“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:27
I think we are often intimidated by the Proverbs 31 woman, like she’s some sort of superhuman. In reality, the list of her actions and attributes are the result of a heart that fears the Lord. That heart attitude then manifests itself in the way she cares for her home, how she treats others and the way she spends her time.
If I loosely translate Proverbs 31 into today’s activities, here’s what I imagine her doing:
- she gets up early to make sure everyone has a good meal (v15)
- she looks for good deals and the best prices (v16)
- she has a nice garden (v16)
- she stays up late when she has a project to finish – maybe for her Etsy shop (v18)
- she makes a pan of lasagna for a family who has a child in the hospital (v20)
- she knows how to put together a cute outfit (v22)
- she implements a one-load-a-day laundry routine so everyone has clean clothes for work and school (v27)
Let’s also be realistic and say she doesn’t do all those things in the same day. 🙂
I love considering this woman to be one of my role models. I have a long way to go, but she inspires me to keep doing what’s right. The passage says her husband praises her!
I don’t know about you, but my husband doesn’t always notice or praise me for keeping up with the laundry. In fact I don’t think he’s ever said anything to me about the way I do our laundry. He doesn’t praise me for taking food to people, and he doesn’t ask me what percentage I saved on our groceries each week.
That’s not because he doesn’t care or because he doesn’t love me. Sometimes husbands just don’t say the things we want to hear. Am I right? 🙂
How about this? I would LOVE it if you left me a comment and shared a homemaking WIN that you’ve enjoyed recently. It could be something super simple like making supper for your family one night this week, something like getting everyone out the door on time for the first day of school or saving a few dollars on your groceries by making a list before you went to the store.
It’s these little things that help us, one action at a time, to become like the woman in Proverbs 31. It usually isn’t convenient and it usually involves work – but it’s worth it and it is possible! Let’s encourage each other!
Here’s mine: I was able to make a hot breakfast for us on Sunday morning before church. I thought through it the night before and made sausage, egg and cheese bagel sandwiches. Usually I’m rushing out the door and eating a granola bar in the car. That’s a win!
Go! Your turn!
Come Home For Comfort 
LOVE this post! Thank you for the encouragement!
I love telling my husband about all the money I save at things like grocery shopping or rebates I snag and he’s kind enough to say “way to go!” This week I ordered our pup’s meds for the year and I ended up saving us $70 – in one transaction! Almost cut the bill in half.
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That’s great, Sierra! 50% savings on anything is a win, but especially something so specific like pet meds!! Great job! 🙂
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I love this and love thinking about what a Proverbs 31 woman looks like today. She’s definitely a great role model. My homemaking win would be that we are all enjoying our meals because I’m taking the time to shop, plan and prepare them. I’m thinking through plans for a quick breakfast, packed lunches and a hearty dinner. All the while trying to incorporate favorites for everyone so they’ll get excited when they see my menu.
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Love this! I always struggle with having good lunch options on hand – that definitely takes planning and preparation.
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Great post, Whitney! I’ve loved reading about everyone’s homemaking wins! My homemaking win is that I created an “activity bin” for my toddler. He just received several educational toys and activities for his birthday (like a foam alphabet and numbers, shape puzzles, etc.)… so I grouped similar items in gallon-sized ziploc bags (I want to replace the ziploc bags with fun fabric bags eventually). I placed everything in a cute striped bin and set it in our home library. Now he has all his things organized in one spot (plus it’s easy cleanup when playtime is over), and we are able to enjoy our library for fun and learning!
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That’s a great win, Colleen! Love that! I’ve also enjoyed reading everyone’s comments on this post. It’s so inspiring! 🙂
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Thank you for your blog, Whitney! You really inspire me! My homemaking win for the week was taking a few minutes to tidy up our hotel room during a vacation. There were piles of clothes and junk all over the place since we’d been there a few days. Felt so much better. 🙂
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Love that, Catherine! Thanks for sharing! ❤
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My homemaking win involves travel. Before we leave on a trip I want my house reasonably in order, bed fresh, trash out and laundry done. Then when we return tired and with loads of laundry I can relax in a fresh bed the first night and get a load of laundry going without dealing with what I might have left behind to do later. Taking the time before I leave really makes a difference when I get home.
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You’re so right, Diana. That’s a great tip!
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I cleaned out and re-organized my small pantry. I have a few more areas that need my attention and hoping to mark them off the list soon 🙂
You are right about husbands 🙂 They usually don’t notice or praise us for the things we do around the house. However, the other day I was shocked when my husband told me that he thanks God for me everyday and includes a bit from Proverbs 31… I always had an issue with her… lol. But I like how you’ve described her… more practical for us.
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Love that, Johanna! You’re right – so many of us wish we heard a few more words of affirmation from our husbands. What a sweet thing that although your husband isn’t telling you every day – he’s telling the Lord. What a blessing, and a sweet reminder that our husbands probably care and notice more than we realize. ❤
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I can fully appreciate the comment made by Arlene, “I sometimes wish that my husband noticed MORE”. My husband is just not that great with words but he is good to me and my family so I guess that is what counts.
My homemaking win lately has been menu planning. When our kids were at home I did this every week but when we became empty nesters I got out of the habit. This year I have started up again and it sure makes life easier. I know what I am going to cook each night. I have saved time by mostly going to grocery shop once a week and I think we are saving money.
Thanks, Whitney, for all your encouragement. I love your blog.
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Way to go, Debbi! You’re right, menu planning has so many benefits. I know that many of us wish we heard more words of affirmation. I feel a blog post will be coming on that topic soon. 🙂
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My son usually goes to play school for toddlers with his nanny but this week, I went with him and I really enjoyed spending quality time with him. Seeing him laugh and us being able to just do silly things together was priceless! We should do this more often.
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Love that! How sweet. 🙂
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I sometimes wish that my husband noticed MORE.lol Words of affirmation are my love language and being married to a German, that is just not in his comfort zone. I have come to deal with it. But over all I know he does not always praise me because he knows he can count on me to keep the home fires burning. And trust is very important too. Ok, here is my recent win…I struggle with those pesky grout lines in the kitchen and bathrooms. I have tried many things to clean them with mixed results. ( If I ever have the tile redone, the grout will be gray to start with!!) I had a sample tube of optic white toothpaste and it make me wonder if it would work on the grout. Well I got an old tooth brush and tried it out. Worked as well as anything else I have used and cheaper and easier. So I am going to buy a big tube to keep in my cleaning caddy. Its the little things in life that sometimes make us the happiest.:)
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I think a lot of us wish we heard more words of affirmation! You’re so wise to consider your husband’s personality and his heart behind why he doesn’t speak up. Way to go with the grout cleaning solution! I had an entire apartment tiled with light grout and it’s a pain!
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My husband loves a pretty yard, so when he recently had a shoulder replaced, I’ve been mowing our 3 acre yard, weekly. It takes me a lot longer than it does him, but that’s OK.
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How sweet of you! That’s a homemaking win AND a wife win! ❤
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I spent $21.30 for $77.51 worth of groceries at Publix this week (yay coupons!) and got $9.50 back in rebates.
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Wohoo!!! That’s awesome!
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I have started a (very) small garden this year….as in only lettuce and carrots🙂 I grew up in Chicago, so this is a big deal for me! I’ve also reduced my full-time job down to two hours a day. While we bring in less income, it gives me time to save in other areas. Ex. Going to Aldi (not a convenient location for us) and my regular store. Buying a bulk of our needs at Aldi has saved a great deal. However, our main grocery story is half a mile away a from home. Which was the go-to when I worked full-time. Now I just go there for a few things Aldi doesn’t have.
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Bridget, I love this! You’re so wise to evaluate the cost savings of being home – it really adds up!
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