I used to believe homemaking was something you were either naturally good at…or you weren’t.
It may seem that some women were just born knowing how to keep a clean and tidy home, prepare delicious meals, or create a space that feels comfortable and welcoming.
But the truth is—homemaking can be learned.
Even if you feel like you aren’t naturally good at it.
Embrace the journey of learning.
I let go of the beliefs that I was bad at homemaking and instead embraced the journey of learning and growing in the role God placed me in my home.
Growing up I didn’t have the best example of what it means to care for the home.
Don’t get me wrong I had a great childhood, but I remember going to other people’s homes and thinking, “Oh, they know how to clean their house, or cook really well.
I remember feeling so comfortable in those homes.
Some homes were newer and bigger and nicer. But not all of them.
One of those homes I loved visiting was my grandmother’s double wide trailer. It wasn’t fancy, but she always made it feel so welcoming.
We never went hungry at her house. It was always clean or at least it felt like it.
She was happy to have us visit and played games with us or sat on the front porch with a glass of iced sun tea while we talked.
And when I as struggling as a new homemaker, I thought about my grandma’s house.
It wasn’t the size of the house that made it special or any fancy upgrades.
It was the care she took to make it a welcoming space where our physical and emotional needs were met.
So I looked to her example and decided I was going to learn what it takes to be a good homemaker for my family to have a safe haven as well.
Learning takes time.
Slowly and with trial and error, I started learning new skills.
At first I didn’t know how to meal plan without being overwhelmed.
But I just started making a list of all the meals we enjoyed eating and things I knew how to make. At the time it was mostly tacos and burgers.
Slowly I started trying new recipes and learned new skills in the kitchen.
Now I’ve learned how to meal plan and cook a lot of things from scratch. But it took time and a willingness to learn.
I also didn’t know the rhythms and routines that would keep our home clean, but I followed a wonderful woman named Jenn on YouTube who challenged her viewers to do the dishes every night.
Her channel name was how Jen Does it. She doesn’t post anymore. But I took her challenge years ago and it changed my life.
I realized I could do it. So then I added on more daily and weekly routines for keeping my home consistently clean.
Homemaking is a mindset.
As I learned more and practiced my new skills, many of my thoughts about homemaking had to be changed as well.
I learned when I chose to open up my mind, and heart to grow and change to challenge myself to get better.
And maybe you feel like you don’t naturally have what it takes to be a homemaker.
I want to encourage you today that homemaking is a skill you practice, a craft you grow into over time.
Every small habit you build, every moment you choose to do something new and maybe a bit challenging, you are growing and learning.
I’ve learned that being a good homemaker doesn’t come from perfection.
It comes from intention, and a willingness to keep learning.
Proverbs 24:3 says,“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.”
May you keep building your home and growing with grace, one day at a time.