I have so many fond memories of my Mom reading to my sister and me from the “Little House Series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  My sister and I would have hours of fun reenacting the stories from these highly relatable and practical books!  We would pretend my sister’s double bed was the covered wagon and we would sit on the end of the bed holding the reigns of our imaginary horses.  I feel so blessed to have these rich childhood memories!  Those memories brought back so many homemaking tips that I learned from this treasured series.

Still, to this day I will read through the entire Little House Series every year.  It is the epitome of Christ-Centered Slow Living! When my children were young I would read it aloud but now, as most of my children are adults I still read through.  The reading brings me much peace and pleasure as I recall, that is often the simple things of life that matter most.  I have to confess that I am still captured by the lives of Laura, Mary, Carrie, Grace, Ma, and Pa.  I have learned so much from these characters that I feel as if we are close friends.  A good book can do that to a person.

As a wife and mother and in my role as a homemaker I have gleaned much wisdom from these books!  The most important thing that I have learned is to keep things simple! 

 

Homemaking Little House on the Prairie Style is simple!

 

Little House Workdays

 

 

I have modeled my own housekeeping schedule off Ma’s work-a-day homemaking plan.  It is simple and effective.  Although, it does not take into account the daily tasks it covers the basics and achieves those necessities of life to make a house run well.

Now, there are two things on Ma’s list that I don’t do as a homemaker, I rarely iron (I am thankful that is one homemaking chore I don’t have to do regularly)  and I don’t churn my own butter.  So, I made adaptations that successfully help me accomplish the day-to-day running of my home.

 

Esker Workdays

 

PRINT HERE 

 

My schedule is not so different than Ma’s but I have substituted another wash day and a gardening day.  These reflect the chores in my home that need to be accomplished on a weekly basis.  You may have different things that need your attention, feel free to plug in the tasks that need to take place in your home.  There are so many cleaning schedules available to us on the internet or through various blogs and books that it can sometimes be overwhelming!  I have tried many and have always come back to this simple list.  

 

 

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet,

simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest

and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be

happy with simple pleasures; and have

courage when things go wrong.”

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

 

YOUR TURN…

What weekly chores are on your homemaking list and what “system” do you use?

 

Blessings,

Signature

 

 

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Janelle Esker

Janelle Esker is the grateful wife of Michael and homeschooling mother of six amazing children. She lives with her family, 4 cats, 1 dog, 3 ducks and 12 chickens in scenic Ohio. Janelle received her B.A. in Education from Ohio Northern University. She is the author of CHOSEN: One Family's Journey with Autism.

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24 Comments

  1. Love your list! I think once this wedding is over, I will be so glad to be able to implement regular chore days (now it’s sew, sew, sew every day).

    You are lucky not to have much ironing. My husband and youngest son (at St. Charles) wear a dress shirt every day — ten a week. And in the summer I iron my skirts (and sometimes blouses) because they are cotton. I wish I had one of those gorgeous laundry rooms you see on pinterest with a huge space to iron (and watch Downton reruns!). Alas, my space is in the dungeon!

    1. Hi Barbara,
      When I iron…it is in what we lovingly refer to as “The Dungeon” the basement of our 1903 farmhouse! Maybe I can blame my lack of ironing on that 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and for your great comments!

  2. PS I still have my childhood copy of “Little House” — it is cherished!

    1. Me too…the books are in delicate condition…I read from our newer edition.

  3. I don’t really use a system, but do things as needed. I adore the Little House Books.

    1. Hi Laura!
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I am with you in adoring ALL the “Little House” books. They are great literature as well as inspiration for how to live a simple life!

  4. It made me think of all the times I read all the books to you before they were made into a TV series. Fun to think of them again.

    1. Thanks for all the time you read to us Mom!

  5. I read those books early school age – my mom was often confused as I would share something that Laura or Mary did as if they were may real life friends 🙂
    As far as housework schedule, we rarely iron, but at this stage I’m doing laundry at least four days a week – we don’t have enough burp cloths to last more than two days! And not enough drying racks (or space for them) to do more than two or three loads a day.

    1. Laura and Mary will always be my friends too 🙂 Such a good story about you and your mom! With a new baby in the house it seems like you can never catch up with laundry! We may need to ask Andrew to hook you up an outdoor cloths line…

  6. LOVE Little House 🙂 I have set laundry days and used to have set cleaning each day but have succombed to doing a lot on Saturday instead. It is easier with my work/homeschool schedule.

    1. I get a lot of makeup work done on Saturday too…its hard to homeschool and keep the house clean at the same time! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  7. I just clean every day at the same time of day and get to whatever is bothering me the most 🙂 I always start with the kitchen and living room, and then whatever part of the house needs tackled. If I was ever caught up, then I’d probably want a system, but for now this works.

    1. Sounds like you are doing a wonderful job Brittany! Keep on going girl:)

  8. I stopped by from the Equipping Godly Women link up. I have a list of things we need to do every day, and the kids (I homeschool) split those up and take care of that (vacuum, sweep/mop, trash, dishes, litter box). Then I can tackle the laundry, or yard work, or bathroom. It’s not much of a system, but with the kids’ help we’re not buried in dog hair. Lol

    1. I think it is a great system Maria! I have always found it hard to keep house and homeschool 🙂

  9. I love the Laura Ingalls books, I have no clue how many times I’ve read them (and still read them all every few months lol. They never get old). I am a homeschooling mom of three and am working to impliment this type of schedule into my week 🙂 I rarely iron either since I try to take laundry our right after drying when they are still nice and warm. Shake them out and there’s no need to iron. I still need to figure out my weekly schedule but love the one you have.

    1. Hi Vanessa,
      I think homeschooling and homekeeping are hard to do together 🙂 I love your laundry tip and I hope the schedule will be a help to you! Thanks for stopping by The Peaceful Haven!

  10. I still have an iron and ironing board. I use it when I sew. My mom always ironed clothes. She said it gave her time to say a prayer for each person who would be wearing the garment.

    1. That is lovely Sue…thank you so much for sharing the memory!

  11. I’m still learning from you, as I’m improving myself. I absolutely liked reading everything that is posted on your blog.

    1. So glad you are here at The Peaceful Haven!

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