What daily systems help support your household rhythms and joy?
Rhythms of a Happy Home: Daily Systems From a Part-Time Working Mom
Jessica opens up about the rhythms that keep her home running smoothly while she works part-time and raises her kids. From simple systems to grace-filled habits, this conversation is packed with practical ideas. Discover rhythms that create space for joy, even in full weeks.
*Note: Jessica, my daughter, wrote this post a few months ago, BEFORE the birth of her 3rd child in December. I got to see many of these daily systems in action when I stayed with them for 2 weeks after he was born. While things change a bit with each child, having simple systems in place makes it easy to adapt them.
Daily Systems and Household Habits
I’m Jessica, a part-time working mom with a 3-year-old, an 18-month-old, and a baby on the way. I work two 12-hour shifts as a nurse each week, and my husband and I own two small businesses. One of our daily systems during the work week is that we split time working on the businesses, while the other cares for the children and the home. I have found that the rhythms of our home change frequently with such a young family. Childbearing and childrearing so far have brought varying levels of sleep and capacity. But in my five years of marriage, I have developed both habits and flexibility that have begun to bring some ease to the frequent changes.
I never lived alone after college, so my skills and home systems were developed and refined after I got married. One of the first habits of a happy home I discovered was compromise. After a lovely honeymoon, my husband and I arrived back at our apartment and immediately started bickering… about everything! He wasn’t doing anything right! Or rather, he wasn’t doing anything my way. Over time, I have been practicing letting go when it doesn’t really matter and trying a gentle explanation when it might. I’ll admit that I am still practicing this habit!
When I first got married, I developed my skills in cooking and managing the home. My husband ate gluten-free and dairy-free, and that helped me be creative and more naturally healthy as many quick foods contain those ingredients. I think that cooking at home from mainly whole ingredients is a habit of a happy home because it keeps us healthier, costs less money, and makes hospitality easier. When we dropped from two incomes down to one, it was already natural to make meals at home, and I continue to find ways to make meals cheaper.
One of the most helpful daily systems I have found is to do a load of laundry each day. I didn’t need to do this when we didn’t have children, but we go through a lot more laundry now! We use cloth diapers frequently, so that adds to our laundry, and doing a load about every day of either clothing or diapers helps keep on top of it. I wash sheets on Saturdays. I enjoy folding the laundry directly after nap time and before snack when the girls are the least fussy and most able to play for a few minutes.
This is a tool I use during other parts of the day. Identifying those times, which are also after a snack or meal, when the girls will be able to play independently, helps me to plan out when to do a more focused task. I have found that the closer you get to dinnertime, the more everyone, including me, begins to dissolve! Therefore, I prep after breakfast or after our afternoon snack so that dinner prep can be interrupted by comfort, extra attention, or discipline as needed.
Another daily rhythm I have been enjoying is sweeping the kitchen and living room. It drives me crazy to have many crumbs under my feet when I am cooking! Also, lots of little leaves are being brought into the kitchen from our back porch by little feet going in and out. So, I have been trying to sweep once a day recently.
It brings me so much satisfaction to see the floor look better and feel better. It feels tangible, and I just feel calmer. What is something little that drives you crazy or just seems to irritate your senses? Can you incorporate a 5 minute daily system to alleviate some unnecessary stress in your day?
A weekly habit that my mom taught me was to invite people into my home. My husband and I agreed that we wanted to have someone over for dinner twice a month or every two weeks when we were first married. We have been in and out of this habit. However, for the last two years, we have hosted a weekly small group in our home each Thursday.
There were certainly some missing weeks, but this routine has done just what my mom promised. It gives me a reason to tidy up! I look at my house with outsider eyes before guests come over, and I have a chance to tidy up some clutter that could easily pile up otherwise. It is wonderful to have these consistent guests who don’t expect perfection or even neatness but just want to do life with us, no matter what that looks like.
We also have the great joy of doing life together with them and showing our children how we spend time with others. This is a gift for all of us and brings joy to our home.
Another weekly to monthly habit that we have is looking at our finances. This brings us a happy home by keeping my husband and me on the same page and on the budget together. For us, this looks like sitting down together and going through every transaction and sorting the budget categories to keep an eye on things. This allows us to make changes or see gaps before they become large or unmanageable. It also keeps us on the same page so that there are no surprises or frustrations over how spending is going. If finances are a sore spot for you, what could you do to build a habit of keeping your eyes up and temper down around this issue?
As I have written this post as a part-time working mom, I am realizing that the habits and home systems I have reflect some of my favorite parts of homemaking: cooking, hospitality, and laundry. I’m sure that part of the reason I enjoy them are because of the habits that make them a fluid part of my days. What are your favorite parts of keeping a happy home? Is it because of some good habits you have? How could these be applied to other, less happy parts of your home? I look forward to pondering this, too, and making some more happy daily systems!
Follow Jessica’s business sites
Gather and Cultivate is our Etsy shop where we sell a variety of digital and physical products to bring families and communities together in both education and entertainment. This is a link to our shop: https://gatherandcultivate.etsy.com
Less Toxic Family is our business that provides education to help customers bring a healthier physical environment to their homes while keeping a healthy mental and spiritual mindset during the process.
This is a link to our product: https://lesstoxicfamily.com/sales-page-faithful-home-detox—27-page
Table Talk: What is something little that drives you crazy or just seems to irritate your senses? What 5 minute daily system can you incorporate to alleviate some unnecessary stress in your day? If finances are a sore spot for you, what could you do to build a habit of keeping your eyes up and temper down around this issue?