Homemaker Portrait | Jenny Nanninga

In this final Homemaker Portrait of 2025, I am chatting with In-the-Trenches homemaker and mama to 5 girls, Jenny Nanninga. 

I loved this conversation with Jenny. She is so wise, funny, and really, she's an open book. She candidly shares her struggles to accept and adjust to life in a 700 square foot home with 5 girls and one bathroom. Though God blessed them 2 years ago with a larger home, Jenny values her time in the tiny house because she learned so much about contentment and creative homemaking there. 

She fiercely defends the value of homemaking to anyone who will listen, but most importantly to her girls and she is training them not just in the practical skills of the home but in valuing the work of the homemaker. 

We cover all the usual ground of strengths, weaknesses, influences, wins, fails and more. 

NOTES & LINKS

For Full Show Notes, including Jenny's favorites and Signature Dish, go to theartofhomepodcast.com/blog and search "Jenny Nanninga"

Connect with Jenny

Etsy (for Nature Group Start Up Guide and more!)

Instagram @bloom.wild.schoolhouse

Articles in Focus on the Family and Brio

The Joyful Life articles

Bloom Wild Girls, Podcast for Tween & Teen Girls | Apple | Spotify | Instagram

Mentioned in this Episode

Books: A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich 

Mother Carey's Chickens by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Power Paste Grout Cleaner

FREE Advent Guide: theartofhomepodcast.com/christmas

Chapters

• 0:01 Welcome, Allison's Update; Christmas on My Mind
• 5:04 Meet Jenny, Beginnings: Homemaking Passion without Practical Skills
• 10:31 Strengths & Weaknesses; Wanting to Learn but Lacking Follow-Through Needed for Mastery
• 17:06 Influences: Podcasts, Other Women & Homey Literature
• 21:24 Expectations: Working Out a Concept of Home
• 28:52 Parenting: Passing On Skills & The Value of Homemaking
• 41:01 Priorities: Rhythms over Strict Schedules
• 45:03 Temptations & Challenges: Contentment over Comparison
• 54:17 Hospitality: "What is the first true thing?"
• 1:01:46 Homemaking Q & A; Fails, Wins, Tips, Favorites, Recipes
• 1:11:23 The Art of Home & Titus 2 Wisdom
• 1:19:16 Creating Community Around Nature
• 1:23:38 Call to Action Homework & Final Reminders