I cannot begin to tell you how often I was completing my day by declaring, “Wow! I can’t believe how fast the day went!  Don’t ask me what I did all day though…” Laundry was still undone.  Dishes were still piled in the sink.  Floors needed scrubbed.  Various projects were half done and scattered around the house.  The kids were snacking on store-bought muffins (gasp!).  You get the picture.

I began to feel like a stranger in my own skin–a woman simply staring into the window of her own home watching herself run frantically to and fro trying to manage a house and children.  This was not at all the life I imagined when I was a newlywed, awaking at 5:00 a.m. to bake fresh bread for my husband to take to work or when I was pregnant with our first child and had hand-knit an entire drawer of bonnets, booties, cardigans and blankets.  What happened?

I’ll tell you what happened.  Life happened.  A few years ago I decided to dust off my dreams of becoming a published writer and a few short months after that I gave birth to our second child.   Suddenly I had more on my plate than ever before.  The perfectionist in me wanted to do everything just right but in reality I had become spread so thin over so many different aspects of life that I wasn’t doing anything.  Period.

I sat down and prayed. I prayed for peace and order in my soul and home.  I knew that this didn’t rest on my shoulders alone.  I re-read Proverbs 30:10-31 and remembered how all the things this woman accomplished were not done in one day.  They were accomplished over time.  She prioritized her life. Then I reminded myself of Proverbs 14:1, “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her own hands.”

I found the courage and strength to begin transforming our house into our home.

First, I made a list of all the things that had to get done and all the things that I simply wanted to do.  It didn’t take long for that list to become unrealistically long so I had to prioritize.  Sure, I loved scrapbooking, afternoon naps and reading blogs for hours but I *loved* writing, baking and spending time with my family.  It was pretty obvious which things had to go.

Next, I made a plan and executed it.  My house felt like it was in a constant uproar, nothing was ever in it’s place, so I gave myself a time limit–one hour per morning–to read through blogs and check emails.  After that each day had a designated chore that I took care of.  Monday-laundry, Tuesday-closets, Wednesday-bathrooms and floors, etc. It took about two weeks to get my home–and family–back in order.

Now, I have time to spend quality time with my family, keep my house clean, meals cooked, snacks baked and writing deadlines met–and all it took was a little re-prioritizing.

What things are a priority for you? What things aren’t?   You are in control of your life and have the power to transform it into whatever you want it to be.  No matter what your vision is for your home or family, it is yours.  Make a list and re-prioritize your life today.

Here at Blissfully Domestic we applaud women who are doing things their way.  Whether they’re bakers or no-bakers, whether they grow their own herbs or buy them in a jar…we are all working towards the same goal…there is no right or wrong way.

We are all Blissfully Domestic!

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