Let’s face it – Most of the time, mothering and homemaking is pretty much a thankless job. Even if you have the world’s most unselfish children, and a tender, communicative, appreciative husband, you just aren’t going to hear “thank you” as often as you deserve it.
After you serve everyone a particularly delicious meal, you might hear kind words about your cooking, or a thank you for the tasty food. Once or twice in your marriage your husband might let you know how much he appreciates coming home to a clean house, or always having clean laundry to wear. Or someday you might overhear him telling someone how lucky he is to come home to a comfortable, well appointed house he can be proud of.
But there are so many little things you do every day that nobody else but you probably notices. The windows are always clean, because well, you clean them every month. The bathrooms never look dirty – did little magical elves come in last night and scrub the toilets? Wow, there’s always lots of good things to eat in the pantry – some invisible person must have gone to the store and made thoughtful selections. And do you think anybody but you will notice that recently all the light switches in the house were de-fingerprinted, and if you run your hand along the top of the wood trim over your doorway, it won’t come away dusty? Did fairies come in the night and dust the baseboards? Nobody else probably notices, but you can see them gleaming.
THANK YOURSELF
Go ahead today and give yourself some mental pats on the back for your hard work. (Quietly, no muttering under your breath!) Walk through a room you’ve worked on lately that you’re proud of. Sit in one of your cozy, restful rooms. Open your linen cupboard and look at your carefully arranged stacks; peek in your well-organized pantry and admire your food stocks. Peep into your children’s rooms (only if they’re clean though) to see the safe haven you’re providing for them. Put your feet up for a few moments, relax with tea and a magazine or catalog, and honor yourself and your home efforts.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- Empty or fill dishwasher if needed
- Make menu plans and create grocery list for the week
- Sock sorting day! Grab a sock drawer that needs it and start sorting. If the drawer belongs to someone else other than an infant, give that drawer to that person and race them with your own. Give up on any mismatched socks, tossing them into the rag bin. Your family likely has more than enough matching pairs to get you all through the next couple years without you needing to hold onto holey socks or socks with no mates.
- Are you hosting an Oscars party this year (February 27)? If so, have you sent out invites, set your menu, made your lists for shopping and cleaning?
TODAY’S PROJECT: Guest Room Checkup
Remember how hard we worked back in November to get our guest rooms ready for the holidays? Well that was over three months ago, and my guest room is a bit dirty and messy again.
I don’t have any overnight guests coming that I know of – but life is full of surprises. I want my guest room to be ready to go. I’m washing windows, laundering the curtains, dusting the nightstand, dusting the lamp (and bulb), making sure there is a coaster for a glass of water, putting out a fresh box of Kleenex, dusting the baseboards, vacuuming, laundering the sheets and bedding (they’re dusty from sitting out for over a month unused), removing a box of keepsakes that should be stored in the closet, and removing my folded-up porta-Crib to a closet where it belongs.
I’ll finish by spraying a green tea scented room spray to freshen the room.
LOVELY BLOGS: Lady Katherine Tea Parlor
Here’s a lovely, restful blog about afternoon tea, weaving and knitting, collecting china, and growing rose gardens. Recent posts are about a Valentine Breakfast Tea and a day spent with her grandson and a little red hen. It’s very warm and homey here, I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I did.
http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/
LOVELY BOOKS: Sense and Sensibility
I’m re-reading Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” for a book club I joined this month. It’s been years since I read it, and I’m so glad I am revisiting it. Seeing all the various iterations of the movies isn’t the same – this book is so much better. I’m grateful to the About.com Classic Literature section for including the etext in such an easy-to-read format. I can easily pick up a chapter here while I’m waiting for laundry to dry and there while I’m waiting for my bread to bake.
Sense and Sensibility, at About.com
LOVELY PERFUMES: Escada’s “Taj Sunset”
Every year Escada makes the most wonderful limited edition fragrance for summer. I didn’t like last year’s very much, so I am delighted at how much I enjoy “Taj Sunset.” It smells summery (floral and sweet and citrusy) but I can’t wait that long to wear it. It will be my signature fragrance this spring, making me feel happy and lovely.
http://www.escada-fragrances.com/tajsunset/
LOVELY TV: My Fair Wedding
I was so excited to recently discover My Fair Wedding. I loved David Tutera’s earlier TV show, “The Party Planner.” His party decor ideas were so elegant and unique. Now I’m enjoying his theme weddings: Phantom of the Opera, Alice in Wonderland, and Wizard of Oz especially. The hour-long episodes are full of eye candy. I find myself unable to do laundry or read magazines much while watching it – I don’t want to miss anything!
He also just came out with a book to complement the show.
http://www.wetv.com/my-fair-wedding/
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
African Violets: Do They Just Need an Image Consultant? (The Garden Buzz)