Works-for-Me Wednesday: Weekly Home Blessing

FlyLady. I could post a year's worth of Works-for-Me Wednesdays just on FlyLady. If you want that much detail, you can just go to her site and check it out for yourselves. It can be very overwhelming at first, but it's been a great resource for me.

I've been trying to get into the groove of the Weekly Home Blessing and this week I have accomplished it. I guess it was hard to get into because I've been decluttering and trying to get things clean enough to clean...if that makes any sense. You spend a maximum of 10 minutes on each item (some take less). You set your timer for 10 minutes and get to work. If you're not finished with a task by the time your 10 minutes is up, you stop where you are and start there next week. I also pray as I work which really makes it feel like I'm blessing my home. Here's the list:

1. Cull/toss old magazines - this doesn't take much time because we don't get the newspaper and I don't get many magazines. I use this time to weed through any reading materials that have stacked up in our living room. It usually takes about 3 minutes to sort and about 3 minutes to put away.
* During this time I pray for God's blesssing on our country and in our world. I pray that the missionaries He has sent out can be reaching others for Christ. I pray that we may not be so focused on what the world's "standards of living" are but that we may have a Christ-centered home.

2. Change sheets - I think this is a great routine to get into. We have a few sets of sheets so it's not such a tragedy if they don't get laundered completely before bed, but starting the morning by clearing your sheets and putting them in the wash is a great way to get it done quickly.
* As I'm changing the sheets, I pray for my marriage. I pray that I will continue to put my husband before my children. I pray that God will bless our time together as a husband and wife. I pray that I may be Biblical submissive to my husband and that He may be blessed by it as well. I pray for my husband, that he may be the loving leader that our family needs and that God requires.

3. Empty all the trash - I didn't know if this one was so necessary as we empty when it gets full. My husband usually empties the trash, so on Mondays, this is my job (he gets to do it any other day of the week ;) )
* This is where I pray for God's daily blessings. I thank Him for our food, clothing, shelter. I ask God to continue to take care of our daily needs.

4. Vacuum all rooms - this is NOT a deep cleaning. It's just vacuuming around the living room, hall, bedrooms, dining areas and bathrooms. You don't have to move any furniture to get this done. It just cleans up the general living area.
* As I vacuum, I thank God for the luxeries: our television, our comfortable (falling-apart) recliner, our new mattress, our children's toys.

5. Mop kitchen and bath - I am terrible at this. I think I hate it so much because just when I get it cleaned, someone spills a gallon of milk, an entire bowl of spaghetti, a jar of jam (I'm exaggerating here, but you get the idea). This has kept me focused on at least once a week getting on my hands and knees to really scrub the floors. I don't do this every day and spot clean throughout the week. This just ensures that there's a clean base to begin the week with.
* While I mop, I ask God to continue to use my gifts for His glory. I pray that I can do a good job of cooking and cleaning as a Proverbs 31 woman. I pray for God to bless my kitchen and the work that is done there and all the enjoyment we have as we sit at our dinner table.

6. Clean mirrors and doors - this wouldn't be so bad, but our bedroom closet doors are large mirrors that our boys love to dance in front of...inevitebly getting fingerprints, nose markings, and some spit on them. It's a quick thing and my best tip for spotless glass - mirrors and other glass items - clean with warm water and Dawn dish soap. Spotless every time and no smears.
* Blessing my children is "easy" when I'm wiping their dirty fingerprints off my mirrors and doors. I praise God for the little hands that touch our lives. I ask God to bless my arrows that our parenting will be God-honoring and that we may be training our little hands to be warriors for the Gospel.

7. Feather dust furniture - again, this is not deep cleaning, this is dusting the areas that people will see. Decluttering your home and removing unimportant knick-knacks is a great place to start.
* I ask for God's blessings our our family as there are a lot of pictures in our home that need to be dusted. I ask for God to keep our family safe and say a special prayer for family members going through trials or tough times. I ask God to grace their lives with His presence.

This should take about an hour. I usually do it in the afternoon during nap time. It's been a great time saver and keeps me off the hook for the rest of the week (I still do the Zone Cleaning, but at least my surface cleaning is done). It's always easier when you set the timer.

Check out We Are THAT Family for more Works-for-Me Wednesday tips.