31 Days to Clean Update: Dropping the Ball....

One of the reasons I named my blog The Humbled Homemaker is because I have felt so, well, HUMBLED in the area of homemaking. 

I told my husband last night: "I wasn't trained for this. I was trained to be a journalist. I was trained to be a writer. I was trained to speak Spanish."

But I wasn't trained to wash dishes and clothes and scrub toilets and potty training stains and spilled milk and spit-up from the carpet. I wasn't trained to keep the pantries and closets and cabinets and toy boxes organized. I wasn't trained to set sleep schedules and mend boo boos and tame tantrums.

My college education gave me a lot--but it didn't give me any of those things. 

But this was God's plan for me all along. 

Don't get me wrong. I always, always wanted children. Even though I married at 24, there was a time when I thought perhaps I never would marry, and I just didn't prepare myself for it.

My mom was a model homemaker. She has a huge servant's heart. And I realize now I was lazy. I barely did any chores, so I just didn't learn how to really keep house. 

Stephanie at Keeper of the Home wrote about this same topic the other day. And even though she wasn't prepared for this wonderful job of homemaking, she has decided to embrace it...and do all she can to prepare her daughters to not only hone their other talents but also to keep home.

I want to do the same with my girls. 

And it starts with my example.

But I dropped the ball this week. My goal of this blog is to be REAL. I am not the perfect homemaker. I am the humbled homemaker. 

And I think there are many others like me. We need to stop putting on fronts and encourage each other. 

After all, we are on the front lines of sacrificial work every day.

So, I'm admitting. I dropped the ball this week. As I look around my house right now, I see scattered toys, a stained carpet, unfolded laundry (from two days ago), a sink full of dirty dishes. 

Sure, I can blame it the fact that my daughter just had surgery. But there is always something. There will always be an excuse. 

So, I'm admitting I got off track with 31 Days to Clean. I didn't give up all together, but  I definitely let myself down.

But I have hopes to finish strong...with aspirations to take on this challenge again and again and again. 

Next week I'll be updating on week 4--and reviewing the book--AND hosting a giveaway!

I hope I can say I've made a comeback. 

Last night I prayed: "Lord, I surrender this whole homemaking thing to you. Please help me be a better homemaker. I can't do it without you."

It's what I should have prayed a long time ago.

How are YOU doing with 31 Days to Clean (if you're doing the challenge)? What are your biggest challenges as a homemaker? Do you feel you were trained for this job? How are you training your daughters? I'd love to hear from you in the comments! :)  

Do you enjoy reading The Humbled Homemaker?  Subscribe to receive posts via e-mail, here, and find me on Facebook, here.  

If you liked this post, you may also like my post on my 31 Days to Clean mission statement and Resolving to be a Better Mom . 

Check out 31 Days to Clean for yourself, here.

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