Proverbs 31:27

"She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness."

We are continuing our study in Proverbs 31.

If you have noticed in the sidebar, this is pretty much the theme verse for my life as a stay at home mom.

Think about it.

As a SAHM (stay at home mom), I have to be proactive or becoming idle can be very easy. During the day, there is no one here to tell me what I need to do, no one to give me a list or agenda or deadlines for certain projects to be finished by. The television or computer can easily become a companion and we all know how easy it can be to sit down for 5 minutes and then 30, 45, 60 minutes later we realize we have lost track of time.

Although I have gone away from having the rigid schedule that I once used to, I still lead a pretty scheduled/routine life because that is the only way I can do all that I have to (that's also how I function best). It also gives me a goal to reach for with each new day. Every evening I sit down and plan out (with much room for flexibility) what needs to be accomplished in our day and what is the best time for those things to happen. It does take some type of planning because "the ways of her household" can make up one really long list.

What are the ways of our household? (Yours may be different, similar, or the same as mine)

• have devotions with the kids
• teach the children about the Lord
• continue to date my husband
• pack Brian's lunch
• dusting
• cleaning bathrooms
• vacuuming
• scrubbing toilets
• cook dinner
• clean up after dinner
• laundry
• changing diapers
• teach the children manners
• making the morning and evening coffee
• bathe children
• home school Addie
• work with Ian
• purging our home from clutter
• read to the kids
• pick up toys
• prepare items for consigning
• buy groceries at the best price possible
• cut coupons
• wake in the middle of the night for fussy babies
• keep track of food in the pantry, fridge, and freezer
• clean bathrooms
• ironing
• make the beds
• play with kids
• feed the kids
• keep track of our family's memories

These are just the things that come to mind right now. This list is by no means extensive and they are not listed by priority, although, the top three are in reference to my "jobs" here at home.

If I make sure that I am looking well to the ways of my household, I won't have time to be idle. And I certainly won't have time to be bored. And if I am not idle and not bored, then I am not going to get myself into trouble.

If you have never considered what the ways of your household are, I would encourage you to write a list out. You will be pretty (pleasantly) surprised with how much you really do. Then find a way to be proactive about tackling your list so that you can look well to the ways of your household.