Good cheer
On the first Friday of Lent...
The School for Housewives brings you short, practical, and thoughtful messages to inspire you to shake off feminism and make your home. If you’re new here, go to the homepage for the previous Lessons; the categories are arranged in the menu bar at the top.
Allow me to offer a few practical things to think about if we find ourselves less than cheerful. (Who, me?)
Don’t let the late winter season get you down, if you live anywhere where Spring seems far off. Figure out a way to ingest some liver and remind yourself that it will be here soon, and this time is a good one to attend to a few indoor matters.
Know, if you are homeschooling especially, that February Blues happen everywhere, even in “the best” schools. Experiencing them is not failure; the cure is a little change of pace and a good tidy.
Interestingly, nothing energizes a child like seeing a neat shelf with his writing utensils, notebooks, and even workbooks, all in a row. Even the act of pulling them out to wipe down the shelf can spark a whole day of “playing school” in the younger ones (I’ll take it), and new interest in the older ones.
Lent is a good time to make a Little Oratory if you don’t already have one, or spruce it up if you do. Having a place in the home of quiet beauty that draws our eye towards heavenly things helps us remember where our joy really is.
Deirdre (Lawler) Folley, The Little Oratory
Apply my thoughts here to your situation with discernment, prudence, and confidence — and a sense of humor!
Who am I? Go here.
Be happy at home!
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For the longer version of this Substack and much more on this topic:
My 3-volume book on Order and Wonder in Family Life: