Does the title of this post scare you? Homemaking is something I am passionate about. However, the content of this article may surprise you! If you are not a homemaker, you may be shocked at what goes into this career. Let’s start with a simple definition. What is homemaking?

The online Oxford Dictionary defines homemaking as a North American term. How interesting!! Defined as: ‘the creation and management of a home, especially as a pleasant place in which to live.’ This definition isn’t wrong! Sweet and simple! But I might say this leaves a lot to be desired. How would I personally define homemaking?

Defined: it’s the act of making a house into a home; cultivating an atmosphere of peace, rest, and joy; taking pleasure in the repetitive acts of cleanliness and nourishment; giving to and serving those we treasure most as a daily sacrifice of love; teaching and enriching lives closest to us in order to bless and pass on genuine traits of goodness and truth; the art of promoting family. 

NOTE: Lots of us are homemakers. I am not excluding anyone with this post! I am seeking to uphold a beautiful work! I am hoping to shine a light on a job that is not so glamorous and give it some definition. You can be a homemaker with or without children, at any stage of life, even while holding a job outside the home. Nothing that I say is meant to be exclusive. I am thrilled to be able to spotlight a person we all know and love… the homemaker!

Now… let’s dive in to these ways of defining homemaking…

MAKING A HOME

Making a distinction between a house and a home can seem elementary or it can seem unnecessary. You may think they are the same thing. Or, you may be able to quickly define why a house is not necessarily a home. Making a house into a home requires heart and love; but it also requires skill, effort, and time. Some days we wish we could have a fairy wand and wave it so that our living room is no longer green, but is now a crisp white. Alas… we don’t have a fairy wand. So, making a house into a home means we have to get busy.

Does this effort happen all at once? No! Most often the most satisfied in their homes are those who continue to work at it; swapping a bit here for a little there; changing pillow covers out for the seasons; plumping cushions. I have decided that for me, personally, my home requires having books displayed and on hand. Seeing them promotes rest, curiosity, and is most often eye appealing. What means ‘home’ to you?

CULTIVATING

Isn’t this a visual word? Some words carry a lot of weight. What are we cultivating? An atmosphere… Do stop and dwell on the fact that each one of our homes has an atmosphere. Now, determining what that atmosphere is and if I am satisfied with it will be up to you. We all contribute to the atmospheres in our homes.

Does your home promote peace, rest, and joy? It should! How can we help this along? I have always liked showing my children the opposite of the word they’re looking for… what something isn’t. This can help us define things. So, what isn’t peaceful? What does not allow and encourage rest? What steals or squelches joy?

• too much stuff- we cannot properly rest if we are surrounded by (and so worrying about) the things all around us that do not have a place
• sharp words and shouting- this can be constant, or it can just be a season of life we are in, but it’s never peaceful
• the same noise over and over again- something I am reminding my kids of often (tapping, drumming, beating, clicking…)
• a sterile living environment- you know, like a furniture store- a place where you don’t feel free to sit and relax- a place you don’t feel welcomed into
• being unprepared or caught off guard as a pattern- am I rushing around constantly because I tend to forget things? Do I have a good system of communication with my spouse and children for what to expect? Do we have a structure in place for our general day-to-day lives?

Maybe this short list can speak to all of us about a particular area we’d like to address concerning the atmosphere of HOME.

REPETITIVENESS

This word can sound negative right away, and in many instances it is. However, I know as a homemaker, wife, and mother, that most of the chores I do on a daily or weekly basis are exactly that– repetitive.

We can look around our homes and see things that must be done over and over. As a rhythm. Caring with these acts. What are they? Particularly, I am speaking of cooking and cleaning. We eat 3 meals a day. We dirty our plates, our clothes, our rooms, and our selves. Cleanliness is something that shows us how much we care for and take pride in our surroundings.

Cooking from scratch a large majority of meals means several things. First, it means being well-stocked. I have mentioned that on this blog many times. Keeping things on-hand simply means that I am not frantic or seeking to ‘run’ to the grocery store at any time (which for us is quite a distance). It also means I am continuing to hone my skills and repertoire or recipes/types of meals. As we know best how to cook from scratch, we can take raw and unprocessed ingredients and make them into things we know our families will enjoy and be nourished by.

If you are just beginning this journey either as a homemaker or as a from-scratch cook, I would advise you to begin small! Yes, begin! But, don’t get bogged down or overwhelmed with lots of things at once- you’ll most likely experience burn out (ask me how I know…) Choose one area and dive into it. Bread baking, homemade soups, cutting out boxed dinners… more on this in a coming post.

Cleaning our home and our children can be overwhelming if we see it all at once. Mondays are days at our Classical Conversations community. That means that after Sunday at church and with family, we come home and rest, preparing simply for the next day. It also means that Tuesday can look like a tornado has hit. Our house is a wreck! Every week! However, I have decided I like this. Why? I enjoy the challenge of getting things back in order and seeing the obvious progress made.

We can easily feel helpless and hopeless when we look at everything that must be done. Here are some tips that may help in the cleanliness aspect:

• take one room at a time- I always begin with the kitchen. It is the room I am in the most and where many things happen.
• start a load of laundry- having something cleaning while you’re cleaning is very encouraging
• enlist the family- this, for me, generally means my 3 kiddos. My Sweet Husband works 5-6 days per week and so the kids and I tackle the home and often garage etc. It’s amazing what they can do when they set their mind to it (again, chore lists are online for age appropriate chores… always set your standards high!)
• make a list- I am a list maker and a box checker. Making a list means I get to cross things off of it.
• add joyful music
• make piles for each child as you come across their items- this helps some days when I feel like I can’t see the floor
• have a routine of deep cleaning particular areas so that you don’t feel like everything must be done today (i.e. sweep/mop,. showers/sinks, fridge/microwave)

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘the more we have to do, the more we get done’? It is definitely true for me! I heard someone say once ‘When I have a job that needs done, I give it to a busy person.’ How does this make you feel? This can be a compliment! It means we are organized and can juggle many tasks well. You are a blessing, my friend, when others can ask something of you and know it will be accomplished.

SACRIFICE

In this day and age, we can see a focus on self as the priority. I am going to risk offending someone and say that this is not the proper way to view our lives. Doing only and always what fulfills ourselves and makes us happy will lead to emptiness and a constant search for ‘something else’. We are not fulfilled when we are self-serving. Giving of ourselves in the service of others is a beautiful way to live life.

How does this apply to homemaking? Our culture wishes to spread the lie that a person is only successful when they are working a paid position. But, we know that success isn’t measured this way. As a Christian, I seek to honor the Lord Jesus in all I do. Raising my children and keeping my home as unto the Lord is my desire! Loving Sweet Husband and serving him! It is hard work. It is unseen work. It is thankless many days. But, I find joy as I sacrifice for my family. Does this mean I am a doormat? Does this mean I am less then Sweet Husband? No. It does not!

Homemaking as a sacrifice doesn’t mean it isn’t joy-filled. I love what I do! There are so many things in life that require sacrifice, aren’t there? Hours of practice at an instrument. Rehearsing days on end to sing a solo. Night after night of sports practice. We all have things we love to do that require sacrifice! In order to do one thing, we must set aside several others. I cannot read a book and take a nap.

When we give and serve in love, we are choosing what we treasure most over everything else. We are choosing what we find important. We are saying that something is worth the sacrifice. For me, homemaking, loving Sweet Husband, and raising my children is what I choose. I am not giving up a dream. I am living one.

ENRICHING

I love this word as well! Whether you know it or not, you are teaching all the time. By word, by example, by what you don’t do… As a homemaker, I am teaching in all ways. I also homeschool my children, but that isn’t necessary to be a teacher and enricher of life as a homemaker.

Some things I like (and need) to think about often:

• Are my children seeing me love others, including my husband?
• Am I showing things to them that I want them to emulate?
• Is my attitude self serving?
• Am I communicating well?
• Have I chosen to set aside time for my family?
• Can I use this moment as a teachable moment?
• Am I encouraging my husband?

Another way we gear our brains as a homemaker is to use daily tasks as things that we can teach through, things that we can enrich our family’s lives through. As I pray for patience, self control, and endurance, I must also see these hard days, struggles, and times I am given to learn exactly what I’ve been praying for.

FAMILY

Promoting family must needs be an art most days. Our lives are bombarded by the opposite. Guarding our family time has to be intentional and is always worth the effort. When we look at our calendars, we must decide if it is helping us in this endeavor. Leaving ‘white space’ on my calendar is something I heard early on as a young mother. It made an impression on me. But, I’ll be honest and say that I am not often tempted to be in and do ‘all the things.’ It can be harder some days when I am around other moms who ask me what my kids are in next. I can feel like I am letting someone down. But, it is very important for each family to decide how they want to conduct their lives and spend their precious time.

• Communicate well with your spouse about extracurricular activities and time involvement.
• Set aside time each weekend to discuss calendars and schedules.
• Be honest with your children about what to expect (time, activities, work).
• Leave ample time to just be a family.

SUMMING UP

This is a long post! I hope I haven’t lost anyone along the way. Thanks for hanging in there and reading. I’d truly love your feedback!

Homemaking is indeed an honorable profession and one that requires more than the world seems to think. Beautiful, never ending, and requiring our entire selves, this job is something to be proud of and joyful in. To God be the glory!