How to be a Good Housewife

My husband brought home this funny list from work several years ago about how women were supposed to treat their husbands in the 1950's. It was meant to be used as a guide for being the perfect wife and homemaker. Recently I found it and thought it was worth sharing.

How to be a Good Housewife

1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready-- on time.This is a way of letting him know you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a warm meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take fifteen minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair so you will be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little more gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away the clutter: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order. It will give you a lift too.

4. 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 playing the part. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, and vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

5. Be happy to see him.

6. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

7.  Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first. Remember his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

8. 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.
 Speak in a low, soothing, and pleasant voice.

9. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to relax.

10. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

11. Don't greet him with complaints and problems.

12. Don't complain if he's home late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

13. Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

14. A good wife always knows her place.

There is speculation to whether this is a real list taken from Housekeeping Monthly as the article claims it is. Real or not it's pretty funny yet I am here to testify that there is a lot of truth to it too. My grandma is a bonafide 50's housewife and almost every item mentioned on the list I have witnessed in her own household. Even though my grandparents have a very traditional 50's household they are one hundred percent committed to each other and love each other deeply. So even though that way of life seems so backwards to us now maybe there was something that was working... ie putting your spouse's needs before your own. Just not to the extreme as this article suggests though!

Good and bad but definitely times have changed!

Clothing Organization for Kids' Drawers

Have you ever been in a time crunch and are running around trying to get kids dressed, only to hit a road block when your toddler refuses to wear anything you've picked out? We've all been there (or at least know someone who has).

Toddlers like to be able to assert their independence and who can blame them? They are realizing they are their own person and want some say in the things that happen to them, yet we as their mommies get to make most of the decisions for them.

I ran into this a lot when my oldest was about 3. She insisted on picking out her clothes (which usually consisted of the same shirt over and over), and I insisted on her matching and looking presentable if we were going to be out in public. BTW, if you are reading this and have no problem with your kids picking out their clothes all the time, just disregard this whole post! :)

However, if you're a control freak like me, then perhaps you'd like to keep reading to see how I stopped the daily battles about clothing at my house.

First, I took all the bottoms and tops Ainsley had and put them into outfits. Most people have more shirts than pants, so I found more than one possible shirt and put them both with a pair of pants or shorts. Then, I placed each outfit into a gallon sized storage bag and placed them neatly back into the drawers.

This resulted in Ainsley being able to pick out an outfit which made her happy and feel like she had a say in the matter. I was happy too, because I knew she looked presentable!

I have since done the same for second and third children's clothes but have taken it a few steps further. Since my second child, Aftyn, has so many clothes because she never outgrew last year's batch but has a whole new set from Ainsley for this year, I have organized her clothes by capri outfits (one drawer) and shorts outfits (another drawer). That way when the weather is a little cooler I can easliy find what I'm looking for.

Now when the time comes every morning to get everyone dressed, there are happy faces and no one ends up crying, even me. :)

Packing for a Trip?

My second daughter Aftyn at 10 months, preparing for an airplane trip.

Make a list!

I know first hand how stressful it can be when trying to pack a family for a trip--especially when you have little ones or a baby. Believe me, I've had many a trip with my little ones to be really good at packing efficiently and I never forget anything! This morning I was talking to my mom on the phone and she was mentioning all the things she had to remember to pack in her suitcase for her upcoming trip (to see me!). She was worrying that she wouldn't remember everything she needed as she had to pack things she doesn't usually bring.

I suggested she try what I do-- make a list! Here's how I go about it:
One Week Before...

1. Get a piece of paper for each person you'll be packing for and write their names at the top of the paper.
2. Write down as many things as come to mind that each person will need.
3. Keep the lists in a handy place where you'll be able to find them.
4. Over the course of the week, refer back to lists and add to them as you think of more things that need to be packed (doing this ensures that nothing will be forgotten)

One Day Before...

1. Keeping your lists with you, start packing.
2. Check off items as you pack them.

Tips for Packing Babies and Toddlers

1. Place everything you need for a day's outfit into one gallon-size Ziploc bag ie shirt, pants, socks, underwear, hair ties. Do this for each day of your trip. It makes it so much easier to find what you're looking for!
2. Always pack extra outfits-- chances are you'll need them!
3. Designate one suitcase just for your baby. With diapers, wipes, extra clothes, etc. my babies always need a whole suitcase to themselves.
4. Put canisters of formula or rice cereal in a closed Ziploc bag too. You never know what a change in air pressure or elevation is going to do to those things and you don't want them to explode all over the inside of your suitcase! Yeah, it's happened to me before... not a pretty sight.

Trying to get ready for a trip is always stressful but if you follow a list I promise it'll go smoother and hopefully make your trip that much better because you know you have everything you need to make it so!

Organization Class Part IV--Placing!

Remember the rhyme? When organizing a space, think EDIT, SORT, and PLACE. Today we're going to talk about the last step, placing all your beloved things back where they belong.

Placing is by far the best step in my opinion. This is where you can use your creativity by incorporating storage into the overall decor and style of your home.

• It doesn't have to be costly! If you look at the picture above none of those containers cost me more than seven dollars. Drawer organizers (the flat white basket) cost about a dollar each and can be found at any Target, Wal-Mart or drugstore. You just have to be on the lookout for a deal. You can find really pretty baskets or bowls (like the one my 8 year-old uses for her library books) at a Ross or TJMaxx store for a great price. Craft stores such as Michaels or Hobby Lobby often have baskets at 50% off. When my local Wal-Mart gets their canvas bins in (seasonally) I stock up. They are durable, multi-functional, and cost about $3 each!
• Think pretty. My daughter was always leaving her library books out and I couldn't figure out where she could keep them that they wouldn't get ruined. After taking a trip to Ross with this problem in mind, I came across a beautiful red salad bowl and realized it would fit perfectly on the shelf of my entertainment center. Now Ainsley's books are nestled safely and out of sight and all my guests see is a pretty red bowl on the shelf!
• Think storage within storage. Our office area is the second place visitors see when they enter my home so it's crucial to keep it organized, functional, and pretty. Clutter and chaos drive me crazy and I noticed that all the wires were out of control. I had purchased a pretty green basket for them but they were always tangled and lost in there anyway. One day I had had enough and so I came up with a better way to keep all those wires contained. I grabbed my gallon sized Ziploc baggies and began sorting the wires into categories. (Ear phones, digital camera wires, video game controllers, etc.) Then I put all the bags back into the basket and labeled them (see picture above).
• Label Everything! This is especially crucial to pantry's, closets, and kid spaces. If you want to even have a prayer of keeping your spot organized then you have to make sure that everyone understands (husbands included) where things go. I prefer to make my own labels by typing what I want the label to say on my computer, printing it out, and then laminating it with my personal laminator. Labels last a lot longer if they're laminated. I've also been known to write out labels on the back of index cards and then attach them with painters tape, which sticks but won't ruin the surface it's sticking to.
• Zoning. When placing your items back in their home try to put all like items on the same shelf/corner/space. For example, one shelf in my pantry is dedicated to baking, another to dinner components, another to snack foods, etc. Zoning your items will make it so much easier to find what you're looking for.  I'm all about efficiency which is why I started organizing in the first place.

Happy placing everyone!

Organization Class-Part III

If you'll remember last week, we talked about how in order to organize a space you have to clean it out first. Hopefully, it worked out for you! This week we're going to continue on with the next step which is sorting. If you made it through editing then sorting will be a breeze!

• The trick to sorting is to break your project up into small pieces.
• Try not to get overwhelmed as you go through what you've decided to keep.
• Make a pile for each thing you'll be keeping, according to likeness, color, etc.
• Categorize things in a way that make sense to you. When I organized my pantry, I sorted things this way. In one bin I placed all the breads and also included peanut butter, so everything to make a sandwich is right there. I did the same when I organized my laundry room. I put all the bathroom cleaners into one container, etc. Makes sense to me!
• When organizing a child's space, keep the categories general and simple. Your kids will be more likely to maintain the space if they understand how it's arranged.

And there you have it. Sorting is easy and quick. Next week comes the real fun when we get to place our items back in their space! You'll love it I promise!

Click here to see how I "tackled" my girls' hair accessories!

Organization Class--Part II

Hello, again! I hope you've given some thought to your organization homework from last week because now we're going to talk about the three steps you must know to organize any space. It comes in a little rhyme to make it easier to remember.

To organize any space think:

Edit

Sort

Place

Easy, huh? So let's talk about editing, otherwise known as purging shall we?

When you have a space to organize, and I'm talking about any space; a cupboard, a drawer, a pantry, a closet, or an entire room. The first thing you have to do is purge the space of any unnecessary things. After all, when it comes time to put things back you don't want to make precious room for something you didn't really want or need in the first place right?

So many people are tempted to go out and buy all the fancy storage solutions that are out there but you must purge first! Often the things you need to place your items are already there, they're just being under-utilized. So how do you go about it?

First you need to pull everything out of the space. Do a little at a time depending on the size of the space. Decide what stays and what goes. Make a pile for things to keep, things to donate, and things to trash.

It seems to me that some people develop an emotional attachment to their things. I find this especially common in my parents' generation. To them I say this: "An item only has value if you benefit from it; otherwise it's clutter. If you haven’t used it in a year, name a specific occasion when you will need it, or get rid of it. And don’t feel bad about tossing old gifts. The love came from the person who gave you the gift, not from the actual sweater or gadget. You received and enjoyed the kind thoughts, so let the object go.”  Quote from Family Circle Magazine

I tell my kids all the time, "If we kept everything that we ever acquired or that someone else gave us, then eventually those things would end up filling up and taking over our whole house."

Being able to have time to spend with my family is more important to me than trying to hold onto things. Holding onto things I don't need clutters my house, keeps me from being able to find things when I really need them, wastes my time, which in turn makes me feel anxious and grumpy, and detracts from the peaceful feeling I strive to keep in my home!

So there you have it, edit your space, let go of the things that don't matter because they are, after all, just things. You cannot take them with you when you die and all that will end up happening is you'll leave your loved ones with the burden of trying to purge for you.

Click here for an example of how I organized my pantry from start to finish.

Organization Class- Part 1

And I'm back! Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this blog but I do have some good reasons! I've been taking care of some very sick kids for the past two weeks and also I've been preparing a class on organization that I just taught on Tuesday at my church.

Now that the kids are on the mend and my class is all done, I thought I'd take the next few weeks to review what I taught in the class. So here goes!

Part I- A House of Order
First of all I had the class envision the inside of an LDS temple. If you're not LDS click on the link to see what I'm talking about. We then discussed what makes a temple orderly and came up with these answers: Nothing is ever out of place or cluttered. Everyone has a job to do and performs it in a timely and orderly fashion. It is always clean.

I then quoted this scripture from a book called The Doctrine and Covenants which is a book of revelation revealed to the first prophet of our church, Joseph Smith. The scripture says, "Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. D&C 132:8.

"A clean organized room can bring the Spirit of the Lord." This is a quote I found when I was teenager and loved it so much I wrote it down on a little card to be displayed on my bedroom mirror. Back then I was not organized or neat. After years of constantly being punished for not keeping my room clean, my mom finally gave up and let me live in my filth. And I did, quite happily!

As I became a grown-up, however, and became in charge of an entire household, I realized that order and cleanliness make my house run smoother. They make things less stressful. They teach my kids to respect their home, their mother, and themselves. And most importantly, they make my home a peaceful place to be.

So here comes your challenge for the week:
Think of one room in your house or area in your life that is disorganized and ponder these questions:

1. What don't you like about it?
2. How does it make you feel?
3. How does it keep you from accomplishing what you want?

Next time we'll be discussing the first step in organizing any space albeit a drawer, closet or an entire room! Happy pondering. :)

If you're interested in learning more about my faith. Click here!