Old Fashioned Weekly Routine

As I learn and strive to be the keeper of my home, I find it ever so necessary to have some sort of system to help things run smoothly and to actually get things done. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who can make lists all day long, but to get around to accomplishing all those things is a vice of mine.

There is no doubt that most homemakers can relate to how hard it is to get every single thing done that we think ought to be done. There is a quote from a vintage homemaker from the late 1800’s that says it best.

“It is almost appalling to look at the list of daily duties of the household, when one remembers that it frequently happens that there is but one part of hands to do all the work; yet there are thousands of women who are well and happy in passing their lives that way, knowing that they contribute to the health and comfort of their families. If there be a system in doing the work, that burden will be materially lighter.” ~ Miss Parloa’s Young Housekeeper, 1893

All the work that we as housekeepers must do can easily be laborious and discouraging to think about, but if we create a simple system that can hold all our responsibilities, then we can more easily and joyfully succeed in our role as keepers of the home.

It has been my quest to create a system that helps me as the homemaker and my household flourish. One old fashioned part of this system that can be seen in the lives of homemaker’s in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s is to have themed days as part of a weekly routine.

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Themed Days

The idea of themed days or days devoted to a certain housekeeping task intrigues me and I find that it is a good and simple way to structure your week as a homemaker. The themes can be anything from laundry to cleaning to hobbies. Some themes that I have found helpful in my own homemaking journey are…

Sabbath Day
Cleaning Day
Laundry Day
Hobby Day
Shopping Day
Business Day
Family Day

This is what I have found that works well for us in the season that we are currently in. As with all things though, I am learning to keep it flexible and not to be too rigid in keeping this weekly routine if something should come up or if I get invited to a play date.

A weekly routine is part of a system. It is not your master, but your servant to help you create a place that is decent and in order. It is okay if it changes with the seasons and I definitely do not expect your weekly routine to look exactly like mine.

Experiment. Find what works for you, but let it be flexible so that it will stand up to any change that may come your way.

Sabbath Day

Sunday is the first day of the week and although much of it is given to church and ministry opportunities, the family must still eat and dishes still need to be washed. It has been incredibly helpful to think through a simple routine for Sundays and record what works in my homemaking binder.

Things that I have thought through and simplified for our Sundays are…

What time do I need to get up?
What is a good simple breakfast that is hardy but not time consuming to prepare?
What kind of lunch is ideal for this season of life?
When should I do dishes so that I am not having to do them last thing before I go to bed?
When should we eat supper?
How can I simplify the meals?

I am in the midst of experimenting with making the same meals every week on Sunday. Our Sundays are full and having it set it in stone what we are going to eat would really simplify things.

Something else that I am finding helpful (especially in this season with toddlers who need a nap right about the time we get home from morning services) is to serve lunch in the car as we drive back from church. We have a 30 minute drive so it works well to have some sort of snack lunch or sandwiches to eat on the way. Since we have started doing this, part of the tradition is to take a Sunday drive and take the back way home.

Cleaning Day

By Monday after the whole household has been home all weekend and after our crazy, but fulfilling Sundays, the house needs a good reset.

This doesn’t mean that this is the only day that I clean on or that I must get everything done on this day. Having one day a week given with the cleaning theme simply means that cleaning is big priority and I need a day that is dedicated to getting a head start on it. Whatever I do not accomplish on this day can be spread out during the rest of the week.

Laundry Day

We all have to wear clothes, and when you have a family, there is a lot of laundry to keep up with in order for everyone to have clean clothes to wear. My laundry themed day is used for getting ahead on laundry so I usually do several loads and I try to catch up on folding and putting away laundry.

There is more on how this works for us in my laundry routine.

Hobby Day

I love creating things to a fault. There have been too many household tasks that I can talk myself out of in order to fit in some kind sewing project or hobby. This is why I have decided to dedicate the theme of a whole day to hobbies.

This doesn’t mean that I only do hobbies all day long. I actually try to fit in a little hobby time every day as I talk about in my daily routine, but it is very refreshing to my creative soul to have an extra large chunk of time fully dedicated to creating something.

This also works really well as a theme for Wednesdays since we go out every Wednesday evening for church. When I know I will be going out in the evening, I try to keep the housework low for that day so that I am not wiped out before having to go to church.

Shopping Day

Shopping takes at least a couple of hours if not more depending on the stores I go to. Usually I am just going to Aldi and Walmart, but occasionally the children and I go on an adventure and explore a new store or we stop by hobby lobby for some sewing stuff.

We find it best to fit all this in during the morning hours first thing after breakfast so that we are back in time to prepare lunch and aren’t to hangry while everything gets put away.

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Business Day

This may not not apply to very many of you, but as a homemaker and a gate keeper to my families health, I find that life gets expensive really quick. That is why I have created this blog in order to bring in a little extra income. Since I am naturally old fashioned, I like to think of it as my egg money. A little can go a long way towards blessing us and helping us create a place to flourish.

This is why I have one day with a business theme. This gives me an extra chunk of time to give towards blogging and all that goes into it.

I will say though that I am not super faithful in keeping a business themed day. This is the day that is often set aside if something comes up or if I end up spending time with friends and that is perfectly okay with me. Business is a priority for me, but it is way down on the list.

Family Day

We have recently started making Saturdays as sort of a family day. This is my husband’s day off and although we both still have responsibilities to carry out, we have both (I haven’t really asked my toddlers options, but I assume they enjoy this day, too) throughly enjoyed having a good portion of time to spend together as a family.

Someday, we might spend some of our Saturdays planning day trips or hiking or something like that, but for now, we find it refreshing to grill some burgers and play croquet in our backyard. We just recently started doing this this summer, so I am intrigued to see what adventures we will get ourselves into for our family day during the colder months.

Final Thoughts!

Having themed days is a simple way to create an old fashioned weekly routine. It originates from homemaker’s back in the late 1800’s (and perhaps father back then this). As it is with much of the old fashioned homemaking things I have come across, this little bit of vintage living is so wise and helpful for homemakers and housekeepers.

It gives structure and helps you know what you are doing each day of that week. Although I have pretty set theme days for each day of the week, there have been seasons that like to rearrange it. This is the beauty of being a homemaker though. You have the flexibility to plan out the week to meet your family’s needs.

The themes don’t always have to be the same. In fact, there have been times on Monday when I plan out the week, that I have not been able to stick to all of these themes, but having my homemaking priorities as themed days allows me switch it up as needed and be as flexible as the season demands.

Once again, I have found that looking to the past has provided me with wisdom in my homemaking journey. This is why I love being an old fashioned homemaker!

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