Tips For Joyful + Successful Homemaking

These homemaking tips will give you a strong foundation for a succesful homemaking journey!

The world may bang away at the door, but a successful homemaker’s secret is this: taking care of her home and loved ones within is a joy!

The Art Of Homemaking

Journey through time with me, if you will.  Imagine­ a warm fire, stew bubbling away in a cast iron pot.  

You find yourself in surroundings humble but charming.  A dirt floor swept clean, flowers on the table, fresh bread waiting to be sliced. ­­­­­­­­­A Bible lays open on a worn table, and you hear the laughter of children through an open window.

This familiar, ­­­warm ambiance has been found in many cultures throughout history.  Woven through the tapestry of time, homemaking women have created atmospheres of comfort and beauty through the environments they cultivate in their homes.

We may idealize the traditional homemaker. But we also know that behind a vase of beautiful flowers, a homemade meal, and the smiles of little ones is lot of hard work. 

Hours of sacrifice, physical labor, and thoughtful intention go into the making of a home.

Homemaking is truly both an art and a skill.

Beginner Homemaking Tips

Today I am going to share with you what I wish I would have known as a beginner homemaker. I’ve learned both through trial and error and wisdom passed on to me from those more experienced. 

If you’re a tired out mom, read this!

Embrace Biblical Homemaking

In order to be a joyful homemaker, we must first examine our hearts and minds.

Homemaking is hard work, long hours, with little pay. 😉 In order to embrace homemaking, our hearts have to be aligned with our mission.

For some of us, this may come easy. Our dreams may have always centered on homemaking!

For others, like myself, a love for the home and serving our families had to be cultivated over time. There were many things in life I had to give up in order to fully embrace homemaking!

What is Biblical Homemaking?

Biblical homemaking is the Biblical high calling for women to love and care for the homes, children, and husbands.

Titus 2:3-4 says,

 “Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children,  to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.“

Titus clearly outlines for us the high calling of working at home: loving our children and husbands, being self controlled, and working busily at home.

This does not necessarily mean a woman should not work outside the home. Clearly, I am working right now as I write these words! However, the priorities in our heart should be set upon our husbands, homes, and children!

My personal homemaking testimony:

When I was first married, much of my life revolved around my photography business. I was passionate about my work and wanted to find success. Just as my business really took off, I felt God gently tug at my heart. What was my priority, my business… or my home and children?

Slowly I let go of the grip on my business, and began to set my affections more and more on my home. This was a hard process for me, but the joys of my relationship with my children is so worth it.

Write Down Your Deepest Values As A Homemaker

Our deepest values drive who we are and what we do.

Take some time to journal and write out your values surrounding your role as a homemaker.   Think about what you really want your home to look and feel like.  What legacy are you creating by the actions you take every day?

I think back to my own homemaking mother of the 1980’s and 90’s.  The seemingly insignificant things she did day in and day out had a life long impact on me.

Her underlying values anchored her to her homemaking role even when the job was boring or redundant.

My mom took care in choosing our clothing (or sewing it!), and laundering it.  Washing laundry day in and day out is a redundant and tedious chore.   But as her daughter, I fondly look back at the detailed care she took. Through her acts of constant service, I was loved and cared for.

As a homemaker you are caring most tenderly for those who inhabit your home.  Though the ways we do this may feel tiresome, the impact we have on those we serve is significant.

Treat Homemaking Like A Job

Put a robust step into your homemaking habits by treating it like a job. You don’t have to clock in or leave the house, so what do I mean by this?

Treat homemaking like a job by setting yourself up for success everyday. Get dressed, make your bed and take a few moments for personal care. If you have little ones, it doesn’t have to be a lot of time.

I feel refreshed and ready just by applying a nice organic face cream, swooping my hair up and brushing my teeth. If your children are older, take a few minutes to some makeup and style your hair.

Invest a few moments of your day to prayer journaling. Ask God for the strength to face another beautiful day!

The truth is, homemaking is a worthy calling and a more than full time job. Mother’s often work around the clock tending to children, making meals, cleaning and nurturing. What you do in the home each day has immense value!

Create Helpful Habits

As a new homemaker, I often felt completely overwhelmed by everything that needed to be done. 

It seemed that just as one mess was tidied, another taunted me. Working on my own personal habits really helped in this area. 

I started cleaning up after myself immediately after a project, throwing my dirty laundry into a hamper instead of on the floor, and putting the dishes straight away after washing.  These little helpful habits reduce the overall workload in a homemaker’s life.

Find Your Own Style

You do not have to copy all the trends, try all the recipes, or be the perfect wife.  As a homemaker, you are in the business of creating comfort, beauty and sustenance for yourself and your loved ones. 

Your home is an expression of you, your own artistic canvas.  Try to limit social media influences and lean into what God has for you in your own home. Relax into who you really are and your family’s unique needs when homemaking.

It can take a while to find your own style, so be gentle with yourself. Look for inexpensive ways to decorate that can easily be changed as you grow.

It can be really easy to become hyper focused on having the perfectly decorated home. Remember that your home is a place of love and rest for those in it. Added beauty inspires, but the people are what really matters!

Keep The Kitchen Simple

As a beginner homemaker, the kitchen was an area of overwhelm for me.  I was embarrassed that I wasn’t a better cook. I remember wondering the aisle of the grocery store in sheer overwhelm and confusion. 

If this is where you find yourself as a beginner homemaking  cook, may I encourage you to keep things simple in the kitchen.  Learn the very basics well, like roasting a whole chicken, making a simple omelet, ­and putting together a weekly grocery list.   Study nutrition and do your best to create wholesome meals.

Slowly put together a week’s worth of wholesome meals that are easy to make and you enjoy.

It takes time to learn how to manage meals for a family.  Take notes, set small goals, and give yourself grace!

Simplify Your Home As Much As You Can

A secret trick to successful homemaking is to streamline as much as you can.

View your home and belongings as resources that work for you.  Anything that is not working (and not sacred), can be recycled or tossed.   You will only be able to handle so much inventory!

Take note to what is most important to you and your family members, and eliminate excess.   As you reduce, you’ll find it much easier to keep your home clean and tidy. And you’ll have more time to relax and smell the flowers with your family.

Read this post on minimalism with kids for great tips!

Treat Homemaking As A High Calling

Homemaking is a fulfilling, creative, and enjoyable endeavor.  But so often in our culture it can be tossed aside.  

My challenge is that we may treat homemaking as a holy calling and significant profession.  The homemaker creates a haven of rest, environment of learning, and plate of sustenance for those who abide in the home.

Think of life for those in a home without a homemaker. Significant loss of comfort and increased stress would unfold.  The homemaker is at once cook, chef, artist, gardener, interior designer, organizer, laundress, comforter, and more. 

We do a disservice to our families if we undermine the importance of the work we do.  Instead we can feel free to embrace it fully, celebrating its importance and giving it the love and passion that we would to an outside career.

Make Homemaking Enjoyable

Homemaking is a forgotten art in our culture.  We rush around from work, to daycare, to activities. 

But the home should be so much more than just a place to crash at night.  The home is a place to enjoy.  Even in the routine tasks, beauty whispers to us.  We just have to take time to notice that beauty, enhance it, or even create it.

Here are a few ideas to make homemaking more enjoyable:

• Open the windows when cleaning to let fresh air into your home.  Revel in the seasons!
• Plant a flower garden with easy to grow cosmos and zinnias.  Frequently update home with fresh flowers (or, if budget allows, purchase)
• Diffuse essential oils while cleaning, homeschooling, or relaxing.  My favorites are doTerra balance for a calm environment and lemon for uplifting spirits!
• Play gentle and relaxing music while cleaning.  Relaxing jazz, classical, and worship music are great options
• Embrace hobbies that strengthen your relationships and homemaking skills. Cooking, baking and gardening can be fun to do with your spouse and kids.

Create A Culture Around Homemaking

Create a homemaking culture with your family.  Celebrate your family by cooking and feasting together, reading out loud together, and exploring hobbies together.

As the homemaker, you can set the tone for the home to be a place of connection, celebration, and education through the beauty of daily living!

Learn how to clean the whole house fast here.

Look at your homemaking life as a place to explore and grow with your family.  Plant flowers and a small garden.  Learn to make bread and jam together.  Read out loud to your kids and encourage deep discussions. Renovate a room with your spouse and learn about each other as you go. 

There are endless ways to creatively connect with your family in the sacred space you call home.

Homemaking is the golden thread that weaves the bonds of family. Your role as mother and homemaking is immensely, eternally important. No one can you do your job like you can.

Rest: The Most Important Homemaking Tip

As homemakers, it can be tempting to work ourselves to the bone.  The work at home, while beautiful, truly never ends.  There is no closed sign to flip over as our evening draws near.  Our worthwhile duties are circular and demanding. 

But we must rest!  As a beginner homemaker I often worked myself to the bone. And still, everything was never quite finished!

I now “stop working” at 8:20 pm, sharp.  If any messes call to me they must wait for another day.  Any projects left undone must be buttoned up another day. 

While the work is worthy and wonderful, the rest is needed and essential.  As a homemaker you must restore and refresh your own soul, so that you can give creatively and joyfully the next day.

Are you a beginner homemaker?  I’d love to hear about your journey.  What have you found useful as you embark upon the most sacred task of creating a home?