Homemaking 101

Hi! I'm a stay at home mom, wife and homemaker. Here I am with my first steemit post
This blog will primarily be about life in my home but I wanted to start with a brief introduction to homemaking and some of my ground rules that keep me somewhat sane. We all know that there isn't a mom out there that hasn't lost some of her marbles, but I'd like to keep my remaining marbles intact and hopefully reclaim those that have rolled a little too far. I know each home will look different, but for me, homemaking looks like 3 meals and snacks at roughly the same time each day, loads and loads of laundry, changes of diapers, trips to the potty, about 2 or 3 changes of clothes each day, baths, picking up toys, discipline and instruction, dishes, cleaning, snuggles, and lots and lots of love. This routine repeats on a daily basis and for now, I see no end! In order to hold on to those remaining marbles I talked about, I've come up with a very broad and simplified list of 3 homemaking rules. Here they are
1. Let go of Me.

This sounds a little rough but it's my job for now and if my life sounds a little like yours, its your job too. I've had many evenings in the past that consisted of dinner out, a movie, late nights and doing what I wanted, when I wanted. Now my time and energy is spent serving my family. This isn't a bad thing, in fact, it's a great thing. It teaches me to let go of my agenda, let go of my unreal expectations and find joy and a new identity in giving to those that mean the most to me. This letting go can really be freeing.
2. Have a daily plan and schedule

I really believe that kids and families function best with a schedule. You may already tend to be this way or you may find it really hard to plan. I fall somewhere in the middle but I'm really seeing the value of having a plan. The trick to a successful plan is understanding that at any time, a lost nap or meltdown will throw off the rhythm of the day! Pick yourself up again, regroup an try to get back on track. Having a plan means that you know what needs to get done, what you'd like to get done, and what can wait for another day. My family does best with scheduled, simple meals, regular naps in our own beds and minimal disruption to this routine. We go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time and we don't over schedule our days with activities. I have a simple cleaning schedule each day while naps are happening and I grocery shop usually once a week, for the week. Most importantly, we eat together, sleep close by and share time together.
3. Learn some skills

Homemaking isn't easy. Before moms and wives were consumed with yoga pants, selfies, perfectly dressed children and model homes, we knew a thing or two about cooking meat, preserving and making and keeping a home and I'm trying to get back to this traditional model of homemaking. I certainly don't age my own beef, but I do preserve a few things here and there, I cook almost all our meals from scratch, and I read about things that I need to learn. If you expect to get by as a homemaker without some basic skills, life will get rough. Read about your kids and their development, learn about the best ways to efficiently clean your home, invest in some good cookware, find recipes you trust and network with others (@aimeeathome) that do things well. Like any job, if you don't have skills, you won't last long. Do your job well, your family will thank you and you'll feel good.
There it is! Hope you are getting a sense of my homemaking style and what this momentous job looks like to me. Check back for more posts about life in my home.