Home and property is probably one of the most time consuming departments that you will have to manage. It encompasses overseeing the maintenance and care of all tangible assets, including personal belongings, the house and its surroundings. This means things such as air conditioning repair, routine house cleaning, laundry and yard work. Actually, this list could go on and on with numerous duties to be performed. So, it's no surprise when we get bogged down in our daily lives that sometimes these things get pushed aside. It cannot be stressed enough that routine maintenance of our homes will save us time, money and energy in the long run. Take today for instance--we had a leak in our air conditioning unit upstairs. This was first discovered yesterday when I noticed water running down our living room wall. If we had made the time to have our units serviced before we needed to use them, we probably would have discovered this leak and saved ourselves a paint job and needless stress.
TAKE HOME TIP: Create a list of all the major items in your home that you depend on daily. This could include your air conditioning/heating units, water heater, washer/dryer, etc. After you create your list, make a yearly maintenance schedule so that you can be assured that these items are working properly and any problems can be caught and fixed before they become a potential disaster. Even taking time each month to maintain your washer by running diluted bleach through it can help it last longer and perform better for your needs.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Family Manager Coach
I just recently completed training to become a Certified Family Manager Coach. I started the training because I have always enjoyed organizing and trying to find different ways to make things work around our home. I also wanted to do the training because the program made sense to me. It teaches you how to manage your home by departments. I'll share more about the departments in a minute. But, the main reason I wanted to do the training is because I love to see women live to the full potential God has given them. And, by being a Family Manager Coach, I can help women simplify their lives so that they can do the things God intends for them to do.
Now, back to the departments. The concept of running my home as a small business really clicks with me. As a CPA, I'm used to the business world, so when I became a stay-at-home mom I tried hard to make things work the way I thought they should work. But, I realized that I didn't have all of the skills or knowledge to do everything I wanted to do. When I read Kathy Peel's book, The Family Manager Takes Charge, the lightbulb went on inside my head. She described exactly what I was looking for and what made the most sense to me. When you think about it, our homes are really like small businesses. If you have a large family, it may be more like a small corporation! But, whatever size home you have, you can benefit by treating the day-to-day activities like a small business. Following is a list of the seven departments and their descriptions:
Home and Property-Overseeing the maintenance and care of all tangible assets, including personal belongings, the house and its surroundings.
Food-Meeting the daily food and nutrition needs of the family economically and creatively.
Money-Budgeting, investing, paying bills, saving and handling a host of other monetary issues.
Family and Friends-Dealing with family life and relationships, including child-rearing, education, marriage, friends, neighbors and aging parents.
Special Events-Coordinating large and small projects--birthdays, holidays, vacations, garage sales, family reunions--that fall outside the normal family routine.
Time and Scheduling-Acting as the facilitator so the household runs smoothly and family members get to the right places at the right time, with the right equipment.
Self-Management-Taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
In the coming days I will go into greater detail about these departments. No one person is perfect in all areas, so remember to recruit help in your home. I'll speak more about that later as well.
Now, back to the departments. The concept of running my home as a small business really clicks with me. As a CPA, I'm used to the business world, so when I became a stay-at-home mom I tried hard to make things work the way I thought they should work. But, I realized that I didn't have all of the skills or knowledge to do everything I wanted to do. When I read Kathy Peel's book, The Family Manager Takes Charge, the lightbulb went on inside my head. She described exactly what I was looking for and what made the most sense to me. When you think about it, our homes are really like small businesses. If you have a large family, it may be more like a small corporation! But, whatever size home you have, you can benefit by treating the day-to-day activities like a small business. Following is a list of the seven departments and their descriptions:
Home and Property-Overseeing the maintenance and care of all tangible assets, including personal belongings, the house and its surroundings.
Food-Meeting the daily food and nutrition needs of the family economically and creatively.
Money-Budgeting, investing, paying bills, saving and handling a host of other monetary issues.
Family and Friends-Dealing with family life and relationships, including child-rearing, education, marriage, friends, neighbors and aging parents.
Special Events-Coordinating large and small projects--birthdays, holidays, vacations, garage sales, family reunions--that fall outside the normal family routine.
Time and Scheduling-Acting as the facilitator so the household runs smoothly and family members get to the right places at the right time, with the right equipment.
Self-Management-Taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
In the coming days I will go into greater detail about these departments. No one person is perfect in all areas, so remember to recruit help in your home. I'll speak more about that later as well.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Partner's Wife
My husband just became an audit partner at the accounting firm where he works. I am so proud of him and this accomplishment. He is certainly receiving a great reward for the 15 years of his life that he has given to work as an accountant. Sometimes, though, I selfishly ask myself "What about me?" I am the partner's wife. Shouldn't I get some reward from this as well? Shouldn't I get to drive that new SUV I've had my eye on? Shouldn't we get to build the new house I've wanted? Shouldn't others treat me with more respect because I am "THE PARTNER'S WIFE"? One day while out running errands, I heard the encouraging word of the day on KLOVE. It was from Proverbs 22:1, and it says "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." I believe that God was speaking to me that day to remind me that I am His and that He is my reward. When I got home, I looked up the verse on KLOVE's website to read more about it. Their commentary on this verse confirmed that God was speaking to me about this issue. It said "The best way to gain a good reputation is to focus on obeying God, not on earning other's approval. People who honor God win respect." After reading these words, I realize that I'm not going to get respect just because I am the partner's wife. True respect only comes after living an obedient life for God. Maybe now I can focus on obedient living and leave the rest up to God.
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