I have been a stay at home mom (SAHM) for over 10 years now. My mom was a SAHM after my twin brothers were born (I was 13 at the time). Even though my mom worked outside the home much of my childhood, she always gave it her all at home. When she became a full time SAHM, it changed our home for the better.

I learned many habits from my mom. She had a rhythm to her day that made so much sense. She had certain routines she did each day that made her life run more smoothly with five children. Did I mention she had three teenage girls in the house at the same time she had twin baby boys? She was a superhero (and still is because she takes care of my stepdad, twin brothers who won’t move out, and my grandpa)!

As I became more comfortable as a SAHM I developed certain habits that helped me maintain my home as well as give me peace of mind. I didn’t want to run my home with chaos and disorder. That is not me at all. I am a planner and perfectionist. I am also proactive and never leave things until the last minute. The habits I developed evolved over the years as I had more children, a larger home, and we began homeschooling.

Homemaking Habits:

  1. Menu plan- this allows there to be a plan in place for each meal so there is no confusion at 5pm and you have to order out. This also helps with staying on a budget.
  2. Get up at the same time each day- this works for me and may not work for you. When I had newborn babies, it didn’t work. I was super tired from being up all night. Now, I can get up and get going because my children are a little older. This also gives me time to do my quiet time over coffee before the noise and busyness of the day begin.
  3. Have a set of chores to accomplish each day- this could range from doing one thing a day, one room a day, or whole sections of your home. I have a loose schedule of what each day will look like. Mondays- bathrooms, Tuesdays- kitchen, Wednesdays- bedrooms, etc. Do whatever works for you. I also like to do a load of laundry every other day. This keeps it down a little so it’s not a mountain (I still have mountains sometimes!!). Saturdays are for outside work and we take off Sundays for a day of rest.
  4. Keep a homeschooling schedule- we school 4 days a week. That gives us more freedom of Fridays. I also use Fridays to do a deep clean of certain areas of my home. We start our homeschool day by 9:30am and we usually finish no later than 12pm. It’s usually sooner but I give us until then. The rest of the day for my children is free time outside or playing together inside if the weather is bad. Whatever your homeschool looks like, keep at it and try to be consistent. No two families will look the same.
  5. Don’t take your schedule too seriously- life happens and schedules get derailed. That’s okay. When things calm down again, pick up where you left off and adjust where needed.

Forming good habits can allow you to keep up with your home and life but it isn’t everything. Making sure your family is taken care of and your own spiritual life is a priority is the most important thing to remember. If your house looks like a bomb went off, don’t stress. Take it one room at a time. Ask for help. Your children, mom, sister, or husband can help. It’s amazing how willing people are to help when you ask.

Habits take time to develop and they take lots of practice. It’s like learning to brush your teeth twice a day. It’s not something you are born knowing to do. You learn from an early age and your parents help you practice each day. Start with one habit for a month and go from there. The one I would start with first is menu planning. If you don’t already do this, it will change your life so much. Especially in the evenings when your husband is expected home and the kids are getting “hangry”. If you already have something on the menu to make, the hard work is done for you.

Whatever you decide will be your homemaking habits, I encourage you to just start. Having a rhythm to each day had made me a happier person and helped me to feel less stressed. I hope you can glean some good information from this post. Staying home and homeschooling children isn’t easy and it’s very hard work. Hopefully some of these ideas will help you in your journey through homemaking and motherhood.