Last Week’s News
Last week I talked all about the History of Homemaking. This wasn’t a history of exact dates and historical events but more of a broad idea of what homemaking has encompassed through the years. I mention this because I think it’s an important read before we delve into the art of homemaking. Homemaking has been around since pretty much the dawn of time but at a certain point in history it changed from just the basics of a woman’s day-to-day to more of a career. Over the decades there have been a lot of fine tuning of how to home make. This leaves us with the question – is there an art to homemaking? Let’s discuss!
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Is There an Art to Homemaking?
When we think of art we usually think of painting, drawing, singing, acting, but homemaking usually doesn’t make the list. Like any craft or skill we hone there is some form of art to it. The art of homemaking like many skills is the way we execute the task at hand. You don’t want to feel like every day as a homemaker is like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. You want to know that what you are doing is worthwhile and accomplishing the task(s) at hand. Hence the art to homemaking.
Through the Centuries
Back in the Victorian era this was when homemaking first became more of a profession and less of basic survival. Don’t get me wrong there was still plenty of survival wrapped up into homemaking during that period, but thanks to new technological advancements of the time men and women began to shift from working alongside one another in the agricultural world and found themselves in more individual roles. Women became more responsible for the home and this led to honing the skill of homemaking further.
Books on the topic of homemaking began to emerge and since then more and more have been written. Now, just like this blog post, you can read all about the how-to’s of homemaking simply online. There’s no shortage of teaching the art of homemaking, that’s for sure!
My Breakdown of the Art of Homemaking
In my personal opinion, homemaking comes down to several basic categories (keeping in mind everyone’s lives, life circumstances, and family needs are different):
– Family Care
At the top of the list, one of the most important tasks of a homemaker is caring for the family. Depending on your household, age and number of children, and any other number of differences in circumstances your responsibilities may be different than mine.
Most homemakers have similar overall tasks they do for their family, however. For one, we ensure that everyone has their basic needs met. Hunger, thirst, and sleep are all at the top of that list. Additionally, getting people to and from appointments, often making the appointments, ensuring everyone’s safety, caring for the sick or injured, and getting everyone ready and dressed and caring for their personal care needs are most of the basics.
Let’s break down the basics further though, because if we are being honest, outside of the aforementioned care for each individual family member it comes down to a few further tasks to be done to meet their needs – cooking and cleaning.
– Cooking
Cooking can be as basic or as creatively culinary as you’d like to make it. I tend to sit somewhere in between. I like a mix of go-to simple to make meals but I enjoy mixing it up with new or more involved recipes. The goal is to have three home cooked meals on the table for your family each day.
My personal art to this particular challenge (because let’s face it, coming up with three meals a day is indeed a challenge) is as follows (these are also all kid-friendly ideas!):
Breakfast:
Personally, my art to this is keeping breakfast very simple! My husband isn’t a big breakfast eater so it’s mostly my daughter and me that I have to worry about. I make a big batch of chia seed pudding like this one, I always have on hand plain Greek yogurt, a clean cereal like Seven Sundays, and I make large batches and freeze pancakes and / or waffles that are either naturally sweetened using banana only or with added protein. For a quick on the go breakfast the waffles and pancakes work well or we also enjoy a whole food protein bar like these Kize bars or Perfect bars. When my daughter was younger I made a batch of oatmeal and froze that for her breakfasts.
From there everything is about doctoring it up using fresh fruits, nut butters, or granola. This is such a straightforward way of doing breakfast. It ensures variety, nutrition, but keeps things easy and simple every morning.
Lunch:
Lunch is similar to breakfast. I have my easy go-to’s. Some of my favorites are quesadillas using bean dip and shredded cheese on a tortilla, grilled cheese and tomato soup (I love this one by La Madeleine), any sandwich like peanut butter or turkey, avocado toast, tuna salad is a good high protein meal, and lately I’ve been really loving pasta with cottage cheese and avocado on the side – it’s like a higher protein Mac and cheese and hear me out but Mac and cheese with avocado is a delicious combination!
Dinner:
Dinner is where I spend the most of my prep time. I generally make two to three large meals that we have as leftovers through the week. This means less time in the kitchen overall because I don’t have to make a fresh meal every single night but we still get a clean homecooked meal every night. I love recipes from Creme De La Crumb, The Salty Marshmallow, and finding a few random recipes online now and again. I have also begun making my own recipes which is fun and oftentimes the ones I just make up end up being our family’s favorite meals!
To give you an idea of the variety of dinners in our household, in the last few weeks we have had pot roast, a tex-mex protein bowl, BBQ chicken with mac & cheese and broccoli, Korean chicken, and a bacon and corn chowder. We focus on comfort food, that is high in protein, but also sticks with you. I like nutrient dense meals so we tend to add vegetables as a side, we always have meat as the main protein source, and a stick with you carb like rice or potatoes.
– Cleaning
One of the most common things thought of when it comes to homemaking is probably cleaning. It’s a never-ending job, with often thankless tasks being fulfilled. Many things that are cleaned by a homemaker probably go unnoticed – that is until the homemaker were to stop doing it, then it is readily recognizable. Nevertheless, cleaning does constitute a large part of the homemaking job and for good reason. Everyone likes to feel good in their surroundings, especially one’s home. One of the best things about being a homemaker is getting to create a space for your family (and yourself) that feels grounding, comforting, safe, and functions smoothly so that home is easy compared to the chaos of the outside world. Home becomes an oasis of sorts if you will.
My personal approach to keeping a clean home is pretty simple and straightforward. I do best with an organized list. Having a list helps me feel accountable. I know what’s coming and I can stay on top of what has and hasn’t been completed. As a bonus it sure feels good checking things off a list! I have created a cleaning schedule that works well for me.
I didn’t want it to be too stringent where I felt stressed completing it each week, so it hits the basics and makes for a fully clean home by the end of the week, but it also has a “free” day built in. That free day is perfect for if I miss a day of cleaning because I didn’t feel well, my daughter got sick, we had errands or appointments to run, or if I just didn’t feel like cleaning the kitchen on Tuesday.
My Personal cleaning Schedule
My overall schedule is broken down like this:
If you are interested in a more in depth cleaning routine especially one geared for a year long cleaning schedule with bonus cleaning tips each month for a deep clean home by the end of the year then check out my free downloadable cleaning checklist. You can download it by clicking the button on my homepage that says, “Download Your Checklist!”.
Where is the Art in Homemaking?
The beauty of homemaking is that it all comes down to the individual. The art in homemaking is doing things your own way. Find what works for you and your family. There are a ton of guides to follow, books to read, skills to hone, but you don’t NEED any of those things. They are there if you want them and want to challenge yourself perhaps, or explore the depths of homemaking a bit more. They are not necessary, however. I would love to have perfect table manners, just to know the historical practices for fun if nothing else. I love learning about interior decorating, or various skills like canning, gardening, tricks in the kitchen, and so on.
Women in the Victorian era that were well off and had the time frequented reading and learning the art of interior design. It became a big focus for women to decorate their homes just so if they had the money and the time. We are the same today. If we have the time, which can be a challenge sometimes as a homemaker, we can enjoy learning new skills and perfecting the art of homemaking one piece at a time.
The Art of Homemaking
The art of homemaking is something learned. It doesn’t happen on your first day as a full-time homemaker that you magically know how to home make. It comes with doing. An art is developed over time. It comes from getting your hands messy, making mistakes, trial and error, and trusting that at some point you will find your groove and have the savviness of a seasoned homemaker. This is when, once you feel you have the basics down, that you may start looking for new challenges. This is the perfect time to maybe learn some of those new skills like canning, gardening, sewing, needlepoint, or any number of other skills and crafts. The sky is the limit.
Like any art, take pride in what you are doing and love every minute of it – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is a wonderful vocation to hold. As your family grows and thrives you get to leave your imprint behind – just like any good artist!
Looking for More Inspiration?
If you are interested in more homemaking inspiration I have a whole section on my blog titled Homemaking. I also have family focused content to help you balance parenting and homemaking. I share recipes that can help you decide what to make for your next meal, too. Before you go, don’t forget to download a copy of my free cleaning checklist by signing up for my email list!
