Saturday, April 9, 2011

H.....is for housewife

I did this for a while. I was working when I got married and so I continued to do so until we had our first child. By then we had saved enough to buy a small house in a subdivision filled with similar houses. And in those houses lived families about our same age who ended up having kids about the same age as ours.

I did the housewife gig until my youngest child was ready for kindergarten. By then we had moved to a larger house to accommodate our larger family and we owed more money. It was necessary for two paychecks. Of course I couldn't make it simple and just get a regular job. Noooo......I had to obtain a job that required me to switch shifts every 28 days. When I think back on it......I really don't know how I managed it. But, to tell the truth....it actually gave me a little rest from all that housewife-ing I had been doing for all those years. The only thing I regret about going back to work is that it takes you away from your kids and they really do need you to be available until they are at least in their teens......when they are independent and know everything. Ahem.

But this post is about being a housewife....someone who stays home and manages everything. People (men) who think that housewives do nothing all day are out of their minds. I was the first one up and the last one to go to bed. It seems like I was always busy doing something. But I honestly feel that I was a good housewife. I didn't burn any dinners and the mistakes I made around the house were honest ones (like the time I put marine varnish on the kitchen floor because I couldn't get a good shine on it with wax). Or the time I carpeted an entire hallway with pieces of carpeting I got for free which were no larger than 6" each. I nailed them down with carpet tacks. It honestly looked really good when I was finished. Years later when the new owners discovered it, they thought I was insane. (I heard this from the neighbors who still lived in the subdivision).

But I was just trying to make my home look nice without having to spend money we didn't have. And.....hey.....that kitchen floor was the envy of the neighborhood when it finally dried.....three days later. (honest!)

10 comments:

Forsythia said...

I really think you're going to make it all the way to "Z." (I'm returning that can of marine varnish to the store this morning. :-) )

Jamie said...

What a great post! I love the carpet story, it sounds like something I might have done way back when. I used to be a pretty resilient young woman...

Happy Saturday darlin! :)

Martha said...

LOL! I really want to be a stay at home blogger - er, I mean mother again. I loved it and would rather be cooking and cleaning all day and here for my kids over work any day ::sigh::

Leann said...

Love the carpet story. I have done similar things due to budget constraints.

Love the A-Z posts. Keep up the good work.

Blessings to you.

fiwa said...

Lol! Val, I love you! I can totally see myself trying the marine varnish.

And my hat is off to you for being so frugal with the carpet. Knowing how to stretch a buck and make do is a valuable skill that not many people have.

love you,
fiwa

Anonymous said...

I had a neighbor who was uber rich. I wasn't. I went to a carpet store and got a boatload of little carpet remnants for $1 each. They measured about 1/2 foot by 2 feet. I took some duct tape and taped them all together so that they look real nice.....orange next to brown, blue next to green, etc. Cuz no two of them were the same color.

After I laid it wall to wall in the LIVING ROOM, I went next door and had the uber rich woman come over and see my new "carpet".

She acted like it was gorgeous and I actually believed her.

Jenny said...

My mom did the carpet samples on the basement stairs. Everyone always commented and loved it!

ain't for city gals said...

I honestly don't know where the days go but I often wonder if I worked outside the home how would I get it all done? And I have no kids at home...lucky for me my husband has always thought one of us should stay home to take care of thiings...I voted for me!

Margaret Hall said...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh...Housewife! Indeed, a tough walk through the years..I was like you...at home..at work..come home and STILL be the housewife and cook and clean..(something was wrong with that picture)..
Love this posting, Val...keep up that good work!
Huffin' and puffin' to catch up..lol

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gayle said...

Oh I would love to live those days again.....as a housewife!