Dear Overwhelmed Homemaker: An Open Letter

Overwhelmed homemaker, you are not alone. Here are some resources that will help us make the most of our time and set up systems that work.

Dear Overwhelmed Homemaker

Are the inmates running the asylum?

Today, that’s what it feels like. I am fighting to get my laundry back under control. Cleaning out clutter for a yard sale. Trying to figure out what’s for dinner. Keeping the littles occupied while going over homeschool lessons for the day. And I’m still in my pajamas.

Please don’t come by my house.

An Open Letter to the Overwhelmed Homemaker-2

But I know that just because you are a homemaker, doesn’t mean you are a mom. I was there. I was a homemaker without children while working on my Masters. Homemaking is homemaking regardless of whether there are littles involved or not. You can feel just as stuck and overwhelmed if you don’t have children.

For me now with littles, I am tired and overwhelmed.

A lot of times, I look around my house and wonder how things got so out of hand. I had systems in place. Routines that we followed. But missing just one day snowballs into many more days, which just leads to chaos.

When I was a little girl, I dreamed about getting married and becoming a mommy. I thought everything would come easily. That it wouldn’t be hard work.

I imagined a home that was more than just 4 walls, a roof.

I wanted to make a special place that was a magical mash-up of:

a school,
a playground,
a refuge,
a boo-boo “fix it” station,
a “you can do it” pep rally, and
a safe place for community.

A place where everyone feels welcome and leaves feeling refreshed.

And then real life happened…

…laundry, diapers, never-ending meal prep… money worries, gritty floors, soap scum, and the stain that won’t come out of my son’s favorite shirt (affiliate link)… holiday stress, and teaching my daughter to read (and master long division)… a husband who works long hours, a kid with the sniffles, stomach aches and a fever… and a secret dream to run my own little business from home.

Life seemed to replace my best intentions in creating this life.

You too?

Maybe I’m not alone in this.

I don’t have all the answers.

As I type, there is a pile of clothes on the glider in our bedroom. Honestly, I’m not sure if they are clean or dirty.

There is a pile of laundry in the laundry room.

The clean dishes are still in the dishwasher.

I have piles of paper waiting to be gone through.

Don’t even look at my desk.

If you come knock on my door on any given day, I will probably be in my pajamas and my children may be running around the house without clothes on.

It’s a mess.

And it’s not beautiful.

I’m not sure when the change happened. But now it’s overwhelming. I can’t breathe. It’s time to make a change and reclaim our house, and my life.

I tend to be all or nothing but learn from my mistakes. This process will take time, but it will be worth it.

First, you need to decide where you want to start. Do you need to start by,

Resetting our home for the week makes a world of difference. It’s a clean slate every week. Don’t forget about the state of your soul too. Your house can be spotless but if you aren’t spending time in the Word, you will still feel discombobulated and frazzled. It is possible to be intentional while in the trenches.