Domestic Professional Development Skills

I was born in 1984 into a well-to-do family who sent me to an all-girls Catholic college preparatory high school. While I earned a top notch college preparatory education, I did not gain the practical domestic skills. I went on to study secondary education with an endorsement in English and Spanish, and I taught high school Spanish for a few years before I went into “early retirement” to stay home with our first child.

What I wouldn’t give to be able to whisper in 2008 Catherine’s ear that she’d go on to have 6 children, drive a 12-passenger van, and homeschool on 20 acres! Say WHAT?! Ha!

All that being said, most things I’ve learned have been on the job training. Ever since moving to “country lite” a few years ago, I’ve been wanting to gain more domestic skills. Now that I’m 3 years on the other side of that move and our youngest is 3, I feel like I have more margin. Rather than drown in feelings of domestic inadequacy, I decided to do what I do best: systematize learning domestic skills!

This is the sort of thing that sounds so easy that it doesn’t feel like something worth writing about, but this is exactly the sort of thing that I would love to read about, so I thought I’d share it in the hopes that it helps you. I love using what works, so I created a new note in the Notes app since I usually have my phone nearby. I called it “Domestic Professional Development Skills.” I started with August and listed all of the months until next August. Then, I created a brain dump of all of the things I’d like to learn this year. Next, I plugged in items where they made the most sense during the year. Tomato sauce had to go in August when I had a million tomatoes to harvest. CPR class is going in November when I take that class.

That’s it! I’m choosing at least 1 item per month that I’d like to learn, and I’m treating those things like my professional ongoing education as a homemaker. I’m limiting myself to 1-3 things tops each month. I want to limit myself so that the thing feels manageable and so that I’ll be more likely to gain mastery or at least proficiency with the task. I’m approaching them the same way people who work outside the home go to conferences or take classes about their area of expertise. Why wouldn’t I want to keep growing and learning about all things domestic? I want to have real proficiency, skill, comfort, and enjoyment in the domestic arts.

I’m 1.5 months in, and I’m loving this simple way to hold myself accountable to monthly goals. For the month of August, I organized and purged the family room.

Game cabinet insanity before

Sigh. Game cabinet and piano sheet music restored to order.

Someday I’ll remember to get better before pictures. I wish you could have seen the playing cards/game accessories drawer before!

My second task was to make and freeze tomato sauce. Our family has loved it so much that I haven’t had enough to freeze yet, but we love this roasted cherry tomato sauce recipe! It’s tough to top that homemade tomato sauce flavor.

Roast, dump in the stock pot, blend with an immersion blender, and simmer with basil from the garden. Couldn’t be easier or tastier!

Here’s what I’ve come up with for my professional development skills for the rest of the year:

Professional Development Skills:

August:

• Organize/Purge: Family Room

• Make and freeze tomato sauce

September:

• Organize/Purge: Jane Bedroom & Closet

• Read pages 1-150 of Home Comforts

• Composting

  • Buy kitchen compost heap bucket

  • Learn how to compost kitchen scraps

  • Create Outdoor compost bin

October:

• Organize/Purge: Kitchen

• Read pages 150-225 of Home Comforts

• Make sourdough bread

• Plant:

  • Plant fruit tree

  • Plant berry bush

November:

• Organize/Purge: Mud Room, Main Laundry Room

• Read pages 225-300 of Home Comforts

• Take First Aid and CPR class (11/7)

• Make homemade chicken broth in the crockpot: https://www.artfulhomemaking.com/chicken-stock-in-crock-pot/ 

December: 

• Organize/Purge: Pantry

• Read pages 300-375 of Home Comforts

• Bake:

  • Find relatively simple recipe and bake cutout sugar cookies with the kids

  • New Recipe — Bake Florentine Lace Cookies: https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/florentine-lace-cookies/ 

January:

• Organize/Purge: Basement 

  • Play Area

  • Lego Land

  • Storage

• Read pages 375-450 of Home Comforts

• Crochet a baby blanket

  • Choose pattern

  • Buy materials 

February: 

• Organize/Purge: Dorothy & Gloria Bedroom & Closet

• Read pages 450-525 of Home Comforts

• Make garden plan

  • Decide what to plant

  • Order seeds

  • Assign spaces in raised garden beds

  • Create growing calendar

  • Clean up indoor growing area

  • Buy indoor growing supplies: soil

March:

• Organize/Purge: Harry & Walter Bedroom & Closet

• Read pages 525-600 of Home Comforts

• Garden:

  • Start seeds with growing lights

April:

• Organize/Purge: Helen Bedroom & Closet

• Read pages 600-675 of Home Comforts

• Garden prep:

  • Buy irrigation grids

May:

• Organize/Purge: Upstairs Hall Desk/Shelves, Upstairs Laundry, Utility Room

• Read pages 675-750 of Home Comforts

• Garden Prep

  • Harden off plants

  • Buy plants

  • Install irrigation grids

  • Plant: Mother’s Day Weekend!  5/11)

June:

• Organize/Purge: Garage

• Read pages 750-825 of Home Comforts

July:

• Organize/Purge: Classroom

• 825-end of Home Comforts

What would be included in your brain dump of domestic art professional development skills? I’d love to hear what you’re inspired to learn about in the domestic arts this year!