Standard Operating Manual

Nine years or so ago, my husband began a new career as a civilian mariner. This left me at home to raise our three children on my own for roughly nine months out of the year. In addition to rearing them, I also home school them. During this time, I have learned much about organization, scheduling, commitment to my own career path (a homemaker) and a myriad of other things as well. I feel as though I have been successful. Our oldest daughter says that I “make that proverbs 31 gal look downright lazy!” Recently, however, I had an experience that caused me to realize that I needed to have these things written down somewhere. I call it a ‘Nelson 101’. For years, my husband, John, has said that I am the Captain of this particular ship (our home) so he now calls this book ‘Standard Operating Procedure’. Evidently, on the ship, there is a book that has all things regarding how to run everything on board from cleaning to emergencies.

Two days before John returned from sea, I began to get ill. Nine days later, I was hospitalized. Ten days after that, I had surgery and have since been recovering. This has left John in quite a predicament. He scarcely even knows where the drinking glasses are, more or less than how to run our home. It occurred to me that had he been in the middle of the ocean, a relative would have had to come and stay with the children and though it was difficult for John, it would’ve been more difficult for someone else to come in and take over. As soon as I was able, I began to sit and write.

I began by addressing housework. Our home is large and as with all homes, there are things that must be done every single day so that chaos does not prevail. I started with a page for each room and began listing what must be done daily. I moved on to weekly and monthly lists. There are subheaders that involve the detailed ‘how to’.

At first, I thought that this might be overkill, but the Lord really spoke to me about this. When I became a wife, I did not know how to do some things. I was blessed that I had a mentor who taught me how. This is a very similar situation. Though my children have been properly trained, in housework, my husband has not been. 13 pages later, I moved on.

The book now includes not only how to properly clean each room, but also what is required of yardwork and when, a monthly inventory of our pantry and freezer, a staple shopping list, how to plan a menu and how to shop. There is a how to do laundry list because washing whites is a lot different than throwing your jeans into the washer. There are medical history pages, pet pages, pages for bills…the how much, where to, when and account numbers. There is a section for our calendar, which I printed out on the computer as blank calendar pages and sat filling in for each month for the rest of the year. There is a section for each child; their chores, responsibilities, punishments that have been effective, character strengths and weaknesses and also their schooling. The book is massive. I had a lot of time to be able to do this while I was recovering.

I’ve had John look through the book and he believes that it is now an invaluable tool for our home. I realize that not everyone has a spouse who is gone for 9 out of 12 months of the year, but honestly, if something were to keep you from your work, would your spouse be like mine? Would he wring his hands and not know where to begin? Even the children love the idea of this book. They know exactly what is expected of them and when. There is no guesswork and no room for debate. It’s all there in black and white. They’ve even said that they will have a SOP for their own homes and will probably just photocopy my ‘how to’ pages!

When I was fully recovered, I was able to move about in a well maintained home with a fully stocked pantry and a husband who can now cook and do laundry. Several times, he has come to me in such a humble and loving way and thanked me for all that I do in the home. He said that he always took it for granted that everything was clean, his laundry just ‘magically appeared’ folded in his drawers and the coffee was always hot. He’d never thought about what it took for these things to occur.

I’ve forgotten to mention the first page of this book. I wrote about how every single day, I get up very early and dedicate the day, my life, my family and my work to the Lord. It is never without His strength that I am able to accomplish all that needs to be done. I am so grateful for His many blessings, including my family and the ability to serve them.

I encourage each woman to write her own ‘Standard Operating Procedure’. The Lord not only wants for us to be orderly and productive, but He requires us to prepare for the future. You just never know what each day will bring.

Joyfully, Julie Nelson

Julie Nelson lives in Southern Illinois with her husband, John, their 3 children, Miquelie, Mollie and Maxwell, ages 14, 12 and 10. They have been a home schooling family for 9 years. Photo Credit: Oliver Gruener