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 2 - First few hours

I'm breaking my own rule today and have gotten online fairly early. As I started my day today I kept beating myself up for not being "pretty". The common misconception is that women got up before dawn, curled their hair, and painted their face. Society has an image of the 50s housewife as floating through the house wearing a flowing skirt, heels, pearls, and a red mouth.

I agree June!

That's a false conception. Yes, a lot of women did wear dresses every day. My mom has memories of my grandma wearing a dress to garden. As I posted yesterday they would wear something called a day dress or house dress, complete with apron. They wore comfortable shoes or house shoes for their housework and gardening.

 

Yeah, so this dress isn't as appealing as our mental images of the 50s housewife, but what does this say to you? To me, I think of the shortage of everything, especially money. This shortage of money generally meant that women not only had to make their own clothing, but they had to take great care to keep the dresses in good condition. If you've ever bought, or even held a vintage dress originally from the 40s or 50s you'll notice how much better quality was put into the clothing of that time as compared to our wear and throw away wardrobe of today.

 

As I cleaned in my jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes to as much classic music as I could find in my small oldies library I couldn't help but think about family dynamics of yesteryear as opposed to today. At that time in history staying home and raising your children was just expected. Yes, we have a choice whether we want to go to work, go to college, or stay home now, but is there really a choice for us as women?

 

Think about this for a minute - in that day, the man went to work while the women stayed home to raise the kids, clean the house, cook, pay bills, run errands, etc, etc, etc. Now, we have the choice to go to work so we can come home and raise the kids, clean the house, cook, pay bills, run errands, etc, etc, etc. So, where is the choice? Oh, I know there are men out there who help around the house, but admit it....that's rare. And honestly, I don't want my husband to do the laundry, and homeboy can not cook! He helps when I ask him to, but being as he works up to twelve hours a day, why in the world would I ask him to do something I could've done during the day while he was working his butt off to support the five of us?

 

Okay, so where am I going with this? Honestly, I'm not sure. I laid in bed last night for hours, my feet throbbing, my body exhausted, and my mind reeling. I already live the life of a housewife, but what makes me different from a 1950s housewife? Is it because I choose to live this life? Is it because, as a society, we no longer put pride in our appearance when we go into public, or pride in our homes and family? When I think of a traditional 1950s housewife the picture at the top of my page is what comes to mind.

 

 

To me, this is the 1950s. The family didn't save their nice clothes for strangers; they dressed nice to have dinner with each other. The family is praying together, sitting at the dinner table to eat instead of everyone making a plate and disappearing into another room where they can eat in front of the television or computer. The wife (at least in this picture it was the wife who prepared the meal) took great care to make sure she made something not only nutritious but tasty and appealing to the eye for those who are most important to her. Why have we decided that we'll save our best (personality, manners, kindness, appearance) for strangers or a night out with friends rather than the people whom mean the most to us? And when did this shift from family happen?

 

I will still post about my experience from today this evening, but for now I can't help but reflect on these things while I attempt to rebuild the 50s family in my own home.