Homemaking routines don’t have to feel like a rigid schedule or a never-ending to-do list. In fact, when done with intention, they can become small anchors of peace in the middle of life’s chaos. As a homemaker (and mom of young children and older children), I’ve discovered that a few simple homemaking routines make a huge difference in how our home feels at the end of the day.
I’m not talking about having a perfect cleaning schedule or a whole house system that makes you feel like Ma Ingalls reincarnated. Nope. I’m talking about the little daily habits, that bring joy, even when the laundry room is stacked with baskets, the kitchen table is sticky, and the garden is a little wild.
Today, I thought I’d share with you three homemaking routines that I’ve been loving these last couple of months. They have been an anchor to our home’s sanity. Now, that does not mean that these routines will work for you and your home. I share them as encouragement and inspiration to spark your own ideas for your well-run home.
This page may contain affiliate links. To view my full affiliate link disclosure, click here. There are Amazon affiliate links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I make a small commission from Amazon links in this post. Find our privacy policy, terms of service, and more information about user data by visiting the links above.
Routines in the Home
I’ve learned that the way I start my day often sets the tone for the rest of the day. As a mom with small children and homeschooling lessons waiting at the kitchen table, mornings can feel like a race before I even get clocked out of my home-based job. That’s why I’ve been trying to weave in little morning routines that ground me before the busyness begins.
One of those is as simple as pouring a glass of kefir. I make it fresh here at home, and it has been a quiet game-changer for my mornings. Kefir is packed with probiotics, so it supports gut health, energy levels, and even immunity, which, let’s be honest, every mom needs when her home is full of young children sharing snacks, crayons, and sniffles. It’s a simple task, but it’s the perfect time of the day to breathe, sip, and remember that fueling myself helps me show up better for my family. Truth be told, I actually have a checkmark on my daily to-do list printable for my gut-healing kefir smoothie because it’s been such a game-changer in how I feel throughout the day.
My new checklist printable is a new way that I’m organizing my day. I love checklists, but the truth is the power in this new routine is that is takes all the tasks that I need to do in my day and gets them on paper. The checklist is laminated, and it has four consistent daily goals and a place at the bottom to jot down breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every morning, I wipe it clean from the previous day and do a huge brain dump of what needs to happen again for a successful day. I have a template of this for you that you can download and curate for your own needs if you are interested.
From there, we usually dive into our morning chores and homeschool rhythm. Some days go smoothly, and some days… not so much. But I’ve noticed that when I’ve started well, the rest of the day feels a little lighter, even when the laundry pile is tall, or dinner plans are last-minute.
And that’s the beauty of homemaking routines. They don’t have to be elaborate; they just need to anchor us. These routines: laundry on the line, gardening in time blocks, and seasonal meal planning, might not look glamorous in our modern world, but they have made a huge difference in how my home feels and how I feel as a modern homemaker.
1. Laundry on the Line – An Old-Fashioned Homemaking Routine
Laundry day doesn’t have to be all washing machines, timers, and rushing to get the next load of laundry folded. One of my favorite homemaking routines is hanging clothes on the line.
Barefoot in the backyard, I pin up shirts while my small children run circles around me. The sound of the breeze flapping the sheets, the birds chirping, and the kids giggling, it’s a perfect time of the day to breathe deeply. Somehow, watching the laundry sway makes me feel more grounded than any scroll on social media or media break.
I use Truly Free detergent because it’s the only product I’ve found that is actually toxic-free. It smells amazing, and I love knowing my kids’ clothes are safe against their skin. This simple task doesn’t just give me clean clothes; it gives me peace.
Sometimes modern homemaking gets overcomplicated. For me, this old-fashioned homemaking routine is a game-changer for my mental peace. It takes a little bit more time than tossing everything in the dryer, but it’s worth it. And by the end of the day, I feel calmer just for having stepped outside and listened to nature while doing a simple routine.
2. Gardening (Or Tackling the Hard Things in Time Blocks)
This year, with two babies in the mix, my garden looks more like a jungle than a well-manicured homestead. And you know what? That’s okay. I’m learning that you can have a messy garden and still have a productive one. Actually, let’s back up. Earlier this summer, I let the state of my garden control my self-worth and peace. Yep, the garden. Imagine a garden controlling your self-worth. Obviously, the garden didn’t; it was my own foolishness.
It felt like I couldn’t get ‘everything’ done, and the garden was the thing suffering. Besides canning up some of my favorite Ruhlbarb barbecue sauce, I haven’t preserved anything this year. Plus, the garden is a wreck with weeds climbing up fences and a severe lack of produce actually happening. Why, when I had a baby last year, was I able to keep up, but this year is a flop?
You know what the Lord finally reminded me of? My heart broke last year when, after trying everything and fighting to the point of mental break, I finally gave up on nursing Waylin. It felt tragic to me. It broke my heart. But even with Williams’ rough start this year, I’ve been able to nurse him exclusively. 100%. Feeding a baby takes a lot of time, and my garden production is probably what I’ve given up in my time frame to be able to squeeze it all in. A lack of a garden for a year is exceedingly worth being able to feed my baby.
However, the garden still has to be dealt with because I did invest time, energy, and money into making it. So here is what became my game plan.
I set aside about three hours each week, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, to give my garden attention. It’s not much, but it’s enough. These themed days give me focus without overwhelming me. Instead of staring at the weeds in despair, I give them a couple of hours of my energy and then move on with the rest of the day. It’s usually during nap time, and whatever I can get in is enough.
And here’s the thing, this idea isn’t just for gardening. Maybe for you, it’s that junk drawer that has been haunting you, or a kid’s bedroom that feels like a lost cause. The best routine is often just setting a time block, choosing a day of the week, and deciding, “I’ll work on this a little bit at a time.”
It’s not glamorous, but it’s the only way I’ve found to deal with homemaking tasks that stretch my capacity. These good routines add up. A couple of hours here and there, and by next week, or next month, you’ll see real progress.
3. Kitchen Joy – Seasonal Meal Planning that Actually Works
Let’s talk about the kitchen. For years, meal planning felt like the enemy. I tried every system, index cards, themed days, grocery lists taped to the fridge, you name it. Every single one failed. I just don’t have the patience for a rigid schedule.
But about two months ago, I stumbled into a system that works. I created seasonal lists of meals we love and rotate them week by week. Each season, I jot down our family favorites in my homemaking planner, and that becomes my grocery store guide.
Instead of writing a detailed plan every week, I just buy my seasonal staples. In summer, that means lots of fresh produce from the garden, even with its dilapidated state! Lacto-fermented pickles and peppers are a favorite snack right now, and Instant Pot meals are an ongoing routine. Once a week, I make a large batch of breakfast. Sometimes it’s our mini banana bread, sometimes it’s a big egg bake (I love doing this one with cottage cheese), and sometimes it’s homemade yogurt and granola, which is currently my kids’ favorite.
In the accompanying YouTube video, you will see me make:
Sourdough Biscuits (my kids would eat these every day if I let them!)
Lactofermented pickles and peppers
Many of you know how much I love sourdough, and sourdough still has its place. Actually, summer is one of the best times to make sourdough because the fermentation process is so much more powerful with warmer weather!
We also did a HUGE cutback on our kids’ snacks a couple of months ago because I realized that kids’ snacks were killing our grocery budget. And it wasn’t unhealthy stuff, it was things like cheese sticks and healthy yogurt cups. I decided to go to a system where I make all their snacks, and it’s even healthier than before, plus it has saved our grocery budget!
My very simple meal planning system and cutting back on buying kids snacks has been a huge difference-maker for me as a modern homemaker. Just a steady rhythm of simple meal-making routines that give me joy.
Homemaking Routines Don’t Have to Be Complicated
At the end of the day, homemaking routines are less about creating a rigid schedule and more about finding small daily habits that make you feel at peace. A good thing to remember is that modern homemaking isn’t about doing all the things, it’s about choosing a few simple routines that help you feel like a better homemaker and bring joy to your home life.
So maybe your daily homemaking routine looks different from mine. Maybe it’s a weekly cleaning routine, a morning routine of coffee and Bible study before the kids wake, or an evening routine of resetting the kitchen table for the next day. Whatever it is, simple routines can make a huge difference in how your home feels.
These three routines, laundry on the line, gardening in time blocks, and seasonal meal planning, are what’s working for me in this season. They’re not perfect, but they help me keep a clean house, a calm heart, and a home that feels welcoming, even with small children underfoot and unexpected guests at the door.
And that, my friend, is the best routine of all.
Don’t Forget to Pin or Later!
