Daily Connoisseur reader, Rachele, sent me this article from Elemental: Cooking, Cleaning, and Sewing Are the New Wellness.



The article discusses how many women are turning to old-fashioned, traditional homemaking practices such as baking bread and cleaning for self-care and wellness. Here are a few takeaway quotes from the article:

"Researchers at Tel Aviv University found that repetitive acts increase a person’s belief that they can manage a situation that is otherwise out of their hands."

"Household hobbies allow you to exert mindful effort. Consider them the antithesis to a society that has all its needs met without much exertion at all."

“In this modern age, we have lost the ability to be bored and then be inspired and then create something new. I think [home hobbies] are incredibly therapeutic.”

I believe the mundane, repetitive tasks that we do everyday constitute such a large portion of our lives, we might as well "re-brand" them in our minds and think about them differently. If we have to do them, we might as well enjoy them. In that sense, I do believe homemaking is the new wellness. And with the recent pandemic quarantine, so many people are forced to look at their home life and analyze how it is working for them and to rebrand their systems of keeping house.

Featured in the video:

My jumpsuit (new for spring) is by Lulu's
My earrings are Rachelyn Jewelry
I clean with eCloth microfiber cloths
Glass cleaner is by Squeak
The rest of my cleaning products are from Grove Collaborative
My candle is by Cellar Door Candle Co.
Keep Calm and Remain Classy mug

I hope you enjoy today's video.



News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for March.

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

📍I am working on an exciting new eCourse for you and it is almost ready. In the meantime, check out my affordable eCourses: The Ten-Item Wardrobe, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living, and How to be Efficient at Home.

On Instagram
Madame Chic featured on Instagram (and check out that amazing teacup)...

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Dan 11. Dan bez društvenih mreža Moji četverogodišnjaci i ja smo do daljnjega kod kuće s obzirom na novonastalu situaciju u Zagrebu. Vrtića nema pa koristimo vrijeme da se družimo i ujedno svatko od nas nauči nešto novo. Odlučila sam da ću sljedeća 24h pauzirati sa društvenim mrežama. Posvetit ću se malcima i iskoristiti ovo vrijeme kako bih napravila plan za kuhanje, aktivnosti i daljnje proljetno čišćenje doma. Umjesto društvenih mreža, slobodno vrijeme (koliko god ga uspijem uhvatiti pa makar i 10 min) iskoristiti ću za čitanje knjige. Čujemo se kroz 24h. 🤗 #spaceforhome #proljetnociscenjedomaiuma #mindsetreset #mindfulness #offline #organized #organizedlife #simplifyyourlife #simpleliving #reflection #lessonsfrommadamechic #jenniferlscott

A post shared by Space for Home (@space.for.home) on Mar 16, 2020 at 2:42am PDT

Comment of the Week
Toni W. writes, "Thank you very much. Toilet paper was invented in 1857 which means the original owners of my house went without toilet paper for at least 25 years. This couple who were both musicians lived in our home for 40 years. They lived in an occupied through the Civil War and probably experienced pneumonia and possibly typhoid. I live in Old Town Alexandria, VA and the history of my house is available at our library. It documents the many home owners throughout the decades. Our house also has no closets. Clothes were kept in chests of drawers. If were wealthy you may have had a closet to lock up your valuables but closets were not used for clothes. Thank you very much for this video! We will run out of toilet paper and I ordered some wash cloths."


I loved your comment, Toni. I love researching different historical time periods and always wonder what daily life was like. It's true that most of our modern conveniences are just that... modern and new. People of the past survived without them. This should help us to not panic. Thank you.

I would love to know... is homemaking the new wellness? What do you think? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.


Visit my newly designed Author Website

*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the ten-item wardrobe, debt-free living, and efficiency at home


FTC: Today's video is not sponsored. I use affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links.

The 5th biggest enemy to homemakers… what do you think it could be? Let’s explore in today’s video.

Welcome back to The Daily Connoisseur. The world of homemaking is deep, complex, and fraught with enemies. In the previous episodes of this series, we have examined the various enemies to homemakers. When we identify these enemies, we are able to isolate them and not let them take over our homemaking, which is a powerful tool, indeed.





Today, I’m going to share with you the 5th biggest enemy to homemakers. Are you ready?



Double-mindedness.

Yes, double-mindedness. What does it mean to be double-minded? Well, here’s the dictionary definition: ADJ. wavering in mind : UNDECIDED, VACILLATING.

Here’s how I see double-mindedness… your heart’s not in it. You’d rather be doing something else. Even if you’re slightly enjoying what you’re doing, there’s still something in the back of your mind wondering, “What if? Could I be having more fun doing… xyz?"

Double-mindedness.

Let’s see how that affects us as homemakers. We inevitably have a list of tasks to do each day. Sometimes this list is dreadfully long, sometimes it’s delightfully short. We have to start somewhere, so we choose where to begin and commence our work. The minute we start, we begin to question our choice. Is this really the best way I could be spending my time? We have the urge to do something else… either another task on the list, or scrap it all together and go have fun doing something else: online shopping, watching television, revising that draft for work, going to work out, everything else suddenly seems more appealing.

Double-mindedness. We are undecided. We vacillate. We do not rest easy in our choice and, thus, we leave half-finished projects all over the house. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to commit to a task from start to finish? Think of the time wasted and the mental exhaustion from being double-minded about our housework?

So my fellow homemakers, eliminate this fifth enemy to homemaking, double-mindedness, by resting confident in your choice and decisions. After all, there is a season for everything. Rest and refreshment are just around the corner. And, oh, it is so much more satisfying after completely a task well done.

Featured in the video:
I clean with eCloth microfiber cloths
The rest of my cleaning products are from Grove Collaborative (I use the cleaning concentrate in this video)
101 Famous Poems is the book I'm reading
My top (similar)
My dress (similar)
My earrings Use code Jennifer10 for $10 off
Velvet scrunchie
Gingham vinyl tablecloth
water pitcher with strainer

Also, if you're curious, I was putting taco meat in the slow cooker for tacos. This is one of my favorite freezer meal hacks. I make a large batch and freeze it off in portions. I can then make tacos or taco salads whenever I like.

Thank you for joining me for today's video.

News
📍I am featured on The Darling Academy today with a letter to homemakers.

📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for February.

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

📍I am working on an exciting new eCourse for you and it is almost ready. In the meantime, check out my affordable eCourses: The Ten-Item Wardrobe, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living, and How to be Efficient at Home.


On Instagram
Madame Chic on Instagram...

View this post on Instagram

#AtHomeWithMadameChic, after three years of collecting Madame Chic series, next year is for #ConnoisseurKids book! 😊

A post shared by Fauziah Hafidha (@fauziah.hafidha) on Dec 21, 2019 at 10:06am PST

Comment of the Week
Laura writes, "Thank you or this interesting topic. I had to think where I spend the majority of our money and I've come up with food and furniture.

Like you, we rarely eat out. I cook all meals at home but I always buy organic produce (local if I can) and locally raised grass fed meats, locally made sausages and local eggs, organic dairy and locally roasted coffee etc. It is significantly more expensive but it is something I really believe in and I truly believe there is no comparison in the quality and taste.

Our other splurge is furniture. We will buy high quality furniture that will last. Case in point, my brother and I bought houses the same year. In 15 years, he went through 3 inexpensive couches and we bought and still have our high quality couch. We recently moved and that 15 year old couch is now in the office and looks fabulous."

I agree, Laura! And I love your point about furniture... it really does save in the long run to buy quality there.

Thank you for watching. I would love to know what you think about the fifth biggest enemy to homemakers. Do you struggle with double-mindedness with your homemaking? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog.



Visit my newly designed Author Website

*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the ten-item wardrobe, debt-free living, and efficiency at home


FTC: This post is not sponsored. Links may be affiliate. All Amazon links are affiliate.

C.S. Lewis famously said, “The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only - and that is to support the ultimate career. ”
Well my fellow homemakers… we are going to examine this assertion today. If it’s true… there is much to ponder.



OK, I know what you’re thinking. How can cooking, cleaning, and raising children really be a career? Can what we do wield actual power like an impactful career should? Don’t people normally get paid for careers? Ha!

Well we know we don’t get paid to do what we do… our reward is a lot deeper. So how can homemaking be the ultimate career?

First, let’s look at the definition for career: an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress. Synonyms are: Profession, occupation, vocation… calling.

A calling.



Let’s look at what a homemaker does on a basic level. Homemakers keep the house clean and organized. They make meals. They raise children. Yes, this is what happens on a basic level, but let’s look deeper at this. There’s a reason why it’s been called the “ultimate career”… there must be more there. How is that a calling?

Homemakers make a home. A home. The most important place you’ll ever know. They orchestrate the environment. They create a safe, loving, comforting space for their families. They pour their hearts into the details of the work that they do, often putting themselves last. They sacrifice, they toil. For what? To create a beautiful family environment. They are literally making memories.

A calling.



When we think of the world out there. Often it can be harsh, cut-throat and competitive. When you come home, you feel as though you are in a haven. Is there any place more important on earth than one’s home? When your home life is in order, everything else falls into place. Isn’t that the truth.

As homemakers we are called to attend to the details of daily life at home. Our little actions may seem insignificant. Scrubbing pots, wiping countertops, wiping noses, fixing collars and pigtails, reading stories, baking treats... But truly, we are raising up the next generation for greatness and instilling good habits in them as well. Habits of love. We are making a home.

So yes, we don’t get paid for our career. Not monetarily, anyway. But it is a calling. And the payment comes in the form of generational blessings and bountiful love that seeps into everything our family does.

And all other careers do exist to support the ultimate career. Because home life is one unifying aspect we can all rally around. We all want to thrive at home for the greater good.

So my fellow homemakers, you might have homemaking as your only profession, or like me, you might also work another job as well. Either way, please see the value you have in your career. Yes, the ultimate career.

I hope you enjoy today's video.

Featured in the video:
My dress
Cropped layering top
navy house slippers
velvet scrunchies
Earrings are by Ana Luisa Jewelry Use code Jennifer10 for $10 off
Laundry detergent Love Home & Planet


News
📍 I am a guest on Isabelle LaFleche's Soulful Couture podcast. We had a wonderful chat, check it out here.

📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for February.

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I do one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. (Link must be accessed on a computer.)

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

📍Check out my affordable eCourses: The Ten-Item Wardrobe, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living, and How to be Efficient at Home.


On Instagram
Connoisseur Kids on Instagram... To be featured on the blog, take a picture of any of my books and tag me with #jenniferlscott

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#connoisseurkids #jenniferlscott #parenting #BookishlyYours #featuredtitles #yournextgoodread #kinokuniyamalaysia #KinokuniyaKLCC

A post shared by Kinokuniya Malaysia (@kinokuniyamalaysia) on Dec 10, 2019 at 11:42pm PST

Comment of the Week
Jenni writes, "So excited to see the chic assignment back! Degas is one of my favorites. I got to see a traveling exhibit of his work a few years ago at our local museum. I'm also looking forward to enjoying the music with my sons, who are teens, but still love classical music."

Jenni, I love that you involve your sons in The Chic Assignment. They sound like cultured young gentlemen! :)

Thank you for joining me for today's video. I would love to know... do you think the Homemaker is the ultimate career?



Visit my newly designed Author Website

*NEW* Join The Chic Society on YouTube and become a member of The Daily Connoisseur.

Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the ten-item wardrobe, debt-free living, and efficiency at home


FTC: This post is not sponsored. All links are affiliate, including Amazon affiliate links.

What's in a day as a homemaker? How does a homemaker deal with the isolation that comes with the territory? These are the concepts I'm exploring in today's video.



What’s in the day as a homemaker?

The outside world looks in at a homemaker and wonders what on earth they do all day long. They envision endless hours of daytime television, folding laundry, and occasionally thawing a chicken from the freezer.

Well you know this, my fellow homemaker, they’ve got it completely wrong.

The Life of a Homemaker is deep and complex. There really is no other work like it in the world. Shakespeare’s Juliet asks, “What’s in a name?”

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”



Let us as homemaker’s ask “What’s in a day?”

The day could hold any number of quotidian tasks: making beds, ironing, cleaning, cooking, correspondence, teaching, parenting. Each of these things in and of themselves seems pretty straight forward. What’s the big deal? Some of the smaller tasks like making beds and cooking don’t seem so important. Aren’t there better things to do?

Well no, frankly, not really. I suppose it doesn’t matter who does these things, as long as they get done. So yes, as homemakers, we aren’t the only ones to do these tasks, our family does them too. But whatever tasks that are attributed to you, no matter how mundane, please know their importance. They may seem small. They may seem insignificant. But when placed together with the collective work you do all day long, they are deeply significant.

Some homemakers struggle with the isolation of being at home. If you’re an introverted homemaker like I am, you actually enjoy it. If you struggle with this, think of your isolation through a different lens.

Let’s look at how Henry David Thoreau made isolation work for him. He moved to Walden Pond to learn to live deliberately. To live a purposeful life. Notice he did not want to be around others during this time.

Oh, my fellow homemakers, make your solitude in this endeavor work for you. Can we live deliberately, like Thoreau, through making the beds, cooking the meals, ironing the clothes?

We can enrich our minds through this process as well. Through listening to books, taking the much-needed rest, and filling our minds with beautiful things.

So the next time someone asks you, “What’s in the day as a homemaker?” You will look at them with a twinkle in your eye. You could say, “Living deliberately, carving out my purpose, and making our life at home a magical escape from the outside world.” Or you could just smile and say, “You’d be surprised.”



News
📍Join us for The Chic Assignment for December.

📍Become a member of The Daily Connoisseur through the MEMBERSHIPS feature. I will be doing one livestream as well 3 episodes of my new Vodcast (a video podcast) per month. The lowest tier is $1.99 a month. Upper tiers receive recognition in videos and even mail. (Link must be accessed on a computer.) We had our first livestream last Friday and it was so enjoyable. Also, listed in today's video you will see some fan recognition from the Chic Connoisseurs. Thank you, ladies!

📍Check out my ultimate holiday gift guide for 2019.

📍Thank you for your wonderful support of my new book, CONNOISSEUR KIDS.

📍Check out my affordable eCourses: The Ten-Item Wardrobe, Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living, and How to be Efficient at Home.

On Instagram
Connoisseur Kids on Instagram...

View this post on Instagram

#connoisseurkids #jenniferlscott #parenting #BookishlyYours #featuredtitles #yournextgoodread #kinokuniyamalaysia #KinokuniyaKLCC

A post shared by Kinokuniya Malaysia (@kinokuniyamalaysia) on Dec 10, 2019 at 11:42pm PST

Comment of the Week
Kerri-Mae Ashley writes, "Where have you been all my life?! Lol I got so emotional towards the end of the video for a number of reasons - conviction, hope, joy and excitement! I recently became a SHAM (1 year ago). It was a goal that we patiently waited for ten years and I said I would not be a yoga pants and t-shirt mom and what am I today? A yoga pants and t-shirt mom. I used to get dressed everyday and now only to go out to go out the house. I hurt myself hiking and couldn’t work out so I gained weight over the past few months. I felt like I didn’t deserve to get dressed everyday like I used to because I didn’t feel and look the same in my clothes. The self pity and shame is over. Thank you so much for this beautiful video - it has inspired a changed back to my true self. You are such a blessing...xoxo"

Kerri-Mae, your comment is so empowering. I am so happy you have chosen to change back to your true self and I'm thrilled that the videos have impacted you in such a positive way. Thank you for writing to us.

Thank you for joining me today... I would love to know... what's in your day as a homemaker? How do you deal with the isolation that can come with the territory? Let us know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on The Daily Connoisseur.


Visit my newly designed Author Website

*NEW* Shop my Amazon page for a comprehensive list of my favorite things and mentions on the blog.

Facebook facebook.com/JenniferLScottAuthor

Twitter @JL_Scott

Instagram @dailyconnoisseur

Take my affordable eCourses on the ten-item wardrobe, debt-free living, and efficiency at home


FTC: This post is sponsored not sponsored. Some links are affiliate.