When I was a little girl, my mom was the model housewife. Our home was spotless. The laundry was always fresh and hanging in our rooms. Dinner was on the table at 4:20 every evening when my dad walked in the door. Our closets and other storage spaces were always organized. She did crafts, made some of our clothes, kept a
garden and canned the vegetables. She did her grocery shopping and errands, and went to the beauty shop every week. She attended PTA meetings, made cookies for school and cakes for bake sales. She was a Girl Scout leader, and at times had a job outside the home. Somewhere in there, she found time to take us kids on outings, to hang out in the pool with us, and to read novels for herself.

Of course, I didn’t know my mom was a human dynamo. Most of my friends’ moms seemed to be just like her. So I assumed that when I became a housewife, I’d be just as productive. This was the career I’d always wanted. I studied under my mother’s tutelage for years. I learned how to make a bathroom shiny and sanitary, how to put the perfect sweeper marks in the carpets, and how to polish furniture like nobody’s business. And even though I never liked cooking, she managed to teach me how to put a decent meal on the table. She did all she could to prepare me to follow in her near-perfect footsteps.

Except that I am not perfect like she was at this. Or maybe it just looked like she was perfect, to her little girl.

I’ve been a full-time housewife for over 25 years, and for all my high ideals, plans, goals, experience, and know-how, it’s still an everyday struggle. Not that I don’t know what to do, or don’t want to do it, but that it’s hard to maintain the energy and focus to do it. And I figured if I have this problem, some others might, too.

So I decided to start this blog to talk about homemaking and other things that are made more fun and easier when done in virtual community. I hope you’ll find it both helpful and entertaining, and I hope you’ll put in your ideas and ideals, so we can learn from each other.

Ready? Let’s go!