Housewives Corner

Housewive's Corner

A place to talk about the joys of homemaking and to learn ways to make our domestic church a great place for our family to live. That includes loving, caring, cooking, schooling, cleaning, laundry, sewing, shopping.  All these things are very important in making a haven for our family.  The world says they are not important but they are important to a Catholic married woman and they are important to God.

Sewing

Consider purchasing a sewing machine and learn to make more than just masks. Making clothes for your family, your own home made curtains, linens and more are several ways to show love and care for your home and family. 

If you have a large family, perhaps homeschooling or have several little ones at home that are keeping you very busy this advice may not be for you at the present time but rather something to consider when the load lightens up.

For others, though, that have the time, consider purchasing that sewing machine and create for your home. Make your home a haven of beauty and peace. It is also a way to personalize your home and each individual person's taste for their own rooms.

It is something your family will always appreciate.

Also, the sewing machine does not have to be an expensive one to do the job.

Better Shows that Influence Homemaking and Love of Family.

I rarely watch anything on modern television. I can not tolerate the feminist influence; women dressed like men, women fighting and punching men, women putting jobs and careers way above their families, the messy homes in the shows and the men cooking and doing the cleaning while the woman brings home the money. Sorry. Can't stand it.  

So, I have found a few shows that have better influence for women, not perfect, but better.

Some of the shows I would suggest women consider watching are of course not of this era.  While, yes, we can not go back in time and we should not romance a time that has gone before us but we CAN, yes, I believe we CAN, bring things of the past forward and do our best to live some of the ideals of the past when it comes to family and faith.

So, some good shows that are of good female influence (though there can possibly be found some feminism) are:

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.  Harriet stood by her husband's side, working with him, while managing what would be considered at that time, a family business. In one interview from Ozzie, he said, when the children were young, she came in, did her parts and then went back home, caring for the family.

The Donna Reed Show. I suggest this not because of who Donna Reed herself was. I can not speak for her personal life but because of who she portrayed in the show, a devoted wife and mother, who loved her home and family. 

Leave it to Beaver. The same as above. I can not speak for the personal lives of any of the actors but only because of the family values they portrayed in the show. 

The Dick Van Dyke Show.  Not totally a show about a family but the show portrays a Laura, as a devoted wife and mother.

The Andy Griffith Show.  In this show, it would not be the influence of a wife and mother but an elderly woman who puts her nephew and son before her own interests.

The Waltons. Michael Learned, the woman who portrayed the mother in the show, was bothered by the love of  family the mother had in the show.

Little House on the Prairie.  Even though Karen Grassle, who played Ma Ingles, was a strong feminist, the character in the show, for the first several or more seasons anyway,  shows very little feminism but rather love of caring for her home and family.

As I said above, regarding the shows, I speak not anything about the actors personal lives but rather the characters they portray in the shows demonstrate good family values. 

Otherwise, I highly recommend ignoring television and read books about the saints but if you are a woman and are looking for a few shows with family influence, check these out.

The Ironing Board

I love to sew and recently have set up a sewing room in a spare bedroom. You know with the machine, material, and cutting table and more. Problem was my cutting table was too low and it was hurting my back to cut material bending over, so I decided I needed to purchase a new table.

So, as usual, off to Walmart I went. I looked all around for a tall table but could find nothing. Then in the ironing board section I noticed an extra wide ironing board. I thought, well that would come up waist high. It would be great for ironing and cutting material, so I decided to purchase it.

I put it in my cart and down the aisles I went. The looks I got were priceless. Comments were great also.  Someone said, "hey she is buying an ironing board".  The check out lady asked, "is that an ironing board?". "Yes, I said".

As I went out the door, someone again said, "look an ironing board".

The point I guess I am trying to make is it is funny that we rarely iron anymore. Clothing does not need it and I am glad of that. I really do not like ironing clothes but also the thought of an ironing board puts people to mind of a woman slaving away at home over a hot iron, subservient to her husband, instead of what it could really mean, a woman creating a loving home for her family.

God bless.


Spring Cleaning and Shrove Tuesday

Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday are called Shrovetide. These are typically days that women in the past would spring clean. People used to have smaller homes and less stuff than they do today so it maybe only took two days to spring clean. Today our homes are little larger and we have much more stuff and, well speaking for myself, two days would not be enough to get all the spring cleaning completed but these two days are certainly good days to get started with spring cleaning.

Spring cleaning is very important because through out the winter homes are closed up and windows shut. Indoor air becomes stale and full of allergens. It is good for both our physical and our emotional health to air out and clean out our homes. After a good spring cleaning we can look back at our work and say as God did after He created, "it is good."