Maybe I should start with a disclaimer? I have only been at this homemaking thing for about a year and a half. But I feel like in the past month or two, I’ve really hit my groove and feel a lot more confident in it and I don’t feel so overwhelmed. I’m constantly learning and improving, and I will be for the rest of my life. Perfection isn’t the goal, and needs will change in every season. Personally, I am a stay-at-home mama to one baby. Things look a lot different now than when I was working, and things will look a lot different later when I have school aged children. But I truly believe that these tips I’m about to share can be applied to your life no matter where you are on your homemaking journey. And I pray they encourage you!
Homemaking Tips
1. Learn to be okay with a lived in, “working home.”
I think I first heard the term “working home” in my friend Katy’s (@faithful.homemaker) newsletter. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what she called it. Basically, we live in our homes and spend a lot of time there. It’s okay, more than okay, if it looks lived in. Right now, I have baby toys in the middle of my living room and the coffee table is pushed to the side. Aesthetically, it’s not ideal. But it works so well for us right now. Another example would be that we moved our exercise bike into our bedroom. Again, it’s not ideal, but right now, that’s the only way I would be able to use it. It would be difficult for me to go out to our shop/garage to use it with a baby.
Things do not have to be perfectly aesthetic. All that matters is that your family is well taken care of and that you can easily use the things that are important to you. My home is still clean and organized, but things might not be exactly where other people think they should be. But my days are simpler because of it.
What’s one stressor in your life that could be eliminated by simply moving an item to a more convenient location?
2. Plan your week every Sunday, and have certain chores assigned to specific days.
This is a game changer for me! Every Sunday night, I plan out my week in my paper planner. You can totally use a digital planner if that is what works for you. I write down any plans or appointments we have, and then I write my to-do list for each day, down to reminding myself to take my supplements. It is so simple for me to know what I need to do around the house because I have designated cleaning projects for each day. I will give you my schedule as an example, but this isn’t a copy/paste cookie cutter plan. Find what works for you. For example, I only have to do laundry for 3 people. If you have a bigger family, you may want to do one load per day. Okay, here’s my schedule:
- Monday: My husband and I’s laundry
- Tuesday: Meal planning/grocery list & my baby’s laundry
- Wednesday: Groceries
- Thursday: Clean bathroom & wash all towels
- Friday: Change sheets & vacuum all rugs
This is in addition to doing dishes, cooking, sweeping, making the bed, and all of those daily tasks. And every week, I’ll usually add in one or two “bigger” projects like mopping.
3. Grace, not perfection.
The goal is never to be perfect. It is to serve your family to the best of your ability. I am such a perfectionist and it is so easy to get overwhelmed with everything on my to-do list. I feel like I have to get every single thing done every day, but sometimes that’s just not possible. There are days my baby is fussy and I just can’t find the time to vacuum or do a certain chore. And that’s okay, I can easily move it to the next day. It is so important to give yourself grace and know that God only asks you to do your best and to work for Him.
And let your kids help you! It will by no means be perfect, but that’s not the point. I’m not in that season yet, but when I am, I will let my kids help me around the house so that they learn valuable life skills. Give them grace and watch them learn and grow.
4. A grumbling heart does not bless your family, even if you have a clean home.
They way in which you do all of your home tasks is just as important, if not more important, than the home tasks that you are doing. It really doesn’t matter if you got all of the dishes done if your family is scared you are going to yell again. Your husband would rather you be joyful than to have a fresh loaf of bread to eat. Like I mentioned above, we work for God, not for man (Colossians 3:23). Life is not easy and circumstances can be tough, but it is such a privilege to be able to serve our families and love them through the tasks that we do.
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 25:24
5. Remember, you are the gatekeeper of your home.
Being a homemaker is a big responsibility. We are the ones that decide which shows our kids get to watch, what foods we buy and cook, what kind of cleaning supplies or medicine we buy, who we allow into our home, or what kind of music we listen to. All of this impacts everyone in our home, and it also determines how we stick to our budgets. We need to be vigilant about what we let in our homes and be intentional with what we allow and the reasoning behind our decisions. We need to do our research about what is good for our bodies and hormones, and what is good for the development of our kids. A happy, healthy home does not happen on accident. It is intentionally and lovingly created.
This was a fun post to write! I hope it was an encouragement to you. I highly recommend the book The Lifegiving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson for more in depth homemaking tips. It’s one of my favorite books!
Also, you can purchase my “homemaker” stickers here if you are interested!
In this with you,
Tags : encouragement, home, homemaking, lifestyle, mom, wife
These are wonderful tips!
Thank you so much!