There I was standing in my kitchen again, holding something I think I hold more often than my baby …… my broom!
Yes, sweeping under my kitchen table for the 4th time that day and it wasn’t even mid morning. I often joke about this broom, and my husband laughs as he says I am with it more than him. He also says though, that he appreciates walking on a clean floor and having clean clothes in his drawer!. My daughter came in the kitchen, she looked at me and asked if she could help, I of course said yes, and handed her the broom (Yay!). She then asked me again, “Mommy, why do we need to keep our house clean?”.
I chose long ago to look at housekeeping, and the upkeep of my home, a privilege. It’s part of my (homemaking) job. Now, I am on a journey of teaching these values to my children. We look at our home as a gift and a blessing, and I desire to have my children know how to look after and care for their homes in the future. It does help that I love to clean though.
So once again, I want to delight in this area of my life….. chores!, and show JOY as I do them. I find that if I am joyful about keeping our home and make it somewhat ‘fun’ , the kids actually want to help and be involved. 
Some of the things I do to get my kids involved in our house work are: 1) Make a Chore Chart with them…… we fill in the chart, color it and encourage them with stickers when their days chore is done. 2) They take turns helping mommy with one of the bigger chores and they get pretty excited to tell daddy about that accomplishment. 3) Gather them all together and say we’re having a ‘clean up’ morning!. We’ll all work together, and then reward them with hot chocolate! …… It’s fun and purposeful! 
One of our character building words this past week was ‘orderliness’ ….. it was perfect to show the kids why we take care of our home, as well as our steps. Orderliness means ‘managing my life and my belongings in order to reach maximum potential’. 1 Cor 14:40 says, Let all things be done decently and in order. 
I know that housework and chores is just one area that orderliness can be applied. I’m not saying that it is, or has to be perfect all the time, but I know that I do strive to put order in the things I do and also want to train my kids to do the same.
What area can you delight in, and put in order this week?
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man” Col 3:23
homemakersheart.wordpress.com 
It is so awesome to be able to teach our kids the value of hard work. I am glad my boys can tackle the dishes, the sweeping, and other basic things. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the encouragement. It’s been hard for me to tackle our house as I was never taught as a kid how to. It really a is a matter of mental understanding. I’ve had friends who are pros at it come & show me what they would do as I have felt hopeless over I for years. This has been such a game changer for me. You should post more ‘how to’s’ for those of us who are clueless. You are doing a huge favour for your kids right now. Kuddos to you!
Thanks Kari! I will try over the weeks to put the ‘how to’s.
Don’t give up and feel hopeless!!
Blessings
Thank you for this encouragement today! I often get discouraged by the repetitive nature of homemaking (how things get undone as soon as they are done), and sometimes just choose to not keep up with it as I should. I am trying to teach my children, as you are. We have things we do every day because it’s part of taking care of yourself and your things (make bed, tidy room, brush teeth, etc.) and other chores we do because we are a part of the family and need to help (clear table, daily chore, etc.) It is definitely a work in progress for me and the kids! Thank you again for the great reminders!
You are so welcome! I’m thankful I sent out encouragement!