Intentional Homemaking: 4 Simple Habits To Love Your Family Well

Today I am sharing four simple ways I create a cozy and connected home with intentional homemaking!

Homemaking is not always beautiful. It can be messy and stressful and overwhelming. But in the midst of all that, we can still live lives that beautifully represent the Gospel. Intentional homemaking is about slowing down and creating a cozy haven for our family filled with daily routines, special days and memorable activities.

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I am not always the perfect homemaker that serves her family flawlessly with a smile on her face, so please do not feel discouraged if you don’t always nail the daily routine. Intentional living isn’t about perfection; it’s about making small changes everyday to enhance your life and the lives around you.

Give yourself plenty of grace for those bad days where the messes pile up, the baby won’t nap or everyone just seems to be in a bad mood. Every mom or homemaker has these days, but what matters is how we bounce back from them! Instead of letting these moments get you down, use them as motivation to live a more intentional life the next day.

I always want to be an encouragement to homemakers, and these posts are not meant to make you feel like a failure, but to hopefully give you the resources (and a little inspiration) to be more successful homemakers. Today I am sharing four simple habits to incorporate into your intentional homemaking!

1. Make Your Home A Cozy Haven

A really easy way to live intentionally is to create an atmosphere in your home that invites peace and comfort. When you start your day to home that feels like home, you are already setting yourself up for success! I don’t know about you, but when my home feels clean and cozy, it puts me in a great mood.

• Use soft lighting: lamps instead of overhead lights. If it’s a sunny day, open your windows to let the bright sunshine in.
• Light candles for a cozy vibe. Include scents that remind you of your home growing up (for me, that’s cinnamon).
• Have plenty of throw blankets available for the kids to curl up with. Have a basket full of your favorite go-to ones.
• Smells are powerful! Bake something delicious and simple often (like muffins or bread).
• Play music frequently. I love playing Christian artists and playlists.

These simple practices can create a home that feels full of love and comfort.

2. Set A Family Devotion Time

Establishing a daily rhythm of faith is so important for intentional homemaking! After all, any success we may encounter as a homemaker is a gift given to us by God. Family devotion time will look differently for everyone, but I will share what works for us.

Our morning routine is packed full; from my individual devotion and coffee time, to making breakfast for four hungry boys, and finally homeschooling until lunch, trying to squeeze in family devotion time in the morning is not something I even attempt to do. Of course we start the day off with prayer over our breakfast, but we really try to have intentional time set aside to devote time to God as a family.

After lunch, the boys need a break, which means they’re either outside playing, curled up with a book or taking a nap. This is a great reset time for me, to slow down and have a cup of tea and some quiet time. Again, not the ideal time for family devotions!

We have found the best time of day to gather together as a family is right at bedtime. The boys get ready for bed in their bathroom and then we gather in one of their rooms to sing a few songs, have a short Bible lesson and then pray together. For me personally, I have found that this time is a great way to wind down and end our day with God.

However, maybe bedtime is very chaotic for you and that doesn’t make sense with your schedule or day! Find what time works best and try to work in family devotions. Even if it’s just a short prayer or a song with a Bible verse, I promise the time praising, thanking and learning about God will not return void. To recap, here are a few tips to help guide you with setting aside time for family devotions:

Establish a Daily Rhythm of Faith

• Sing together every night, even if it’s just one verse.
• Pray together as a family: make it simple and real.

Deepen Emotional Connection

• Use bedtime as a sacred moment to talk and listen to your kids.
• Ask meaningful questions to know what’s going on in their hearts.
• Encourage open, honest conversations with your spouse too.

3. Create Memorable Traditions With Special Days

Intentional homemaking can also be creating rituals your family or friends will always remember. Saturday morning breakfast, Friday night pizza, or Sunday afternoon dinners; anchor your family life with rhythms they can count on and will remember for a lifetime. Every Sunday, we get home from church and eat a big, home cooked meal together. This is something my family did growing up, and I have since continued on the tradition.

These traditions do not have to be big elaborate schemes! Something as simple as putting on movie, popping some popcorn and snuggling together on the couch every Friday night can be ritual that makes a lasting impression and something precious for your family to look forward to every week. Simple, repeated activities build lifelong memories.

You can also consider seasonal traditions as well. For example, every fall my whole family gathers together at a local corn maze. Every spring, we head down to North Carolina and rent a beach house. Every summer we spend a week up at my aunt’s cabin. These seasonal activities are something we all look forward to every year.

4. Incorporate A Fun Family Activity

Traditions and special days are a wonderful way to give your family something to look forward to weekly, but every once in a while, surprise them with a fun family activity. Decide you’re going to camp out together in the living room one night out of the blue. Turn the hallway into an obstacle course and or a race track. Have breakfast for dinner!

Turn ordinary days into moments they will never forget with fun family activities. Here are a few more ideas you can try out!

• Backyard campout
• DIY pizza night
• Board game marathons
• Nature walks with scavenger hunts
• “Yes Days” where kids pick the activities
• Baking day with kids choosing recipes
• Dance party in the living room
• Write letters to grandparents or friends
• Book night: everyone reads together with snacks

Intentional Homemaking: Final Thoughts

Intentional homemaking isn’t about having a perfect home, but having a home full of presence through faith, love and comfort. If implementing these habits feels overwhelming for you, start out small; light a candle, sing a song of praise together or plan a special meal together. What are some of your own cozy or intentional homemaking habits you practice in your home? Let me know in the comments below, and please sign up for my free mini homemaking course for more intentional homemaking tips!

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