Some may wonder why I am posting a homemakers day but I think there are some lessons to be learned. I read the list and noted how organization was key. The homemaker was organizing present day but also thinking of tomorrow. Exercise was a daily to-do. Cleanliness was a must. These things are all important in our lives today but also very important if there ever is a crisis/collapse. If medical services are ever stopped then germs will be the enemy and one must have habits, cleanliness and the know how to combat. I also think the evening meal is essential. In today’s world as with the past, it brings people together which is a time for the members of the household to discuss events, thoughts and plans, which will also be very important if SHTF. As one homemaker said- Housekeeping Schedule - Time-Warp Wife Daily Schedule for the 50's Housewife: Throw back the covers Open up the blinds and windows Freshen up Make and serve breakfast Clean up breakfast Complete a 10-minute exercise regime Shower, do hair and make-up, get dressed Gather a basket for tidying. As the rooms of the home are tackled, pick up items that aren’t where they belong and place them in a basket. Redistribute them where they should be as you enter a new room Straighten up the living and dining room, including picking up potential clutter, light dusting, fluffing / straightening pillows, and watering plants or flowers Make the beds Tidy the bedroom, including light dusting Hang up any clothes that may be about or ensure dirty ones are in the hamper Do a light tidy of the bathroom including removing and replacing used towels, refilling toilet paper and soap (if needed) and cleaning the sink and basin area including soap dishes Review the menu for the current day and the next and compare it to what’s currently available in the home. Make note of anything that needs to be prepared ahead of time or marketing (shopping) that needs to get done Begin long-advance preparations for dinner (such as making dessert) Wipe down kitchen work surfaces and inside the fridge Dispose of garbage Rinse dish cloths and hang to dry Sweep or mop the kitchen floor Handle errands that might take you out of the home (such as marketing, volunteering, going to the post office, getting an item fixed, etc), bookkeeping, correspondence, or indulge in a hobby If returning from the grocery store, wash vegetables, wrap them and put them away. Place rest of groceries or purchases in their proper place Have a quick lunch Start advance food conditioning like crisping vegetables or thawing frozen foods Handle weekly chore for the day (more on that below) Set the table for dinner Arrange the living room for evening enjoyment (such as “the Mister’s” newspaper, book, and cigarettes) Do a quick sweep of the floors and ensure entrance ways are clear Prepare a special dish for dinner Freshen up before the husband returns from work. Consider changing into something more festive if the day dress is plain Set out a tray with equipment for making cocktails, should “the Mister” want to serve drinks before dinner Greet husband “gayly” Serve dinner Clear table and wash dishes Pour boiling water down the sink to ensure pipes are flushed If necessary, pack the husband’s lunch for the next day. Set aside a lunch tray in the refrigerator for yourself if having leftovers Set table for breakfast Ensure breakfast foods are available and do any make-ahead preparations for it Enjoy an evening of relaxation Also, each day there is a once-a-week chore to tackle, such as: Use metal polish on bathroom fixtures Clean and disinfect all kitchen appliances Scald and disinfect bread boxes and garbage pails and bins Replace flowers with fresh bouquets In addition, laundry should be done at least twice a week (including bedding) and floors should be mopped / vacuumed on a similar schedule. Stepford Sisters: Schedule for the 50's Housewife Some of the things listed, I consider distasteful but all in all it is a good glimpse at a time lost. It certainly gives me new respect for the old-fashion homemaker. My Grandmothers always looked so nicely dressed and ran very well maintained homes. With the increase of modern conveniences we lose some of the goodness and healthy old fashion ways- Here are just a few reasons that line-drying is good: We save money on hydro The sun kills germs and therefore the clothes smell so much better Dryers are more apt to shrink your clothing The sun doesn’t cause static cling Hanging clothes is good old-fashioned exercise I have to throw this in because some of the old fashion practices were not so good. Airing of the baby is one that needed to be done away with. Yes, children need fresh air but baby cages were a scary idea. vintage everyday: Incredible Pictures of Baby Cages Hanging Outside London Apartment Windows in the 1930s My Grandma had the house under control and now that I think back, my Grandpa was very clean and organized with his garage. I now can see that this was a result of the typical 1950's household.
Very good, this is a reminder or new to some folks now that didn't know how the older households were run to keep everything clean and going. I enjoyed reading and remembering some of these things as a child and my own household in the late 1960's. Oh some babies needed cages. Some of mine were escape artists extraordinaire but I didn't have a cage. Plus people were concerned about babies getting the sun they needed for Vit. D and you didn't want them crawling or walking off.
We forget how hard everybody had to, and DID, work in those days. People had less and appreciated it more.
Yea, Now they have the time to run around and Protest everything,under the Sun.... Kind of like Liberal Arts Majors in College...
I was going to list today's house-wife schedule but on second thought, I am not gonna touch that one.
And the list is cut down to just a few items.. Get up Leave the bed unmade Shower, do your hair Leave the dirty clothes on the floor until the pile is too big to walk around or you run out of things to wear Go to Starbucks for coffee Go shopping or stay at Starbucks and surf the internet for things you don't need but want to buy anyway Get home just before Significant Other arrives home Pick up the empty drink cups from Starbucks, Burger King and Jack in the Box along with the three day old Domino's box Start griping at them the minute they enter the door that you don't have enough time or money and that you need a bigger house Whine that you don't feel like cooking and need a night out Demand that you deserve to be taken to a nice place, not a burger joint or pizza parlor Repeat.....
I see it as a glimpse of life if society breaks down. No electricity to run your microwave or washing machine. Many of the chores that it takes to keep a household running will have to revert back to the '50's if society collapses. #20 on the list was indulge in a hobby and in many cases the hobby was a small garden in the back. A small garden provided hobby, fresh air, exercise and fresh vegetables for the family.
That sounds exactly like what a friend puts up with. They had a two story house with basement, but his wife was getting more and more ...er...ah..."angry". Him, her, two sons, but the house was "two small", with three rooms per person. he finally told her he would build her the house she wanted. The one story house is ALL windows. Drive by and you can see front to back, side to side from any side or place in the street or sidewalk! Literally the ONLY place THEY can NOT see out from the inside is the front door! If you stand in front of the front door, with huge windows on each side, the three feet in front of the door is a blind spot and they can't see you! I guess she is happy, but that would drive me crazy! Like facebook I have no urge to have my entire life on display for all to see.
There is a flip side to that, too. It's not just the females that in general have gotten lazy. Many men think they can just come home and sit in front of the tube until bed time. We don't have to fall trees, split the wood, and haul it from the wood shed to the house anymore. We (most of us) don't provide meat by hunting and fishing, we tear it out of plastic wrapped trays instead. We don't grow crops then harvest and help put them up, we just go to WalMart. Nope, most of us work 8 hours a day (a bit more than half of when most of us farmed) and we are beat when we come home and just wanna beer and Family Feud. In my neighborhood I am one of three (less than 10%) that does his own yard work. Our lots are small - it takes me about a half hour once a week to mow and about one hour on Friday or Saturday to clip, trim or edge. I can go on and on, but it's not too darned inspiring for the women folk when we slack our way through our lives as well. Most of the folks I know more than casually on this forum are a bit more old school than the above, but that seems to be the direction of urban life. WALL-E might be seen a thousand years from now as a documentary.
When my Wife and I first were married, Motomom34's OP list was what My Wife thought was expected of her, and She would do this AND work her highly stressful job. I had to convince her that ours was an equal share home and that I didn't ever expect her do do the home chores her self, or that she was subservient to me! What an eye opener this was to her, and caused some head aches for her Father back home after they came for a visit! LOL
Wife and I share the load here too... My former Brother-in-Law thought my wife's sister was his personal servant. SWMBO used to give me the talk, as in "Thou Shalt Not Say Anything" before we went to their house for a visit.
You neglected to mention that men had to perform all these tasks by themselves prior to taking a wife. So bedroom abilities might not have been the primary reason for marriage back in the 50's. But I don't remember Government assistance as being the primary income back in those years of yore? Along with all the other stigma's applied to single parenthood.
I came home today with our master bathroom cleaned... my wife declared she had faced one of her worst fears...cleaning the bathroom....
I still have a schedule in my house I clean one room a day on a rotating schedule in addition to the daily kitchen cleaning. My mom drove me nuts doing all the cleaning on Saturdays so I decided it would all get cleaned but not all in one day. I notice alot of botching about other people but little sharing on what YOU actually do in your household. Setting an example is more effective than botching about what some 'other person' is or is not doing. @Motomom34 that was a great list. 'greet husband gayly' made me laugh.