Housewifery. What a strange and heretofore unknown word in my vocabulary. It is a word not listed in just about every dictionary I checked. I finally found a definition which classified this word as a noun, defined as “the work or function of a housewife, housekeeping.” I suspect that whoever determined the type of word was never a housewife. I think that instead of being a noun, it should have been classified as a verb, especially since the beginning of the definition starts with “the work”. Regardless, housewifery is work – the most important work that a woman could do.

According to Mrs. Child in The American Frugal Housewife, “…the situation and prospects of a country may be justly estimated by the character of its women; and we all know how hard it is to engraft upon a woman’s character habits and principles to which she was unaccustomed in her girlish days.”

Somehow, through the years, passing of generation to generation, and the influx of the feminist movement, we seem to have lost sight of that.

My journey is most likely a lot like yours, although I am further down the path then you might be. I grew up in a small town, attended public school, and did my chores. It is possible that I was exposed to more sewing and cooking than the average girl due to my involvement in 4-H, home economics, and country living. Yet, I think it is fair to say that my exposure to the skills of housewifery were on part with every other girl I knew of my generation – a little more in some areas, a little less in others. However, my experience in housewifery is significantly more than what I see in my children’s circle of influence.

Even with the simple background of my childhood, my journey towards housewifery was a muddled approach full of trial and errors. Sure, I knew how to cook a frozen meal or something from a box. I could read simple recipes and knew how to use a washer and dryer. Keeping a house clean followed the chores I had grown up with – meaning that we primarily cleaned the house from top to bottom every Saturday. My primary focus was anything but housekeeping.

When I did decide to focus full-time on housewifery, the first thing I did was look for an instruction manual or job description of sorts to help me develop the skills necessary to succeed in the new non-corporate role of full-time wife and mother. I discovered that there are plenty of resources available – they are just disjointed and separate from one another. It is almost as if the role of housewife has been segmented and departmentalized with books, magazines, and online resources. You can find information on cooking, cleaning, marriage, mothering, organizing, beautifying, decorating, and so on. It is kind of up to you to amass this collection of material and make your own day-to-day sense of it. It can be daunting and overwhelming, and when you get right down to it, you are still missing so many of the components.

It is my hope that as you join me in my cozy little corner of the internet, that you will find many of those varied resources here, in one spot. Interesting in something? Have a question? Post a comment and let me know. I am happy to share my experience of raising boys and girls, developing my housewifery skills on the way. Hopefully, I can help you do the same without making the same mistakes that I did along the way.

I hope to hear from you soon!