Me All Over Again

I wrote in one of my last posts about wanting to be a better wife and mother.  As a Christian, I am using the verses of Proverbs 31 from the Bible as a guide on my way.

It is my sincere hope and intention that people of other faiths or belief systems will feel welcome on the Back Porch at all times.  I try to present my beliefs respectfully and hope that anyone reading my blog would feel free to express themselves (in a family-friendly way) as well.

So, my first nugget comes from Proverbs 31:10-12 (KJV):

• Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Dictionary.com defines "virtuous" as "conforming to moral and ethical principles".  While I like to think I am a good person, there is always room for improvement.  I certainly don't feel like my worth is "far above rubies"...yet. :)

• The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

To me, this verse means that I am my husband's reliable partner.  I use my skills to make our lives better and continually "upgrade" those skills.  Well, folks, I have not done a very good job in this of late.  So my goal for the next month is to do a better job.  The one area that jumps out at me and SCREAMS for attention is my rusty old broken down domestic engineering abilities.

The first, or one of the first ideas that hit me when I thought of this goal is to get out of  C.H.A.O.S.  (Anyone familiar with the FlyLady will know that this means "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome".  Part of the problem is that we have 2 adults, 2 teens, 1 tween, 1 cat, 1 dog and 6 puppies in our 3-br apartment.  Part of the problem is our conspicuous lack of storage areas.  Here are some of my smaller goals designed to correct the part of the problem that is in my control:

1. By Tuesday, 8 January, 2013, we will be able to invite people into the living room.
2. By Tuesday, 15 January, 2013, we will be able to invite people into the kitchen.
3. By Tuesday, 22 January, 2013, the nickel tour will include the "master bedroom".
4. By Tuesday, 29 January, 2013, the laundry nook, bathroom and front porch will be presentable.

• She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 

IMO, this verse has to do more with the things I think and feel concerning my marriage, rather than the things I do.  Overall, I have positive feelings and thoughts about my husband and our marriage.  There are little things that get under my skin about him (and his skin about me) every now and again, but marriage was not meant to be a non-stop party.  Every once in a while, you need to clean up.

So don't be surprised if a little "what a guy" statements make it into the blog every once in a while.  For instance, my husband went back to college last fall after a 20 +/- year break.  He got all A's in his classes.  I am so proud of him!  I told his mother and her husband, his father and his wife, my brother, people at church ... basically anyone who sat still for any length of time. :O)

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How are your goals going?  Are they big enough to hold your attention?  Are they broken down into manageable bites to help you remain motivated?  Let me know!  I'd love to provide encouragement on your journey!!!


I wrote this post  to help fulfill my own Christmas wish to be a better wife and mother.  I wanted to link it to the "One Word 2013 Blog Hop" at my friend's blog "Create With Joy" because she is the source of a lot of good information and connections.