Dressing for the job of homemaking is an important part of being effective and productive at home! So, the goal is to start your day by getting dressed!

30 Days Of Intentional Homemaking: Day 12

Families need women who make home a special place to live, learn, and grow. There is no other job that presents as many opportunities for shaping (for the good or the bad) the future of our country – of our world – than that of a homemaker.

Each of us is a homemaker. Whether you work outside the home or stay home full time, you are a homemaker. Whether you live with a big boisterous family or it’s just you and a couple of children – or just you and your husband – or even just you -, you are a homemaker. We’ve all been called to the ministry of homemaking.

You can find the rest of this series here.

➡️ Download today’s workbook here.

This one is for you stay-at-home moms. Or stay at home wives. Or any of you who have a tendency to stay in your pajamas or your yoga pants and stained t-shirt all day long.

I have to admit, in the past, I’ve been guilty of this too often – staying home means I stay in my comfy pajamas all day long. These days, I get up and get dressed in the mornings most days of the week. And you know what? I feel more productive. I feel more motivated to get to work. I feel better about myself.

It’s so easy to get out of bed, mosey into the kitchen, pour a bowl of cereal, watch the little ones as they play on the floor and you scroll through Facebook. You look at the clock and it’s mid-morning, you decide to start a load of laundry. On the way there you get distracted by a pile of mail and sort through it.

The baby starts crying so you go to pick her up and then your toddler pulls all of the books off the shelf so you fuss and put it all away.

Finally, you head into the laundry room and get a load sorted and started in the washing machine and then you decide it’s time to get lunch prepared. While you’re looking in the fridge you realize you are out of butter and you need some to make that cake later.

So after lunch, you throw on a pair of yoga pants and a hoodie and a pair of oversized sunglasses and run out to the grocery store and a task that should have taken five minutes becomes a major grocery shopping adventure. You get home just in time to put the baby down for a nap. You make that cake for your husband’s birthday.

And now it’s time to cook supper so you start that and before you know it, it’s 6:00 in the evening and you forgot to take a shower, your hair’s still in that messy bun, and your spit-up stained shirt smells sour.

Okay, I don’t know what your actual day looks like – probably totally different! But my point is that as women called to the ministry of homemaking, we need to treat our job as homemakers seriously. If we don’t take ourselves seriously, how can we expect anyone else to?

It’s so easy to think it doesn’t matter because it’s just the kids who see you all day. If you were working outside the home, would you leave in your pajamas? No! What’s the most important job in the entire world? Raising children to be ambassadors for Christ. You have a tremendous responsibility and despite societies claim otherwise, raising children and homemaking is a noble profession.

Set a good example for your children and take your job seriously. Get dressed.

Start Your Day by Getting Dressed

Shower

It can be especially difficult for young moms – or moms with little ones to find time to get in the shower and get fully dressed, but I want to encourage all of you to find the opportunity! When my babies were babies, I used a bouncer in the bathroom to keep the baby safe and occupied while I was in the shower. Sometimes they cried while sitting in the bouncer and me in the shower. That’s okay! Play peek-a-boo with them from behind the shower curtain. Sometimes I took a bath or shower with my baby or toddler. It’s okay! Just get in, get cleaned up, and get out.

Put on Real Clothes + Wear Clothes You Love

It can be very tempting to lounge at home in your comfiest pants but hear me out. When you wear your comfiest clothing options, you are more likely to feel unmotivated to get to work, clean, and get stuff done. You’re also more likely to feel like laying on the bed or on the sofa if you have comfy clothes on.

But, if you start your day by getting dressed – if you put on a bra, put on your favorite jeans, put on a blouse, and slip your feet into a good pair of shoes, you’ll feel like getting stuff done! If you are worried about your clothes getting dirty as you clean or prepare meals, wear an apron. I have a whole collection of aprons! My teen girls wear aprons when working or cooking too.

So, aside from just getting dressed every day, wearing clothes, you love can change your entire perspective, help you feel more confident, and give you a better self-image. Dressing well shows respect for yourself and other people. When you present yourself in a way that is well-groomed and presentable other people respect you more, too.

Last year, I purchased the Outfit Guide Book for Moms and I’ve learned so much about how to pair outfits together. I’ve been working to improve my appearance a lot over the last couple of years. But recently I decided to overhaul my wardrobe and really make an effort to dress nicer.

Another great resource is Stitch Fix!! I have had such a good experience with Stitch Fix. I’ve been getting boxes every so often ever since the stay-at-home orders kept us home-bound for months last year. Now I rarely even go shopping in stores for clothes. A few things I’ve loved about getting Stitch Fix in the mail:

• It’s so convenient!
• I try clothes I would never thing to pull off the rack
• I’ve loved things I never thought I would love.

Plus if you use my link to order your first box, you’ll get $25 toward your first purchase!

It’s a slow process, but I’m learning that when I go shopping not to just buy clothes because they are a good deal. I’m more selective now. I think about how I can wear each piece. I determine whether the garment fits me well and is flattering to my figure. I have an hourglass figure and need to wear clothes that are more tailored to my figure – loose, flowy fabrics make me look heavier than I am and that’s not the look I’m after!

Learn about your body shape and what style looks good on you. Learn which colors flatter your skin tone. Only buy clothes you absolutely love! Get rid of clothes you are no longer wearing or make you feel frumpy. Frumpy is not good!

Also, remember that clothes always look better when your posture is good {something I’m definitely working to improve} and that you’ll feel better in your clothes if you are staying active and eating well.

Do Your Hair and Face

So, you took a shower, you put your clothes on, take a few minutes and brush through your hair, and style it. Don’t wear a ponytail every day. I mean, you can, but if you take time to style your hair differently, you’ll feel prettier. If you wear makeup put on your normal going out makeup – or at least put some color on your cheeks and lips and use a little mascara. You’ll feel better about yourself. And you’ll act more professional too.

I personally wear makeup most days of the week. I have a lot of scarring and discoloration on my face and I feel better when my skin tone is evened out and my eyes don’t look as tired as I feel.

What Does Your Appearance Say About You?

Being modest and humble in our dress doesn’t mean being plain or ugly. We can look fashionable without looking overdone or immodest. If you need help with your clothing selections, ask a friend who has good taste to go shopping with you! I like to take my teen girls with me and they always help me make good choices in the dressing room!

Here’s some truth for you: Whenever you greet someone they take in your appearance. They do. It’s a fact. What you wear is very telling. What does your appearance say about you?

• I’m a tired, overworked mom of little kids
• I don’t dress for the occasion
• I don’t care about the way I look
• I don’t like my life

I’m not saying you need to dress up or that you need to focus so much on fashion and vanity that it becomes an idol in your life. The Bible has a lot to say about vanity – and it’s not good!

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

But I am suggesting that you will feel better about yourself, you’ll have more self-respect and others will respect you more if you present yourself in a way that is becoming of a Christian woman.

So, start your day by getting dressed and I promise you will find that you accomplish more, take your job more seriously, and feel better!

Action Steps to Take Today

1. Pray! You can talk to God about anything – including your wardrobe.
2. Really think about how you dress and what your clothes reflect. How do you feel in your clothes? How do you want to feel?
3. Download today’s workbook pages and fill out the worksheets.