Life’s a Rewrite

I’m sitting here this morning thinking of ways we used to do things and ways we do them now. Sort of a rewrite.

I stayed up a little late (a little late for lately, not a little late for times past – that would’ve been *really* late) last night as I had totally forgotten the deadline for the next issue of Making It Home. So, just as I’ve been doing around our home in the last few days working around with our children, I decided to write about clutter and reworking things to work better for “where you’re at” today. Then I remembered that I had written something about that in a past Welcome Home message. So I got that out and rewrote it. Life’s a rewrite.

You know, much of our “rewriting” or re-righting these days is just simply a fine-tuning of ways we used to do things or it is a: setting things aright. Stuff happens and we stop or get sloppy about the way we do things in the home. We let things slide, we stop being so particular and we stop striving for excellence. O, at first, it’s probably for some fairly noble reason… we want to enjoy things more, we don’t want to be so rigid or… gasp: legalistic. So we make changes or changes happen that we didn’t intend. Sort of those unintended consequences of life that surprise us when we see where we are down the road.

So the “let’s just enjoy life” or “let’s just have fun” days are over. It’s time to declare war on the clutter and get the house back. The house had fallen into the hands of the enemy and it’s time to get it back. It’s a tough thing to be the General.

“For the commandment is a lamp;
and the law is light;
and reproofs of instruction are the way of life”

Proverbs 6.23

So we, following what Daddy likes to see in the daily schedule and schooling, make a better plan! Mama sets the law in motion around the house and both the daddy and the mama are happy… used to be said that when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. But we know the deeper truth is: If daddy and mama ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy. O… but that’s a message for another day… a message on protecting, preserving and fortifying marriage. That’ll be a good message to write.

So… the plan? the reworking? the rewriting of “things we used to do?” Well, the rewriting isn’t so much bcz the things were wrong, it’s just necessary from time to time to rewrite or RE RIGHT things. To make them right for the stage of life and the players. You add a few children, you add a newly capable worker or you “lose” one to marriage or college or work and then you need a rewrite. Things that used to work can still work, but they do need a rewrite. And when things are set right, we make a new chart, a new daily plan with new assignments. Until the next rewrite. This is the necessary flexing of motherhood. The lax ways are no way for a family to function well… there may be a measure of flexibility, but laxity is a very dangerous ingredient to mix into the bowl of family life. Ask me how I know this. 😮

So, a rewrite; a re-right. So… every one dressed, breakfast, Bible study, etc., shoes on and hair combed. Beds made. It’s time for a RE RIGHT. You go around… assess the situation. Yep… it’s worse than you thought. BE CHEERFUL. You already have a headache? Take a coupla tylenol and drink a tall glass of water. You have to move on.

Gather ALL the dirty laundry take it to the laundry room. This time we’re not hassling about whether or not the laundry is actually dirty or wrinkled dirty or lazy dirty. It all goes and gets a fresh start (unless it’s folded in a basket). Start a load. Then we gather all dishes, cups, glasses. Yes. The kitchen. Load and run the dishwasher. We don’t talk about the fact that we aren’t supposed to eat upstairs or yada, yada, yada. We already had that talk and we’ll have it again when the RE RIGHT is right. Get all the library books into the library bin. By the door. Get all the “borrowed’s” in a bin. By the door. Go switch the laundry loads… fold clean dry laundry into a bin. Leave it there ready for the next load.  (edit: I forgot to mention a few steps) Get all the loose toys or parts and put them in a bin or a few bins. Be thinking of the toys that need to go and bless other children whose mothers shop at the thrift store.  Yes… it’s time to pare down the toy cache.  Cache is good in computing, but a large cache of toys is not good… even if they are hidden.  Limit toys to a designated amount in a designated area or a couple of designated areas.  Toys can be the undoing of mother’s sanity.  And children’s manners.  Then get all the school books in a bin.  All the papers in a bin.  These both will be ordered and many most will be tossed.  Trust me, you won’t remember which child drew which picture unless the name and date are on them.  As with most things you think you’re sure you’ll remember… you won’t.

So… you’ve tackled most of the gathering stuff and setting in the right room.  If you still have time, start sorting and putting away.  If not, then start in again tomorrow and for how many days it takes to get the house back into a home.  But stay at it.  Like diets, you don’t see the dramatic results right at first… but given several days… well, the results show and generate comments!

So, you’re staying at it… [all the while you are praising for the good jobs being done]. Get all the ironing and hang ON hangers and put in one place ready for ironing day. It will come. This is part of the re-right. [mobilize ALL the troops] Then… we all go around putting things in their right room. Then… the ordering of each room begins. That’s where we are today. Gotta go.