Thankful Homemaker: A Christian Homemaking Podcast

EP 27: Planning Our Days as Homemakers

I have always been a planner oriented person. I love notebooks and pens and making lists. I love seeing items I have to-do written down. Planning has been a help to me in caring well for my home and family. It helps me to keep order and meet the needs of my family and others while still getting time to do some of the things I love to do too (like write on this blog here). 
I'd like to walk through with you today how I use my planner to plan my days. It isn't meant to be copied buy to spark ideas on ways you can plan your days working with the way God has wired you. 
The days and weeks I take the time to plan well are the ones that are my most productive and efficient. I hope you'll be encouraged today to grab a few nuggets that may work for you and your life. 
For the Show Notes & Resources mentioned head to ThankfulHomemaker.com
To get a copy, while supplies last of The Homemaker's Friend Daily Planner at half-price ($7.50) you can do that here.

Ep. 26: When the Days are Difficult and Exhausting

When our families go through battles with illness we know, as the mom, there seem to be no sick days for us. We may have quieter and relaxing days as we battle through the illness, but the needs of the home seem to await us until we are feeling better.
Times of difficult trials can also place stress on our homes. How can we keep the peace of our homes when we do not at the moment see closure to the situation the Lord is bringing us through?
Are you a tired mom out there who feels like everything you work so hard to get done seems to get almost immediately undone? I remember those days with toddlers in the house.
Communicating clearly and patiently and pointing our children to Christ in our conversations with them is hard.
Nurturing the hearts of our children is hard work. Day in and day out the workday of a mom can be physically but sometimes even more so emotionally exhausting.
There is one comfort I can always bring us back to: I can assure you there is One who knows what it is like to be exhausted.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
~ Hebrews 4:15
The hope today is to encourage you in these challenging times, give some practical help and point you back to God's Word. So listen in with me today.
For the Show Notes and Resources mentioned head to ThankfulHomemaker.com

Ep. 25: The Family Dinner Table

How would you like to build relationships with your family, teach good conversation skills, work on proper table manners, eat healthier and laugh and enjoy each other’s company as a family? The solution is simple. Take the time to make the most of your family dinners.
Do you think of your family table as a place of discipleship? Our family tables are a place where we can offer Christ to others. Our hope is that our children and others would leave with more than just full bellies but with the truth of Jesus who wants to feed their souls. Does it sound a bit overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be, and I’m sharing some simple tips today that I hope will be an encouragement to you.
For the show notes and resources mentioned head to ThankfulHomemaker.com
 

Ep. 24: Dealing with Our Grumbling and Complaining

We’re talking about a topic that I pretty confidently say effects all of us. It’s our grumbling and complaining. My hope today is that the Lord would fill us with joy no matter our circumstances and we would rejoice always and give thanks in all things.
As believers we can do this and how do I know this - because as it says in Philippians 2:13 – it is God who is at work in you.
So let’s dig in, and I pray that as we start our time together today, you will pray for the Lord to give you a thankful heart.
Why does it seem grumbling and complaining is so tolerated within our Christianity? Sometimes I think we tolerate it because we don’t always think of it as sin since it is so commonly practiced among us.
We grumble about the weather, our government, our churches, our circumstances and so many other things that truly are trivial in light of eternity.
For the show notes and resources mentioned head to thankfulhomemaker.com and click on the podcast show notes menu tab. 

Ep. 23: Seasons of Waiting

As I’m sharing this episode I’m finding myself in a waiting room on the Lord, and it’s been a long one, and I don’t see an end near.  It has reminded me that when I gave myself to Him, I gave up my “right” to be in charge. The reality is we never were in charge anyway; we just came to that understanding when the Lord opened our eyes to His sovereign control over our lives.
Even though it is a truth I know or we know, how many times do we want to think that somehow we can effect change in our life situations?
Waiting is hard because there is no guarantee that my waiting will end in this lifetime. One thing I have learned - my waiting has deepened my trust in the Lord and has helped me to develop patience, perseverance, and endurance.
It’s also given me different eyes to see with compassion others who are in a season of waiting.
For the show notes and resources mentioned head to ThankfulHomemaker.com

Ep. 22: Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter

On today’s podcast episode, we’re going to talk together about how to have a Christ-centered Easter celebration. We’re going to talk a bit about the importance of the resurrection, walk through the gospel, and share some ideas to help us point our family to the risen Jesus and His gift of salvation.
We know this time of year the stores are filled with Easter baskets, chocolates, and egg coloring kits but as Christian’s our celebration of Easter focuses on the truth that we serve a risen Lord. Our God is alive, and that truth is where our hope lies. He is Risen! Jesus is Alive!
As a mom and now grandmother I desire our celebration of Easter or as many of us call it The Celebration of the Resurrection, to be Christ-focused. I’m not elaborate in our celebrations, but I desire to be intentional. I want to share more than just our traditional meal together; I want to point my family to the gift of Jesus.
Please visit ThankfulHomemaker.com for the show notes and resources listed in the podcast. 

Ep. 21: The Routines of the Day: Making the Most of Your Morning and Evening Routines

I find comfort in the routines of the day. We all have areas of our lives that need to be taken care of on a daily basis. Having routines set in your day can make the whole day run smoothly, and those routines tend to become habits over time. I am such an advocate of having a morning and evening routine because they have helped to simplify and make my days run smoothly for over 25 years now.
Starting your day with focus and structure does help you to maintain some order and not have a day of complete chaos. Even if the rest of the day turns to chaos, you have already accomplished a  lot in that first hour or two of the morning.
Whether you're a morning person, not a morning person a mother with littles or someone who already has some solid routines in place, I hope to have some encouragement for you all today.
For the show notes and resources mentioned in the podcast head to ThankfulHomemaker.com and click on the Podcast Show Notes tab in the menu bar. 

Ep. 20: The Blessings of Loving Our Children

There is a favorite book I turn to often to look for encouragement in my role as a wife and mother. God’s Word is always my first destination but a book that I came across several years ago is Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney. Carolyn is looking at our role as Titus 2 women and what the scripture teaches by taking apart that verse a section at a time. Chapter three is an excellent guide to show us what God’s Word says about loving our children.
The chapter starts off by reminding us as mom’s how good we are at self-sacrificing love. It is a rare experience to meet a woman who doesn’t sacrifice for her children and daily lay down her life to serve them. We are good at that kind of love.
I have two adult children and three grandbabies. I can tell you I fiercely love all my babies – my now grown children and those little grandbabies. This mama would do anything for them and be there in a heartbeat.
Whether we have our own children or spiritual children we have a high calling to love these children and point them to Christ. This high calling of motherhood is truly an honor, and I hope that today I can with the Lord’s help, to help us to grasp this. I’ve talked much about cleaning and homekeeping and scheduling over the years but the moments we get with our children are hopefully pointing them to the reality that life is bigger than cleaning and cooking and that our example would be one of the sacrificial love of Jesus and of laying down your life for another. You are a disciple mama, and you are to be making disciples in your home.
It is a tiring job at times and can seem overwhelming many days, but I hope that you will be reminded today in our time that you can’t do anything without the strength of Christ. In Christ Mama, we can do all things with great joy. So let’s look together at the blessings of loving our children: 
For the show notes, links and resources mentioned head to ThankfulHomemaker.com. To get your free copy of my eBook - Motherhood: Delighting in Our Children click here.

Ep. 19: Benefits of Habits in Our Homemaking

We all have habits we already do on a day to day basis. Habits are things that just happen without us thinking about them anymore. We brush our teeth, make our beds, maybe we exercise regularly, eat meals, or wake up and have a cup of coffee. We do these things now without thinking – it’s so good to have things we do without thinking! But a habit isn’t just a by-product of repetition. We can also develop and form new habits.
I can’t determine what habits you would like to develop in your homemaking, but I can encourage you to ponder and start small by doing just one. Maybe you don’t clean the dishes up after dinner immediately and leave them until morning. Would you like to change that habit and do clean up the night before?
When we have built good habits into our homekeeping they can become time savers for us and create more freedom into our days.
 
Visit ThankfulHomemaker.com for the show notes and links from this episode. 

Ep. 18: Putting on an Attitude of Love in Our Homes

How can we as believers "put on" an attitude of love in our homes? What does it look like to "put off" sinful responses and attitudes and "put on" God-honoring attitudes? I'm hoping today to encourage you that as believers we can "put on" attitudes and behaviors that are God-honoring. If we are in Christ, He has equipped us to do so through His presence within us and through our intake of God's truth. 
We're working through Ephesians 4:22-24 together today: Ephesians 4:22-24:
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
We have a new nature when we receive Christ and are born again – we become a totally different individual – we’re now a citizen of heaven
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old has gone the new has come.
~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
The apostle Paul reminds us throughout his epistles that we have a new nature. It affects our mind, heart, knowledge, wisdom, love, desires and every aspect of our being. According to God’s Word, we are new – transformed.
As believers, we now have a new nature. Our behavior is now able to match our new nature because Christ is in us. We are risen with Christ, and we should now behave in accordance with who we are.
For show notes and links mentioned, please head to www.thankfulhomemaker.com and click on the podcast tab in the menu bar. 

EP 17: Cherishing Your Husband

I’m sharing a message with you today that I gave at a sweet friend’s bridal shower. I had the privilege of watching this young woman as a teenager grow into a lovely, godly woman who as I’m now recording this just got married this weekend. I’m excited for the next season the Lord has for her, but I’m also excited for the season the Lord has us all in right now.
I had such a problem titling this message, and I think you'll understand why when you listen in. The podcast today isn’t just for married women or soon to be married women, but I believe there will be much for all women. We’re going to be talking about our identity in Christ and what it looks like to love one another. I’m focusing on cherishing our husbands, but I think you will see much of this will pertain to all of us in our relationships with each other inside and outside the church too.
You can find the show notes at www.thankfulhomemaker.com 

Ep. 16: Simplify Your Homekeeping with a Cleaning Schedule

One of the most fundamental ways to manage our homes well is to take the time to plan. Planning is merely deciding in advance the what, why and how things will be done even cleaning. Ladies the time it takes to put together a plan for the care and upkeep of your home is well worth your time and energy. You know the saying that sorta goes like this - “Many women plan to fail because they fail to plan.”
On the other side of that, we can do so much planning and never get to the action part. I love to sit and plan – cleaning would not be my favorite – I say that but it really is getting started, and once I get moving on it I enjoy it because of the instant results you see from it.
I want to remind you here this is a method or methods – I’m sharing three that I use at various times and seasons in my life - that work well for me and my personality. I’m not a naturally organized person and actually can be quite messy. My friends would not say this about me because when they come over, they see a neat and tidy home. I have to work hard to go against the bent of my natural personality in this area. I have trained myself to become a tidy home keeper – not perfect but neat and orderly. I still have my certain drawers and areas that I need to continue to declutter and organize, but overall I have worked to make my home easy to clean and keep orderly.
I desire my home to be a haven for my family. I also don’t want to spend all my time and energy just cleaning my house. I desire to give my family and other relationships my time, so I’ve learned to manage my home well, so it doesn’t control me and take up all my time. I also appreciate having a house ready to offer hospitality and fellowship to others at a moment’s notice.
My point I’m trying to make here is that my cleaning method or methods may not work for you, but I want you as you listen to me today ponder what type of cleaning schedule – if you don’t have one already- would help you to care and manage your home.
Visit www.thankfulhomemaker.com for the Show Notes.