I am so weary - but it's a good weary.
I took a week's vacation from my job, specifically to do my fall housecleaning.
I don't do spring and fall cleaning the way my mother and grandmother and their mothers before them did. I do zone cleaning. I do not tear the whole house apart and live with disarray for a week or so whilst the cobwebs get swept out.
I learned zone cleaning from either Good Housekeeping or Women's Day magazine, back in the 1970s - when my stupid generation was all-about "Women's Lib."
I have always hated Women's Lib. It surely did not liberate me! I, au contraire, was obviously born in the wrong generation. I love to keep house, raise children, cook scrumptious meals. I love this sort of vacation that I have taken this week: I get to pretend I am a full-time homemaker.
Most years, though, I do my spring and fall cleaning in the evenings, when my husband is at work, (since I work first shift and he works second).
I had an extra week of vacation to use up yet this year, and he cannot get the time off right now; so I set this week aside to bless myself by doing my fall cleaning in the daytime. I am loving every daylight moment of it!
I am so weary! But it is a good weary!
... And having the man home with me these mornings to see what his trophy wife does to keep his home so charming?: Priceless!
I have one more day off. Then the weekend. Then back to the trenches on Monday. Three more birthdays, and I will, Lord willing, be old enough to "retire." Then I can, at last, and forever, be what I have always wanted to be: a full-time "homemaker". (Sorry, Libbers, but I have always hated you. You didn't liberate me. You made me conform to your definition of meaningful contribution. You are welcome to take my vacant position in the Rat Race when I retire. By the way - the Rats win. Just sayin'.)
Just so you know: my husband loves to vacuum and help keep our place clean and tidy. Also he does all the yard work, and is the creator and curator of our beautiful garden. I am blessed!
ReplyDeletePlus, for the past 10 years, I have only had to work outside of my home part-time: 15-20 hours per week. So I have had the best of both worlds. But even so: I am really looking forward to not needing to go bring home any bacon. I'd really rather only fry it, and put it in a quiche.
ReplyDeleteYou are my kind of gal so love being the stay at home house wife now that I can an do enjoy most of it except the bad health part an Dino's being sick too but we enjoy the being home together an me playing at home is what I call it was never one of the bra burner either.
ReplyDeleteso beautifully put!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your anti-womens lib rant. And I'm glad you got to enjoy a week of the sort of life you'd like to have.
(me, I'm thoroughly not into housework. but I'm not into the rat race either, and I don't buy that stuff about only being truly fulfilled if you're out there doing what men do. I think women's lib started with good motivation - there were some things that really needed sorting out, like women not being allowed to vote or to have their own bank account, but somewhere along the way it got off track, and as you say, it has not really liberated women, it has put more pressure on them, telling them they're not living life to the full if they're being "just" a housewife and mother.)