You see, at first, like most newlywed housewives do, I cooked and cleaned with a fury. I gleefully cooked meals from scratch and kept the house in ship shape. I washed the laundry and happily folded it. I actually didn't use my dishwasher for a little while because I wanted to enjoy washing my very own dishes. The carpets got vacuumed regularly and nothing got spilled on the floor that didn't get my immediate attention. I kept track of our books with an eagle eye and didn't let a single receipt or important piece of paper escape unrecorded. I was playing house for real!
"Mrs. Darling was married in white, and at first she kept
the books perfectly, almost gleefully, as if it were a game.
Not so much as a Brussels sprout was missing;
but by and by whole cauliflowers dropped out."
-J.M Barrie
Peter Pan
I wish I could say that that lasted a long time, but I can't. My husband and I have been married a year and a half and It's already worn off (if that tells you anything). Don't mistake me. I'm still a young wife, and I still have spurts, but now they are just that, spurts. It's almost as if I thought that marriage would instantly turn me into Betty Crocker or a Good Housekeeping Magazine woman. I'm sorry, it just doesn't work that way.
I Love my husband and I like my house, but I'm also fond of my sanity. I buy groceries, and forget to use them. Dishes get washed when we run out of clean ones. I eat at subway sometimes because I don't want to cook, and My husband makes his own lunch. I rarely fold laundry, and I vacuum the carpet and mop the floor when company is coming. I am a housewife, and I am real.
That being said, I reach my point. My point this: dear reader, if you are a housewife whose been married longer than I, and still have your house in ship shape and your husband and children fed with three square, from-scratch meals a day, and do it with the joy and fervor of a newlywed, I tip my figurative hat to you.
Hey Laura!:) I love the honesty in this post! I think all of us house wives go through that. Tanner and I have been married a year and four months. I moved into his apartment and immediately became a neat freak. I washed every dish right away, happily folded all of our clothes, swept, mopped, everything multiple times a week. I loved it! But after a few months the new wore off. It was just stuff I HAD to do..
ReplyDeleteWe moved into our house about 7 months ago.. The new has definitely wore off now, but I try to remember --This is MY job. Tanner goes to work 5 to 7 days a week and I make our house a home. I try to make it a game, almost. I get up and get him off to the office, then I shower, do my hair, get dressed for the day, then I clean everything. I do dishes by hand (no dishwasher in this house:(). I vacuum, sweep and do laundry, if needed. THEN! Finally, I get to sit down with my coffee and check blogs, sew, crochet, or whatever I want.
Proverbs 31:10-11
Pr 31:10
"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain."
-A virtuous woman's husband has confidence in her. He knows she is a hard worker and will do her job. :)
I'm not trying to say we have to keep perfect houses or that Subway for nights when we don't want to cook is bad at all! We do that alot! I just try to find inspiration from God's word to be a better housewife. :)
"I just try to find inspiration from God's word to be a better housewife." I think that is the key Kay, I def. agree. :) Laura, I really enjoyed reading over your post, I love your writing style for example the, "I tip my figurative hat to you." There at the end made for a good strong finish. As Kay mentioned, I also really love the honesty in this post, it took guts! Good work! :) It definitely can be true for all of us, even the most skilled homemkaker's have there 'off' days. Happy blogging!
ReplyDeleteI glad ya'll appreciated it. yeah, I almost didn't post it, but I thought, "you know, if this happened to me, I betcha it's happened to other newlyweds!" Kay, I love your example of your routine. that's something that I need to work on.
ReplyDeleteGlad you did post it, Laura. I can remember making a roast beef supper when I was a newlywed. A couple came to see us, unexpectedly and they thought it was so cute that I was making such a full meal for an every day supper. It confused me. Wasn't it supposed to be this way? I knew my mother didn't always make a full meal for supper, but I thought she was off the grid from all other housewives.
ReplyDeleteI love your quote from Peter Pan.