Days 137 & 138 | A New Chore Schedule

July 25, 2017

Things are finally stabilizing again! We love being back on the ranch and Brett and I came up with a new chore division that is making my life a lot easier.

At the beginning of our mold avoidance journey Brett was doing all of the cooking and laundry. When I started getting my strength back I was so excited to finally be able to help that I wanted to do everything! I wanted to give him a total break so that he could just focus on making a living for us.

It worked for a little while but it’s been starting to wear at me lately. Brett often has to step in when I’m feeling exhausted or overwhelmed. Even when I have the energy to do it all, I have no time left over for anything else. Even things that are really important to me like spiritual growth and relationships.

So we decided that it was best to revise the division of labor a little bit to create a little more space in my life. Brett is taking an online business course right now so he can easily do the laundry while he listens to the lessons. He’s also faster at it than I am. So for every one hour he gives of his time, it frees up two hours of mine.

The new plan is that he’ll be doing the laundry on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then I’ll be doing it on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday so he has more time on those days to focus on creating content for his students. I’ll still be cleaning the van and doing all the cooking since he’s doing all the breadwinning right now. Then on Sunday we’ll do the chores together so that we can both have more time to rest.

So far, it’s going really well! Obviously, it’s good for me because I have more time to pray, write, and hopefully start reconnecting with friends. But it’s also good for Brett that I’m less stressed. He’s not having to step in at randomly inconvenient times because I’m having an emotional breakdown. So, we’re both happy!

Today, I used the extra time to pray, go on a walk with Ramona and take a 30 minute nap. I really needed that time to think and rest. It was so wonderful to have space to just be for a little while without worrying that I would fall behind on the daily tasks.

Thank you so much Brett! Three cheers for all the servant-hearted husbands out there! The world needs more of you! 🙂


By the way, Brett and I made a beautiful PDF of my favorite resources for suffering souls. I created the content and he made it look fancy with his superduper graphic design skills. It’s available for free to my email subscribers. Click here to sign up and receive 5 Resources for the Suffering Soul.

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13 Comments

  • Natalie Julson

    That is so cool Ana! I hope it goes well.

    July 26, 2017 at 5:18 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thanks Natalie!

      July 26, 2017 at 5:28 pm Reply
  • Alyssa

    Way to go Brett! 🙂

    And Ana, the way you write, it sounds like you should be a character from Little House on the Prairie, or any of the Love Comes Softly movies, haha! You have your own (kind of) ranch and even chore days! That’s pretty legit 😉

    All kidding aside, that’s great that you’re getting more stability, and figuring out how to make the best use of yours and Brett’s time. Praying for you!

    July 26, 2017 at 5:35 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Haha! This comment made me smile! Maybe we could write “The Little Van on the Prairie” series. 😉

      July 27, 2017 at 11:13 am Reply
      • Alyssa

        Haha, I’m sure it would be a bestseller!

        July 28, 2017 at 5:20 pm Reply
  • Katherine Forster

    Aw, that’s wonderful! Free time is a beautiful thing. =D

    July 26, 2017 at 5:38 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      😊

      July 27, 2017 at 11:14 am Reply
  • Elizabeth Hayes

    Hi there! I am a fellow mold avoider and have been sick for the past eight years. Recently, I stumbled upon a blog that might have the power to change the lives of people like us. Another mold avoider, with a story similar to yours, discovered DNRS (Dynamic Neural Retraining System) and she went from deathly ill to completely healed in about a year! I emailed back and forth with her (Mariah West is her name), and she encouraged me to go to a DNRS seminar (you can also buy at home dvds), and I am now convinced that my mold illness and CIRS are part of a limbic system impairment in the brain. I met others sick just like me who completely regained their life, some in just 6 months! I have experienced it working in myself as I can calm reactions now when I get into contamination! I know I sound like an advertisement, but in truth I just want to spread hope. To read her story, one can’t help but give glory to God for the miracle He did in her life (and many others I’ve met!) Here is the link to her blog. The first entry on her page answers a lot of questions about DNRS, and the rest of the entries are her journey of mold avoidance and then gaining her health back through DNRS. God bless you on your journey!
    mariahshealthjourney.wordpress.com

    July 26, 2017 at 9:12 pm Reply
    • Elizabeth Hayes

      I couldn’t read the link after I posted so I’ll try again. mariahshealthjourney.
      wordpress.com

      July 26, 2017 at 9:15 pm Reply
      • Ana Harris

        Thanks for sharing Elizabeth. I’ve heard good things about limbic system retraining. I still believe that detoxing and mold avoidance is really important but I do think limbic system retraining could be an important step in calming down the hyper-reactivity. I hope it’s really helpful for you! 💕

        July 27, 2017 at 11:17 am Reply
  • Charis Rae

    So glad to hear that things are going well for you guys and that you’re able to rest and rejuvenate. 🙂

    July 27, 2017 at 5:49 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      😊

      July 27, 2017 at 11:17 am Reply
  • Laura Platt

    I am blessed with a servant hearted husband as well. Interestingly enough he read Do Great Things as a teen and went to Brett’s conference. He struggles with seeing the big things in what we’re doing, but I often remind him that he’s showing the world true love and sacrifice, which is a HUGE thing. We’re a few years behind you in this journey, but have amazing mentorship with Simcha. I’m hoping sometime our husbandS could connect, obviously via technology, being we’re only 3 months into our journey and wouldn’t want to slam you.

    January 2, 2021 at 9:26 pm Reply
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