Living Happily Ever After

It is possible.  But, let's get one thing straight - it doesn't happen like a Disney movie.  There will be good times and hard times.  Your Prince Charming will fart on occasion.  Your infant princess will scream her lungs out in Wal-Mart.  Your little prince will hand you his poo.

Exhibit A:   Grace Kelly

Beautiful American actress.  Married a real prince, but I wouldn't call him handsome.  Had three beautiful children, each of whom grew up and old surrounded by gossip and tragedy.  And, like another famous modern, real-life princess, she was killed in a car wreck.  Did she live happily ever after?  I'd say so.  There was nothing unusual about the heartaches she endured and, by all accounts, her prince did love her.  I have no doubt she's looking down from heaven with pride on her children and adorable grandchildren too.  (Prince Albert, Princess Charlotte, and their little Heirs to the Throne)

The point is, living happily ever after takes work, hard work.  There are no fairy godmothers in real life.  Sorry.  It can be especially hard when you've gone through times that made you feel like you were run over by a truck.  How do you pull yourself up, brush yourself off, and get back to Happily Ever After?  I don't know all the answers.  I'm still a work in progress.  Faith is a big one for me.  A bunch of ladies have inspired me, one of them was the Glamorous Housewife

She has a video on YouTube called How to Create the Life of Your Dreams   and I found it a great spring board for figuring this stuff out.  It's a frequent probably for moms who've totally devoted themselves to childrearing.  The little darlings draw on every ounce of us so that we forget what even got us started down that road.

I created a list of things which make me happy:

1)   The Wilderness

2)   Backyard Farming

3)   Babies

4)   Storytelling

5)   Vintage Living

6)   Everyday History

And then I came up with two personal character traits I need to work on to bring those happy things back into my life.

Proactive

Diligence

There are several other ladies who've inspired and encouraged me and I'll be sharing about them in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, you can look to the left side of this blog to find links to their sites.

Now, get back to work on your Happy.  ;)

HOMEWARD BOUND by Emily Matchar

This is more of a showcase than a review, because I read about half of this book.  This is not vintage or retro or any of that.  This book explains what's at the heart of today's young women taking after their grandmothers more than their mothers when it comes to domestic roles.  The heart of it is that it's super awesome to have the choice to pursue a professional career outside the home, but it's just as wonderful to stay home and make jam, whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a stay-at-home dad.  It observes all the what-fors and withertos and controversies when your mom just doesn't understand too.  Highly recommend it if you're still scratching your head over why a successful attorney might give it all up to bake bread and homeschool her children.  Homeward Bound

Vintage Housewife

The 1950’s housewife has been much maligned in her pearls, joyfully scrubbing the kitchen floor while looking after her husband and impeccable offspring. 

The distaste, of course, comes from the fact that all women were expected to fulfill that role back then.  A mother who worked outside the home was met with disdain.  But, are we any better nowadays?  By that I mean, are we happier, better women?  Sometimes I wonder.  The reason is nowadays women have choices, which is great!  But, that doesn’t stop them from criticizing, ridiculing, and even insulting the choices of other women.   How is it not sexist to insult the choice of a woman to stay home, wear pearls, scrub her kitchen floor, and look after her husband and children?  She’s a woman and that is her choice.  Should she not be applauded for making that choice?  I think so.

Of course, I've seen it go both ways.  Some stay-at-home mothers criticize work-outside-the-home mothers too.

Yes, I’m a housewife, a stay-at-home mother.  Although I aspire to  Leave It To Beaver  I’m not there yet.  My husband says I’m more like  I Love Lucy  – I often mess up with amusing results, but I never stop trying!  And I have red hair...most of the time.  Thankfully, he appreciates all that.

There are many resources to vintage homemaking now.  My two favorites are  Time Warp Wives   and   The Glamorous Housewife   and I'm constantly learning about more.

And here is a modern resource-   The Family Manager  

Here's a fun British documentary of some women who are what I believe is called 'Vintage Purists' and why they choose this lifestyle-   Time Warp Wives documentary    The first featured 'wife' is also an accomplished singer and here is her website under her stage name-   Lola Lamour  

Make your own choices in life!  There's plenty of inspiration for them.