5 Simple Homemaking Routines That Save My Sanity

Anticipate the Crazy, Plan for the Peace

I’m a half the kids are barefoot and we are running into the church building five minutes late kind of mom. If you lean to the eclectic homeschool mom blowing with the wind, yes even you can have some guard rails in place for your day. When it comes to routines, especially around the home I like to see them as conduits for the spontaneous moments, not punishment for a full life. Maybe Cameron wants to invite a family over for dinner last minute. I might not have a meal planned, but did I pull meat from the freezer? Is there a “just in case” loaf of bread? Is the house tidy enough to rapid fire clean for thirty minutes with the kids? With these simple Homemaking routines in place you can win in those last minute situations.

Learn to pivot: Simple Homemaking Routines are not Rules

The spontaneous “type B” moms tend to be afraid of routines and schedules. I get it, and I have felt this in the past. It wasn’t until having my fifth child (and now 6th) that I hit rock bottom. I realized I needed to have structure, so that I could be more free. Carving out time for the “have to’s” makes room for the “whatever I want to’s”. This is my heart behind these Simple homemaking routines. Toss the ones that don’t work. If its for a day, a season or however long, you are the keeper of your time and schedule. Make sure it works for you and not the other way around.

1. Kitchen Prep Routines to Simplify Homemaking

• loop dinners – This have been a staple in out home. I like to keep 5-10 meals (which change with the seasons) loosly prepped at all times. Choosing meals that are favorites, or at least familiar to home will make this work smoother. keep your pantry/freezer stocked with what Is needed to make your meals accessible in a pinch. It takes my mind off of “whats for dinner” while acting very closely to a meal plan. Meal plans can get boring so feel free to add extra meals into your loop recipes if 5-10 is not enough. You could also start with one day a week that has a repeating meal — I am looking at you taco Tuesday and pizza Friday.

• bulk sourdough– I got this idea while doing bulk bakes for my micro bakery. The concept is easy; if you stick around for the rest of this series I will have my free printable guide for you to implement this yourself using my sourdough recipe. I like to make 6-8 loaves worth of dough at a time. Once fully proofed I pop them all into the fridge. Over the next several days I bake a loaf one at a time as needed. Having a fresh loaf of sourdough in an hours time whenever needed feels like winning. This simple homemaking routine prepares me for unexpected guests and extra hungry kiddos. But who also doesn’t love that midnight slice of toast with butter and sugar. This idea also works perpetually on a loop.

• bulk lunches prepped – My husband gets some hodge podge of leftovers, snack meals and our bulk prepped items with lunch. I say that lovingly. I also give him sweet love notes from me, if you were thinking I’m the worst. The adults get large batches of tuna salad, egg salad, or these, only frying them as cutlets. They are easy to pack for him and pull out for me. Eat them cold or as a snack meal. Us moms know we are probably not sitting down to eat, and we definitely aren’t warming up our lunch. This helps make sure the adults in the house are getting. fuel too while we bust our buns to do all the adult things. If you want to see me go from snail to efficient, get some protein in my body! Make enough for four days of lunches and start again.

2. Get Ready for the day

The way we dress and carry ourself matters, The season of littles in the house and homeschooling is long, it’s not like the newborn season. Get out of your leggings and go brush your teeth. Again I say that lovingly. Get ready in a comfortable and moveable outfit. One you could go to the store In. Bonus points if you have an apron. Putting it on feels like “clocking in” for the day. The homemakers uniform if you will. It reminds us that we are on mission and there Is work to be done. I’m not sure if it’s just a placebo, but I’m much more efficient when I am dressed and ready. Simplify your routine for getting ready. I’m not talking about being a dolled up trad wife in a poofy shoulder dress, unless you want to. Give your kids, your husband and yourself, your best self.

3. Quiet Time Reset + Read aloud

Halfway through the day, when the baby is ready for a nap we all go to the living room. I read books aloud for whoever wants to listen while I nurse her. Others will listen to podcasts and some will play magnatiles. We are together and yet focused on separate things. When baby gets layed down everyone gets to continue or move on– but as long as baby sleeps it stays quiet. I use this as my time to prep dinner, maybe invite one child to help. Sometimes There is laundry to be folded in this time, or maybe this is a time for a deep clean. This is a part of the day where lessons are not happening, and everyone is as independent as they are able to be. Families spend so much time together, without this built in time to be apart for a bit, people get cranky.

4. One Load of Laundry, One Deep Clean

This is one of my favorite and most simple homemaking routines that bears the most fruit. The laundry never ends so it can feel dumb to do just one load a day. One load a day means there aren’t piles and piles of laundry. It is constant and consistent. I purchased a new washer year and it absolutely changed the laundry game for me. If you are needing a new one check out this review. I fold and put away the previous day right after I start the current load. It is such a quick system and it doesn’t take as much time as you think. Use laundry as an opportunity to involve the kids. Sorting and running piles up is an easy task for the smallest of helpers.

Choose one thing to deep clean each day. Maybe it is kitchen or one of the bathrooms. whatever space it is, thats the priority for the day. All other areas get a quick tidy, as much as i’m able to afford in time. If a room has a basic tidy with a bit of lived in mess then thats good enough. Each area and room eventually gets a full deep clean, this is your home, it’s ok to live in it. Take the pressure of having a spotless home off of yourself. Your home should be more like a nursery than a graveyard. There are many allowances for everyday messes that come with abundant life.

5. Put That Kitchen to Bed

This is by far the hardest of the homemaking routines for me to follow. At the end of the night I just want to hang with Cam and call it a day. If I pretend the mess is not there it still shows up in the morning, I feel like I am starting my day off behind when I do this. I have to work harder, and the mess compounds. It’s easier to keep a tidy kitchen tidy, and vice versa. To make it easier I need some solidarity. I don’t need Cam to clean with me, but maybe sitting at the kitchen table on his computer or his guitar, just for the company. Find a way to make it more worth your while, and less lonely when you just want to clock out for the day and be with your man. This could also be used as an opportunity to tag team the kitchen, busting it out quickly; depending on how much is needed.

Start Where You Are

Were there any of these routines that stuck to you? Are there any of these simple homemaking routines you are already implementing? If not, I would encourage you to choose one and give it a try, let me know in the comments how it went! If you missed the first post in this series where I talk about some of the harships of homemaking you can check it out here. Don’t forget to stick around for the rest of this series and my free bulk sourdough guide. Praying for some fresh order and vision in your weeks to come,
Toni