Top 5 Tips For A New Housewife

I've been a housewife and homemaker for about 3 years now.  Most people who read my blog know my plan wasn't to become a housewife, so I was a little lost at first.  I did a lot of things that were really unnecessary, and lacked on a lot of things that were more important!  I've recently revamped my daily routine once again, and I thought I may as well share what I've learned.  So, here we go, the top 5 tips for a new housewife...

1.  Ask your husband what is important to him.  This is such a simple thing, that is so important!  I would suggest and advise all keepers of the home to do this.  Our husbands are all different, they all have expectations on what clean is.  Often bloggers say doing x, y, or z is what will make us successful homemakers, when our husbands really care about a, b, and c being done!  What my husband wants and prefers done is the backbone of how I run things.  My husband personally cares about his work uniforms being clean, dinner to be done, our home to be picked up of clutter, and a generally clean home before the weekend.  My list is more detailed, like washing windows, checking baseboards, mopping, dusting, and all other fun stuffs like that.

2.  Get your cleaning done as early as you can.  This is something I struggle with.  I am not a morning person, so hopping out of bed and getting my chores done is not easy.  I need some time to wake up and be pleasant.  I spent a lot of my early marriage waiting until the latter part of the day to get my cleaning done.  This meant I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off before my husband was due to arrive home.  It made me flustered and more easily annoyed when my husband got home, and also meant some things were neglected due to lack of time.  My goal is to always get the house tidy as soon as I can, and then do a whole house check at the end of the day.

3.  Pick up after yourself.  Oh boy do I hate this one!  It makes a difference though.  After the home is clean, any time you do something that makes a mess, don't wait to clean it up.  Go ahead and wash the dish, or pick up what you dropped, it just makes things easy for you later.  I also encourage this same thing if you have children or a husband.  I wish I would have had this mindset ingrained in me as I grew up so it wouldn't be such a chore now!  I do not expect my husband to do any housework at all, especially the days he works.  However, I do ask him to at least pick up after himself on the weekends.

4.  It's OK if you do things differently.  As a young, impressionable housewife I really thought I wasn't as good of a housewife if I didn't do what other housewives did.  I spent a lot of time on homemaking journals, and schedules that were really useless to me.  I am a free spirit, I don't do schedules.  I do however do lists, which is an entirely different beast.  Make your own rules to keeping house.  Find out what works for you and do it.

5.  Accept that you will never be done.  This is a hard, hard truth of being a housewife and homemaker.  Your job will never end, and you will never retire.  Just accept it.  You will always be needed to mend socks, wash dishes, and do laundry.  You will always be needed to make your house feel like home.  It seems so exhausting and overwhelming, but really, where else would you rather be?  Although you may always be buried under laundry, you'll also be making a house a home which is priceless.

What do you think?  If you are an experienced homemaker what are your tips to new homemakers?  Share in the comments below!

Squirrels.

When I think, I have a tendency to walk around.  Movement seems to help me think.  I also tend to look out windows, spying on nature.  The other day I was rewarded with these two squirrels foraging in the yard.

I'm pretty sure this was the momma squirrel.  She was just munching away on acorns.  She was not spooked by any cars, or the dogs occasional barking.

Then I spotted this adorable baby (ish) squirrel on the tree!  It was noticeably smaller, and much more feisty and nervous.

It flew around and down the tree, jumping down and taking just a few steps before it plunged it's little claws into the Earth!

He was really getting in there!  Moving leaves, and pushing himself into his work.

Bingo!!  An acorn was found!  It was though, all too dangerous to eat it there on the ground.  There could be other big mean squirrels, or dogs...or CATS!  Eek!

So with his acorn firmly clutched in his mouth, he flew up the tree...

...to settle onto a branch, and happily feast on his tasty morsel!  All the while, mother squirrel was steadfast and oddly unamused by her youngsters squirrely antics...

As you can see, she had already had an acorn or five by the time junior found and fled with his very lonely acorn!

Thoughts

**I also want to note that I recently switched comment forms to Intense Debate.  I just realized that I've not been getting notified of comments, and they haven't been where they normally would be!  Intense Debate has been removed, and I am switching back to what I had previously!  Sorry for any inconvenience!**

I try not to blog on Saturdays.  It's one of those days that people are busy with families, getting things done, you know...all that fun stuff.  It's early, early Saturday morning, I'm feeling sick with a sore throat and headache.  I've got these thoughts on my mind, and figured "Hey!  Bloggers read my blog, maybe they can help!  Or at least send up some prayers!"  So here's the deal...

I love blogging, and writing.  At one point in high school I wanted to be a writer.  I love sharing thoughts, pictures, and recording bits of my life.  I also love sharing recipes, explaining how to cook, and my passion for certain things.  I've recently realized that my blog is kind of directionless.  I'm not a food blogger, not a religious blogger, not a DIY, home decor blogger.  I'm just this girl, married to a guy, trying to live her dream with a bunch of animals running around.  This coming year will usher in a lot of changes for me.  Ideally more chickens, a large garden, turkeys, goats, butchering for the first time and all the added adventures of homemaking, etc.  I'm extremely passionate about being a homemaker and housewife, but also tremendously passionate about better eating, and good cooking.  I want to be the person people can go to if they are confused about how to clean the kitchen or cut an onion, or if they want to figure out how to raise food for their chickens.  I also want to document thoughts I may have about God, or my marriage, or share pictures of some pictures I've taken.

So what do I do?  Where do I and how do I direct this blog?!  Should I just blog what I want to blog even though it could be about chickens one day and God the next?  Or should I organize it in another way?  Thank you all so much for any and all ideas, and for your prayers!

Thanksgiving 2012

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  It's been a complete whirlwind but it's been wonderful.  I always love recapping the festivities of holidays so I can remember later...

The day started bright and early at about 7:30 AM.  Unfortunately Rob couldn't/wouldn't get out of bed, so I had to drag the huge turkey out of the fridge, out of the brine and into the bag in the roaster.  It went well, and I like knowing I can do it alone.  Rob ambled into the kitchen.  As it has been, and may always be, I would be unable to cook on Thanksgiving Day without my husband.  He becomes the hands I don't have but need!  We did the first thing we always do together...peeled potatoes.  Put those on, and I got sweet potatoes on to boil.

Other tasks just fell into place after that.  We worked on the sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, then the green bean casserole.  I got the carrots and brussel sprouts ready, and we worked on any cleaning that needed to be done.  I set the table while Rob went to take a shower, and when he got done I put together the dressing and went to take my shower.  As I was getting ready to get in the shower my parents arrived with my aunt.  They were a little early, but it made me realize how close we were to dinner time!  I showered as quick as I could, and headed back to the kitchen.  My mom was doing dishes, and my husband was tidying things up and I started cooking.

The last 30-40 minutes of cooking is the hardest.  I was making beets, creamed corn, creamed spinach, gravy, everything at the same time.  Also getting things in and out of the oven and not letting anything get to cold.  This is when my husband is so important for me.  It's astounding how we work together in the kitchen. I noted it last year, but this year was the same.  We are just so in sync, it's like a perfect dance.  We'd also be lost without my mother doing dishes for us!

Finally, dinner was served.  The moment we were all waiting for.  This is just after we started eating...

Pardon the lens cap, I was tired!  Oh, and as a note, it's not wine, sparkling juice!

We ended up having 14 sides including my moms sweet potatoes.  I know it's a ridiculous amount of food.  I wouldn't do it differently.  Maybe eventually it'll be downsized, but not yet!  I love cooking so much, and even though it's exhausting I wouldn't change a thing!  Here is a picture of my mom's plate.

I love how colorful the plate is.  So many colors and different foods!  All together this was a huge success.  It was delicious, and pretty perfect.  The only thing I would change would be if I could get another stove/oven to cook with on Thanksgiving day, and to see what items reheat well that I could definitely make a day in advance.

How was your Thanksgiving? Did it go well?  Share below!