We all face trials, right? Some of us climb together, facing similar problems, and draw comfort from the company. Others climb alone. But even alone, you know that as you climb your mountain, your friends are climbing their own. The process is similar for each climb.

Different Mountains, Similar Climb

“When you’re actually climbing the mountain, you have to get to it first. Upon arriving at the base of the mountain, you have to know what you’re doing before you start out. Always be safe with each step you take.”
-MountainClimbingBlog.com

“It is critical to have a sure footing before going to another level, else we slip and slide back several levels. A bad fall can end with serious wounds that take a long time to heal and seriously delay the journey. There is a need to stay at each plateau long enough to learn what God is teaching us. Moving too quickly can be dangerous.”
-Robin @ HeartofWisdom.com

A Step at a Time

You’ve already come to terms with your mountain. You know its name and approximate size. You know God is with you on the climb. But you still have to actually climb it.

Deployment is the name of mine. It’s going to be a long climb. But I know that God has been preparing me for this time in my life, and he hasn’t brought me here without giving me what I need to make it through – or to the top, as it were. What you and I must do is face the mountain and climb, one step at a time.

For me, one step at a time means facing each day with prayer for strength. It means pushing forward in my goals rather than wasting my time. It means making a little more progress, moment by moment. Sometimes, just doing my chores is a mountain for me, and I have to take one step by picking up a shirt, another step by folding it, another by putting it away, another by starting again with the next item. Bite-sized pieces.

I’m not the first to say any of this, but I need to write it. I need to share it. Do with it what you will.

Tumbles: What do you mean, not a fort? Don’t wash the Tumbles!

We were catching up on some cleaning today, including Hubby washing a bunch of clothes that were still packed up from the barracks. Tumbles really enjoyed it.

Inspired by a xanga post I read earlier yesterday, I wanted to talk a little bit about being a housewife. I love being able to take care of our home. It’s a big job, and I know that if my husband and I both worked full-time outside jobs the house would suffer for it. But being a house-wife or a house-husband is about more than just housekeeping. (Let’s see, there’s budgeting, cooking, decorating, and some other things…  )

When I first read the above-mentioned post, I was really impressed by the author’s insight into things we might take for granted. I am still impressed. I am a pretty big fan of The Sims, starting from the first version of the PC game, which my best friend and I would stay up all night playing, at times (and go to bed dreaming of smoke alarms and green diamond things over everyone’s heads). I never really thought about all the ridiculous things in the game quite as in-depth as this before:

“If I don’t want to be with you anymore,
I simply don’t call you or invite you over,
and our relationship fades without the
drama of breakups.”

“I don’t have laundry and wearing the
same outfit everyday isn’t gross at all.”

Easy Peasy…

Sounds great! It would certainly make housekeeping much easier. I mean, sure there are some puddles to mop up when the sink breaks – or you could just leave them for a day and they’ll dry up on their own. And, of course, you still have to load the dishwasher even if unloading is magically automatic. I like the sound of that. Every meal take the same amount of time to make and creates very little mess and literally no clean-up aside from the dishes from which you eat. Dust is non-existent, as is mud – due to the lack of rain.

But Not So Different…

But that’s just the housekeeping side. What else is involved in being a housewife? In another post, I mentioned that I liked selling Avon because I could make my own hours. One of the important parts of being a housewife is for me to be able to be good company and a good helper for my spouse. I do that by trying to do most my my work while he is doing his work. That way, when he comes home, we can have a meal together, watch TV, play a video game, or just hang out. This applies even if when he comes home he wants to spend some time alone, doing his thing.

This is an area where I find real life to be very similar to The Sims. When I play The Sims, I find that I have to put quite a bit of concentrated effort into initially growing the relationship of the two Sims who I want to marry. After that, I sometimes forget that they still need to spend time together until one of them suddenly pops up with a wish to kiss his spouse or hug her, or woo-hoo with her. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind, even in a game like that, and forget that relationships require time and effort. Actually, they require much more time and effort than taking care of the house.

So To Wrap Up

Are there other similarities you see between The Sims and real housewiving? I didn’t want to include too much in one post, but feel free to bring up other aspects of being a housewife that you find equally important! What do you do to take care of your home and your family?