Finding Joy in Motherhood - an interview with Jami Balmet
Jami Balmet is a Christian homemaker, wife, and mother with not just 7 kids, but 2 sets of twins, so she knows a whole new level of mothering intensity. In this interview, she shares the transformation of her overwhelm and burnout to joy and peace as a mom.
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Because motherhood is part of God’s plan for our lives, we can find joy even in the face of overwhelming circumstances. Finding joy in the midst of routine and challenges requires a minute-by-minute reordering of our perspective. When we focus on our identity in Christ, we can find fulfillment in even those daily tasks we used to dread.
Jami is passionate about making a home rooted and grounded in Christ. Jami and her husband Jason have 7 kids, 10 years old and younger (6 boys and a girl) including two sets of twin boys. She knows what it’s like to be burnt-out, overwhelmed, stressed and in the trenches of homemaking and motherhood.
As a result, she seeks to point herself, her family, and her ministry all back to Christ all while finding joy, peace, and purpose within her home…all for God’s Glory. She is the host of the Finding Joy in Your Home Podcast and in her free time you can find her busy working on her cookbook series: Finding Joy in Your Kitchen!
From Chaos to Joy – Jami’s Story
Jami’s journey includes unexpected grief: losing her mother while raising twin boys. In the midst of this emotional whirlwind, she emphasizes the need to embrace motherhood as part of God’s plan.
She candidly shares, “God put me in this hard season, and I needed the right perspective.”
With five children under four, Jami faced the daunting task of managing daily demands. Instead of being dragged down by the routine, Jami found fulfillment by reframing her perspective.
By focusing on her identity in Christ, she discovered joy in the midst of challenges, saying, “It’s a minute-by-minute reordering of my perspective.”
To combat overwhelm, Jami prioritized time in God’s Word. She acknowledges the difficulty of extended devotionals during exhausting seasons of motherhood.
Jami’s practical approach—keeping the Bible open and reading for even a few minutes—became a transformative habit. She urges moms to integrate these bite-sized moments: “It’s about consistency, not perfection.” So true!
Embracing kitchen routines
“The kitchen can feel like such a stressful place, but it doesn’t have to. We can find joy in figuring out better routines, getting ourselves a little bit more organized, and really, at the end of the day, just learning how to cook and learning how to cook the things that your family’s going to enjoy.”
When there are lots of little children in the kitchen, things do take longer, get messier, and feel harder. That’s ok. Lean into it and embrace it rather than fight and avoid it.
“The kitchen really became a sticking point for me where I thought I need to figure out how to run my kitchen well, but also how to do it in a time-efficient way that I can do it with all these young children.”
In a busy household, the kitchen becomes a focal point, and Jami shares her experience of moving from overwhelm to a place of enjoyment by figuring out effective ways to run the kitchen with young children underfoot.
With a passion for making nutritious yet simple meals, Jami encourages moms to embrace the kitchen as a place of joy and learning. She acknowledges that many women, including herself, enter marriage without cooking skills and then face the challenge of managing a household.
Jami’s cookbook series, “Finding Joy in Your Kitchen,” and her Baking School YouTube channel aim to simplify the kitchen experience, making it accessible for families with limited time, tight budgets, and a house full of little ones.
Whether it’s tackling a specific pain point in the kitchen, mastering a new recipe, or learning essential housekeeping skills, the key is to take baby steps. Jami’s Baking School provides a structured approach, guiding viewers through various recipes in short, easy-to-follow episodes, promoting consistent and sustainable progress in the kitchen.
“Every single new recipe you make, you’re going to learn a little bit at a time… That’s what we’re doing with Baking School, is we’re taking you through how to make scones, how to make protein-loaded muffins, how to make real things for your family, and how to do it in just three minutes.”