of what we have, imho.
So, let’s see, my most dreaded house-managing-chore would have to decorating/painting. I hate to pick out anything decorative. I never feel I’ve picked the right thing and cannot make a decision to save my life:) If we had the money I would pay someone to do some simple decor with what we already have or maybe add a couple new items and be done with it. I have no idea what I’m going to do about the areas of my home that need some serious work, cause it’s bad (7 years here and haven’t decided on paint for the kitchen, any ideas?)
So as far as cleaning goes…I thank the Lord above that I have a home to clean, children to pick up after, and a husband to cook and wash clothes for. That may not sound like an answer but it’s the truth. Also, I believe that “less is more” (except for books, a girls gotta have one vice) and I’m trying to teach my family that, that in itself would lead to less managing of items and reduce the time needed for cleaning, dusting, etc. hth
Thanks for your responses, ladies. I think I will start praying over my laundry!
I love being a homemaker and I love being able to make a clean, inviting home for my family. I enjoy a lot of aspects of this job, actually. Laundry has always been my “thing” that I was never able to keep up with completely and consistently, however. I am looking forward to how praying over my laundry chore will help this area of my job change.
my3boys, I wish I could come over and help you with your decorating. This is, by far, my most favorite aspect of creating a home. So much so that I can’t really even view it as a chore at all as I enjoy it so much. I love the challenge of looking at an empty space, taking stock of what I have to work with, then changing it into something comfy and inviting that reflects our family’s personality and lifestyle. Organizing is my next favorite, but I do tend to get a little upset when things don’t stay organized because the kids are not taking proper care to do their jobs correctly. I have improved in showing patience in this area a lot but there is still room for improvement!
So, thank you again for sharing, ladies. You know, it’s funny that thankfulness came up so often, that is exactly what I and my family have been working on lately. A lot of things change when you can learn to be “thankful in all things”.
Ahh, I wish you could come over too, I really need some help.
What’s funny is that I really like my house for its shelter, coziness, familiarity and I am happy with some areas (or could probably handle them myself), but decorating is definitely an area that I lack confidence or talent in:) I have lots of nice portraits that haven’t been displayed, walls that need painting, etc. and a husband that would let me do whatever and spend whatever (within reason, of course) to make it look like I want, but I have zero talent. I can clean, organize, homeschool, cook and pay our bills on time, but can’t hang a picture without outside help, lol…
I’m the type that can spend a bundle of time and money on cleaning products, household and home school supplies, functional items, I guess you’d say, but the decor purchases are far and few between (even though I’d really love a simple but nicely decorated home). Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a house full of decorations that I have to dust or things to impress people, but I wouldn’t mind my kitchen being painted and inviting to work in, not just functional:)
So, laundry, no problem, dishes, no problem, even toilets I can handle…but ask me to pick out a paint color and it’s going to be torture:)
Roll call for the Not-A-Decorator Club. My name is Alana, and I can not decorate either. :0). For me, I know what I like… I know what I want it to look like… But getting from here to there is a doozy! We are in the process of buying a larger home and EVERY room needs to be repainted. The very thought sends shivers down my spine. But, on the bright side… I save a lot of money. Once I get a room done or buy a picture, I use it forever (or at least a VERY long time!). Once I’m done, I’m done. I’m 34. I bought a pic to use in my living room when I was 23. It’s still hanging in my living room. :0). It is a beautiful picture tho! Confession: what I save on decorating I spend on books…. But anywaaay….
I love the idea of the family closet. My dream is a huge family closet/laundry room. :0). Lorrie Flem (of TEACH) says that her family calls their laundry room her “office”… I love it.
I’m painting my new kitchen that “orangy” color that is in the decorating books right now. It’s cute, goes good with chickens, looks great on the paint card from Lowe’s… Good enough for me. ;0)
Laundry gets to me sometimes, but I’ve figured out that if I’ll gather/sort it before I go to bed, and start a load… I feel 2 steps ahead the following morning. I loooove that feeling. My kids help with laundry swap throughout the day… As far as ironing goes, (ahem) I always have kids looking for ways to make a little extra $$$… and one day it just hit me… Kids wanting money + ironing that needs to be done = cheap labor! Like in 25 cents a piece, and I don’t pay them for ironing their own… Just the stuff that I would normally do. The clothes are ironed, and I am free to bless my family in other ways. :0).
For those of you that use FLYlady, have you ever checked out Large Family Logistics? Just thought I’d throw that out there… You know, since I’ve barely said anything in this post… Tee hee.
I have a laundry sorter in the girl’s room and one in our bathroom. I put the boy’s laundry in with his sisters, since I still dress and undress him. I grab a load in the morning and put it in. In the afternoon, after lunch, I have the girls read to me. While each one reads I fold the load. If I have to do extra loads and I don’t need them to read, I listen to oneplace.com, or something else uplifting. I fold the loads in my room, on the bed, that way they have to be put away. The girls put away their own. These are the things I do to make it not so dreaded.
I don’t care much for laundry, either! I try to do one load a day, so that it doesn’t get too bad … that way, I never have to spend a whoie day doing laundry.
One thing I always try remind myself is a wonderful quote from St. Therese of Lisieux: “To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.” I try to remember this when I’m turning my husband’s clothes all right-side-out because he ALWAYS throws them in the laundry inside-out! 🙂 We never know what our smallest deeds, when done with love, may accomplish.
Well, it has had it’s moments of…..let’s just say, overabundance of laundry piles! But these times have been getting fewer and, I can honestly say that these were during some pretty busy times as well! I am happy to say that at the moment (even with the holidays here) the laundry situation is pretty organized and under control…..And may I add a WOOHOOO! To that statement! So over all, I would say that it is getting better. It has been a process, but I can see definite improvement. I would recommend this method to anyone who wants to see a change in the chore situation they find themselves hating!
Happy laundry!
Miranda
Confession: I love doing laundry and I never use my dryer. When the weather’s nice, it’s the outdoor clothesline. when it’s cold out the laundry gets hung in the basement.
I dislike dusting and mopping floors, plus I’m not too excited about vacuuming either. Fortunately those kinds of jobs can get overlooked for awhile without anyone running out of clean underwear!
Whenever I have a chore that I don’t especially like I remind myself of my mom. When my parents got married they didn’t have indoor plumbing. Imagine heating water and washing all those diapers by hand. Oh, I’m so thankful for all my dreaded chores then.
Jean
I agree with Jean about not minding the laundry but I also agree with others about not being fond of dusting or dishes. I too try to think of how blessed I am to have a family to make a mess, etc. I actually posted a picture of an African child getting their drinking water out of a pipe in the street that is the same water from baths and sewers to remind me how blessed I am to turn on my faucet.
As for laundry, I think one important thing is to expect more responsibility from the children in this area so that you aren’t ever feeling behind with the laundry. My children bring their dirty clothes down each morning before breakfast to the laundry room hamper, then I start the load before breakfast. I change the loads between subjects. Then, usually before dinner, the children get the laundry from the laundry room, then sort all of it(we have assigned places for each person’s pile). Then they fold their own laundry and put it away(drawers are organized by sections to help with putting away, socks on far left, then shirts, then pants, etc). My 6 year old son does his as well as his 2 yr old brother’s laundry. My 5 yr old daughter does hers as well as her 16month old brother’s. My My 3.5yr old daughter does her own. Then the 6 and 5 yr old do the towels together and I come help finish those. So all I have to do by that time is mine and my husband’s. We also wear clothes and pjs 2x if they didn’t get dirt, sweat, or blood on them:) Is the folding done perfectly? No, but it’s pretty good for their ages and I don’t ever feel overwhelmed with laundry. We also follow the Bible’s advice in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order : if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” If they aren’t finished with their laundry (due to lollygagging) before we are finished with dinner, they won’t get any dinner that night. (They only missed dinner one time:)
I don’t say any of that to be prideful(because we certainly don’t have it down perfectly), just to say that we expect far too little from our children sometimes, and they can be trained to be of great joy and help to us. Hope that helps, Adrienne
. I must say, this is the chore I dislike the most and when it gets very huge I dread it. Do you have any chores that you simply dislike or, dare I say, dread? What are they and have you found a way to make them easier or seem less daunting to you? 
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