Life with Helen Johnson

I’ve been inspired to write this blog after speaking to many married women who would love to be homemakers, but yet they work 9-5 jobs. So how can you be a homemaker whilst balancing work?

Before we dive in with some tips I want to define what a homemaker is so we’re all on the same page. A homemaker is someone who manages and cares for their home, keeping it organized, comfortable, and welcoming, while often balancing household tasks with work or family responsibilities. The Bible has several verses about women being the keepers of their home.

Titus 2: 4-5 women should ‘be busy at home’

Psalm 128 ‘Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house’

Psalm 31: ‘She watches over the affairs of her household’

The challenge that a lot of women face today is that we long to be homemakers and to be present at home, but we can’t always financially afford to be at home 100% of the time. So how do we live out this desire that I believe God has placed in our hearts to be homemakers whilst having to earn a living? I want to share some tips that have really helped me fulfil both. I’m going to break this down into categories for you.

CATEGORY #1 – COOKING/BAKING

Meal planning/grocery shopping: Let’s face it we all hate meal planning and grocery shopping, especially when you’re juggling career, maybe children and other family demands. I used to spend 2-3 hours a week meal planning and grocery shopping, and I certainly didn’t have time for that! I now never meal plan and don’t do a big grocery shop, so what do I do?

I order an organic seasonal vegetable box from Riverford every other week, which means every other Monday I have fresh tasty vegetables arrive at my house. This is an online subscription that doesn’t require me to do anything. I then go to the supermarket once a week or once a fortnight to get other essentials. I buy meat/fish, beans, canned goods and anything else I might require. I never meal plan and I probably spend 30 minutes max a week at the supermarket. I cook simple dishes, such as a chicken and vegetable stew, a vegetable tray bake, a homemade curry with naan bread. I look at what I have in my fridge, freezer and pantry and go from there. At first this felt slightly overwhelming, as I was a rigid recipe follower. However as the weeks pass by I feel like I’m getting more and more confident in the kitchen.

I’m not a fan of meal prep, but I am a fan of making extras and then using them in new and exciting ways! For example I’ll make a stew and one evening we’ll have it with mashed potato, another evening with rice and another evening with a slice of homemade bread. You don’t need to be Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey, you just need to create nutritious tasty meals for your family.

I also love to bake – we need homemade bread each week for our soups and stews. I’ll be sharing my quick no knead recipe this week on the blog. It takes 5 minutes of work and you get delicious healthy homemade bread.

Top tips:

• stop spending hours meal prepping
• do online orders to save grocery shopping
• batch cook to avoid cooking every evening
• pick simple quick recipes that take zero effort

CATEGORY #2 – LAUNDRY

This week alone I’ve done 6 loads of laundry! I will say 3 loads were bedding, blankets and towels, but we still have a lot to get through. You probably feel the same, especially if you have littles spilling everything down their fresh laundered clothes! I have some basic simple tips that allow me to get all the laundry done without it feeling overwhelming.

Tip #1 – put your dirty laundry in the machine just before bed and set a timer so you come down to clean laundry in the morning

Tip #2 – have an organised laundry set up. I have my washing machine and tumble dryer in the garage. Directly above the machines is the laundry detergent and baskets. I have a designated space in my home where I hang my laundry and I always leave the clothes racks up so it saves time. I can quickly hang out my laundry in 10 minutes on my morning break.

Tip #3 – Have set days for doing laundry. I am always home Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and so those days are laundry days. This helps me feel relaxed on Tuesday when I know the laundry is building up but I’ve got a busy day in the office. I can be reassured that the following day the laundry is going to get done. You will see I avoid doing laundry at the weekend – the weekend is for relaxing!

Tip #4 – Use a dehumidifier – this honestly saves hour and stops our house getting damp. It doesn’t cost much energy at all, but it means our laundry is dry in one day even in the winter months.

Tip #5 – Use the tumble dryer when appropriate. Some days we just don’t have the time to be hanging out laundry and that is when I use the tumble dryer. It is right next to my washing machine, so when I come down in the morning it takes me a minute to move the laundry across to the tumble dryer and then I just leave it to do its thing!

Tip #6 – When folding your dry laundry away I’d recommend creating piles. For example I have my t-shirts and jumpers in two separate wardrobes, so I create two different piles and it’s then super easy to get them hung up and put away.

CATEGORY #3 – CLEANING

I recently shared a blog called ‘How to have a tidy home when you work full time‘. To summarise here are some of my top tips!

• Keep your home simple and clutter free so it makes cleaning your home easier
• Have designated places for your belongings, and after use put them back in their place
• Do small tasks daily, like wiping the kitchen counter after you’ve cooked
• Buy gadgets that make your life easier, like a cordless vacuum so you can easily vac the stairs
• Have a monthly spring clean so your weekly cleaning routine isn’t too overwhelming

These tips allow me to keep a tidy clean home even when my schedule feels full on. I’d say if you follow the above guidelines it shouldn’t take more than 1 hour a week to have a clean tidy home.

CATEGORY #4 – HOUSEHOLD PLANNING

When I became a wife I immediately became the planner for our home. I know exactly what is happening every week/month, I know when all the birthday’s are and I make sure everyone has a birthday gift on time! This was honestly probably one of the hardest parts of becoming a homemaker, because it didn’t feel natural at first. I enjoy cooking and I like to have an organised home, but why should I also organise our calendar? As the months went by I realised God was giving me the skills to fulfil this role, and I’m thankful to say I am now pretty good at it. I have had to create some tools to help me get here though.

#1 – create a joint google calendar with your husband

We’ve had a couple of times when our calendar wasn’t checked and we’ve double booked theatre trips or events with friends and it was honestly quite embarrassing. A few months into marriage we decided to create a joint calendar. It was my idea as I was getting a bit tired of my husband asking me what we were doing that week, as I would put everything in my own personal calendar (or in my mental calendar). This has been life changing as it means we can both stay on track and not double book, plus it helps me know if my husband has something on that I need to know about.

#2 – weekly check ins

This is a new thing for us and I can’t say we meet every week (I wish we would). This gives us the chance to sit down and discuss any plans for the week. It allows me to ask my husband for help, for example if my working week is extra busy I will ask him to help out more around the house. Or if I know he’s having a tough week I’ll know to make him cups of tea and offer support when he’s working. It helps us stay on the same page as a couple, because even though I am the homemaker, it is still his home.

#3 – set reminders in my calendar 2 weeks before birthdays

I have a recurring notification on my phone that reminds me when it’s almost someone’s birthday. This allows me to get them a a gift and a card in plenty of time. I find this really helpful because our weeks are quite busy I can’t go gift shopping last minute, I just don’t have the time. So this reminder helps me plan when I can go gift shopping and it helps me feel a bit more in control of my time.

CATEGORY #5 – HOSTING

I wouldn’t say hosting has to be a role of a homemaker, but for me personally it is a big thing. I take a lot of pride and care of my home and so I enjoy having guests round to treat them to my cooking and baking. My husband and I do host quite a lot, we also have guests staying the weekend from time to time. Whenever we host Andy is usually the one getting drinks and chatting and I am usually the one in the kitchen making sure everyone is happy and well-fed. So what do I do to make sure hosting is enjoyable and manageable whilst also working 9-5?

#1 – I utilize the slow cooker or re-heat cooked meals.

Even though I am the cook I don’t want to be in the kitchen the entire time. When my guests arrive I like to be present, not stressed in the kitchen. When work is busy and I don’t have time to cook a fancy meal I will often chuck ingredients into the slow cooker on my lunch break so there is minimal work for me to do. One of my favourites is slow cooked pulled chicken, as I simply have to chop some veggies and open a pack of wraps and we have delicious tacos or fajitas. I often like cooking a chilli or Bolognese a couple nights before, as I find this actually tastes better when re-heated.

#2 – We do a quick 20 minute clean of the house

My husband will usually vacuum and I will shake the blankets, clean the kitchen work tops and give the bathroom a quick wipe down. We only clean the areas guests will see/use and it doesn’t take long when we work together. Remember it’s not about perfection, this is just a step you can choose to do if you want your home to feel a little more fresh.

#3 – Light a few candles and play music in the background

5 minutes before our guests arrive Andy will get a Spotify playlist going and I will light some candles. This small 2 minute routine makes our home feel welcoming and inviting. It’s these little subtle actions which will make you stand out as a homemaker and a great host without making too much effort.

#4 – Quick freshen up of the spare bedroom

We keep our spare bedroom very simple so it’s easy to clean. If I know we have guests staying I will put the bedding in for a quick 15 minute wash, as we don’t use the bedding so it’s more to remove any dust. I then throw it in the tumble dryer and let it do it’s thing. I chose the iron dry setting so the bedding comes out with minimal creases to save ironing, because who has time for that! I give the bedroom a quick vacuum and a spray down and it’s as good as new. Honestly this process takes no more than 20 minutes to have an inviting fresh bedroom for your guest. And if you want to go the extra mile have a box of chocolates in your home and throw a couple choccies on the pillow!

FINAL THOUGHTS

One important thing to say is that homemaking does take time. I love having a clean organised home/life. I love that my husband can come home to a delicious homecooked meal. I don’t do these chores out of obligation, I do them because they make the people around me feel loved and I find great purpose in it. But like I say, it does take a few hours of my week to achieve this. There are also days/weeks where I’m tired and miss the cleaning or we order a take out, and that’s okay. It’s not about perfection, it’s about doing your best with the time you have.