Day 1 - 1950s Housewife Experiment Take 2

This morning started out fairly well. I got up, showered, did my hair and makeup and proceeded to make coffee and breakfast. Promptly after breakfast I got to work. Now, while most housewives of that time generally cleaned about 3 hours (their homes were also smaller than ours) they cleaned every day. Since I've let some of my household chores slide a little this cleaning is taking me all damn day. Did I mention I have three teenagers home from school today and tomorrow?

While I originally started out cleaning the basement to some fabulous Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett records, that eventually ended when the first child decided they wanted to watch TV. Okay, cool. Whatever.  I just proceeded to clean, and finally moved upstairs. Have you ever heard the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I think that title works perfectly for mothers. I seriously can not tell you how many times I cleaned the exact same mess, the exact same room, until I finally exploded. The oldest boy had the audacity to ask me why I was mad. I just glared at him, sweating rolling down my forehead, while he munched away on pizza and dropped crumbs all over the table I had just wiped down and the floor I had just swept.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. I broke my own rule at one point and popped onto Facebook to vent. Mothers who lived in that time assured me it was nothing new. However, my best friend's theory is that mothers were able to beat their kids back then. Either way, I can't see my grandma allowing my mom and uncles to constantly make a mess as she cleaned.

Now, on top of trying to be the perfect vintage housewife around three kids I'm also dealing with a now three-legged cat. She was originally a stray who appeared one day and refused to leave. I really didn't want twenty more barn cats so I had her spayed. Well, either some kind of a predator got a hold of her, or she got into the engine of a car and the car was started. Either way, this is Grace now.

*Grace the Wonder Cat has her own Facebook page if you'd like to keep up with her recovery.*

I don't know if you can tell by this pic but she has massive damage to her right hip and rear end, damage to the left side of her face, cuts along her back, and had her right front leg amputated. So, on top of dealing with my normal day to day life, and attempting to live life as close to the genuine 1950s housewife, I've had to play nurse to this little girl. In case you haven't guessed yet, she will now be an inside cat.

I've tried several times to download the pics I've taken through out the day, including pics of my homemade chicken and dumplings I made from my 1954 Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook.

Sorry for the horrible pic. Took it with my phone,

I had my doubts as not only was this my first attempt at making chicken and dumplings, but it was from an old cookbook. There were so few ingredients for the dumplings, yet they were delicious since they were boiled in the broth made from stewing the chicken.

Sorry I can't post a pic of the actual meal. Stupid laptop! When I figure out where I'm going wrong I'll post, I promise.

Now, on to the rest of the day...I'm freaking exhausted! I swear I'm limping and my back is so sore! The only time I sat today was to fold laundry. Other than that I was on the go non stop. Oh wait, that's not true. I had to sit while driving to find a police officer to unlock my daughter's handcuffs. Yes, you read that correctly. My darling daughter threw her key in a huff, and her brother didn't know that when he locked her wrists in those damn metal contraptions, We were able to get one wrist out with soapy water, but the other was way too tight.

So there's my first day in a nut shell. Not really a failure, but not exactly a success...not in my eyes anyway. My makeup is smeared, and my hair went crazy hours ago. Tomorrow I'm babysitting my nephews for a few hours so I'll just pretend I'm going to my bridge club or whatever they did with the other ladies back then.

Night, y'all. My poor booty needs rest!

1950s Housewife Experiment - Take 2

For those of you who have been following this blog for a while remember my first 1950s Housewife Experience. Well, guess what? I'm doing it again. This time you can find everything on my other blog, I'd Rather Be Blogging. I will be cross posting so nothing will be missed, and this blog will stay up as I plan on continuing with my housewife posts.

In the meantime, enjoy some fun, vintage commercials:

Day 4 - What's that smell?

I actually took yesterday off from being Suzy Homemaker to get some writing and editing done. Funny enough, the only thing I kept from doing was blogging. HA! Apparently, I live as Suzy Homemaker every day anyway. I still made beds, hand washed dishes (I don't own a dishwasher), did three loads of laundry, picked up several messes, and as the headline indicates, picked up an accident from my darling puppy. *sigh* Just what every glamourous woman wants to do, pick up a pile of dog poo!

There's a blog by a Canadian woman named Jen, but never Jenn who not only did a 1950s housewife experiment, but actually made the food, walked to the shops, and donned a dress all day every day. Go read it and have a good laugh! Wait until you see some of the meals she made!! (She actually used cookbooks from the time period, and all I can say is EWWWW!) She committed to two weeks and actually followed through and had some great insights. Seriously....go read it....now.

As I sit here writing this I've decided I have a ghost in the house. It's either that or my lamp is possessed. The bulb in the lamp keeps flickering; when I get up to check it it turns back on. As soon as I sit back down...yep, flickers out. Anyone know a number to a good ghost buster...or somewhere to get a cheap lamp?

I digress. Today is officially the fifth day of my experiment and I've learned a lot about spending more time with my family. While I didn't originally tell the kids what was going on you can definitely see a change in all of us. The kids seem lighter, the husband seemed like he was able to relax more when he got home, and I realized this is something I need to do every day, not just for a week. My life has always revolved around my family, but now, instead of saying I'm too busy doing laundry/dishes/cleaning/insert chore here, I take the time to listen to my kids and husband. I mean I really stop, look them in the eye and listen to what they have to tell me. It has been wonderful!

I can't tell you if I lost weight by all my scrubbing as I don't and won't own a scale, but I definitely feel good both emotionally and physically (all except my knees). Even with financial stress I find I'm able to sit back and hand my worries to God and realize there are some things I can't control. You know the saying - Let go, and let God.

Here's my challenge to you: Stop what you're doing, slow down, and really listen to what your kids, husband, wife, whatever have to say. More than likely whatever it is that you're busying yourself with isn't nearly as important as what your kids are trying to tell you.

Day 2 - Why did I decide to do this again?

Day 2 started out fine. Got up, got the kids fed and off to school, then went about doing dishes and other housework. Because I've decided to take on the traditional role I went about with my feather duster making sure there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, fluffing pillows, refolding sofa throws.

I didn't want to listen to the same ten songs again, so I turned on some Christmas music and danced along as I cleaned. What a great mood, what a great day! Ha! That is until I decided to clean my daughter's room. Let me give you a little background here; my daughter is fourteen but only has the mentality of a six or seven year old. When I tell her to clean her room that means she shoves as much as she can under her bed, in her closet, under her dressers, etc.

On with the story. As of last night there wasn't a single sock left in the laundry room - all laundry was caught up. Again...HA! After cleaning the darling daughter's room I ended up with FIVE HAMPERS full of dirty clothes from all over her room. That doesn't even include the summer clothes she hid that I still have to pack away, nor the trash I pulled out of some very interesting places.

Nonetheless, I'm Mommy Dearest this week. Wait, maybe that's not someone I should claim to be.

Whatever. I stretched a smile on my face, no matter how much it hurt to do so, and finished the room, and am now waiting for yet another load to finish washing and drying so I can put the clothes away. *sigh*

I ended up using the good old coffee maker instead of another failure with the percolator. I didn't sleep much and caffeine was much needed today. My knees are killing me, my feet are throbbing, my back aches...I can't imagine doing all this without my washer, dryer, vacuum cleaner, Swiffer duster. Oh, yes. My darling Swiffer duster.

I don't like using paper products (um, other than toilet paper, of course) so I make my own Swiffer covers. How appropriate that this pad has dog prints all over it. Do you realize how much hair I've cleaned up in the last few days? I mean, I always clean my house, but a good 50s housewife always made sure her home was spotless. I have no idea how they did that with toddlers at home, but I digress.

It was time to go to the grocery store. I made a promise to myself to stay as genuine as possible, and women in that day and age too pride in how they looked when they were in public, so it was off to slip this bad girl on:

You would think something so simple would be comfortable. You would think wrong. I don't know if my waist is lower than the original owner of this dress (this is an actual vintage dress), but I couldn't raise my arms and, with a belt, it was too snug. Anyway, here I go...

I assumed I would get looks...and I assumed correctly. Oh, you think I'm bluffing?

Yep, that's me picking out some bacon to go with my homemade potato soup. I opted for my usual purse instead of the pearl covered vintage hand bag. Really didn't want to have to hold on to it all night. Notice the cool updo? It was really easy, in case you're wondering. Pull your hair into a ponytail (I pulled my hair into a low pony), then separate the hair just above the rubber band and thread the whole ponytail. Just do that over and over again until there's just a little hair left and bobby pin what's left.

Anyway, as I was saying....everyone stared and the girls at the pharmacy started cracking up the second I walked in. They know me fairly well (I'm in there several times a month) so I let them off the hook. Once I got home, though, I stripped off the dress and changed into something more comfortable, yet a little more appealing to the husband's eyes than a grubby t-shirt.

Cute fitted, lower cut shirt, jeans, and flats. I even donned some pink pearls to go with it. After changing, it was time to make dinner like the good wife/mom I am. What housewife would be caught dead cooking without a precious apron.

Seriously, how cute is that baby! It's a vintage apron/pinny I found on Ebay sometime last year. I'm actually peeling potatoes in this pic. I know, I rock! lol

All in all, today was a little better than yesterday, especially since I realized I was going about it all the wrong way. Instead of focusing on the perfection we think of/romanticize about when we think of the 1950s housewife, I chose to focus on the importance of making my family happy, healthy, and comfortable.

Day 1 - Crappy first day...sort of

Started out at 5:50 instead of 5:30 this morning. I set my hair in foam rollers after my shower last night but my hair was still wet this morning, so no Doris Day curls. No dress for cleaning this morning; unlike popular belief, women didn't wear pearls and heels when cleaning their home. Those who did don dresses in the home wore what is referred to as a day dress or house dress.

Not exactly sexy.

However, a majority of women cleaned their homes and worked their gardens in trousers. I'm in search of a good pattern for a pair of traditional trousers, but as of right now I only have jeans. (Refuse to wear my good slacks to clean this house!) Because I only have tennis shoes or heels I chose the former to clean in. Normally, on my day to day ritual, I prefer to be barefoot. Shoes collect and drag dirt through the house so it bugs me when my family clomps through in their shoes.

Having said all that, I did make the face and hair presentable:

Complete with updo, liquid liner, and red lips!

However, ummm, yeah.....not so much with the clothes:

Not exactly June Cleaver (if you look behind my right elbow you'll see I laid out my husband's change of clothes for after work, just like a good wife is supposed to *wink*)

Okay, so I got up early, made breakfast, did my face and hair, and...well, got dressed. Hey, at least I got out of my pajamas before noon. After the kids were out the door (which I did the good mommy thing and walked them to the door and waved them goodbye. They asked me not to do that again.) I proceeded to do the dishes and off to clean I went. I seriously cleaned for nine hours straight. I found dirt in places there shouldn't be dirt. How in the world do you get walls so dirty? I mean, really? I have teenagers, so it's not like they're coloring on the walls. There were actually streaks going down the walls where someone walked down the hallway dragging their hands along my beautiful butter cream paint! WHAT?! Why? *sigh* And why in the world can kids (and men) not know how to change a toilet paper roll? AND, if the trash can is right beside you throw the trash in the can, not beside it. Oh, oh, and did I mention I found candy wrappers ON TOP of the entertainment center? I am exhausted! 

Okay, I'm okay, I got it together. About noon I decided to make myself some coffee (hello caffeine withdrawal) and of course used my percolator. I put the grinds in the canister, filled the pot with water and turned on the burner. Last time I was out at the chicken coop one of my hens was laying so I went back out to retrieve the egg.

Here's what I came back in to find:

I don't know when but apparently something fell below the burner and caught fire while I was outside. Luckily it went out on its own instead of me walking in to a kitchen fire! Emergency avoided, on to the coffee...right? Ha! It turns out I don't remember how to use a percolator.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to look like this:

Ummm, isn't the coffee supposed to stay inside the pot?

After a few minutes of looking at this bubbling mess and scratching my head I gave up and poured myself a cup. There was more grinds than coffee. At that point all I could do was chuckle, pour the mess into the sink (the same sink I had diligently and dutifully scrubbed out, mind you) and went to my trusty back up:





 Notice the red lips on the mug?

*sigh* I have to admit, today did not go the way I had hoped. Tomorrow WILL be better, dammit! I can say my house looks and smells great, but after a while I had to actually return to the 21st century and sit down after dinner and rest of my feet. They were damaged months ago and were really killing me after hours on them. Dinner has been made, dishes are done, laundry is COMPLETELY caught up (seriously! There isn't a single piece of clothing in the laundry room! Happy dance!) and now I'm here talking to you. There is my disaster of the first day of my version of the 1950s housewife experiment. Not exactly June Cleaver, but I tried. Honestly, the hardest thing today was fighting the temptation to get on Facebook and update everyone with the failures and successes of the day. I really didn't miss television, and I loved that I didn't get many calls or texts today. My phone usually goes nonstop, so the quiet was great! Oh, how I miss you all!


*I almost forgot, everyone knows I'm terrified of spider, right? Well, I was at the front door cleaning my hardwood floors and something above my head caught my attention...a spider! I grabbed my handy can of spray and sprayed the demon spawn. FOUR MORE came crawling from the doorway and the jam! I have a theory - they were all waiting for me to walk below them and they would all jump on me at the same time, causing a heart attack. They would then rule the house! That's my theory, anyway.*

Daily Cleaning Schedule - 1950s Housewife

So I found a traditional schedule of a 1950s housewife. I already do quite a bit of it, but I don't bother making myself presentable unless I need to leave the house. Even then, I settle for clean clothes and brushing my teeth and hair. Nope. I will be a good vintage housewife and don a dress/skirt and heels/flats when leaving the house and will make sure I change into something pleasing before my husband gets home.

1. Throw back the covers
2. Open up the blinds and windows
3. Freshen up
4. Make and serve breakfast
5. Clean up breakfast
6. Complete a 10-minute exercise regime
7. Shower, do hair and make-up, get dressed
8. Gather a basket for tidying. As the rooms of the home are tackled, pick up items that aren’t where they belong and place them in a basket. Redistribute them where they should be as you enter a new room
9. Straighten up the living and dining room, including picking up potential clutter, light dusting, fluffing / straightening pillows, and watering plants or flowers
10. Make the beds
11. Tidy the bedroom, including light dusting
12. Hang up any clothes that may be about or ensure dirty ones are in the hamper
13. Do a light tidy of the bathroom including removing and replacing used towels, refilling toilet paper and soap (if needed) and cleaning the sink and basin area including soap dishes
14. Review the menu for the current day and the next and compare it to what’s currently available in the home. Make note of anything that needs to be prepared ahead of time or marketing (shopping) that needs to get done
15. Begin long-advance preparations for dinner (such as making dessert)
16. Wipe down kitchen work surfaces and inside the fridge
17. Dispose of garbage
18. Rinse dish cloths and hang to dry
19. Sweep or mop the kitchen floor
20. Handle errands that might take you out of the home (such as marketing, volunteering, going to the post office, getting an item fixed, etc), bookkeeping, correspondence, or indulge in a hobby
21. If returning from the grocery store, wash vegetables, wrap them and put them away. Place rest of groceries or purchases in their proper place
22. Have a quick lunch
23. Start advance food conditioning like crisping vegetables or thawing frozen foods
24. Handle weekly chore for the day (Saved that for a separate post)
25. Set the table for dinner
26. Arrange the living room for evening enjoyment (such as “the Mister’s” newspaper, book, and cigarettes, or in our case, the husband's change of clothes and glass of ice water.)
27. Do a quick sweep of the floors and ensure entrance ways are clear
28. Prepare a special dish for dinner
29. Freshen up before the husband returns from work. Consider changing into something more festive if the day dress is plain
30. Set out a tray with equipment for making cocktails, should “the Mister” want to serve drinks before dinner
31. Greet husband “gayly” (*snort* We should seriously bring this word back)
32. Serve dinner
33. Clear table and wash dishes
34. Pour boiling water down the sink to ensure pipes are flushed (I prefer to clean my sink after dishes with vinegar and baking soda. Heads up, it bubbles when mixed)
35. If necessary, pack the husband’s lunch for the next day. Set aside a lunch tray in the refrigerator for yourself if having leftovers (Already do this daily)
36. Set table for breakfast
37. Ensure breakfast foods are available and do any make-ahead preparations for it

I seriously got tired just reading then typing this list up. How in the world am I supposed to finish all of this is a day? *sheesh* Oh, and that's not all. Check out the other half of the list; these are to be done at least once a week:

• Use metal polish on bathroom fixtures
• Clean and disinfect all kitchen appliances
• Scald and disinfect bread boxes and garbage pails and bins
• Replace flowers with fresh bouquets

I don't know about the whole bouquet thing. I mean, I'll do my best, but we tend to only use wild flowers in the area and there's nothing really growing in November. Maybe I'll just make sure there's a pretty centerpiece on the dining table. Oh, and I don't have a bread box, so I'll have to just put something in its place.

So about the cleaning thing. I know there were things such as comet available, but the women used a lot of natural things, as do I. Most of my cleaning products are pretty much the same as they used in the 50s - baking soda, vinegar, Castille soap (I don't have access in my small town, so I use Fels Naptha and Ivory for natural detergents), lemon juice, and Borax and washing soda. Own and use all of these (I make my own laundry and dish soap). Guess I'm living a lot more like a 1950s housewife than I thought. Now, if I can just break the Internet and background television habit (I don't watch much TV. Just like the background noise when everyone is gone).