Housewifery
“Practicing the Art and Mystery of Housewifery”
We took a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia in the summer of 2012. Standing in the hot kitchen building where the cooking hearth fire had just been extinguished, the living historian explained the duties of the woman of this house in the 1700s. She oversaw all the domestic activities and practiced the art and mystery of housewifery. I asked him to repeat that. He repeated this and added, you didn’t want everyone to know all your secrets. I am, however, willing and glad to share mine here.
My definition of Housewifery encompasses mothering, housekeeping, gardening, and cooking. And includes decorating, diapering, and ridding my house of squirrels.
Click On These For The Stories
On ‘The Good Mother’
Or read ‘Mommy’s Thought Thoughts’
On ‘Raising Fair Fiona’
Or read ‘Oopsie Daisy Mommy
On ‘Son Shine’
Or read ‘Ready or Not, Here’s Mommy’
On ‘My Joy of Cooking’
Or read ‘Beautiful Buttermilk’
On ‘How Does My Garden Grow’
Or read ‘My Brown Thumb’
On ‘To Clean or Not to Clean’
Or read ‘New Year’s Urge’
The Emperor’s New Couch
I had finally found “the couch”. Our TV room couch, aka Parlor couch, is a slip-covered mess. When I got it in the 90’s back in Baltimore, it reeked of smoke and was covered in a blue gray 80’s fabric. The only thing different now is that we’ve gone through several slipcovers and the smoke has been replaced with farts. But it’s gargantuan and fits all of us on it for a movie. And if you stuff a pillow behind you, your back won’t hurt as much. But in the back of my mind, I’ve been cheating on the couch with...
read moreJust Five Things
I have joined a week long exercise in mindfulness and community expansion this week. Created and run by Michelle GD, The Just Five Things Course is asking me to pause three times a day and list five things based on the prompt word of the day. I must admit that “Gratitude” was a hard prompt for me to be inspired by yesterday. However, what came to my attention is that maybe I truly need way more intentional time carved out for myself for my well being. My boundaries are a little wobbly sometimes. Today is Home and I wanted to share...
read moreWhat’s a Sunday Feel Like?
My son said he wanted the weekend to feel like a weekend. A Sunday to feel like a Sunday. Because when you’re home bound, the days can start to feel the same-ish. So today, I made sure we didn’t wake him up. He had a “real breakfast” as in not cereal or frozen microwave breakfast sandwiches. And we didn’t give him too many chores. I asked him if it felt like a Sunday. He said “yes”. What is a Sunday supposed to feel like? I have always been a big supporter of special food and lots of luxury and doing...
read moreStories of Us in Captivity
The complete halt of our lives has given over to some super awareness of family life. Mindfulness on steroids. As the tension subsides and we do find a rhythm, I am also watching and noting how lovely the weather is turning. And how wicked lucky we are. The classroom Beth teaching Fiona sign language clementine candle Fiona on her bed with Chessie Dutch Baby Recipe central Teaching Fiona how to play the piano Teaching Eamon how to chop saw Company in the kitchen Crackers in the sunbeam Kinda Kimchi Reading on rhe lawn kitchen table I hope...
read moreTomorrow begins the 100 Day Challenge 2020
I am a firm believer that creativity builds self-trust and thwarts anxiety. I spent a lot of time studying the inverse relationship between creativity and anxiety. So much so that I have deemed myself an Ambassador to Creativity. As such, I am always wanting to create ways that we can create together. And participating in the #100 Day Project has been one of those ways. I have completed the project two years in a row. I was very pleased with my results from the first year when I validated my suspicion that I could draw with pastels and...
read moreI Feel Your Fear Friend
People are exhibiting some weird fear behavior right now. Fight or flight stuff playing out at the stores across the world. Here in Maryland, the virus has worked it’s way into the state so much that the Governor has put everyone in a timeout for now. We’re to stay at home, Damnit, except for food. And while I’m glad I don’t have to deal with throngs of panicked people, I still had to venture out for groceries today. How do we think in a way that allows for our and others’ humanity in times of crisis. How do we...
read moreWe Need to Call it Physical Distance not Social Distance
The fact is, they’re not really sure how this Covid-19 virus is actually spreading. Obviously from person to person, but is it the breathing, sneezing, touching and transferring, or just plain smashing it into your face with your unwashed hands that’s spreading it ? So maintaining physical distance would be helpful for a couple of these transference methods. However, in a time when we can not get our physical needs met for handshaking or hugging from friends and neighbors, more than ever we need to be compensating with increased...
read moreKeep Safe and Keep Walking
Besides wanting to fight off the extra pounds that will be attempting to attach themselves to my butt during this plague season, the reason that I exercise regularly is so that I can sleep harder and better. It’s good to alleviate stress and get me away from my family who is getting on my nerves and, Yes, I know it’s good for my heart and essentially will allow me to live longer to see my kids grow up. But I hate not sleeping well. It’s a waste of downtime. But with the recent restrictions piling up about keeping distance...
read moreFamily Time and the Coronacation
In many ways, this forced isolation has expanded my heart. The persistent time spent with my family, and they with each other, has changed us. Where before we were all living our own busy lives, suddenly we are living together. And seeing each other in a deeper way. We are building trust funds between one another. There have been a few more “I love you’s” than usual. One of my most concerted goals with creating a family, has to been to consciously create a closeness between my kids. To foster their connection that will be more important...
read moreStill Practicing the Art and Mystery of Housewifery
Ask me the dreaded cliched “what do I do”question and I may pause. Do you mean, how do I earn and living? Or where do I find my life’s purpose in a seemingly dull life of parenting? I’ll answer that I’m a writer because that is definitely an answer I can proudly own. But truly, more of me is that homebody and that mother and I derive tremendous pride and pleasure from that. But you might not understand that answer. Because it all sounds so trite and swell and female. I am very proud of the homebody I am. I have tremendous...
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