Caroline's List - Homemaking Made Easy

I took a deep breath as I watched my husband drive off to work. His paternity leave was over. My mom had helped out for a week, but was gone now too. Today would be my first day home alone with a toddler and a newborn. I'll admit I was scared and overwhelmed. It had been hard enough managing my household and getting dinner on the table every night with just one child. But now I had a newborn added to the mix. Would I ever cook again? Would my house ever be clean again? Would I ever take a shower again? I had my doubts, but I sent a tearful prayer up to God and turned around to face my two little boys and the long day ahead of us

During one of many nursing sessions, I pulled out my old copy of Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I hadn't read it since I was a girl. I thought I would enjoy a nice, light story, having no idea that what I was about to read would change my life!

Laura's mother, Caroline Ingalls, had a schedule of chores she followed: "Wash on Monday, Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, Churn on Thursday, Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday, Rest on Sunday." Seeing her work spelled out like that in one sentence seemed much too simple. But this was from a pioneer woman and mother of four children. I read on about the Ingalls family and marvelled at the order in their lives. Their house was always clean with everything in its place, the children were well-mannered, and they had delicious home-cooked meals every day. I knew then that I had stumbled onto the secret of homemaking! Could it truly be as easy as making a list and sticking to it?

So I made my own "Caroline's List", wrote it out on pretty paper, and stuck it on my fridge. It looked so official and so... easy! My list consisted of: Laundry on Monday, Bathrooms on Tuesday, Vacuuming and Dusting on Wednesday, Filing and Bills on Thursday, Baking on Friday, Scrapbooking or Special Project on Saturday, Rest on Sunday. Now it was just a matter of following it. My cousin Christie (also a wife and mother of two) and I agreed to keep each other accountable to our housework by sending an e-mail back and forth everyday titled "Caroline's List."

Suddenly, housework was no longer hard. I was having fun keeping up with my list, and because I was only doing one thing each day, it didn't take very long and I found that I actually had more free time to spend doing things my boys and I enjoyed. What had once been my least favorite chore (cleaning bathrooms) became the easiest. Since they were being cleaned once a week, they hardly had time to get dirty before I cleaned them again. Having a day designated for baking proved to be great fun for the whole family. I started experimenting with new recipes, and since baking day was on Friday, my family got to enjoy the yummy treats all the weekend long. My husband couldn't believe his laundry was folded and put away in his drawers once a week, and that he had a clean bathroom towel every Tuesday night. I found that my entire family was benefiting from my list. Our home felt more relaxed. No more exhausting marathon cleaning days, no more frantic scurrying and tidying up when a guest was coming over, no more cringing when my two-year-old ran his hand along the window panes. Our house quickly became a peaceful and enjoyable place to live, and despite the upheaval a new baby can bring to life, I felt more organized and more purposeful than I ever had before. Caroline's List changed my life, and I know it can change yours too!

Works Cited:

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods. New York and Evanston: Harper & Row, 1953.
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