Home making doesn't have to be difficult. Try these 8 tips on home making. Learn to honor God, through caring for your home and even whistle while you work!
Whistle while you work, then cheerfully together we can tidy up the place. Just hum a merry tune, it won’t take long when there’s a song to help you set the pace. When there’s too much to do, don’t let it bother you, forget your troubles try to be just like a cheerful chickadee.
-Snow White
I'm the crazy lady who loves taking care of my home
Call me crazy, but I actually love taking care of my home. Maybe it’s because I have an amazing husband who, on top of providing financially for us, also works along side me to keep our house in order. I might add, he is also super grateful for anything I do.
When we both worked, we both took care of our home. Now he works a full time job which often includes overtime, so I really try to make sure when he gets home there is no chaos. I try and keep our house:
tidy
the bills paid
the clothes clean
at least have an idea of what we will be eating for dinner
I'm not in any way perfect
I’m not perfect, and can’t say this happens 100% of the time. It’s easy when I’m home and don’t have a lot to get done in the week outside of the house.
Then there are the weeks I’m driving a lot, wether it’s meeting and helping friends and family or simply running errands.
Over the years the Lord has given my husband and I many little tips on home making. We have learned and have seen first hand how it effects the rest of everything we do.
If we keep things tidy and don’t procrastinate, I feel like God extends my hours:
I feel more in control
more free to enjoy the people I love
more available to serve the people God has called me too.
Honoring God and learning to whistle while you work
Here are 8 tips on home making.
Keeping a Tidy house so you can keep your sanity and you too can whistle while you work!
1- Don't procrastinate
If you see something which needs to be picked up or a spill on the counter, pick it up or wipe it down, do it. Right then. Don’t wait.
This might seem simple, but I assure you starting here is the key.
Procrastinating or waiting until you have “free time” to do these things will put them off and pile them up until you eventually feel it’s just too overwhelming.
2- Prioritize your home
Make your home a priority in your life, it is incredibly important.
I know there are all sorts of memes about, “don’t mind my house being dirty”. All joking aside, if you don’t have time to keep things at least picked up and wiped down, you might have too much on your plate.
This doesn’t mean you need to be scrubbing from dusk until dawn. Perfection is not required, your kids can’t have toys out and play with them.
Keeping the state of your home towards the top of your priority list is wise.
You and your entire family will feel they have a peaceful safe place to be.
3- Be realistic
Being realistic is one of the most tangible tips on home making.
Don’t set goals which are not achievable, such as:
“I’m going to scrub all the bathrooms today, wash the laundry, do the baseboards, write for my blog, go to the gym and go on a date with my husband”.
Dear sweet friend, be realistic in your season of life.
If you are caring for an aging parent, a brand new baby, starting a new business, fighting a disease, or coming out of a super busy season, take all of this into consideration.
Our society paints the picture of, “I am woman hear me roar”. While we can accomplish a lot, being realistic about your limitations without using them as an excuse for doing nothing, will help you to feel in control.
This will be different for everyone but a good rule of thumb is:
If you find most days you aren’t getting to all the things on your to do list, and you feel like a failure because of it, it’s time to reassess your list.
Comparison kills. Don’t compare yourself to your mother, your best friend, or the mom on social media who does so much.
Talk to your husband, ask him to help you make a game plan, men are usually pretty realistic. Pray over it and ask God what He needs you to do, then don’t try and do more.
Most important, don’t feel like a failure when the list doesn’t get completed.
4- Pray for a heart of contentment
We live in a society with so many conveniences and have so much compared to past generations. Yet our appreciation for what we have sometimes is based on comparison with others we see around us.
Pray that God gives you a heart of contentment if you find yourself feeling dissatisfaction. Once you are content with what you have, the desire to take care of those things will grow.
Another thing to consider, God has entrusted us with our homes, the people and things in them, they are essentially on loan to us.
Viewing your home and caring for it in this way will breed a new sense of appreciation, which in turn will give you the motivation to be a keeper of the home like Titus 2:3-5 calls us to.
5- Do the hardest thing first
This is on of the simple tips on home making
Are you dreading that phone call? Do you know the toilets need to be cleaned and you really don’t love doing it? Do those things first. Even make them the only thing you "must" get done in your day. This makes the less daunting things not as stressful.
I’m always amazed how much I can accomplish when I do the hardest things first. It sets you up for wins later in the day. In turn you’ll feel the momentum you need to accomplish the rest.
6- Inspire everyone to help by your attitude towards it
Let your family help you
Teach your kids to pick up from the time even if they are small
Talk to your husband about ways he might be able to pitch in and lighten your load.
When you have company over and they offer to help clean up, let them!
You are the barometer in your home. Deciding to make caring for it an act of worship and gratitude towards God, will influence those who live within your walls.
I guarantee if you are complaining to your husband, (and your children are listening) about all the house work you had to do and how hard it was, it won’t inspire them to be helpful. You have just now convinced them how horrible it is.
You don’t want to do it, so your family won’t want to either. Changing your attitude will create an atmosphere of gratitude and joy.
7- Avoid extremes
Letting your dishes pile high in the sink, won’t motivate you to get them done. On the flip side, spending so much time cleaning so you have no time to spend with God or your family isn’t the goal either.
Being in control of your home and the state of it is between you and God, it’s truly about your heart not your performance.
Pray God gives you a heart for making your home a place you and those you love feel welcomed, able to relax and to just be.
8- You are the keeper of your home
This means, if you are a working woman or in a crazy season of your life, and can afford to pay someone to help out with these things, it is ok too.
The point is, you are assessing what you physically can and can’t do, but still making sure things are getting done.
Can I wash all my own clothes by hand? Yes, but having a washer and dryer allows me to be more efficient in other areas. Could I have a garden and grow my own produce? Technically yes, however with this brown thumb of mine it would die and be a waste of money. It’s much more prudent for me to go to the grocery store.
I can physically drive or walk to the grocery store, but if you are in a season where paying a little extra for grocery delivery means you are more present for your family all while keeping them fed, then by all means do it.
I think you get the idea, being the keeper of the home doesn’t mean you have to personally get everything done. It means God has entrusted you to oversee the completion of it, and the best means to keeping a happy and healthy home.
To sum it up
These tips on home making are really about being intentional. Keep them in mind, and decide to not let it overwhelm you anymore.
Contrary to popular belief, you are not Wonder Woman, you do not have magical powers, super strength or forest creatures who come to help you with your daily tasks.
Give yourself some grace, make a plan and don’t make excuses.
God has given you all the tools you need to care for the things with which He has entrusted to you!