Hospitality Lesson

I had Lukas at an indoor playground the other day and could not help over-hearing a conversation happening next to me. The ladies had apparently gone to some meeting at their church where the speaker was discussing hospitality. There was one simple message I heard them repeat that will probably stick with me forever.

The goal of hospitality is the other person. If someone stops by unexpectedly and all you can think about is your messy house than you have missed the point. Thinking about your messy house is self-focused because you are worried about how you look to other people. True hospitality is more concerned with the person visiting and making sure they are taken care of.

Ouch.

How often am I super-obsessed with trying to get my house look perfect when people are coming over. Its not that trying to have a clean house is bad at all. BUT the moment that person enters the door it is to be about them, not about how I feel about myself. If I’m worn out or stressed out from house-cleaning I have passed a limit. This is something I will be thinking about every time I get in a bad mood because I can’t get my house into the perfection I want it to be.

SUCKERS!

No, I never knew a vacuum would be so desired in my life. Never did I think my request for Christmas would be for a vacuum. If you told me 15 years ago I would wonder how my life could have ended up dull enough to want a vacuum so bad. But folks, my life is not dull. I love it. BUT, I did want a vacuum for Christmas. An Oreck to be exact.

My friend Lisa introduced me to it on fine play-date day. I was captivated by it’s power teamed with its MERE 8 LBS weight. The low profile that allowed it to slip under couches and under cabinet ledges. It seemed so easy. So much easier than mine.

I have some great vacuums so that is where the confusion came in for the Husband. My parents passed on a Rainbow to me that is absolutely excellent. But it also isn’t the type of thing I have time to pull out after every meal when the kids have totally crumified the kitchen floors. And my hoover isn’t horrible. It just really does not excel on my wood floors.

So my sweet husband took a trip to the vacuum store only to find out the top of the line of what I wanted was close to $800. Yikes. Needless to say, I was informed that it would not be a gift under the tree this year.

I did however get money from a couple of different people, and there is always ebay

I bid (and won!) A refurbished Oreck that looks absolutely brand new. It came today!!! You should see my floors Finger lickin’ good.

WFMW- I Heart Label Makers!

This Works For Me Wednesday I’m featuring my love of label makers. I could go sickly insane labeling everything in the world if I had the time and got on a roll. I love to label. I love the idea that if we have a babysitter the will know which remote works for what. When we have family in town they will know where to put groceries. When someone is cleaning up the playroom they will know what bins get what toys. Our files look clean and professional with nicely printed labels on their tabs. There is no confusion over regular and decaffeinated coffee grinds in my house because it’s labeled!

I think it’s genetic. My dad never let us off to camp without writing our LAST NAME large on the inside collar of every shirt and every item we packed. My father and step-mother are ferociously organized. With multiple toddlers I could never keep the level of organization they do. However, I can strive and labeling is one step closer.

And yes, my husband laughs at me.

Just a few pictures (taken in less than stellar light.)

It is a little hard to see the labels in this one.

 

Other WFMW Posts:
Traveling With Small Children
Easy Cooking