The word “homemaking” these days makes people think of an archaic activity that women shouldn’t do anymore. However, being a homemaker can bless you and your family, and it doesn’t have to be old-fashioned. Modern homemaking means you can take the good parts of homemaking and make it apply to your situation.
Importance of a Homemaker
How is being a homemaker important in this day and age? Well, a homemaker is kind of like the manager of the home. They make sure the home stays organized. They co-ordinate schedules, figure out meal plans, clean areas of disarray, cook, and delegate jobs out to family members. Home management skills can go a long way in helping reduce the chaos and stress in the home.
Less chaos and stress in a home means a peaceful place. I believe our homes are a place of refuge, and meant to be our safe place, especially when it can feel like the world has gone crazy. As homemakers we have the ability to set the tone in our house. While it isn’t always easy, and sometimes quite honestly can feel like a thankless job, we can look at this role as a way to bless our families instead of viewing it as a burden.
I’ve been a homemaker for over 15 years now and in those early years I struggled so much as I really didn’t know what I was doing. Most of what I know I had to learn as I went, and that meant a LOT of failure. But while those first many years were quite bumpy, as my children get older I can see how it’s paid off. It didn’t feel like I was making any significant contribution or that anyone cared in those beginning years, but now I can see that the way I have invested in my family as a homemaker has blessed them and is shaping them in positive ways.
Does that mean I’ve perfected it? Definitely not. I don’t have a Pinterest perfect home. And while we eat together every night as a family, you won’t see us at the breakfast table together. We are still working hard on consistency when it comes to chores (both for the kids AND me.) Honestly, that’s really why it’s taken me so long to even write about homemaking. I didn’t think I was qualified enough. But as I get older and improve each year, I see that homemaking is not about perfection. It’s about putting the effort in and investing in your home and your family in little ways that add up all the time.
But where do you start? What are the responsibilities of a homemaker?
Modern Homemaking Tips for Beginners
Create a plan
In my opinion, trying to jump into homemaking with no plan is like trying to jump into the deep end of a pool when you can’t swim. You’ll get to the deep end eventually, but if you don’t have a plan on how to get there, it’s gonna be rough and you are going to feel like you are drowning (my early mountains of laundry can attest to that!)
You want to make a plan. Multiple plans actually. Things like a daily schedule, a meal plan, a chore chart for kids, a cleaning schedule, and more. What your schedule will look like will be different than the next person. Someone who works outside of the home is going to have a different plan than someone who is a stay-at-home mom for instance.
My recommendation to you is to create a home management binder. You can keep all your plans in one place. You can also create a family command center to help keep track of schedules as well.
Get dressed and put on shoes
This is one of my favorite hacks. I don’t know what it is about it, but when I wear a comfortable pair of running shoes, I can get more done in the day. Even on days when I wear a pair of flip flops I feel like I can get more done than if I am in bare feet.
Getting dressed doesn’t mean you have to wear a dress and some pearls (but if you want to, knock yourself out!) In my house, getting dressed for me often means tossing on my exercise clothes when I wake up. I don’t exercise till mid-morning, but getting dressed first thing means I’m ready to tackle the day. It also means I’m likely to actually get my exercise in because who wants to wear exercise clothes and then NOT succeed at getting their workout done?
Exercise
This is another one I find super important. I’m a very low-energy person due to some health issues. That means that exercise is not a luxury for me – it’s a priority. It has to be or I can’t be the homemaker I want to be. Even though I take the time out to exercise, I always find I get more done when I do that because I have more energy.
Exercise for you may be a walk with your kids, or it might be getting up early before the family and jumping on the treadmill. Whatever it is, just try and make it happen. You’ll feel better and more productive in the long run. I workout three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Seek guidance in how to clean properly
For some of us, we didn’t have a lot of guidance in how to keep our home and so when we went out into the world and got married, we were clueless as to how to keep the house in shape. I get it because that was definitely me.
You don’t have to do this on your own. The internet is FULL of resources to help you learn to keep your house. FlyLady is one of my favorite sites to learn from a about this. For specific lessons to clean something I love to go to Youtube and search whatever I need to know. You’ll find ANYTHING and everything. Don’t know how to clean a toilet? Search it. Don’t know how to fold a fitted sheet? Search it. Don’t know how to bake bread? Search it.
Delegate chores to family members
Homemaking doesn’t mean doing it all yourself. Yes, you will probably be doing the majority of the work to keep your home running smoothly, but delegating jobs to the rest of the family is part of homemaking, especially if you have teens like I do! Make a chore chart and give age appropriate jobs to everyone in your house. If you have a schedule, you won’t have to worry about keeping track of who should do what and when.
Learn to cook and bake
Look, being a homemaker doesn’t mean you have to make everything from scratch, but a good homemaker can get some kind of meal on the table for the family. There’s no shame in whipping up a cake from a boxed mix as well and your family will enjoy it either way. Don’t worry if you don’t know how to cook – I’m convinced that EVERYONE can learn to cook.
I didn’t know how to cook very much when I first got married. I watched a lot of videos and read a lot of cookbooks. Now I can make everything in the kitchen, from roasted whole chicken, to homemade bread.
There are a few things that can be really beneficial to learn to cook so you can whip them up again and again for your family, and maybe even company when you have guests visiting.
Things to Learn to Cook
Bread
Bread pairs well with SO many meals, and is a great stretcher. While bread may seem complicated, this 4 ingredient artisan bread is pretty much the easiest bread you’ll ever make, and is a great recipe for beginners.
Chili
Chili is a great meal to feed a hungry family on a cold day, and again, it goes a long way. It’s so easy too, just dump cans of tomato sauce, beans, cooked hamburger meat, canned tomatoes, chili powder, and onions in a pot and let it simmer for hours to make it flavorful.
Overnight Baked Oatmeal
I love overnight baked oatmeal because it’s a hearty breakfast I can make the night before and everyone can grab some in the morning on their own when they wake up.
Brownies
For me, brownies is an easy dessert that I make again and again, especially when I need a fast dessert and my brain can’t come up with any other ideas.
Molasses Cake
This is another dessert that is easy to whip up, and perfect for when guests come over. It’s not that complicated to make, but it tastes so good, especially served warm on a cold day.
Homemade pizza
Is there any better crowd pleaser than pizza? It’s the one night of the week everyone in my house is happy with dinner. You can make your own dough, or you can do make-your-own pizzas with English muffins or bagels.
What are the qualities of a good homemaker?
- Determined
- Joyful
- Patient
- Slow to anger
- Hard-working
- Productive
- Consistent
- Teachable
- Generous
Don’t worry if you don’t have some of these down yet. Remember, it’s not about perfection, but always striving towards being a better homemaker. I know some of these qualities I’ll be working on probably for the rest of my life! (Patience, I’m looking at you.)
What if you are a Working mom Overwhelmed by Housework?
Working and homemaking can be challenging to balance. While I don’t work out of the home, I do work from home and even then I have a hard time balancing things. Here are some things you can do as a working mom.
- Delegate chores so you aren’t doing everything yourself
- Teach your children to pick up after themselves to reduce the messes that are made
- Declutter your home so you have less stuff to overwhelm you
- Make a cleaning schedule to manage the time you do have
- Have a 10-minute tidy that everyone participates in after work
- Fold laundry at night while watching your favorite show
How does Christian Homemaking look different than regular homemaking?
If you are a Christian homemaker, the two main things I would encourage you to add into your homemaking routine is personal devotions and Bible reading, as well as with your children. If you homeschool your children like I do, you may find it helpful to incorporate devotions into your daily curriculum.
Being a Homemaker can Bless you and your Family
The responsibilities of a homemaker can feel like a long, extensive list, but in the end it is a real blessing to both you and your children and husband. Being faithful in your role as a homemaker will pay off in the end. If you feel like a total beginner and aren’t sure where to start, just persevere, and learn all that you can, and over time you will find managing your home easier. Being a manager of your home is completely worth it.
