My Homemaking Philosophy

I started this blog almost 2 years ago mainly to comment on other blogs. And then thought it was only fair to write a little too. That if I saw others lives, they should see a bit of mine.

But I've discovered something. Words can be powerful. And I never know who is listening here. So I've prayed that God would lead me in the things I should write about on this blog.

Homemaking is not necessarily the subject that I wanted to write about. I've thought for a while about writing about husband and wife relationships. I've formulated ideas in my mind and then sat down to type them out and....nothing. So I'd try again. With the same results. It's not that I thought I was an expert on husband/wife relationships. It's just that after 22 years of being with my husband I thought I had some things to share. And I still do think that. But now is not the time. I don't know why. I just know that I won't try to force it anymore.

As I went about my day yesterday it suddenly became clear to me that I needed to write about homemaking now. How I do it. Why I do it it the way I do it. My basic philosophy. I resisted the idea, because I'm certainly no expert. But the idea stayed with me all day. It just felt right.

And with that wordy preface, I give you my homemaking philosophy.

Treat homemaking like a job.

That's pretty much it.

If you worked outside the home, you'd more than likely have to be at work at a certain time. At home, we're given a little leeway. The fact is, it's easy to take advantage of that leeway. Don't.

If you worked outside the home, you'd have expectations placed on you. Place those expectations on yourself.

If you worked outside the home, you'd not resent most of the work that was placed on you. You'd realize that it was simply a part of the deal. Try to keep this same mindset when you work at home.

Realize that you'll have bad days. Just like if you worked outside the home.

Realize that you'll have days that you don't get everything done or that you just feel like you're spinning your wheels. Just like if you worked outside the home.

If you're lucky enough to be able to stay at home and care for your husband and family full time, then treat it like a job. A job that you love. And learn to love it if you don't.

How might you learn to love something that you don't?

First, pray. Ask God to change your heart so that you love and appreciate what you've been given a chance to do. I believe that God helps those that ask. So ask Him.

Secondly, learn to do it well. Very, very few things in life do we dislike doing that we do well. Think about it. What are you really good at? Do you like doing it?

So how do you learn to do something well? There might be areas that you have to research. You might have to get advice from someone. You might have to try different things to see what works best for you. But eventually if you persevere, you'll get good at it.

First you need a plan. I use a homemaking binder with chore charts. You might find something totally different that works for you. I make a menu on Sunday or Monday that we use for the whole week. When I know what we're having for dinner, I am almost never left at 5pm trying to scramble for something.

It's all about organization.

If you don't have your own system, feel free to use mine.

Brew yourself a nice pot of coffee or a cup of tea. Get a notebook or a piece of paper or an old envelope and a pencil. Start to make a list of all the things that need to be done in your home. Beside the chore, guesstimate the time that it takes you to do that chore. Like laundry might take me 5 hours a week. Paying bills may take me 2 hours every two weeks. Cooking (including cleaning up and organizing) may take me 2 hours a day. Grocery shopping may take me 2 hours a week. Scrubbing the tub may take me 20 minutes a week.

You get the idea. Include everything.

Ask your husband what he'd like to have done. There is no shame in this. Ask him what is important to him. You might be surprised at his answers. And don't bristle at his answers. You asked, didn't you?

This list may take you some time to complete. If you're like me, you'll find yourself adding to it for a few weeks as you get the whole thing organized.

Next, figure out how many hours you have in each individual day to get chores done. For example, on Monday and Friday I'm home all day (or can be). Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I'm obligated with driving the girls and church activities.

Get several sheets of paper, each with the individual days of the week written at the top. Divide each day into time slots and start to plug your list into these times slots.

If my husband leaves for work at 8am and gets home at 6pm, then technically I have 10hours that day to get my work done. Of course, I'm not going to work for 10 solid hours. But that is how many hours I have to plug my list into on any given day.

If I've got 10 hours to work with, I try to factor in 5 hours of housework. This includes cooking. This leaves me 5 hours to read my Bible, play with my children, exercise, work in my garden, walk the dog, go to the park or write a blog post (I don't watch TV without my husband, but if you like it, there is no reason you can't factor that in as well). What other job give you this kind of freedom?

The reason I "only" figure in 5 hours is because I have already worked before my husband leaves and I know I'll work a little after he comes home preparing meals and/or cleaning up. Plus, do you realize how much housework you can get done in 5 hours? It's a lot. Trust me.

Now on Wednesday I only have about 3 hours at home. So I figure my work load accordingly.

Once you figure out how much time you truly have in each day and have your scheduled work load for that day, you rarely feel overwhelmed. It's all laid out and easy to see what needs to be done each day. And you've scheduled plenty of time to do it!

I'd love to hear any thought on your routines and how you go about making homekeeping your career.