Part 3 of the Housewife Series.

Ok, so let’s return to the questions posed in part 2 of this series by many working women today.

“What do you do all day?”   

This is an easy one.  I just sit around doing nothing, my house looks magnificent, and Alice makes sure Sam the Butcher delivers the best cut of beef right before she cooks us dinner. 

Sure…right - only in my dreams!   There is so much involved in maintaining a smooth running home - and I don’t even have kids running around yet.  Cleaning, organizing, menu planning, food preparation, decorating, tending to my husbands needs, and even sending out much-appreciated birthday / thank you / greeting cards take up much of my time.  Shoot, cooking a good, full, nutritious meal typically takes 2 hours in itself.

Not only that, but I also run many websites (some of a business nature, some personal, such as this one) and a large collie merchandise store (which I founded in 2002) that generates a nice stream of extra income for us.

I also discovered FlyLady routines, which has guided my previously dumb-to-cleaning-methods self into learning how to maintain a clean, non-CHAOS (”Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome”) home.  Using her tips, and applying it to my own home situation, I have developed weekly routines that keep our home looking spotless and prepared for anyone to drop in at a moment’s notice (something my husband and I have always dreamed of!). 

The dishes stay clean, I’m becoming an excellent cook (ifidosaysomyself :)), and I have already pre-ordered my very own Laundry Fairy wings.

 Don’t you get bored?! 

 Bored?  With everything I just described above?  No way!  Tired, yes.  Bored, no.  Perhaps I would get bored if I was a complete extrovert that needed to spend every waking moment with people - but I’m not.  I was blessed to be an introvert. :)   Besides, I have not found my social life lacking in the least.   I still have plenty of contact with the people I care about the most.

Also, I have always hated the word “Bored”.  It annoys me greatly to hear it.  To me, people who use the word “Bored” are those people who happen to be boring themselves.  To be “Bored” is a state of mind - it means that you, as a human being, do not have the resources inside of your own mind to entertain your own self when a physical stimuli of some sort (be it a movie, another person, or whatever) is not doing the job for you.  I do not think I have ever experienced the emotion of boredom.

Well, ok, maybe once….during a personal finance course in college.   But it was all the teachers fault.  I swear. 

 Aren’t you wasting your life?”

Most certainly not!   I am fulfilling a great mission - that of caring for my family and building a wonderful life and legacy, which hopefully, will pass down to Little Jack and into future generations.   Not being tied to the confines of a 9-5 job allows me the freedom to fulfill other activities that I passionately care more about.  Furthermore, staying home full time allows me the time and energy to focus my business skills on creative homebased business ventures, such as my CollieShop, which will eventually bring in more passive income than any hourly job could.

It also allows me to crash in my own bed at 1 pm in the afternoon if the baby has given me an extra hard ‘kickin’ that morning!

Having been raised in a more conservative Christian culture, and being part of a marriage where both my husband and I believe in God-given male & female roles, we feel we are personally closer to living the life God wants for us - the life in which we both are at our best as man and wife.  I feel neither degraded nor demeaned by my status as a stay at home’er.  In fact, I feel quite priveledged to have this opportunity in today’s “dual income” society.   I have also always admired the “Proverbs 31 Women” and her domestic qualities.  My life now as a full time housewife grants me the ability to seek after and become more like that wonderful wife and mother. 

Our life is also much, much more peaceful.  I no longer feel the anger at my husband burning inside of me as my cassarole is burning inside the oven.  Instead, nowadays, I feel more sympathy for him and the fact that he has to return to a job, with loads of stress, day in and day out - sometimes gone up to 60 hours per week.  He never even utters a word of complaint!  Instead of bitterness for Kevin increasing, my love and pride increases - which, in turn, causes me to want to make his life more comfortable.  Here I am, free to plan my day as I please, while he is stuck going to a stressful job, away from his home and family that I know he loves so much.   It’s not longer “too much to ask” of me to make sure his shirts are clean or a nice supper is on the table.  In fact, pleasing him makes me very very happy.

And you know what?  As the saying goes “If Mama ain’t happy, no one’s happy!”.   That is so true!  In return for our new lifestyle and my change in attitude towards my husband, our home is much more comfortable and cozy.  I feel it and my husband feels it.  We’re both very happy - and we praise each other a lot more than we did before.  Smiles, laughter, hugs, compliments, and sincere discussions now play a much larger role in our home life than they ever did before while I was busy nursing bitterness in my dual roles of full time newlywed and full time employee.  I’ve become acutely aware that my attitude towards things definately trickle down to my husband. 

I’ve also noticed that he is far more apt to follow my lead with household duties himself when there peace is reigning than when I’m bickering and nit-picking at him.  As long as the kitchen is staying clean, he’s content to wash his hot chocolate cup immediately after use and put it right back up.  As long as the laundry is staying clean, he’s content to put everything in the correct place after it’s used.  

And letmejustsay, there is nothing cuter than watching a butt-naked husband serenely fold his fluffy towel and place it perfectly back on the bathroom rack after he’s finished instead of tossing it on the floor where it use to end up!

Tagged: housewife

What Next?

• My Beginnings as a Stay at Home Wife / Mom (Viewed 0 times)
• Blessings of a Stay at Home Wife / Mom (Viewed 0 times)
• Regaining Purpose in Life (Viewed 0 times)

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