Sweet Apron I won from Andrea at The Freckled BugI'm so excited about this wonderful list that I just have to share it with you! Please understand--this is the REAL me. I love this list and have always tried to live by it. But I'd never seen it in print before. It was taken from a 1950's Public High School Home Economics textbook.
Reading it again, gave me a renewed vision for my chosen 'career'. The things on this list are the most important goals I have as a homemaker and I love it!! I've loved being a homemaker since the first day I married. I wanted to be the best wife and homemaker ever and I still do!is In fact, this IS what I wanted to be more than any other job I might have aspired to pursue.
Home Comforts--My Favorite Homemaking Manual
Honestly, I sometimes lose sight of these goals. I've often heard that you should "schedule the BIG things and the LITTLE things can just work around them". But I realized this evening how easily I can allow that perspective to mess up my priorities as a wife and homemaker. Lately there's been a still small voice nagging at the back of my mind that recently reminded me that the 'little things really ARE the big things'. They deserve more than just a 'lick and a polish'.
From the heart, I believe it is my calling to be hubby's helper..so much so that I originally considered calling my blog the name "Hubby's Helper". It's also why I've had the same email monniker all of my computerized life (at least the last 12 years or so... Homemaking@... the servers have changed..but not the monniker. But since the first day I married, I've struggled to stay focused. Keeping my priorities straight has always been difficult. Working before playing is not easy for me at all, even after all these years!! But I don't get down on myself about it, I just keep getting back on track :o). (I'm the musical, creative type person. )
Please, if this is not your vision, just understand that I'm not trying to put it on you --I'm just sharing, very honestly, what the Lord has put on my heart today. :o) There are some readers who may appreciate this list of reminders and that's what my blog is all about.
"How to Be a Good Wife Today"
- Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home, and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
- Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people. Be cheerful and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
- Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up schoolbooks, toys, and papers. Then, run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
- Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small). Comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them looking like treasures.
- Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile.
Some Don'ts
- Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
- Make the evening His. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
"The goal: try to make your home a place of peace and order, where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit."
Gosh, this list was such a great reminder to me! I so easily slip into forgetting that this is the calling I chose--with eyes wide open! I have so much more freedom to schedule my work and my hobbies and projects too, than dear hubby does. I need to remember how much I loved doing all these things the first five years of our marriage and why I loved doing them!
Our anniversary is only a few days away--so this was just the 'company vision' statement that I needed to read. I know not everyone feels this way--in fact some may really feel this is demeaning or out-dated. I do understand--but I just don't feel that way at all. I love my job as a helper to my hubby and I love using all my gifts, talents, energy, and enthusiasm to make my home a wonderful place for dear hubby, my children and myself to enjoy and fellowship in.
I hope I never quit loving my man this way. He's not perfect..but he's MINE--and He's worth my very best efforts. :o)
Happy 23rd Anniversary, Hubby!
XOXO
Your Loving Wife,
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