As a single woman living on my own, I definitely knew how to take care of myself.
I worked, paid my own bills, bought my own car, lived in my own place, bought my own groceries.
But transitioning into life as a married woman, and now a Mom, almost four years in and I’m still just trying to keep my head above the water!
Thankfully I have so many amazing women around me who give me great advice and tips about homemaking. They make it look so easy though!!
I have to admit I had no idea that there was such an art to homemaking. Growing up I’d see my Mom do things around the house like use cloth tablecloths and napkins, put photos in photo books. I’d see her pull out special dishes for the holidays. It just never really hit me what goes into actually doing these things!
Here are some of my main struggles with homemaking as a new Wife and Mom, can you relate to any of these?
Grocery Shopping Woes
When my Husband and I first got married, I’d find myself at the grocery store several times a week because I didn’t want to waste money and I didn’t really know what to buy. I cooked as a single girl but when you’re cooking for someone else, it’s something totally different!
It took awhile to figure out the things (seasonings, vegetables etc.) to buy from the store to use in my cooking every day that both Hubby and I love.
Cooking Dinner Every Night
Who would’ve ever thought it’d be hard to feed yourself? Thing is, it’s not just feeding yourself, it’s feeding your family too. And it’s feeding them things they will actually eat!
I’m not too much of a picky eater, I’m actually more of a foodie and I love a variety of foods from different cultures. Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican food, yep you name it I probably love it! But my Hubby is not like me in that he has a pretty general palate, and he has a seafood allergy. Figuring out meals we can all eat without being too repetitive has been challenging.
Laundry Never Ends!
Laundry, it never ends! What laundry detergent has the best price point and how do you wash clothes well without fading them?
As a single it didn’t matter as much, I did whatever! Now as a wife, I don’t want to fade hubbies black sweat suits, nor do I want to shrink his t-shirts!
Toddler Clothes
Keeping a toddler dressed consistently nicely who is consistently growing, how do you do it? I put a shirt or pants on him thinking they fit fine, then we’re out somewhere and I’m wondering why I keep pulling his shirt down over his diaper, or pulling his pants legs down over his socks! Face to palm!!!
Keeping the House Sparkling Clean
How do you keep the house sparkling clean every day?? Our toddler is a ball of energy, and he finds the utmost joy in dumping all his lego blocks onto the floor. The noise of them crashing and making a big mess all at once is so satisfying for him.
I love to see my little munchkin happy, but our floor is constantly splattered in a primary colored array of toys that become dangerous life threats when you mistakenly step on one. Ouch!
Home Decor
You’d think decorating would be easy and fun… but omg, so not easy! At least not for me.
I did manage to get our pictures up on the wall and a few family photos in frames, so there is that. And I love candles so I always have those. But other than that, there’s not much more I’ve done in the way of decor, and I do feel some kinda way about that honestly.
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What Have I Learned? 7 Great Homemaking Tips
I don’t have it all together, but I thought, is there anything I’ve learned since I’ve been married that may help another new Wife and Mom? I did think of a few.
Here are 7 of the best homemaking tips I could think of for a new wife. Humbly submitted to you by a fellow new wife.
Pick one grocery store for your groceries
Check out the different grocery stores in your area and look at the sales papers you get in the mail. Visit a different one for each shopping trip you need to take until you find one or two that you really like the most. I shop at mainly one grocery store which has helped to streamline my trips.
I know where to find every item I need and I’m not aimlessly roaming around anymore. I also know the prices are the best prices in my area for what I need in comparison to other stores. Grocery shopping isn’t as difficult as it used to be for me now and I’m not as stressed.
Also since some time has passed, I know what foods my family likes to eat and what I like to use to season the meals I cook. So I end up buying a lot of the same items over and over again, which cuts down on my shopping trip time too.
Make meals large enough for leftovers
This is an amazing tip that I somehow forgot for a while for some reason. But thank God I’ve remembered this tip because it’s awesome! It can be so tiring sometimes having to cook a completely new meal every single night.
I don’t have a disdain for cooking, but it can sometimes eat away at my time when I’m busy with other things. Cooking a couple meals every week that are large enough for leftovers is a huge help. Here are some large meal ideas:
- Spaghetti
- Chili
- Whole Chicken
- Lasagna
- Soup
Get comfortable knowing laundry never ends
It’s best to come to grips with the fact that laundry never ends. It never ends because we wear clothes every day!
So I’ve found that I just take things one day at a time. I try to keep it in my mind to complete one load a day. That means to wash, fold and put away a complete load. It doesn’t always happen but it’s good to have the goal in mind.
It took awhile but it helps to know which laundry detergent you like best. Once I figured that out, it got easier to pick them when I’m at the store.
Try out a few different ones and see how they wash your loads. I found that my favorite so far is Gain, and I use both the detergent and fabric softener. I find that it washes well, my laundry is so soft, and it smells amazing!
Also you’re probably going to fade hubby’s black sweatsuits, and shrink a sweater or two. It’s par for the course, haha!
Keep up with Toddler clothes by buying the next size up
Our little guy is almost two years old, and he wears a 4t! Yep he’s tall. So I’ve discovered (and I’ve been told) that it’s best to go ahead and buy the next size up in toddler clothes. This way he has clothes to grow into, as he grows out of his current size.
I’m a work in progress but I do this a little at a time. I just grab an outfit here and there when I stop in Target or Walmart for groceries. Now, I’m not talking fancy things like nice pants and dress shirts. Just everyday things like shorts, jogging pants, those types of things. The Children’s Place is really good for clothing also.
Put Home Decor on your to-do list
After we moved into our new place last year, I got everything set up the way I liked. Re-hung pictures, placed the furniture where I like it etc. Then I kind of got burnt out on the decor and it got lost by the wayside. I’m now realizing this is something I need to put on my to-do list or it will never get done!
There’s so much more I’d like to do with our space beyond pictures and candles, but hopefully writing it down will help to put my attention on it.
The house won’t be sparkling clean every second of the day
The truth is that your house may not look sparkling clean every second of every day.
I find that I mainly try to to do the best I can with cleaning, but I don’t beat myself up over something I let go too long. Because nine times out of ten, while the dishes may pile up, I’ve done 2 loads of laundry, worked on my business, run 2 errands, cooked dinner for my family, and done 20 others things!
By the way, if you haven’t tried Grove Collaborative, you should definitely give it a go! They carry some of my favorite chemical free, sustainable cleaning products. With a little one at home, I’m not as worried about fumes from my cleaning products, as he loves to shadow Mommy around the house. I just love the Method Antibacterial cleaning sprays that come is amazing scents. My fave is Bamboo!
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m learning that it just takes time. It’s hard because we want everything right now, but that’s just not really how this works.
Be patient and loving with yourself, and in time things will begin to get easier.
There are a few books that I read in the past couple years that helped me sooo much. I love knowledge and I’m a sucker for another woman’s wisdom. So here are some books that I love so far on homemaking:
Love the Home You Have by Melissa Michaels
At Home with Madame Chic: Becoming a Connoisseur of Daily Life
What are some of the best tips you can give a new wife and Mom on homemaking?
Post some tips in the comments for us!
PS, check out me and my Husband’s love story, as told by us! Our Love Story: Erica and Emanuel’s Incredible Life-Changing Journey to Marriage
