I'd like to recommend a book I've only seen suggested a few places: A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot. I think the reason this doesn't get broader recognition is because it's a very Catholic book- I don't mean that anti-Catholicism is responsible for the lack of publicity, though. Such publicity has it has gotten has been focused on a Catholic audience, for good reason. Large portions of it are so Catholic that it leaves noncatholic readers scratching our heads and hunting up words and terms in the Catholic Encyclopedia. Large chunks of it simply don't even make sense to me because I don't speak that language and I don't have the background to automatically understand what Holly is getting at in some cases.

So why does this bare bones, low-church, primitive, first century Christianity advocate recommend a book with all the smells and bells of formal, medieval, Catholicity (if that is a word)? Because it has two points in particular that really make it stand out from others. The first is that she suggests you first sit down and think about what sort of home you want to have, your most important goals (not stuff about clean toilets and scoured tubs, but about your home and your purpose as a Christian family), and she advocates a rhythm rather than a rigid order to the day to accomplish those goals. The second is because of a unique approach in Holly's book you won't find anywhere else, or at least, I haven't seen it anywhere else.

Sometimes, according to the comfortable and soothing view put forth in all the other books I've read on getting organized, we aren't able to get things done because our standards are too high, we are perfectionists, we're trying to impose a system or a standard that just doesn't work for us, or we just don't know where to start. Sometimes, I know from our experiences, our health interferes. Sometimes our husbands do (I have a friend whose husband loves her company so much that he has asked her not to clean when he's at home, and since he doesn't at all mind if the house is cluttered, this works very well for them). Sometimes we just don't think these things matter, and that's okay, too.

But sometimes, if we are honest with ourselves, we must acknowledge that some of us just don't get things done because we are really being lazy and demonstrating a lack of self discipline. Holly honestly acknowledges, rebukes, and offers corrective teaching on that real issue that keeps many of us from having the level of order we would like in our homes, and she calls it what it is- sloth. Ladies, I know it's not popular to say things that might make people feel bad even if they are true. I know that in our culture the only really unforgivable sin is to utter hard truths and say things that make people feel 'judged.' If you know sloth has nothing to do with why you're not getting things done that you believe should be done, then you have no need to feel guilty about my use of that word- but you have no right to try to prevent others from using it. It's your house, not mine. But because I know that I just cannot be the only person in the western world who fails in this area, who actually, gasp, sins in this area, I offer this recommendation. Skip to the end if you like- that's where the chapters on sloth are.

We are a lazy people in many regards, and one of them is a spiritual sloth. We think that we need only do what we feel like doing, and sometimes not even that. Duty, ought, must, these are words we'd like to remove from our vocabulary. Holly will make some suggestions to help you correct those errors in thinking, but you'll still have to do the work.

Sorry about that.

Postscript: CoffeeMama reminded me that Holly has a blog!

Very helpful on the why and the setting of overall priorities in running a household. This book helps plan strategy and Flylady helps with tactics. Although the author homeschooled her children when she wrote the book, and her Catholicsism runs through it, I've lent it to non-homeschoolers and non-Catholics, both of whom found it helpful. I find at least 50% of the people who borrow the book go on to buy their own copy.

Outstanding book! ( )