Homemaking can be and should be such a beautiful thing. As homemakers, we have the power and responsibility to make our homes a place where our nearest and dearest thrive and flourish. There is plenty of homemaking advice in the What Katy Did series. In this series, I was challenged in 13 ways to approach homemaking (and motherhood) in a beautiful manner.
1. Make Your Home Look Delightful.
The first piece of homemaking advice from What Katy Did was from Cousin Helen to Katy straight after Katy’s accident. Katy felt sad that no-one came to see her, and Cousin Helen told her candidly that no-one wanted to come because her room was so dreary and drab.
If you make your home look delightful and cheerful, people will want to come, to look at it and take pleasure in it. This means more than about keeping your home clean and tidy. It is about having lovely and well-thought-out decorations that are pleasing to look at. The home is a place for both outsiders and insiders, so the idea is to make it attractive to both.
2. Make Your Home A Place Where People Feel Accepted and Whole.
Cousin Helen also advised Katy to treat people with kindness and love when they did come to see her. She advised Katy to make them feel like it was worth the effort to come and see her.
This What Katy Did Homemaking advice tells us to tend to our people. Our husbands and children need their cares soothed, their troubles consoled and their bruises mended, when they come home to us. We all need a place where we can retreat to be restored, and home is the best place for that. Homemaker, make your home that place!
3. Make The Atmosphere of Your Home Interesting, Delightful and Peaceful.
In the book, Katy’s convalescence room became a place of learning, of dreaming, and of tranquility.
Initially she saw it as her cell, a place of confinement and depression and agony. But her perspective changed, and she saw that she could still live in that room, even if she could not use her legs. She threw herself into the things she could do: she could still learn and play games with her siblings, she could still have encouraging and mirthful conversations. Her room became such an interesting place, that even though her siblings had the whole house at their disposal, they chose to come to her little room and be blessed in her company.
Sometimes we can see home as a place of drudgery and confinement. But, if we are determined, we can transform it into a place of joy, of education, industry, and of growth and intrigue. As Homemakers, we have such an opportunity to teach ourselves useful skills and knowledge, which we could not do if we had a 9-5 job outside the home. This makes the house so busy with positive activity, that it becomes an intriguing and interesting place to be, for both insiders and outsiders.
4. Make Your Home A Place Where You Dwell In The Presence Of The Lord.
Katy, confined to her room all day, every day, had the time and the space to press into the Lord, and to invite His presence to dwell there with her.
This is a game changer, because it is only in the presence of the Lord that we experience true transforming peace and tranquility, or where our sorrow is turned into joy. Anything else is counterfeit and only a temporary Band-Aid.
Homemakers are so blessed to be able to carve out time at any point during their day to talk with the Lord. We can spend as much time as we like with Him. We can worship Him whenever we want, as our time is our own – we do not have a boss or client that is paying for our attention.
This is one of the best things about being a Homemaker.
5. Be Beautiful and Interesting Yourself
This was advice from Beautiful and Interesting Cousin Helen to freshly injured Katy. It may sound vain and superficial, but it is highly practical and recognises the reality that people are more attracted to people who are attractive. Cousin Helen’s advice was to wash your hair, clean your face, and wear pretty clothes.
When you look put-together and delightful, people are more drawn to you, and feel safe to confide in you. And the more habitual this becomes, the less effort it takes to put yourself together.
I also find that when I am “put together” I am more able to focus on the needs of others. Once I am “done”, I forget myself and this is a good thing!
6. Get Plenty of Fresh Air and Sunshine
In the setting of What Katy Did (the late 1800’s), there was no television, computers, phones, or video games. So, when the sun shone, there was nothing to keep the children inside.
The children in the story got plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and they were so happy. They cultivated their imagination in the outdoors, and spent a lot of energy. Then, they would tumble inside, hungry for dinner and would go to sleep as soon as their little heads hit the pillow.
Fresh air and sunshine are so natural, and we respond when we allow our bodies to succumb to these natural rhythms. It regulates our appetites, uses our energy, and helps us to sleep better at night. Not to mention all the vitamins that we absorb by being out in the open.
7. Have A Daily Structure
Katy’s days at school followed this daily structure: Chores, lessons, project time, exercise, rest.
The ablutions and chores were prioritised and done quickly. Katy had to clean her room, wash her face, and do her devotion, all before breakfast. Then, she would have lessons in the morning hours. The afternoon was devoted to self-directed study. An afternoon walk in the outdoors would do for exercise, and there would be dinner and relaxation in the evening.
This is an excellent daily structure to copy. It utilises the productive hours of the morning to get the boring stuff done (chores and lessons). The afternoons, which tend to be when attention spans wane (and so intensive lessons at this time would be frustrating for all parties), were for individual study or pursuits. Exercise was done daily, and a walk before dinner is a great way to use up excess energy before the evening meal.
8. Encourage Creativity in Your Children
The children in What Katy Did were so imaginative! They would organise their own concerts plays, and recitals. They would write their own stories and poems and orate them to each other in interesting and entertaining ways.
I think this is such an excellent thing to encourage in children from a young age. Being able to articulate oneself clearly and in front of people is a powerful skill, and the more comfortable one is doing this, the better. Plus, what fun you will have, hearing and seeing the creativity of your children! I cannot wait till my sons are old enough to start doing this!
9. Encourage Your Children to Dress Up.
In the days of What Katy Did, there seemed to be a lot more formality than what we experience now. There were more opportunities to dress up, and people did – to go to church, concerts, travel – even for dinner! Dressing up makes things so much fun. I firmly believe that when people look their best, they are the best versions of themselves.
It’s such a shame that this tradition of dressing up, even if it’s just at home, is fading. I think it is a lovely thing to encourage on a regular basis. Have you noticed how much children love dressing up? You can see that they are so pleased with themselves when they are in their posh clothes!
The homemaking advice from What Katy did is this: dressing up is a great thing to do with children regularly – they should feel chuffed with themselves as much as possible!
10. Enable Children to Have Their Own Fun
In What Katy Did, the children would go off for the whole day with their pockets brimming with sustenance and tools for their adventure. And they would have such a memorable time!
These are different times we are living in, now that there are automobiles and life is more fast-paced. I would not feel comfortable sending my children off into the streets, and my neighbourhood is relatively safe!
We can cultivate a degree of independence, though, and say “yes” whenever possible to childish adventures. A fun idea would be to make a picnic and set off with them on a whole-day adventure. Or, we could let them have their own little garden to tend to. How about giving them sewing or knitting or building projects.
Encouraging independent play, I believe, is so powerful because it teaches children to be the author of their own imaginations. When they are in charge, a block of wood becomes a dump truck and a stick becomes a digger. The imagination is a wonderful (and convenient) thing!
11. Never Sit Idle.
This was a very challenging piece of homemaking advice from What Katy Did. Katy never sat idle during the day -there was always something that needed doing. And in the evenings, when she would rest, she would take up her sewing project or do some reading.
There is a saying that goes “the devil makes work with idle hands”. I firmly believe that if we do not have something worthwhile to occupy or hands and our minds, that is when most mischief happens. We waste time on social media or reading click-bait articles, or worse. And that is when we tend to feel guilt or shame or depression.
Keeping your hands busy is great for your mental health!
12. Don’t Embarrass Your Children by Drawing Attention to Their Faults in Public.
This homemaking advice from What Katy Did pertains to parenting. When Katy and Clover went to visit their cousins, they felt sorry for their one cousin, Clarence, who as constantly being picked at by his mother.
There was no need to pick at him in front of company, and they could see that it was cultivating shame and resentment in that little boy’s heart. Embarrassing your children is a cruel form of punishment and there are ways of disciplining that are more effective and less damaging than public humiliation.
13. To Be at The Ready to Help Your Neighbour.
When her teacher got seriously ill, Katy did not hesitate to help and care for her, even though this teacher was unkind and miserly. Katy’s unconditional care and sensitivity transformed their whole relationship and softened that hard-hearted teacher.
I confess, that I was very convicted about this homemaking advice from What Katy Did. I am not always on the lookout for when someone needs my help. In this modern age, we do tend to live our lives in parallel lines, never touching or colliding.
In some ways reaching out to help can be so disruptive and inconvenient. This book was a challenge to me be watchful and ready to help when someone needs it. This is something that I am still gathering the courage for.
