An Art and a Science
I believe that homemaking is an art and a science.
The art is the use of self to create a warm and nurturing environment for you and your family. It includes the creative touches that one does to make a home. From the flowers on your table to the art on your walls, whether you use table cloths, place mats, fine china or mismatched dishes, it’s whatever and however you choose to dress your home.
Art includes the flowers in your front yard or the herb pot on your window sill. It includes the tomatoes you pick from your garden to slice and serve in a salad or as a side dish with fried fish. Whether or not you wear an apron to cook and clean is part of the art. It’s the treats you leave on the table when your children arrive home from school. It is those things that are uniquely you. Your family should feel your presence, your influence.
The science of home making has to do with cooking, cleaning, managing…those necessary tasks that must happen to make and keep a home. It’s preparing meals based upon your family’s needs. When it comes to baking and you’re missing an ingredient, the science gives you an alternative.
When it comes to cleaning, the science includes whether you choose to use natural products like vinegar and baking soda or purchased cleaning products Windex or Mrs. Meyers. When you’re doing the laundry, the science warns you against putting ammonia and Chlorox bleach in the same wash cycle to avoid a dangerous chemical reaction.
Managing is also a part of the science of making and keeping a home. It has to do with assessing what needs to be done and determining when it needs to happen. It includes assigning tasks and delegating responsibilities. It involves scheduling appointments …not just for you and your family but for the dog, the car, and your home as well. It involves creating a cleaning and home maintenance routine that works for you and your lifestyle.
Making and keeping a home is not easy but it is rewarding.
