Learn my favorite homemaking tips that put your family first and your home second, not the other way around!
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As a homemaker, it can be easy to get caught up in the ins-and-outs of keeping house. You’ll spend a lot of time scrubbing and sweeping and folding.
In all of your daily efforts to keep a clean, healthy, and efficient home, you may lose track of what’s most important. The PEOPLE in your home.
I’d love to tell you a quick story! My husband has always liked to have his phone plugged in and on the night stand next to his side of the bed. We used to have to use a short, home extension cord because the lamp and charger couldn’t reach where the outlet was.
When I’d tidy and make the bed in the morning, I didn’t like the look of this big jumble of cords hanging out next to the bed and nightstand, so I would always kick the whole pile (including his charger cord) under the bed so I couldn’t see it.
Every evening when my husband was getting ready for sleep he would have to literally crawl under the bed to get his cord. He was so sweet and never complained about it, but he joked a couple nights in a row about how I always kicked his cord under.
It hit me like a freight train! What was I thinking?! Was having the house look tidy and the way I wanted more important than the convenience for my husband?
The very next day I went and got a pad charger, spent some time rearranging the cords and tying them up behind the nightstand, and setting it up better. It looked tidy enough, and my husband only needed to place his phone on top of the charger every night. No more digging around for it!
It doesn’t have to be one or the other… you don’t have to choose a tidy home, healthy home, efficient home, at the expense of what your family wants and needs. With a little compromise you can have both!
This is just one example of MANY ways that I have had my priorities mixed up as a homemaker over the years. Maybe you’re the same?!
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Here are a few other things I have done:
- cleaned late into the night (because I was inefficient during the day) at the expense of time spent with my husband and kids
- not let my kids do anything because of the potential mess/stress
- not have anyone over because I didn’t feel like our home was “picture-perfect”
- stuff my hubby’s things in a closet to clear the clutter (even though it was things he had to get out on the daily, eek!)
- start the dinner clean-up while the rest of the family ate, just to get a head-start.
I’ve learned a lot over the years in how to put my family first, ahead of the home. Does this make sense?! The goal with homemaking is create an amazing place FOR your family to thrive, not just for the sake of the home.
Today I am going to share with you 5 ways that you can switch up your homemaking in order to prioritize your family. These are simple and practical tips that put YOU and YOUR family first. I hope they’re helpful!
Practical Homemaking Tips That Put Your Family First
Tip #1 – Have a Set Time Every Evening Where the Cleaning STOPS
Are you a clean late into the night kind of homemaker?! If you are, maybe you need to set some boundaries for yourself. Its easy to get into a zone, and to try and keep cleaning after dinner and well into the night.
Maybe you’re not being efficient during the day, so you might HAVE a huge mess of a house to clean. Maybe you love cleaning after the kiddos go down, but its at the expense of time spent with your husband.
The solution? Be more efficient during the day, AND set some boundaries for yourself. I always like to tidy the house after naps and before dinner. During this time I try to get our home as reset as possible. I wash and put away all the dishes (we’ll still have dinner dishes but this at least gets us as much ahead of the cleaning as possible).
The kids and I tidy all the rooms, get everything prepped for dinner (kitchen cleaned, as many of the dishes I’ve used, washed, table set), etc. We’ll still make messes the rest of the evening, it just won’t be as much to clean at the end of the day. Its better than waiting all day to clean until after dinner. Then you’ll have a huge mess and it will take you well into the night.
After you’ve done this, set some boundaries. There’s always more you can do, so just don’t let yourself do it all. Tell yourself that you won’t keep cleaning past a certain time. Set an alarm clock. Ask your family to remind you. Whatever works!
Come up with a good nighttime routine that you look forward to, that you can move onto doing after you’ve done a quick tidy. At some point, you NEED to shut down, and hang out with the fam. Make it a priority!
Tip #2 – Make Meals Your Family LOVES First, Then Fill In With Fun Things
Not long ago, my husband, very sweetly and lovingly, asked me, “why don’t you ever make me a good steak dinner??”
Another lightbulb moment! I KNEW that steak was my husband’s favorite meal. Its what he always orders when we go out. And I was probably making it once or twice a YEAR at the time. What gives?!
When you go to meal plan for the week, make sure you’re adding in meals that you know your family will love and enjoy FIRST, then fill in with budget friendly meals, new recipes to try, etc.
There’s a lot of days in the week, and you don’t have to go a whole week without making things you know everyone is going to enjoy. Keep a running list in a notebook or on your phone of meals the family not only approves up, but genuinely LOVES.
On a similar note, make a special treat every week. If you’re trying to be healthy, you can make it healthy and still special! Making something your family will look forward to, even if it takes a little effort, will be well worth it.
This is an easy way to create traditions and memories that your kids will remember into adulthood. Something I like to do, is each month decide on a new treat or fun thing to make every week of that month. When I plan ahead, its much more likely to happen.
Tip #3 – Make Your Home Work Around Your Family, Not the Other Way Around
Instead of putting laundry baskets in random corners or rooms in your home, take a step back and think. Where does your husband usually drop his clothes? Stick a laundry basket in that exact spot. You don’t have to ask him to put his clothes in the laundry basket. You’re making the home work for him (and you!).
The phone charger story at the beginning of this post is another example! This is for you as well. One way I do this for myself, is that I keep hair combing supplies and the kids toothbrushes in a cabinet in our kitchen. This might seem random! Shouldn’t that be kept in the bathroom? But I found that I didn’t like having to go across the house to get that stuff every day when I wanted to help the kids get ready. I’m in the kitchen 90% of my day, so keeping those things in the kitchen is more convenient for me.
As the homemaker, you have the awesome role of choosing how things function in your home. Take account on a regular basis of whether or not your home is working around your family, and NOT your family having to work around your home.
Tip #4 – Get Your kiddos involved, as a fun, bonding and learning experience.
Do you send the kiddos out when you go to cook a meal, do a project, or deep clean an area? I don’t blame you! It can be challenging to have them right alongside you as you do your homemaking. BUT, if you want to prioritize your family first, try inviting your kids to help. It doesn’t have to be every time! Just a little more every day is a great start.
Now, I am SO thankful our kids are good at entertaining themselves. Most of them can play all day long without my help or attention. But on the occasion that they are coming to me and interested in what I’m doing, I’m working on letting them in! Explaining things to them, giving them a job to do to help, having fun in the process with them.
Here are a few ways you can do this too:
- let your kids help you cook meals
- do a family tidy a few times a day
- invite kids to help with projects and cleaning (they’ll usually love it!)
- intentionally seek out your kids on a regular basis throughout the day, to engage with them
This is something I am constantly working on, and there are lots of days where I don’t do great at it. But we can all get better at it right?!
Tip #5 – Ask Your Husband (and possibly kids) What Their Priorities Are, And Prioritize Those
Take a minute today to ask your husband what is most important to him in the home. Does he appreciate the laundry being done as often as possible? Or does he like having a home-cooked meal the most? Does he just want to come home to a wife that’s NOT in PJs and a messy bun and he doesn’t really care about all the rest of the stuff?!
Even if you think you know, ask him again, you might be surprised by his answer!
If your kids are old enough, you can do this for them as well, or you can just be observant and take note of what you think is most important to them in the home.
Once you know these things, prioritize them! This can actually give you a lot of wiggle room. If your husband’s priority is having the house tidy, on busy days you can JUST do a tidy, and then order out for dinner. He’ll understand and he’ll appreciate you making sure what’s important to him gets done.
Whatever it is though make sure your family’s priorities are YOUR priorities as the homemaker. Write them down with a big star on your to-do list. Do something to make progress in those areas first thing in the morning. Put reminders in your phone. Whatever you need to do!
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That’s it!
I hope this post was helpful to you and you feel inspired to level up your homemaking game by prioritizing your family. We’re all in this together and its something we’ll have to constantly be working at.
Happy homemaking friend!
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