Welcome to a look into our cozy winter homemaking as we work on living out a slow Christian life. However, it’s certainly an imperfect endeavor! This accompanying blog post is meant to pair with the YouTube video that will be attached below.
There has been a cold snap hitting the entire country. From Florida, where it’s snowing, to Texas where the temps are frightful, a wave of cold has locked people in their homes for an extended period of rest. The midwest is no different as we have plummeted into sub-negative temperatures reaching a real feel of -32 degrees Fahrenheit, but our little homestead
I know many people despise this weather, but I love it. It’s an opportunity to follow God’s cue in nature and slow down. This is the time of year that we focus on being home. Although truth be told, I’m a natural homebody no matter what the weather is. These are the days when we get to live out an intentional slow Christian life.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Colossians 3:23 ESV
We’re also really tapping into our homeschool routine. The boys are doing so excellent in school this year. I’m really thrilled with the growth I’m seeing with our homeschool routine and finding curriculum and routines that work for them, even when it’s not all instinctive to me.
Baby Wayne is developing strong and we are well on our way into our third trimester. We are looking forward to meeting Wayne and introducing him to his four other brothers.
I’ve had some requests for more day-in-the-life type homemaking videos, so I thought I’d give a peak into our lives and my routine as a full-time working mom. I’ll touch on how I plan for my day and take you along on a cozy winter day and include some Bible verses that have been pricking at my heart as I ponder living out a slower Christian life. Our cozy day will include some time in the kitchen as we finalize a new recipe, which is a very delicious sourdough breadstick.
Welcome to Healing Home, I hope you are encouraged and inspired by your time here.
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The Balance of a Working Mom Life
I once read that homemaking is a full-time job if you want to do it right. It’s taken me years to come to a place of peace about my working mom status coupled with my desire to be a homemaker and homeschooler. There is freedom in not being able to do it all because we are not the builder of our homes.
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Palms 127:1 ESV
If you are a working mom, I hope you take comfort in knowing that you don’t have to be at home full-time to be a good mother and homemaker. However, you do need to be willing to rest in obedience to Christ.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
My alarm goes off very early in the morning. It goes off at 2:40 am and I typically roll out of bed sometime around 3 am with the intention to put in about 4 hours of office time in before we start homeschooling around 10 am. Some time in there, I take about a 20-minute break to go on a 2-mile jog and lift weights.
Before any of that can start though, there’s a deep need for quite a few cups of coffee and spending some time in the word of God and prayer. We have over 220 people who signed up for either the 2025 prayer challenge or Bible reading challenge. Praise God. If you are one of them, how is it going? Are you getting into the word of God daily? I hope so. I’m not perfect, but I am firmly convinced that there is power in centering our days by meeting with the perfector of our faith: Jesus. In the month of February, our prayer challenge is centered on praying for our children, I hope you will join us.
Our cozy homemaking day was on a Thursday, which is really one of our most peaceful days of the week. Most of the boys’ programming is done for the week and it’s a day to really settle into being at home. Once I’m done with work and my workout, we spend some time in transition. There’s honestly a lot of chaos when I’m working and no matter how I section off my time, it’s just plain ole’ hard to work from home with four young boys.
The transition is simple, but it really does help. The boys do their chores and get ready for the day. I spent time picking up whatever destruction was left and completing some simple rituals that helped signal the change from working mom to stay-at-home/homeschooling mom. I blow out the candle and turn on the diffuser. I also turn on some calming music throughout the house. These two things are small rituals that just help us all transition back to reality.
At some point, I typically take about 5 minutes to open my homemaking planner and jot down our meals for the day and any tasks that I want completed. It’s not an expansive practice at all. It’s basically clearing the brain clutter to be able to focus on my boys more. I have the homemaking planner available to download if you are interested in grabbing your own to print or put on an iPad or tablet.
On this specific day, I was also preparing to finalize our sourdough breadstick recipe, the recipe has been a huge hit this week and I have yet to be able to make enough to satisfy our hungry boys. I’s a soft sourdough flavor and is perfect for a cold day to pair with a soup.
Homeschooling
Home should be a place where, behind its doors, one should expect to find protection and safety from all the harms of life, including voices that do not speak truth or wisdom. Only the foolish would invite just anyone to enter the door of their home.Sally Clarkson
Sally Clarkson, The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming
This is the time of the year to really press into the education of our kids. I mentioned before that I’m switching my mindset a little bit and transitioning from what I believe is ideal to what I know works for my kids. This means that we did a scary thing and switched the curriculum from My Father World (which I still love), to Gather Round Homeschool. I’m seeing so much fruit from this transition, even though it was terrifying for me.
Because these are unit studies where the entire family is involved, I no longer am trying to distract Wylder from our lessons. Instead, he is engaging right alongside his brothers. Instead of forcing a more classical approach, which I tend to love, I’m embracing the unschooling and very tactile mindset that my boys have.
I’ve had a lot of questions about this transition and I don’t feel like I’m yet in a good place to go deep into our reasonings, maybe that will come next year when I’m preparing all our curriculum for another school year!
The boys chose their first unit study to be about Reptiles, which has been great fun. On this particular day, we learned about the Armadilla Grilled Lizzard which incorporated elements of reading, spelling, language arts, art, science, geography, and history.
The Bread of Idleness
As we finish up school the older boys typically watch some select video clips that summarize what we’ve been learning about while I once again tackle the homeschool mess left behind.
By this time there are some homemaking tasks that I try to check off the list like unloading the dishwasher, making lunch, and making sure all the ingredients for dinner are prepped.
One thing that God has been teaching me lately comes from Proverbs 31:27:
She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Proverbs 31:27
Actually this is a lesson I’ve learned and re-learned several times. We often look to this verse and think that it means we need to keep having productive things accomplished in a day. Don’t we all love checking that box off an item? What I’ve been convicted of though is that sometimes although I’m certainly not idle, the aimlessness of my busy life can be just as idle as sitting on the couch watching Netflix.
I need to be sure that my to-do list is leading to the ‘next best thing’ and not the bread of idleness from an excessively busy life.
As we finish up this section of the day, the younger two take naps and the older two settle in for some time with me.
This has actually been a very hard thing for me as I tend to feel very guilty about sitting down and resting. Even in my third trimester of pregnancy, I have horrible guilt about rest. It’s a continuous pruning of God’s sanctification in my life.
I’m incredibly resistant to screens during the day, but it’s another tweak that we’ve made to our homeschool to add XLT Math to our afternoon time and Reading.com, which has helped both our boys make great strides in reading and math. I’m specifically impressed with Reading.com, as the lessons can only be completed alongside the supervision of a grown-up.
Within three lessons of Reading.com skills that we have been trying to teach our oldest, all fall suddenly clicked. Reading.com is developed by education experts
A Wise Women Will Rest in Christ
Our afternoons tend to be a combination of a more peaceful environment and then as it gets closer to dinner and everyone wakes up, complete boy chaos! These are the hours when I’m getting laundry done, doing extra household projects, responding to emails, and making dinner.
Our recipe of the week is our sourdough breadsticks, which have been such a hit this week. We’ve had it for three dinners in a row! Using an active sourdough starter and simple ingredients, this sourdough breadstick recipe is easy to follow and delivers tender crumb and golden brown perfection every time. Find it at healinghomerecipes.co
The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
.Proverbs 14:1 ESV
What does it mean to be a wise woman? I have asked myself that question many times. Does it mean that I crack open my Bible and seek wisdom each day? Does it mean actually having wisdom? We are not ever going to build our homes perfectly and we will fail at times, but seeking wisdom instead of being intentionally foolish with our time is a practice we must endeavor to keep.
Afterall, when we do look at homemaking or mothering as a job it often puts into sharp perspective what we may need to work on. I don’t know about you, but I’d get written up by a boss more times than I care to admit for a sharp word or a lazy decision.
We as women build our homes. Wise women will build a home a home of faith that points her children to Jesus. How do we build something that society continues to tell us should be a certain way? Be a stay-at-home mom, be a working mom. Decorate your home this way, don’t decorate your home that way.
The list could go on. Each of our list of expectations has been shaped by our own culture and society. The pressures we feel are unique to our own situation and what we have been taught through our worldview.
Yet the only authority on how we should build our home should be God’s word. When we base the building of our home on anything else we are not building it on a solid foundation. A wise woman builds her house on God’s word, abides in him, and rests in his promises.
Cozy Winter Homemaking
As we wrap up this cozy winter homemaking journey, I hope you’re feeling inspired to embrace the warmth and peace that come with making your home a refuge during the colder months. Remember, homemaking isn’t just about creating a space—it’s about cultivating an atmosphere of love, comfort, and joy for those you share it with.
“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”
Proverbs 24:3-4 ESV
In the hustle of life, it’s so important to find rest and restore our hearts in the quiet moments. May your home be filled with the beauty of peace, warmth, and the love that comes from creating a space where hearts can truly rest.
I hope as you enjoy these cozy winter homemaking days that you will find rest and strength in Jesus.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 55:22 ESV
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