All Homemade?

by: Shiloah Baker

Sometimes when I tell women that I run a homemaking site they immediately suspect that it’s only about housecleaning.  While housecleaning is an important part of homemaking, it is not the only thing homemaking is about!  The first things I think of when I hear the word “homemaking” are: joy, family, home, mealtime, baking, cleaning, decorating, and homemade.  I’m going to focus mostly on the last word- homemade.  In Webster’s Dictionary the word HOMEMADE is: “Function: adjective
1 : made in the home, on the premises, or by one's own efforts
2 : of domestic manufacture” 

Of domestic manufacture…things made in the home.  That is comforting just to think about and fun for those who like to learn new things.

It is important to learn how to bake bread and scrub the floors by hand, but it’s not a necessity as it was in the pioneer days.  First, learn how to do everything from the REAL beginning.  Learn to make homemade soaps, learn to make pasta or homemade foods from the beginning, learn to clean the original way, learn to iron, in short, learn how to do everything from the beginning.   After you have learned each thing and mastered it, then decide what you like to from “scratch” or those things that actually save more money for you and your family and incorporate those things into your life.  For instance, it’s worth it to me to make homemade laundry soap, and most meals from scratch.  But, I don’t bake all my bread or sew all of our clothes!  I will sew occasionally such as for holidays or gifts, but I discovered that for me and my family it is not practical to even attempt to sew all of our own clothing.

This is part of the goals of running this website.  I wish to teach women how to really do things from the beginning and then short cuts that will enhance their lives.  To me, there is nothing more satisfying and joyful that doing or making something from scratch that I had always bought before. 

Please do not misunderstand the meaning of this article.  We are living in a day and age where technology has advanced far beyond anything that it has in days past.   We are blessed to have many modern conveniences to make our lives easier and much more pleasant.  Some of the first things that pop into my mind are: convenience foods and disposable diapers!  I can’t imagine having seven kids, with three going to be in diapers and having to wash and dry diapers.  It would be an all day experience.  And that is the reason why we cannot do everything the way the pioneers or our grandmothers did to run a home.  We would never be able to leave the house, take time to scrapbook, or go to a school play!   We are blessed to have these conveniences, but we still do need to go back to our roots and learn how to do things the old fashioned way.  If you see something that isn’t on the site- yet- drop us a line and let us know that it is something you wish to learn in the future!  We will be glad to oblige!  This site is being run by like minded women who dedicate their time and efforts into sharing what they have learned, so that others may learn too!