Thursday, February 26, 2009

Abra Kadabra....

"Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
Colossians 3:23 

"Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." 
Ephesians 6:6




Cleaning the kitchen is my least favorite chore. I really hate it. I love to cook. I love to bake. But it makes such a mess. I've tried to get a handle on my mess for years. My husband cleans the kitchen for me often, but as the days get longer, he is gone more and even I, with my huge dislike for cleaning the kitchen, can't expect him to do it all the time. A housekeeper would be a nice option, or have my mom live with me. Now there's an idea, but I have a feeling I would still be avoiding the real issue. God can change my heart and my attitude, but he won't clean my kitchen. Emma's tried using her pink princess wand and even that doesn't work, to both Emma's and my dismay. The solution is to just do it. Pray for a good attitude, because I need it!



"He must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need."
Ephesians 4:28


For what chore do you wish a pink princess wand would work its magic?

17 comments:

Grace said...

I'm exactly the same! Love making things, but I hate cleaning up! I used to leave the dishes all week and David would wash them on the weekends! Thankfully I'm better now, but I still have to work at it!

Shawna said...

I don't mind cleaning the kitchen so much but that is because neither Rick or I cook much. Ours is more of a one pot method so less of mess to clean. I would gladly clean up the kitchen if someone else cooked. I wish I knew how but don't and not sure where or how to learn.

The least favorite chore in our house is LAUNDRY.

Anonymous said...

Laundry. I hate folding laundry. I've tried to like it because my mom always liked doing it so I just assumed that I would too. Last year when I was living by myself I just left it unfolded in the laundry basket. This year I have a roommate, so that doesn't work very well because it clutters our room.

Lindsay said...

Dishes can be ovewhelming to me as well. Especially when they get outta control! Lately bathrooms have really been grossing me out though. It seems like the sinks (spit, toothpaste all over) and the toilets (3 boys...) could use wiping down every day!

Laundry is my most favorite. It seems so easy, smells nice and clean and is warm when it's done, and I can watch TV while folding. what could be better??

Kari said...

dust.
100 year old house, ON the farm, dog, cat, kids, farmer,
ick.
dust. THICK dust.

Cooking with Big E said...

I think keeping up with the laundry is my hardest struggle. I'm always behind, always needing to fold 4 loads, always needing to work on stains... I wish a laundry fairy could live in my laundry room and just do it all for me!

Anonymous said...

Laundry. It is not that I don't like doing it, its just that it takes SO much time... I probably do something like 14 loads a week. Toilets come in as a close second. They are just gross, especially with little kids who sometimes miss the mark.

By the way, nice cook book! I think that I have that one also. The good thing about dishes, is that it really doesn't take that long before they're done. Set the timer for fifteen minutes and just see how fast it goes! Listening to praise songs helps me with laundry. I should go folds some clothes...
Jenni Birch

Andee said...

LAUNDRY! I think this one's winning the poll. It is NEVER done. I've considered converting to nudism, but this has it's own drawbacks. So for now, I will procrastinate and run a load when the first person in the house runs out of underwear.

Melanie said...

It's cleaning the bathroom for me. Tell me before stopping by so I can clean it! Dishes are a close second though.

When I have chores I don't want to do, I do one of two things: I either tell myself "You don't get to __bake__ that thing you've been wanting to until the current mess is under control" (and usually, upon finishing cleaning the mess, I'm no longer excited about ___baking___, but I'm happy the mess is gone) or I say to myself "You only have to clean THIS part of it" (and usually upon finishing that little bit, I'm happy about what is done and realize it's not so bad, and end up finishing the job).

simplykersh said...

Definitely dishes!! Mostly because I love to cook as much as you and also have a husband who loves to cook and it is necessary for him to cook for some of his health needs, but that makes a lot, some days A LOT of dishes. AND no dish washer really makes the chore worse.

Lately I have decided to try to take a better attitude towards it all. My mind finds some peace in thinking, "some people don't even get as many bites of food in a day as I have dishes to wash everyday, and everyone of ours was full. We are blessed and having dirty dishes shows this." Sometimes this helps, sometimes I have to tell myself this many times.

Now with that said I am off to make lemon bars (shamefully from a box!), a cheese cake and guacamole all for a church event, and all before I have to make dinner. Though, my Jeff will probably do the dishes for me tonight!

Grandma Sherri said...

Love Jenni's idea about setting the timer- racing the clock always motivates me, still does with my work. In pondering the question I decided I am blessed, altho I don't love it I don't hate it, and I love to see and smell clean things. Always have loved folding laundry (only if its warm from the dryer tho). So see I really don't mind girls when you leave me chores to do, I feel useful:)

Linds and Manda said...

I don't mind cleaning up my kitchen. I'm still not very good at it because Lindsay likes to remind me that I should do more "cleaning as I go". Most often I agree with him but there are times when that remark is followed by the evil eye of the woman in the kitchen holding an electric mixer with the attitude of "do you really want to go there right now?" :) My kitchen usually gets it's worst when I try to do too many things at once...like make bread, pie and supper all at the same time. Why, at the outset of these grandiose plans, do I think it's a good idea?

The chore that I find harder and need a better attitude about is looking after sick kids. I get frustrated because I feel my hands are tied and I end up worrying about whether or not I'm doing a good job and if they are okay. Why do I worry, when I know that our God is BIG and yet cares for a tired and stressed out mom in Nipawin, Saskatchewan of all places? He looks out for the sparrows...surely he will watch over us.

Aly sun said...

I think I can seriously work out a trade with some people here. I really don't mind laundry or cooking, so I'll come do that at your house and someone can come clean my kitchen. Can I include sweeping to my to-do list for someone else?

Cathy said...

Hmmmm, I don't like to cook. Don't like to clean up afterwards. I do have a new perspective on laundry though, after reading Lindsay's comment!

Michal said...

i don't mind doing laundry, but sometimes i mind how relentless it is. my least favorites are dusting and scrubbing showers/tubs. and thus, it rarely gets done!:) they are easier to avoid for longer than dishes in the sink. i don't really enjoy cleaning the kitchen, but i don't like to cook in a messy kitchen, so i force myself to clean up first.

Peters Family Farms said...

We have one potty and I live only with beings that stand up to pee, do I really need to go on?!?

Sara said...

I hate cleaning the toilet and shower/tub. Sometimes I can get Kevin to clean the toilets for me, but I'm on my own with the shower. The toilet is just gross and the shower is such a pain and involves so much bending down. I don't mind doing laundry and actually enjoy folding it, but I don't like to put it all away so sometimes it tends to sit out for awhile... =) I've been making a concerted effort to completely clean up the kitchen after every meal and that's to keep on top of the mess. At the encouragement of my husband, I'm also learning the art of cleaning up as I'm cooking so the mess is not as big at the end.