One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given as a new mom from a seasoned mom friend.
She told me to enjoy each stage with my kids instead of always looking forward to the next milestone or age.
I’ve tried to remind myself of that advice often over the last 11 years as a mom. Especially, when I feel anxious or annoyed with a difficult parenting season.
But I’ve also learned that mindset is so good in all areas of my life.
Choose Thankfulness
Sometimes, we look too far ahead.
Wishing for a bigger house, wishing the kids were older and more independent, wishing for less dishes and laundry to do, or a tidier home.
But when we are always looking ahead to something we don’t have right in front of us, we lose contentment.
We lose out on the joy and peace found in today.
One of my favorite verses is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Whenever I find myself dissatisfied and start to complain about homemaking tasks or inconveniences around the home, I take my thoughts captive and turn them into thankfulness.
God tells us to be thankful in all circumstances. That can be difficult at times, but it truly is the best thing we can do as homemakers.
Instead of grumbling and complaining about all of the dishes, I remind myself to be thankful for dirty dishes.
Those dishes mean I was able to feed my family a home cooked meal. My whole family was able to sit together around the dinner table and share a meal together.
And washing the dishes after dinner is a privilege and something to absolutely be thankful for.
Reframe Your Thoughts
Changing the negative thoughts you think about chores into positive, helpful thoughts is one of the things I teach in my course The Motivated Homemaker and also something I share in my free Motivated Homemaker workshop.
God, in His wisdom, didn’t make a mistake with your life.
The home you’re in, the kids you have, your husband—all of it is a gift from God.
It’s easy to see the negative aspects of our homes, kids, and husbands. However when we instead choose to think about the positive aspects, we experience more joy and contentment.
There is beauty in the every day, seemingly mundane work that you do as a homemaker.
Joy isn’t something we chase. It’s something we choose—right in the middle of today’s to-do list, right in the life God has already given us.
You don’t need a different life. You just need to be thankful for the one you have.
Choose joy. Choose thankfulness. This life, right now, is a gift.