Yes, I do have an extremely handsome husband though I couldn't get him in a "cute lumberjack shirts and square-framed glasses" if my life depended on it. Yes, I do think that my daughter could be a model for Baby GAP. As for my home looking like an Anthropologie magazine...not so much! I personally don't read "Mormon housewife blogs" regularly and probably never will. In fact I've only ever come across them by accident or by clicking on a link someone else provided. Maybe it's due to the fact that I really don't write my blog to entertain others so much and I write to vent (and inform) about what's going on in our life at the moment. This blog is my release, my way of letting you guys (and the rest of the world if they're interested) into my thoughts, trials and life in general. I don't write about arguments that I had with B, not because they don't happen but because I don't believe this is a place to write that. And honestly, I generally don't feel that they're important enough to write about and who really wants to read a blog that discusses such private things? I would rather go watch a soap opera to see that kinda thing (which I gave up cold turkey about 1½ years ago).
But enough about all of that, I really started writing this post because a few days ago I came across another article on a friend's Facebook page entitled, "What You Don't See." And while I know that this article wasn't written in response to the previous article (it was written 9 months prior to the other) I think that it would make the perfect response if there was to be one. At least it is a much more accurate depiction of my life as a "Mormon housewife" than that presented in the first article and in the blogs to which is refers
PS - I REALLY hate the word housewife, to me it sounds so degrading. I am a stay at home mom, I am NOT a housewife. I never really understood why I hated the word so much and I decided to google it. What I came across solidified my stance on hating the word. When I searched on Google it was this link that caught my eye, it is from wikiHow and along with giving the definition of housewife it also gives a list of 13 "suggestions to help you flourish in this role." When I reached #2 and began reading it my hatred for the word grew!
Suggestion #2 is: Maintain a Good Appearance. Which alone is not a bad suggestion but when I continued reading what was below the heading, that is when I began rolling my eyes. It says:
It is all too easy to stop paying attention to your appearance when you have a husband, but that kind of behaviour makes men look elsewhere. While it was important to keep a good appearance during dating/courtship, it is even more important in a married relationship, a committed relationship. Try to spend some time each day making yourself look pretty, wearing clothes that delight him. A lot of women would do well to wear skirts more often, as many men dislike women wearing trousers. Keep in mind that not all men prefer dressy dresses and skirts everyday. If your husband continually tells you he likes when you wear a pair of jeans or trousers, by all means, take the hint, while staying neat and clean. Good grooming and hygiene are vital, so keep yourself neat and feminine by having a pretty hair cut, nice nails and smooth legs/underarms. Be happy to see him, and greet him with a smile.Are you kidding me?!?! Typically by the time B gets home from work I haven't even showered and I usually only shave my legs/underarms once a week, maybe TMI but is whoever wrote this serious? I love my husband A LOT but for me, this would be a bit much.
I also take issue with #4: Be Mindful and Considerate of Your Spouse's Needs which instructs me to "have his favorite drink ready" when he arrives home among other things. And then there's #10: Keep the house tidy and pleasant to be in which tells me that "There is no excuse for your spouse to come home to a mess, so make friends with your hoover and feather duster." Has the person who wrote that ever lived in a house with a 2 year old. If I am to follow their suggestion #10 there is no way I can possibly accomplish suggestion #2.
I cannot tell you how annoyed that made me and while it did have some good points they were overshadowed by the annoyingly stupid ones. So I did one last Google search, "housewife vs stay at home mom" and I found a blog post written back in 2009 and basically it encompassed everything I felt. Give it a read, it's appropriately titled, Stay at Home Mom vs. Housewife.
I guess all those suggestions just make me all the more appreciative of my husband who is often more understanding than I am when the house isn't as clean as it could be at the end of the day and who doesn't make a huge issue out of the fact that I'm not always showered by the time he arrives home.
