If you’re like me, and I reckon that you are since you’re reading this post, you’ve found yourself wondering over and over if you can still be a homemaker while having a full time job. Sometimes just the thought of it seems impossible, and there’s been many days where trying to achieve it has certainly felt that way. But, I want to assure you that you too can be a full-time employee and STILL make your house a home.
In this post, we’re going to discuss a few things I’ve learned on my journey to being a happy homemaker/ still attending my 9 to 5 (it’s actually 7 to 4). Hopefully you’ll leave here feeling encouraged and ready to commit yourself to making it work, just like I did. Let’s dive in.
Whoever said running a household doesn’t qualify for full-time job status has clearly never done it. There is endless, repetitive responsibility, and often times the tasks are more taxing than what I do at my job that actually pays.
So considering that your desire to be a homemaker and work full-time basically demand 80 hours per week plus overtime, how can you make it more manageable, and actually…enjoyable for that matter? I’ve compiled my best practical and some of my more theoretical ways to be able to do both, without actually losing your mind.
Almost everything in life is subject to change. But all the best parts of life require some kind of structure. So if we can master merging those seemingly opposite things together, we get ‘flexible routines.’
Routine is so important in all cases, but especially in this one because there’s already the routine of your day job (or night job), but everything else might not be so scheduled. Start taking account of the areas that can be always consistent, things you know will always occur regardless: let’s take meal-time for example.
The family is always going to need to eat, and it will usually be at the same times of the day. So how can you create routine around that already regularly occurring event? Perhaps designate a specific time when dinner will always be held, or know that the dishwasher will always be loaded directly after, not just later whenever you remember, or even tie a hobby or thing of enjoyment like reading a chapter of a book to just after dinner.
Whatever it is, use events that are already regular, and begin to create a schedule around those. It can be the most simple things, but every little thing is helpful. Here’s a peek into my morning “routine” that might give you some inspiration:
I put routine in quotes because I don’t always get around to my cup of tea and I definitely always do my morning prayer in my car on the way to work, but here’s a more practical thing I do. Every evening I load up the dishwasher and set it to run overnight. Inevitably, by the time I go to bed there are more dishes in the sink. So, when I get up in the morning, I have about 40 minutes at most to get ready and out the door. I brush my teeth, get dressed, take my medications, divide out one load of laundry and bring it downstairs with me and throw it into the washer. Then I get my lunch together, and I unload the dishwasher. Whatever is in the sink gets put in the empty dishwasher, and then I head out. That’s actually quite a productive 40 minutes, and it prepares the way for other set routines in the day.
I enjoy cooking a lot, but some days I have to do it out of obligation, not out of “I want to do this.” It’s on those days that I SO appreciate the small prep I have done in the days before.
I’m not talking about massive meal prep that happens on one day of the week and you never have to cook for the rest of the week. That’s great, and I’ll do it when I can, but usually that’s not feasible for me. I just don’t have the time. I’m talking about chopping up 3 onions instead of just the one that your recipe called for because you know you’ll be able to use it over the next few days. Or browning extra meat when you make spaghetti because chili will be an easy option the next day, or vice versa. One of my favorites is putting like 6 sweet potatoes in the oven when I know we’ll only eat two that meal but the rest can go in the fridge for lunches or snacks, or to go in other recipes (great for AIP/Paleo baking).
Even if the most you can do is cook a little extra rice to store in the fridge, everything counts. And you’ll realize it as you are making meals. Once I learned to do this and not feel like I had to prep all my meals fully in one day or I was failing, it made dinner time so much easier and worth looking forward to. I’ve gone over time, some from pure experience and largely because of this tip, from spending over and hour in the kitchen to most often as little as 20 minutes of hands-on work for dinner. It’s the best.
If you want to find other ways to make your homemaking easier, check out my post on 5 Things to Make Homemaking Easier.Â
This is probably one of the hardest things to do. I’m writing this post coming from one of those days…those days where you just don’t want to do a thing, feel like you’ve got no help, and wish you could just walk away from the whole thing.
But that’s where mindset and attitude kicks in. I’ll be honest, it took me a while this evening to get there and I’m still not there all the way, but I recognize it and I’m choosing to think the right thoughts. And you have to do that every day. Serving our families is an honor and a privilege, not something that you have to do. You could walk away from it all if you wanted to, but choosing to have a heart for loving on those around you as an act of service has such a more beautiful end result.
And having a servant’s heart doesn’t mean that you are treated like a maid or are one for that matter. It means that the on the really hard days where you just don’t feel like it, something reminds you of WHY you do what you are doing. It’s easier said than done when all you want to do is shout at everyone for never helping (and they should), but aim for that heart posture, and you’ll find yourself coming back to where the desire to be a homemaker first came from.
Some days it just doesn’t happen. And that’s OKAY!!! Society has disillusioned women into thinking that homemaking isn’t a worthy effort and that they are incapable of completing an extraordinary amount. I’ve heard so many say “How do you do it all? I could never!” When reality is you are way more capable than you realize. You can have the kids, and the homeschool, and the backyard homestead, and the fun activities, and ALL the things, and still get the laundry done and the house clean. You can. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for being able to accomplish all that stuff OR try to make you think you can’t and therefore deny the powerhouse that you are.
That being said, some days it just doesn’t happen. And that’s where you find balance in being superwoman. You can work your full-time, make dinner, fold laundry, clean dishes, spend time with family, and find time to take a shower somewhere in there. But you might not check off everything on your to-do list that day or vacuum the floors like you planned, and it’s okay. Those things can wait. Don’t be a martyr.
Homemakers tend to put a lot of focus on “Pinterest-worthy” homes and tidiness and what not, but the reality is that while cleanliness is important, sometimes you can let a few things go to serve the greater mission of being a homemaker. Let’s drop this idea of perfection please, and get our focus back on the things that matter. Tidy homes are nice, but lived-in and loved homes are even better.
We obviously know by now that self-care is super important, but actually taking time to care for yourself while juggling a million other things and people can almost never happen. That’s why you have to be super intentional about creating habits and schedules that cater to regular self-care, otherwise we all know it just falls by the wayside. But you can’t pour from an empty cup- so make sure you always have something to give by taking care of yourself.
That can look like setting aside 15 minutes before bed every night to read a chapter of a book, some quiet time in the morning with your ritual cup of coffee, or even just playing a round of UNO with your spouse a few nights a week- kid and responsibility-free (I’m a fan of the 30 minute nap as soon as I get home from work). It doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be consistent, frequent, and constantly uplifting to your spirit.
In our house we observe Sabbath. Every Friday at sundown until Saturday at sundown, I don’t work the job or my house. We cook but don’t clean, and it’s reserved for family time and things that bring us joy, peace, and rest. It is such a refresh to the soul and I look forward to it every week. Find a way to Sabbath in your life.
At the end of the day, be content in yourself and your actions. We’ve already established that you can be a superwoman, but you won’t always be perfect so do the best you can and enjoy every moment. Working full-time and being a homemaker is tough, but it’s so rewarding and if you give your best in every moment, you will see that fulfillment reflected in your heart.
There are some days where I just don’t want to do anything else, but after I get up from the table and clean the kitchen before it’s time to wind down for bed, that last glance around the room before I flip the light switch makes my heart full. This is my house, and I’ve worked hard to make it a home, and I can see it in every small thing. I’m doing the best I can each day and I’ll try even harder tomorrow.
Give yourself grace in those moments of stress and frustration, then think on all the beautiful moments you’ve cultivated in your home. You are doing amazing, so believe that.
Homemaking is no joke, especially when you add a full-time job to the mix. It will have its ups and downs, but there is something just so fulfilling about what we do. I hope that by the end of this blog post you’ve been encouraged, uplifted, and strengthened enough to go out and do this one more day.
You may eventually get to the place where you only have to be a homemaker, or maybe you have no desire to leave your job. Either way, enjoy this season of life you are in, put in good hard work, and know that every day you do the best you can, you are doing enough. May your home be blessed.
Don’t forget to check out my other blog post to find some really cool products that will make your life as a homemaker so much easier! Part of being superwoman is having good sidekicks 😉Â