Sometimes we make things harder than they need to be. Like going into the store with four kids to get groceries instead of ordering online. Or cloth diapering. Or making beef bourguignon from scratch instead of going to the nearest French restaurant. Some of these things are worth the effort and some aren’t, depending on your preferences and priorities.
In this season of raising four babes at home, all under six, priorities are spoken of often. With limited resources in time and energy and dollars, my husband and I try to use those resources as intentionally as possible, especially in the midst of these sleep deprived days.
Opening our home up to friends and family is a priority for us. We have a unique situation in that we live on a farm and our neighbors aren’t close. Many people who come to our home are driving anywhere from 5 to 65 minutes to get to us. #blessthem
I am currently writing this post in a darkened room before 7:00 a.m. when all my babies will wake. I am in a season of so much good, getting the privilege to raise and school my littles at home. In this season I want and need people around me, both to encourage me and I to encourage them. God purposed us to live in community and hospitality helps foster that way of life.
Hospitality looks a lot different today than it did pre-kids. It looks like playdates and smashed goldfish. It looks like hide and go seek and popsicles in the backyard. It looks like a gifted latte and blueberry crisp. It looks like store bought cookies and a football game. It looks a lot simpler and a lot less complicated these days.
Hospitality doesn’t have to be extravagant or fussy. It doesn’t have to be a made-from-scratch meal or a meal at all. It doesn’t have to be hard or difficult or cause us to clean our entire house top to bottom with a baby on our hip. It doesn’t have to be any of those things because at the core of hospitality is friendship and kindness and generosity, not food or new throw pillows or a clean house.
Here are some ways I keep my sanity and still invite people into our home and into our lives.
Simpler Hospitality
Host often.
This sounds backwards, but it’s true. I have found the more I have people into my home, the easier it is to do it again and again and again. I have slowly built muscle memory on what it takes and what needs to be done or doesn’t need to be done when friends come over for dinner or a playdate.
Do it early in the day.
I am best at the beginning of the day. I have more energy and am a happier version of myself. This also goes for my kids. Whenever possible, I try and host things in the morning or early afternoon. Sometimes it isn’t possible say for a football game or bonfire after the sun sets and that’s okay. But if I can, I do it early in the day when we all are fresh.
If there is a meal, keep it simple.
If it’s a playdate, macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Sometimes grilled cheese. If it’s dinner, my go-to recipes are change your life chicken, a crockpot soup, or pizza. Hospitality isn’t about the food, it’s about the friendship. Gathering together can be life giving without a three course meal.
Stock the pantry and freezer.
I always have a few things on hand to host a last minute playdate or friend drop in. This has been especially important for us because we live about 25 minutes from town. Since I usually make macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets for playdates, I always have those items in my pantry and freezer. I love baked goods for the mommas during a playdate, so I try and have some muffins or banana bread in the freezer as well. The list of ingredients for change your life chicken is super short, so chicken thighs are in my freezer and sweet potatoes are in my pantry. And in a pinch, Casey’s is right down the road for pizza pick up. Keeping items on hand to feed people keeps the stress low when I want to invite friends over.
Clean these three things.
When I am hosting, I make sure three things are done if I can (this doesn’t always happen with playdates). Clean the toilet. Wipe down the counters. Sweep or vacuum around the outside edges of the main living area where the crumbs congregate. If those three things are done, the rest can go undone and it’s not a big deal (mostly).
Enjoy people.
When it’s finally time for guests to come over, my main purpose is to enjoy them. To listen. To engage. To be present. After all, the whole purpose of hospitality is friendship and I want to be a good friend to my people. Sometimes this means I leave the dishes for after my guests leave and sometimes it means the kids go down late for naps. I want to be sure I enjoy the people who enter into my home.
Hospitality doesn’t have to be over complicated or a lot of work. It can simply mean friends gathering around a bowl of macaroni and cheese or slices of pizza engaging in one another’s lives.
A personal goal I have is to invite entire families over more often. Inviting friends over for playdates and big get togethers comes naturally to me, but inviting a family over for dinner hasn’t been my cup of tea. Maybe it’s because we live in the middle of nowhere, maybe it’s because our evenings fill up. I can give lots of excuses, but I want to intentionally invite a family into our home more often.
How can you make hospitality simpler and be intentional with inviting others into your home and your life?