JUST A HOUSEWIFE?
It really doesn't matter if you call it a "Stay-at-home-Mom/Dad" or a "domestic engineer", it adds up to "a person who's main function is to care for the home and kids while someone else makes the money". Ancient Rome honored women with this title. Since the men were allowed to go out and be in the military and the Senate and their minds were on "higher things" when they came home they were not allowed to run or question anything that their wives did. The wives were in charge of the home and as such would not tolerate any back talk from the men as they didn't know what went on when they weren't there. At least that is what researchers say happened...
Enter the women's movement and its all about choice...more importantly THAT YOU HAVE A CHOICE. The idea that a woman has to go gently into that dark night of housewifery because of an arranged marriage or "my daddy says so" is (hopefully) gone in America and women can choose to have kids, or not...work, or not...be in charge of the house, or not. Awesome right? Well, yes but it can still leave some of us filling the holes that we feel with loads of other things (soap operas of the 70's and 80's became Facebook and Pinterest of the 2000's).
Since this post is about tooting my own horn (especially when I feel like I don't do anything) I am making a list of what it is I do each day:
- Get kids up and dressed and fed and help pack lunchboxes
- Get coffee and husband up and running (hmmm....not meant to be porny but ok)
- Get myself healthy by walking 3 times a week for 5K (up to a jog on 2 of those k's)
- Keep myself on track with good choices to eat despite all the sweets in the house
- Keep my family on track to have healthy meals despite all the sweets in the house
- Let the family have a break on the healthy stuff by providing the sweets in the house
- Go shopping for food or supplies for the house and try to find the best prices for these things
- Cook the healthy meals and snacks
- Run errands such as bank, post office, dry cleaning, and pet supplies
- Pay the bills
- Keep the house in good order so I don't go insane
- Do. The. Laundry.
- Feed pets and clean their mess
- Research fun things to do for Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts
- Run the meetings for these things (or help run these things)
- Call insurance companies for doctor's visits and negotiate terms
- Make appointments for doctors/dentists/mechanic
- Shuttle everyone to and from doctors/dentists
- Volunteer in school for something (or go see something in school) because that is what the kids want
- Bring children to all the extra stuff that they wanted to be signed up for
- Pick children up from all the extra stuff that they wanted to be signed up for
- Get special project stuff from stores that the kids "need" for whatever it is they are doing
- Go clothes/shoe shopping with kids because suddenly things don't fit anymore
- Help with homework
- Gently nudge (or yell) at children to go do their homework
- Serve dinner in a timely manner so children can go to bed
- Give the kids some time to themselves (which usually had them finding me)
- Get kids to go upstairs and take showers, teeth brushing, clean rooms
- Snuggle and read stories or talk about the day
- Sit on couch and fold laundry OR Go into kitchen and clean up
- Collapse on couch while watching a show
- Go up to bed and sleep until the alarm sounds so I can do it all again
This is a typical day and it doesn't include what I *may* do for me (in the 15-30 minutes in between all of that) like:
- Yoga
- Quilting
- Reading
- Singing
- Breathing
- Email friends
AND this list does not include any fun things that we may do as a family on the weekends or seeing friends or going out on a date with the hubby (wait...that is a good idea...I should check the calendar...)
So yes...I am just a Housewife.
AND I am a damn good one.
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