Valuable Pursuits for the Homemaking Mother

Create a home library and collect quality classic books

Build up your home libraries with literature and reference material, especially authored prior to the '60s. Information is disappearing and you can't count on ebooks with reliable info to be there! Read to your kids from old books and the Bible. Show them original documents. Homeschool websites have reading lists per age level that are helpful if you're just getting started. I love old books for children by authors like Eva March Tappan and James Baldwin. I also make sure to have plenty of reference, non fiction books on many skills and subjects.

Learn about home education methods

Depending on your family's goals, there are different approaches to educating children at home. My goals are to raise critical thinkers who question everything with a solid background in Bible and history. I found that the Charlotte Mason and unschooling approach worked well for us, but I learned about and tried many other ways before we got there. 

Creating at least 10 meals that you can cook well

You don't have to have a different meal for 30 days a month, unless that's really where your passion lies. I can do about 10 different meals reasonably well and we rotate those throughout the month. And we order pizza every single Friday. 

Plant herbs and leafy greens (indoor or outdoor)

If you've never gardened, start small. Start with one pot of spinach on a sunny countertop. Or buy a rosemary plant and care for it well. Rosemary can be used in cooking, cleaning, and medicinally. People think they don't have a green thumb, but it's really just because they forget to water their plants. 

Raise backyard poultry for eggs

Not only are backyard birds (chickens and ducks) adorable, their eggs are an easy source of protein and B vitamins that are necessary for growing children. You don't need a fancy coop. Just a warm place for them to sleep. Let them free range and you will have some happy hens!

Decorate your home

Making your home orderly and pleasing to the eye incorporates many different skills. If you're frugal like me, it means taking thrift store finds and fixing them up. I love finding well made beautiful things for a few dollars. It takes time to bring a room together this way, but if you stick with classic pieces that stand the test of time, it will last you a lot longer than trendy junk from Hobby Lobby. Bring in softness with different fabrics, texture from accessories, and a coordinating color palette. Don't forget different lamps to create ambiance (my small living room alone has 7 lamps in it!)

Learn basic sewing, tailoring, and fabric repair skills

I don't know how many times I've needed to repair holes in my son's shorts or help them create costumes. I've even turned relaxed fit jeans into skinny fit. Sewing is a skill I use very often in home making. It doesn't have to be perfect to bless your family and save you money.

Study and prepare natural remedies using plants

I have many books in my home library about natural remedies, herbs, and aromatherapy. I treat my children using herbal teas, essential oil blends, and other nutritional supplements. It's good to know how to help them feel better as well as improve my own health. I don't make everything from scratch, but if you've learned about the properties of the different herbs and oils, you can make better decisions on what to keep on hand. 

Practice photography and make albums for your family

I invested in a digital SLR Nikon years ago and it was one of the best choices I've made. I have so many beautiful photos to look back on when my kids were younger. They're all teenagers now, and rarely let me get a photo of them. That time of my life is past, but I have so many memories frozen in time. Learn how to use your settings, and then practice a lot. Even if you only use your phone camera, use apps to make the colors pop and increase contrast. Then get those photos off of your phone and printed in an album. My kids wouldn't admit it now, but they enjoy looking through them.