Get your home and your heart in order in just 31 days!
Sarah Mae wants to let you in on a little secret about being a good homemaker: It’s not about having a clean house. She’d never claim to be a natural, organized cleaner herself―yet, like you, she wants a beautiful space to call home, a place where people feel loved and at peace. Where people can really settle in with good food, comfy pillows, and wide-open hearts.
Is it possible to find a balance? To care for your heart―and your home―at the same time?
Journey with Sarah Mae on this easy, practical 31-day plan to get you moving and have your house looking and feeling fresh. But even more than that, you’ll gain a new vision for the home of your dreams, and how to make it a place of peace, comfort, and community. Originally published as the e-book 31 Days to Clean and now revised and expanded in print for the first time, Having a Martha Home the Mary Way will inspire you to find a happier, healthier . . . cleaner way to live.
Having a Martha Home the Mary Way
31 Days to a Clean House and a Satisfied Soul
By Sarah MaeTyndale House Publishers
Copyright © 2016 Sarah Mae
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4143-7262-4Contents
Foreword by Logan Wolfram, ix,
Gentle Homemaking: An Introduction, xiii,
What Does It Mean to Have a Martha House the Mary Way?, xvii,
My Story, 1,
How to Use This Book, 11,
DAY 0: Prep Day!, 15,
DAY 1: Lifting Life above Mere Existence, 17,
DAY 2: Define Your Vision, 25,
DAY 3: Rhythm Priorities, 33,
DAY 4: Developing a Workable Routine, 43,
DAY 5: The Six List: The $25,000 Piece of Advice, 49,
DAY 6: Overcoming the Curse, 57,
DAY 7: Your Cleaning Style, 63,
DAY 8: Making Your Personality Work for You, 69,
DAY 9: Tornado Cleaning, 77,
DAY 10: Slow and Steady, 85,
DAY 11: A Place to Put Your Feet Up, 89,
DAY 12: Feeling Overwhelmed, 95,
DAY 13: Purge, Baby, Purge, 101,
DAY 14: The Toy Situation, 107,
DAY 15: Kids and Cleaning, 113,
DAY 16: I'd Rather Do Anything but Clean (When the Bones Are Feeling Lazy), 119,
DAY 17: Finding Joy in the Self-Disciplined Life, 125,
DAY 18: Grace for Those Days, 131,
DAY 19: Fighting Fatigue, 137,
DAY 20: Distractions, 145,
DAY 21: Limitations (Life Is Hard), 149,
DAY 22: Diligence and Willing Hands, 155,
DAY 23: Time, 161,
DAY 24: Help! To Hire or Not to Hire, 169,
DAY 25: The Thing We All Have in Common, 173,
DAY 26: The High-Low Cycle, 179,
DAY 27: Laundry Blues, 183,
DAY 28: Who Are You Trying to Please?, 191,
DAY 29: What I Would Say to My Younger Self about Cleaning, 197,
DAY 30: Contentment in Your Season of Life, 205,
DAY 31: Balancing It All, 209,
Is Messiness a Morality Issue?, 213,
A Word about Guilt, 215,
Ten Quick Tips for the Decorating Challenged, 217,
Four Handy Dandy Quick Tips to Help You in Your Cleaning Efforts, 221,
Acknowledgments, 225,
Notes, 227,
About the Author, 229,
CHAPTER 1
Gentle Homemaking
AN INTRODUCTION
I USED TO THINK that if my home was clean, I was a good homemaker.
Over the years, as I've reflected on my life and have recalled memories of growing up, I've come to the conclusion that it is not a clean house that defines good homemaking, but rather a warm, inviting place that is filled with love.
As a matter of fact, I would prefer to get rid of the word good altogether and replace it with gentle. I want to cultivate the art of "gentle homemaking," which is the ability to be gentle and kind with ourselves in the process of making and keeping a home while being gentle and kind to those around us.
It's so easy to beat ourselves up as well as cast blame on those closest to us, isn't it? We are quick to condemn ourselves and our efforts when things don't work out the way we envisioned. And once we feel frustrated with ourselves, it's a natural progression to accuse those around us. Our husbands and children can so easily get the brunt of our own feelings of inadequacy. I have often accused myself of being a homemaking failure. But you know, the only thing those condemning voices do is paralyze us from getting on with our lives, trusting God in our weaknesses, and moving forward in faith.
When we can move forward without the condemnation of our sometimes meager efforts, we can become better, gentler homemakers and lovers of others.
Now as to the actual chaos and practical business of homemaking, I have found that
