Mastering the Art of Homemaking: A Practical Schedule and Essential Tips
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Heyo!!
First off I just want to say thank you for being here and checking out my blog! Motherhood is such a joy yet can be intimidating and messy. I am here to help you simplify your life and maximize your time. Trust me I have been there, when am I going to get all this laundry folded? The never ending dishes in the sink? I get it mama!! Follow along with me as I walk you step by step my daily and weekly routines. And brutal honesty here, I am not going to give you a pretty schedule to follow to a T… Because we are all different and will have different needs in our family. For me as an expecting mom with a busy body toddler, this is what works. You may have older kiddos that have soccer practice 3 times a week, so you can take what I have and modify it to fit your schedule and busy life. So without further ado, let's dive in!
What are the homemakers' roles?
Homemakers have many different roles throughout the home. Your tasks may include
Schedules & Routines
Meal Planning
Cleaning
Cooking
Organizing
Baking
Caring for children
Grocery shopping
Gardening
Home maintenance
Food preservation (Canning, Dehydrating, Freezing, Etc.)
Sewing
Caring for the ill
Home finance
Caring for animals
This is not a complete list as there may be other things you do instead of what is listed here. For example, I do a lot of home maintenance, however my fiance mows the lawn, stacks wood for winter, etc. You may not do all of these things at once for all seasons of life either. Your tasks will evolve as your family does.
Prioritizing
As a homemaker you will find some roles are more important and may not need to be done every day. In our home my biggest roles revolve around meals and cleaning. Let’s be real, the cleaning is never ending. After identifying my top priorities I see what I need to do everyday and what can be done every few days, weekly, monthly or seasonally. Start by making a list of everything you do in the home and then break it down from there.
Cooking & Cleaning
Since most people need to eat daily that is where we will start. At the beginning of each week I go over my grocery list and my meals for the week.
Pause for a second - I do not plan meal plan to a T. I like to keep our schedule flexible so we have a rough idea of meals for the week but not exact days we eat it.
Start with the basics you need every week regardless of your meals. So do you need flour, cheese, spices, oils, etc? Again this list will vary for every family. If you have chickens you may not need to buy eggs or if you mill your own grains you may not need flour. Regardless, make a list of essentials for the week, then consider what specific meals you want to make that week. Also are you entertaining any guests, if so make sure you account for the extra food needed. You can also simplify this if you are not a meal planner like me. So I may buy celery and carrots for chicken noodle soup, a pot roast or if I don’t make those I know they make a great snack to go with our lunch.
Most of us homemakers know that cleaning is never ending. My daily cleaning ritual looks a bit like this
Morning:
Make beds
Unload dishwasher/put dishes away
Wash anything that did not get washed the night before
Start laundry (as needed)
Afternoon:
Wash dishes from breakfast/lunch
Vacuum & mop as needed
Pick up toys
Fold laundry
Evening:
Do all dishes
Wipe off counters
Wipe off stove
Pick up toys
This will vary from family to family and what fits best in your schedule. This is just what I feel absolutely HAS to be done each day. There are many other things to be done as well that you may do at different times.
Grocery Store Vs. Farmers Market
Typically I like to grow in the garden our most commonly used fruits and vegetables but unfortunately the garden is only so big and I only have so much time for food preservation. In summer I try to stock up on local fruits and veggies from farmers markets and preserve everything I can for winter. So if in season I hit my farmers market first and then whatever they don’t have I will go to the grocery store for.
Weekly Tasks
I try to go grocery shopping only once a week so I am prepared for the entire week, honestly I mostly try to go every other week but it doesn’t always happen. A lot of weekly tasks will involve cleaning the home. Here are some examples of my weekly cleaning tasks.
Wash bedding
Wipe down toys
Clean bathrooms
Organize clutter
Dust ( I DESPISE dusting)
These are just a few ideas and you may feel your family needs these things done more or less. And don’t think you have to do all this in one day. I try to have set days I do extra tasks on. At the beginning of the week I take a look at my schedule and see what days and times will work best to get extra tasks done. I tend to find myself after a busy weekend being overwhelmed with clutter so I find myself taking a moment to organize clutter after my morning trip to the grocery store on Monday.
More often than not I also try to bake a few times a week also. I am big into sourdough so I typically bake a loaf of bread once a week as well as make discard cookies, muffins, etc. once a week.
Gardening is one thing I do not have a schedule for. Since we are a big outdoors family and my son loves being in the garden I find myself putzing around a lot in my garden. However if this is not you, try dedicating 2 days a week to pulling weeds and then watering as needed based on your weather and plants needs.
Seasonal
This will vary for many based on your climate. For me gardening and most of my canning is seasonal. I still can a few things in winter but not nearly as much. Gardening is also seasonal for me. I still do dehydrating and freezing in the winter. One of my favorite things in winter is to make large batches of chili and either pressure can or freeze it for easy lunches. Another big thing that is seasonal for me is any major home organization. While it is not always the case but I find myself anytime the season changes and I switch my decor around, I do a ton of organizing for that season of life we are in.
Quick Tips:
Prioritize your families needs
Be flexible
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Have fun with it
Keep a PAPER planner
While these can be life tips also, they can also be important to remaining happy and relaxed. A stressed out homemaker can truly affect the whole family.
Schedule
Okay I lied, here is a pretty little schedule I follow for my household. You can create your own and learn what works and doesn’t work for your family. Just keep in mind it will change for each season of life you are in. Also notice how I did not fill in Saturday or Sunday. More often than not those are our busy family days. However if we are not busy with activities I like to have that flexible time to do any tasks I did not get done throughout the week. Or even I may take those days “off”. No homemaker truly has days off but I may skip the extra cleaning for that day because honestly I want to avoid burnout and truly enjoy my family.
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