Keeping the Kitchen Table Clean

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness
• She is like the merchants ships, she bringeth her food from afar

Yesterday's post in the 5 Days to Clean challenge was about getting back into my groove in the kitchen. Today I worked on getting back on track with my regular daily routine, and also tackled the other end of our kitchen, which we euphemistically call the "dining room", although it's part of one long room.  It's been a real mess lately due to a failure in my other routine--my weekly routine.

One of the worst failures I've had in the last few weeks involves the kitchen/dining table.  It's right by the carport door, and it's the landing pad for everything that comes into the house, from purchases to mail to purse or backpack.  

A few years ago, I started lighting candles every Friday night to welcome the Biblical Sabbath. I was working outside the home at the time, so Fridays involved stopping on the way home from work to pick up a rotisserie chicken from the deli of a local grocery, a loaf of bread and maybe a couple of sides, then rushing into the house, and hurrying to get a space cleared so we could light the candles and eat.  

Fast forward a few years, and I was no longer working, so I did better about clearing the table and getting things ready on Friday, but it was still hit-and-miss sometimes if I got the table cleared all the way before dinner.  

Then we started a Friday night Bible study in our home, centered around the table, so you can be sure that it was cleared every week!  When the Bible study ended, I kept up the habit of using Friday evenings to clear off the table and get it ready for our family Shabbat.  

Even though we use this table daily, and it's still our landing pad for whatever comes in the back door, there was something about clearing it off completely once a week that helped us to keep it picked up the rest of the week as well.  

Then several weeks ago we started attending Shabbat elsewhere, and without that weekly clearing off, the table disintegrated into chaos!  

I made up my mind last week when I came home to a messy table, that whether we are home or away on Friday nights, the table will be cleared and ready.  

And after today---it's ready!

I know from experience that we'll set the mail down on it again, and leave books and papers and everything else on it from time to time--but knowing that it will be cleared off every Friday helps us to be conscious about keeping it (somewhat) picked up the rest of the week.

How do you incorporate your cleaning into your weekly routine? Do you have certain days that you do certain things?

Until next time...