The past few days here in the Southern Maryland area have been nothing but fresh air and sunshine. With the changing of seasons I find my mood also changing. I am more hopeful, more motivated, and more excited for the days ahead. I find myself now thinking about some new habits and ideas I want to implement at home to freshen up my homemaking habits and routines.

Many people try and start new habits in January with the new year, but for me, I find that the best time to do this is the Spring time. What better time to start something new than when nature is renewing itself?

Here are three new things I am trying to implement into my homemaking life this Spring:”

1. Welcoming Sunshine

I know this might be a no brainer, with finer weather it makes the most sense to want to spend time outdoors. I, however am not a very outdoorsy person. I love to be with my flock of chickens and I love to spend time in my vegetable garden, but when it comes to exploring nature and going for walks or hikes, that is something I am desiring to be better at.

Now that I am a mother, I now find myself seeing just how important the outdoors is for the young developing mind. My son is quite the “Earthworm”, and he loves nothing more than to be outside in the grass and dirt. For his sake I am working on myself to be more of an outdoor explorer.

2. Decluttering

We have lived in our current home for about seven years now and my husband and I have ben married for eight. In that time we have collected a lot of… things. Most of the things we have we do not use. In an effort to try and streamline my housekeeping and cleaning routine, it is my goal to do an extreme declutter.

I plan on decluttering my kitchen and our home office. As someone who enjoys cooking, I have accumulated a lot of stuff in my kitchen. I was just looking in one of my cabinets the other day when I realized that there were platters and serving utensils I haven’t used in years. We also have collected a very vast collection of coffee mugs for some odd reason. With only two coffee drinkers in the home, it makes no sense as to why we have 30+ coffee mugs. I guess it’s just one of those things you absentmindedly collect over the years.

AS for our home office, this is a space that has become a catch all space. I find myself tossing things in there that I just want out of the way. And when you toss things out of the way, if they are out of sight, they are out of mind. I am 100% positive there are items and things that have been lost in the shuffle in that room that we could do without.

When it comes to decluttering, a good piece of advice I tend to follow is that If I haven’t used or touched something in over a year, I clearly don’t need it. So when I come across something that meets that criteria, it will be donated to our local thrift store that supports the homeless shelter.

3. Refining Skills

I have always loved cooking. I find the act to be extremely interesting. Cooking and culinary skills are both an art and a science. Lately I have been consuming a lot of specialty skilled cooking content. Creators such as Nara Smith have been inspiring me to refine my home culinary skills. I want to learn how to make things from scratch not just because it can be healthier, but because the science and skill behind it absolutely fascinate me.

My current project I have been working on is trying to make Mozzarella cheese from scratch. I have so far “failed” twice, the second time I tried was a bit better as I was able to make ricotta instead! Other things I would like to learn and master are: Homemade Cheeze-It’z, Homemade Graham Crackers, and Homemade Goldfish.

I have always said and believe that anyone can be a homemaker. Homemaking is very different from being a stay at home wife or mother. Homemaking is about intentionally cultivating a home for yourself or a family. There is more to having a home than cooking and cleaning, it is about the decor you decorate with, the candles you burn, the music you play, and the domestic skills you choose to refine yourself in. This can be done by almost anyone. Someone who works full time might still carve out time to learn how to bake a pie, reupholster a chair, or throw a formal dinner party.

So my dear friend I hope whatever goals you have to accomplish this spring you are able to meet them!

XOXO,

Victoria