What's so hard about being a housewife? (Page 10)

Zanjan: Have to admit, I'm not up much on its history. I've heard it has perfect weather. Photos and videos of various spots look mighty inviting so doesn't surprise me everyone wants to go there. Oddly, it doesn't have the aura of Australia despite being so close to it.

By the way, the floors I waxed were hard linoleum tiles, not the soft sheets you see today. Hardwood floors didn't need wax as they were permanently lacquered. Takes about 25 years to look poorly; then you sand them down and re-lacquer. Not in my province though - here, its semi-arid so 25 years shrinks the planks, leaving gaps between. Flooring is replaced.

Shiny floors are no longer in vogue - you simply can't get them. I miss that.

I've got a bread-making machine; it sits collecting dust because I don't care for the kind of bread it makes. It doesn't make artesian (hearty) breads either. Gimme the old fashioned way with the right ingredients - there's no substitute.

Breakfast this morning - hot, homemade buttermilk biscuits, slathered with butter and topped with homemade sour cherry jam (my own trees)...............omg, good! It's not that I like baking, it's that I most love the foods you can't buy anywhere. You want it, ya gotta make it yourself.

Yes, when one is dating, they should really study the other's work ethic before getting serious. No matter how much they like each other and share the same interests, opposite values never work out. That story is legion.

Sir Loin: I'm not sure about opposites never working out. My wife is half my age, Asian and had different interests completely yet we seem to have something pretty special going on.
I quite liked my old breadmaker, it produced good chewy, well leavened bread. My handmade stuff always tasted too strongly of yeast. I would fill it up and push the button at bedtime and the result would be ready for kids school lunches when I woke.
I'm curious; what is this "aura" Aussie has and NZ doesn't?

tattyteresa01: i am fancy free ,i dislike housework ,i buy take away coz now am living alone ,i have someone to clean my house weekly ,bread ,never make onev ,i buy all my bread but it gets mouldy half way through

Zanjan: Tatty, freeze the sliced loaf of bread - when your bread bag is empty, break off half the frozen slices to refill your ziplock bag. They will thaw in 1 hour at room temp. If you need sooner, 2 slices frozen can be thawed in microwave in 15 seconds.

Zanjan: I only wish I could afford a house cleaner! I'm getting to the age where washing walls is difficult so I do them in segments on different days. Same for stripping floor gloss. What used to take me 1 day now takes a week.

Flooring and roof tiles need replacing; hubby and I planned to do them ourselves but he got cancer, passing away 6 months after diagnosis. Now I have to hire for that because I'm no longer strong enough to do it alone. Being a homeowner saves money only if you can do the repairs yourself.

I love the smell and taste of yeast - can never get enough of that. I don't make plain white bread (except for buns) - not worth it to me when you can buy just as suitable from a bakery.

You need hearty, nutritious breads for a side and to make a panini. When I make them myself, I control what's in them. My favourites, you can't buy - they're Swedish Limpa Rye, Russian Black, Seeded Rye, Sourdough and light pumpernickel. Oh, I've bought sourdough in bakeries but they're not as good and crusts are hard as a rock( I'm thinking they use substitutes, not fermented starter)

Sir Loin, Australians come here a lot to take up residence; I find them friendlier and more down to earth than the British; they're more willing to adapt and blend in a foreign land.

However, Australia is a place where men prefer more time with their male mates and often don't treat their Aboriginals well. Too much of the beer and pubs lifestyle and they tend to wrestle with nature rather than work with it.

Those I've met from New Zealand seem tamer. I've met Mauris visiting here (they don't stay, of course) - they seem like a less troubled people than our Aboriginals so that says a lot about who occupied their lands.

Sir Loin: Well for a starter Aussie was settled by convicts. NZ had some pretty rough characters amongst the sealers and whalers, but not so often criminals.
Have you considered replacing your tile roof with something simpler such as galvanised steel? I did our entire roof with corrugated iron, recycled from a factory roof. Cheap as chips and still going strong 10 years later

Zanjan: My garage has a steel roof - those are great, good for 50 years minimum and is a superb insulator but the cost to do my house roof is way beyond reasonable as I have 2,000 sq feet plus. The weight of iron....hahah...would have a sway-backed roof for a few days then....crunch!

You're most fortunate you could do that. We have to factor in the tremendous weight of packed snow - I won't be climbing up there to remove it.
I checked out the new poly - they look rather cartoonish but last almost as long as steel - equally expensive. Naw, am going with the asphalt tile - it will last longer than me.

I just feel bad I can't do it when I know how. I met my husband in person the first time while I was roofing the shed. I had broken a tool and he drove out to bring me one.

Not only that, he helped me finish the job. With the final couple of tiles to go, I went in the house to make us a snack and coffee. Brought it out and lo, he'd put up two cross beams in the shed! Why? Why do that for a stranger? Guess I found out.


He walked into my life with nothing but knowledge and a heart of gold, a gift from the Almighty.

Asiababe: My Hubby come into my life after we have earthquake, tsunami and typhoon all together. He help rebuild my brothers house and part of local hospital before he catch cholera and is very sick. We make him go hospital or he will die. I am his nurse there. Now he is renovating home for us

MJ59: My house is a dump and will likely fall down soon lol

Sir Loin: Can't be too bad Krabby, at least you don't have earthquakes in Oz.

MJ59: You forget Dec 28 1989 loin

The 1989 Newcastle earthquake occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales on Thursday, 28 December. The shock measured 5.6 on the Richter magnitude scale and was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160.

MJ59: ^^^ That's where I live

Dec 16, 2019 - Three earthquakes have struck the Hunter Valley wine region in a three-hour period, with tremors felt as far away as Sydney. A 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit Muswellbrook, in the Upper Hunter region, at 3.27pm on Monday. The quake occurred at a depth of 10km, according to Geoscience Australia.

Asiababe: Krabby we have 5.6 earthquake last week, I don't even feel it

MJ59: We did, it hit in the middle of town

Asiababe: when I first move to NZ am shocked at earthquake every day. But I am used to them back in Philippines. Strongest one I been in is 8.2 in NZ few years ago. That WAS scary

MJ59: Newcastle has the dubious distinction of having Australia's first fatal earthquake

Sir Loin: Australia really needs to up its building standards if a little 5.6 shake destroys houses.

Emasculador: I wouldn’t say being a housewife is “hard”. I also wouldn’t say it’s the easiest job in the world, not if it’s done right. Especially when you’re raising little people. I’ve been a housewife for years and I honestly wouldn’t ever want to change that. I love knowing my kids are gonna have a warm breakfast before they go to school and they can come home to me sitting with them to do homework, make sure they have a home cooked meal. I think the biggest struggle of all with being a housewife is how sometimes it can seem like all the days just roll into one and the lack of adult interaction. Other than that if you have a good routine going, it’s a job you wouldn’t want to change.

That being said, there’s something very belittling and arrogant about being told it’s not a big deal or asked “so what did you do all day?”. Not all of us are the same and some do struggle with it for one reason or another. Just like if you put me into an office situation I’d most likely struggle with the structure. As much as people like to put it down, I feel like being a housewife is one of the most important jobs there is.

Sir Loin: No Better, I agree that it's a very undervalued job but it's still the easiest job I've ever had and I can't understand why some women complain how exhausted they are at the end of a day when they have automatic everythings to do the work for them. Many housewives I know don't even do the dishes, they have an automatic dishwasher for that.
I raised 3 small kids on my own while confined to a wheelchair and they also had cooked breakfasts, school lunches full of home baked goodies and a hot cooked dinner at night. We lived on a small farm which produced nearly all our food, the grocery bill was usually less than $30 a week.
Now I'm a house husband to Asiababe and loving my role. I do not expect her to help with any household chores when she gets home from school/ work. She's worked hard enough all day and deserves to put her feet up.

MJ59: Yeah I never saw the drama of keeping house after i was injured at work, always had plenty of time to do other stuff with the kids and the house was always clean and meals cooked and waiting for the wifey when she got home after work

Emasculador: Sir Loin, what exactly does the work for us? Yes I use a vacuum because I have carpets throughout my house. Would I be expected to get down and pick up every piece of dirt with my hands? I have a washing machine and dryer to wash our clothes...don’t most people after the 60’s? I don’t have a maid to cook my families food for me. Nor do I have a tutor to sit doing homework with my eldest. And my day isn’t as easy as getting up in the morning, banging out everything that has to be done before noon and it all staying that way until bedtime. How about the women who have teething babies crying all day? Or a fussy eater so they have to sit down and spoon feed a child so they will eat. There is so much more that goes into a real mothers day other than preparing a meal and doing some housework. I don’t have a dishwasher, all of my dishes are washed by hand. I don’t complain, if I don’t do it nobody else is going to and I take pride in my home and my role.

Like I said in the previous post, I would never complain or change my role. Still there are many nights when I literally fall into bed exhausted or sit up until 3am because I just want to enjoy the peace without having a little person trash the place., I’m not understanding what your logic is, though. So because we now have all these devices to help us, nothing about it can’t be hard? That’s not a realistic thing to say because different days bring different chores and problems.

I think for most women it’s not the fact that they don’t enjoy their role. It’s more about how they dislike being discredited and made to feel small when their role is under appreciated.

Zanjan: "Would I be expected to get down and pick up every piece of dirt with my hands?"

You'd be expected to shampoo wall-to-wall carpets twice a year; and, spot cleaning between on your hands and knees. If you have kids or pets, you can bet there's something stuck to them you have to pick off by hand.
You'd be expected to move every bit of furniture out of all rooms to be shampooed and move it all back after 24 hours. The wise are they who do this after the walls have just been washed. By hand - not a power washer.

You're right - half one's shift is the daily routine, the other half isn't - depends on how much one is willing to put into the job themselves instead of asking for help. Sir Loin has omitted a lot of things he COULD be doing with his day that many housewives find necessary to do. We all know where procrastination leads.

Nevertheless, it's way easier than living alone.

Women, like men, are not all cut out to do the same job. For many of us, housework and cooking offers no job satisfaction, no new opportunities, skill development, rank or raise in pay. It will never be a job with status. No one will ever distinguish themselves through this job.

Zanjan: By the way, I've been both a stay-at-home mom and a working mom - being a working mom was way easier and less stressful because my children were school-age then and could do some things for themselves. Obviously, I never got as much done at home while being a working mom.

My husband hated that I chose to go back to work because he knew he wouldn't see any of those extras I used to do. No more darned socks, no fancy baking or painting, only one party for our friends a year. He had to take kids to appointments sometimes, share in the shopping, help with dishes, do his own laundry (wouldn't dare let him do mine!).

So, hubby went out and bought a microwave, garburator, trash compactor, dishwasher, food processor, and a fancier vacuum cleaner - one that actually sucked. He said it was to make my work easier......Hah!

Even with all those conveniences, this life-change took him away from the stuff he previously enjoyed doing after work. Once the kids were gone, then we both had time for other things of interest.

Modern conveniences have made some work easier but not faster while others have made it faster but not easier. Some, I think just make it more complex.

The major difference is that Employment hours are MUCH shorter now with many holidays per year - paid holidays and workers' compensation. With more advanced equipment and safety regulations, their labours are much lighter so, fewer job -related injuries. Any working spouse has more free time than those in the past. They should use it to do something important, not mere entertainment. Same for the stay- at- home spouse.

Sir Loin: I, also have been a stay at home parent and working parent, sometimes single working parent Zanjan. While raising 3 of my kids alone, in a wheelchair I ran a small farm which produced almost all our food with some produce for sale. During this time I built an extension onto the house and renovated inside and out although I had help to replace the roof as I couldn't manage the ladders.
My kids were always well cared for and all have grown up to have successful careers they enjoy.
Those years were a hell of a lot easier than my previous job as a meteorologist where the shift work was exhausting and now as a house husband with no kids at home its even easier. I find time to build my man cave, maintain our home and write my book once the housework is done.

Zanjan: What was the size of your farm? Did you have livestock? How old were your kids?

I'm asking just to get a better perspective. You say it was easier than your previous job. Where I live, "small" farms aren't commercial operations; sadly, no tax write-offs. . We call them hobby farms. I own one. Here, the size is determined by area in cultivation, not by how much land one owns/rents.