The Intentional Home, Week Three: Thursday

For an Introduction and Table of Contents for The Intentional Home, click Here.

Week Three: Thursday

...not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25

I hope you’ve had some success with the beginning process of getting your living areas more to your taste. But, remember it’s a process that may not happen in three days. So, don’t fret and remember the most important job throughout this journey is to create a clutter-free space that can be cleaned and maintained much easier.

Today, we will turn our focus to the dining areas in your house. Eating dinner together as a family is so important for a family’s wellbeing. It is a time when you can come together and not only eat a nourishing meal, but spend time in fellowship and prayer. Having a clutter-free lovely space to do this is so important.

Your dining and kitchen tables should actually be used for eating and not as a place to collect paper, laundry waiting to be folded or clutter. Let’s start by making your table clutter-free so that you can enjoy meals with your family without the added worry of cleaning the table every time you want to sit down to a meal. Remove everything from your table and put it where it belongs. Spend a few minutes cleaning the table and chairs. Now, you might add one decorative piece that you find beautiful to the center of the table. 

Take some time to look at any other furniture in the room. Are there any objects on that piece of furniture that belongs somewhere else? If so, remove those objects. Is there anything that you no longer find beautiful or meaningful? If so, remove those objects as well. Perhaps you are storing some china that never gets used? This might be a great time to clean it up and treat your family or friends to a nice meal using the special dishes. As you go over each piece of furniture, take some time to wipe down and dust the decorative pieces that are to remain as well as the furniture. You will repeat this process if you have two dining areas.

After finishing your dining rooms, take a few moments to sit at the table that you use most as a family. What would you like to see happen in that space? Maybe you would like to see your family spend more time together eating meals and interacting? Or, you might envision having friends over for tea and fellowship? Spend time in prayer asking God to help fulfill the dream that you have for that space. Ask Him what you need to do to help that dream be fulfilled as well.

Daily Chores: 

One load of laundry from start to finish

Make your bed

Unload the dishwasher in the morning, load and run it at night

Wipe down the kitchen counters and sink 

Wipe down the bathroom counters and sinks

Thursday’s chore of mopping