Musings from Marilyn

Archive for April, 2010

I washed two loads of laundry this morning as I so often do on a Monday.  I wash on other days of the week too, but maybe somehow it is ingrained in my subconscious to wash on Monday according to homemaking tradition?

Traditionally, there was a certain chore for each day of the week.  As the saying goes it is:

Monday: Wash Day ~ Tuesday: Ironing Day ~ Wednesday: Sewing Day ~ Thursday: Market Day ~ Friday: Cleaning Day ~ Saturday: Baking Day ~ Sunday: Day of Rest.

Of course, in bygone days, each of these tasks took the better part of a day so it was wise to devote an entire day to each.  I admire the regimentation of it all;  I think having a planned schedule of housework would be a big benefit on keeping me on track.  I tend to do most homemaking chores haphazardly, here and there, or when things become so desperate that I can no longer stand it!

Taking a look at the traditional chores for each day, I like the Monday wash day thing.  It is good to start the week out with clean laundry so I can deal with that.  Tuesday looks like a free pass for me as I rarely, if ever, iron!  I hang dry my clothes and they dry quite wrinkle-free.  Wednesday is sewing day; which I don’t do either.  I do mend things, so I think that would be a good day to do it.

Thursday is market day.  Hey, I’m always good for (thrift) shopping!  Oh, I think they mean groceries though.  I will probably have to pass on this too as I usually shop groceries at Trader Joe’s right after church on Sunday.  It’s right next door and it makes it very convenient, even though Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest (a little flexibility is okay, I’m sure)!

Friday is cleaning day.  This sounds good – get the house spic and span for the weekend, so I can loll around.  I tend to be a little lax with the vacuuming and floor mopping, and this sounds good to get on a regular schedule.  Saturday is baking day.  Since I don’t bake much either, I think I’ll take a pass on this too.  Baking every Saturday seems a little excessive (for my waistline too)!

Which leaves Sunday, day of rest.  I really like the now-forgotten tradition of resting on Sunday.  But quite often Sundays turn out to be as busy as the rest of the week.  For several years now, I have been consciously trying to keep Sunday at more of a restful state.  It is hard though, when you work at home like I do.  Work is always staring me in the face; there is no distinct separation.  So I try to mentally remove myself and get engrossed in some other activity.

Maybe this will help me up my homemaking game!  I must admit it feels good to have things clean and somewhat orderly, and getting back to a quasi-schedule just might be the ticket.  Wish me luck!

~Marilyn

Today is National Hanging Out Day; a day that was created to show how it is possible to save money and energy by using a clothesline.  I’ve washed two loads of laundry already this morning, and they are hanging out on the clothesline.  Thankfully it’s a warm sunny day and the rain showers are not expected until late this afternoon.  Hopefully the laundry will be dry by then.  Always having one eye on the weather conditions is key when you use a clothesline!

Being a year-round clothesline/drying rack user this is nothing new to me, but I always like to encourage people to at least try air-drying once in awhile.  Even if it is only one day a year.  So today is ‘officially’ that day.  Why don’t you give it a try?  You might even find it refreshingly delightful, as I do.

~Marilyn

Due to the lack of winter here, allergy season started early this year in the Pacific Northwest.  Trees and daffodils started blooming as early as January, and the grass started growing fast and never quit!  While it’s pleasant to have nice weather, it comes with a price.  And that price for many, myself included, is those annoying springtime allergies.  This year is especially fierce; not only here, but in most areas of the country.

Since I suffer from allergies the hardest during springtime,  I decided to take a more proactive approach this year.  The spring allergy season was going to be a long one, so I planned my attack.  I didn’t want to spend any more time than I had to suffering from debilitating allergy symptoms, like in previous years.  This year was going to be different!

First up, I was going to take a 24 hour non-drowsy allergy medication every single day. I picked out Claritin, actually the store-brand equivalent ( a LOT cheaper), and started taking one pill a day.  This had little or no effect.  I posted my allergy woes on my Facebook status update, and got several really good suggestions.   Facebook can be so helpful in many ways!   One friend who is a nurse, suggested I take two tablets a day to get the dosage up to prescription strength.  I looked on the package, and sure enough, the one-pill dosage was the same for a six-year-old as for an adult.  So I started taking two a day, and after a couple of  days it seemed to kick in, and kick butt!

I am also continuing with my daily neti pot rinses, as I do year-round.   I do this later in the day, after the buildup of allergins.  The warm saline water poured through the nasal passages is so soothing and cleansing.  A lot of times I’m pretty congested and not much water gets through.  But even getting just a little bit up the nose seems to help dig through the congestion and help clear the airways.  One trick I’ve learned recently is after you rinse with the neti pot, bend over in front and blow your nose.  Turn your head sideways and blow too.  One crazy thing about using a neti pot is that the saline solution will quite often pool up somewhere in the recesses of your sinuses, and then come rushing out hours later when you bend over.  This most likely happens in a public place, of course!  Doing the bend-over nose blow will prevent this embarrassing occurrence.

Doing these two things have helped immensely!  The combination of medication, and the neti pot rinse really packs a punch for me.  I am able to continue my daily outdoor walks, and just generally go about life.  I also do other things to help keep allergies at bay: eat healthily, drink lots of water, take many vitamins and supplements, and use saline nasal spray.  While I’m not completely symptom free, it is so much better than in springs past.  It almost makes me feel like dancing ‘The Rite of Spring’.  On second thought, I think I’ll pass on that.  That ballet was about a pagan ritual where a girl dances herself to death.  Maybe a few springtime allergies don’t sound so bad after all!

~Marilyn