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Ladies shouldn't work unless they've completed the following


snuggles911

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Lady Lydia at the Home Living blog homeliving.blogspot.com/2007/09/taking-time-to-reflect.html has a to-do list women should follow before deciding to seek employment outside of the home. Here it is:

1. Do you have a morning routine in the house?

2. Are your dishes washed and put away?

3. Is your cabinet top clear?

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centepiece?

5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months?

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road?

7. Are your carpets clean?

8. Is your floor clean?

9. Is your living room ready for company?

10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!)

11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up?

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory)

13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice?

14. Does your house smell nice?

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?)

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh?

17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer)

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot?

19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized?

20. Are your photos organized?

21. Are your computer files organized?

22. Is your correspondence caught up?

23. Do you make any of your own clothes?

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt? NO

25. ARe your books organized?

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales?

27. Are your windows clean?

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients?

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month?

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill?

Guess I shouldn't be working. I haven't completed a quarter of the things on her list.

Yes, to all the bolded. I am a SAHM who homeschools. I also keep a blog.

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I figured I'd go through and add comments in bold.

1. Do you have a morning routine in the house? Who doesn't?

2. Are your dishes washed and put away?Usually

3. Is your cabinet top clear?other than appliances, yes

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centepiece?why does it matter?

5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months?Yes, why would working get in the way?

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road?Yes, again, why can't I do this while working?

7. Are your carpets clean?I'm allergic to dust.

8. Is your floor clean?see number 7. I am constantly sweeping the living room because I have a mini farm.

9. Is your living room ready for company?If they don't like it, they don't have to stay.

10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!)What does having this done have to do with anything? If you don't have clean clothes, what will you wear to work? It will get done.

11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up?Yep

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory)I, gasp, work and bake my own bread. It's not that time consuming since most of it is just rising.

13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice?It's cleaner than the average bathroom, not as good as my neat freak mom's though.

14. Does your house smell nice?Again, the allergies, I'm not going to add all sorts of perfumes.

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?)I bought the place 2 1/2 years ago, so yep. Still in the process.

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh? yep

17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer) [i]Again the allergies thing. In seasons when I don't live with a swollen face they are line dried. Otherwise I'll be pretty miserable trying to sleep in pollen covered sheets.

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot? Yep, about a 10x20 plot

19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized? Some, but they don't NEED to be.

20. Are your photos organized? They are on my computer, how much time does that take?

21. Are your computer files organized? yep

22. Is your correspondence caught up? yep

23. Do you make any of your own clothes? probably about 1/3 of them.

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt? What husband?

25. ARe your books organized? Yep

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales? yep

27. Are your windows clean? I can see through them.

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients? Most of my meals are from scratch.

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month? [i]My dad makes his own tea when he's here, does that count?

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill? Who doesn't.

I've done a lot of them, at least to my standards, though I think that my house would freak her out. But the thing is, that it's not full of cheap fluffy stuff. It's full of real stuff. And best of all, I did it on my own. I'm not dependent on anybody.

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Ok, Lady Lydia. I'll bite.

1. Do you have a morning routine in the house?

Yes. I find it works best with children to have a routine.

2. Are your dishes washed and put away?

Yes. I live in the South, where we get cockroaches as big as Lady Lydia if we leave dishes and/or food out for any length of time.

3. Is your cabinet top clear?

Clear of what? I keep useful baskets and seasonal cookware up there. My Dutch oven, my berry picking basket, and my picnic basket are not going elsewhere. In fact, let's call them "decoration."

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centepiece?

It's clear, and I've just put out the Spring centerpiece, you smug bitch.

5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months?

Yes, I have. The fridge is cleaned regularly, and we got new dishes recently, which made it convenient to take care of the cabinets.

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road?

Yes. After frost passes, I'll even put some plants out there.

7. Are your carpets clean?

Yes, indeed.

8. Is your floor clean?

Since that's where I keep my carpets, I'll call this one good as well.

9. Is your living room ready for company?

Yes. It's also an actual living room where we spend time every day, so we pick it up before bedtime. That's part of the "evening routine," which didn't make YOUR list.

10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!)

It certainly is. Every Monday and Thursday, like clockwork.

11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up?

That's a nice task for ebil TV watching time. Wish more buttons would pop off.

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory)

I'm middle aged and my husband has had diabetes since toddlerhood. Neither of us has any business consuming bread, and the children don't mind store-bought.

13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice?

Mine is. The children take care of their own.

14. Does your house smell nice?

It does. The Birthday Cake candle helps, too.

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?)

I like the way my house looks and don't feel the need to do anything different with it.

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh?

Yes. Wouldn't this be covered in the "morning routine?"

17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer)

No, because I live in a HOA covenant community that doesn't allow clotheslines, and I don't want to waste my headship's hard-earned money paying HOA fines just because I want healthy sheets.

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot?

I grow a garden AND a tomato in a pot.

19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized?

They are.

20. Are your photos organized?

The old-time ones are filed by year, and the digitals are organized in Picasa by month and year.

21. Are your computer files organized?

Yes. This takes like nine seconds to set up, lady. Not a replacement for work.

22. Is your correspondence caught up?

I answer my email every morning, or immediately if it's urgent.

23. Do you make any of your own clothes?

YES I DO. You thought you had me there, didn't you?!? As a person of lesser height, I find it helpful to make some of my own skirts and dresses so that they fit me exactly. I like cute, colorful summer skirts with t-shirts.... but the skirts are knee length, so you wouldn't approve.

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt?

No, he doesn't. I'd be happy to iron one for him, but he's not above ironing his own; it's been years since I've ironed his clothes.

25. ARe your books organized?

My books are my obsession, so they're not just organized, they're cataloged and reviewed. Bet you can't say that, Lady Lydia.

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales?

Not really, because I prefer to donate or Freecycle rather than go to the bother of holding a yard sale.

27. Are your windows clean?

Yes, they are.

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients?

I cook regular meals and quite elaborate ones from fresh ingredients.

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month?

No. That would be a strange thing to do. I've met a friend for tea at a café, but I'll bet that's not what you're getting at.

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill?I am reading 2-3 books at any given time, for a total of over 100 in a year. I take a Spanish class twice a week and some of those books are now in Spanish. So yes, I do read a book a year, and I do a lot more than these 30 arbitrary chores to keep my life interesting. :angry-banghead:

This was fun! Hopefully she'll churn out 30 more so we can debunk those, too.

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I'm too lazy and unmotivated to even read her long-ass list, much less actually do it.

:nenner:

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Not to defend her, but just to make sense out of this - I suspect she meant to say that the folding and ironing parts were optional. (They certainly are in this house. I only bought an iron for sewing projects.)

As I let Headship know at some point when he was asking if I mind ironing a shirt for him: "I don't iron, I press".

Dear Lady Lydia, I'm way better at my paid job than I am at laundry and cleaning. Please take your centerpiece and put it where the sun doesn't shine.

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I guess I qualify as a fundy-lite, have a fair number of kids, homeschool and have a business that takes me out of the home occassionally. My dh even can't go to the men's conference he would have liked to have gone to because I have work commitments. It is no big deal.

1. Do you have a morning routine in the house? Yes, I'm sure everyone does.

2. Are your dishes washed and put away? - Yes. 95% of the time.

3. Is your cabinet top clear? - Yes.

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centepiece? No centerpiece and I'm 100% happy with that.

5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months?- Um, yes, but only because you asked this month.

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road? It is clear most of the time.

7. Are your carpets clean? We have a Roomba, so yes, clean enough. I only manually vacuum once a week.

8. Is your floor clean? Yes, clean enough for sure.

9. Is your living room ready for company? People visit me, not my livingroom. I don't feel ashamed to invite people into my home. My friends have little kids, too, and strangers are usually more overwhelmed by the general level of busy-ness and noise in our home than they are by a few toys, science projects or other fun activities.

10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!) Washed: Mostly; folded: sure; Ironed: Nope, I've learned how to use the dryer so that very few items need ironing and if it needs ironing my dh does it. Put Away: Um, no.

11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up? My dh is great at mending and button replacement. So, yes, I'm sure it is caught up.

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory) - No, since we are all gluten-free and in fact, I'm grain free. Sometimes I bake paleo banana bread. It is DELICIOUS!

13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice? Yes, clean enough.

14. Does your house smell nice? Most of the time. I love the smell of summer and fresh air. We don't use artificial fresheners, but some essential oils are nice.

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?) Yes, we've moved twice int he last 3 years but even if we hadn't I like change. I don't like little odds and sods all over the place, though.

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh? Um, yes.

17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer) Yes, when it is warm enough, which it isn't right now.

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot? This is our first spring in this home. I've bought the seeds to start seedlings. We'll see how it goes. I'm not a gardener, everything I plant dies, but the kids want to plant a garden, so we'll give it another try.

19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized? Yes, well enough that I can find everything I need.

20. Are your photos organized? - Yes, but not printed :(

21. Are your computer files organized? - YES! But only because I had to reload my computer and thought it was a good time to sort it out.

22. Is your correspondence caught up? - No. I'm 100% okay with that.

23. Do you make any of your own clothes? - Not in a million years. I have NO talent for sewing, and no inclination to learn.

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt? - No. He knows where the iron and ironboard is. I don't iron.

25. ARe your books organized? - WHAT? No? Although I guess it depends on your definition of organized: We have bookshelves for reference books for the kids; bookshelves for reference books for us; a book nook with chapter books and picture books for the kids; bookshelves for school books; a small bookshelf for library books and then a small bookshelf in each bedroom with some books.

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales? - No, I am not a hoarder in the slightest, so we rarely have stuff we don't need, and when we do have some we usually gift it to someone who needs it.

27. Are your windows clean? - Most of them. The ones in the lounge have been drawn on with window crayons.

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients? Yes. I cook everything from scratch. We have some allergies and sensitivities and this is the only way to make sure we eat food that is good for our bodies. It really isn't that hard.

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month? I'm sure I have, also some friends who brought kids around for playdates, and we had people over for supper. We also organized a winter games evening for 32 kids and 10 adults in the last month.

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill? Surely, she means this last week or even month? ONE book in a year? One new skill in a year?

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WTF is it with fundies and cleaning the cupboards?

I actually do have a centerpiece on my dining room table. So 1 out of 30 isn't bad right?

ETA: I forgot, I'm going to change my sheets tonight. That is 2 our of 30!

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No, my husband doesn't ever have to ask me for an ironed shirt. Because on the rare occasions he wears a shirt that requires ironing, he does it his damn self.

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I can answer yes to almost all if this, I work FT and study part time. So take that!!

LL is a liar. She claims to have studied art at a 'technical school' when she lived in Tasmania. Tech schools taught practical things to students who were going to go on to apprenticeships and such. Unless she means the 'art' of home economics its a flat out lie.

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In my case, the centerpiece is often a cat sleeping on top of the pile of unfolded laundry.

Ha. I came in here to ask "does the cat count?" :lol:

Loving the responses in here...

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Zsu posted this a few days ago.

Wow, it has been one busy day around here! Before we even left the house at 9 am, there were 8 chores that had to be done first, such as getting the bread dough going and starting dinner in the slow cooker.

Then off to piano lessons with all 7 kids (my husband met me there and took a couple off my hands). Stopped at two stores on the way home.

Fixed lunch, cleaned up, laid the little ones down, got my bread ready for the second rise. Researched a list of 50+ library kids for the kids to check out, and then ran to the library during nap time with "only" five kids, as well as to one other store.

Came home to continue working on decluttering and reorganizing the shed and yard (about half done as of right now). Made fresh biscuits with dinner (chicken and dumplings), baked the bread, cut hair on hubby and all three boys, showers, baths, etc.

Once the kids were all down, spent time reading the Bible with my husband. Then straightened up the house, did the dishes, got a 6-qt batch of yogurt going, mixed up batter for sourdough pancakes for breakfast, and finally sat down to relax for a minute before getting off the hamster wheel for the night. Whew! Who knew spring break could be this exhausting.

Tomorrow: finish cleaning the shed, buy, assemble, and install new shelving in it, take stuff from the house out there to store, switch out girls' closets to summer clothes, and a million other things I probably won't get to.

Saturday: Piano recital for Solomon and Isaac, and finish up whatever I don't get done tomorrow. Prep as much of the food for Sunday as possible.

Sunday: My day of rest. Hopefully, I'll be able to start sewing on the girls' swim suits (the fabric has been cut out). Easter dinner of ham baked in puff pastry and the typical sides.

Are you tired after reading this? I know I am! :) I am thankful for work to keep me busy, and even more thankful for seven children to work alongside me. Family time does not have to be spent on what we typically would consider "fun" - even cleaning out a dusty shed can be quality time.

What you do tomorrow is important - because you are exchanging one day of your life for it. Hug those babies while you can!!

It is like to me, they have to justify being super busy. I would never even consider giving a run down of my day. My Easter weekend was flaming mental busy. Monday not so much.

Today I went to the evil work and it would make Zsu's day look like a day at the spa. But the thing is any one of us could say that. WHY OH WHY do they feel the urge to tell the world how amazingly busy and important their day is. OF course it is important. Most people think their day is important. But your day is not AS important don't you know.

No Zsu. Cleaning out a shed on kids' holidays is not bloody fun. You are deluded. They think it is fun because that is how you justify it. Granted Zsu does do fun stuff with her kids. (Between Solomon doing all the laundry.) They think it is fun because they know no different. Self perpetuating craptastic parenting.

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1. Do you have a morning routine in the house?

-Yea. Wake up, check the time, decide it's too early to be awake, roll over, and go back to sleep.

2. Are your dishes washed and put away?

-They're washed and drying in the dish drainer, does that count?

3. Is your cabinet top clear?

-Yea.

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centepiece?

-Clear? No, because we have zero storage so we have a bunch of stuff on there. Centerpeice- yea, actually. A bright orange vase with fake flowers inside.

5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months?

-Yea

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road?

-We live in an apartment, so no porch.

7. Are your carpets clean?

-Yea

8. Is your floor clean?

-Parts of it are (the area by the door is a little dirty)

9. Is your living room ready for company?

-Not right now, my husband has a bunch of junk all over the place which he keeps saying he'll take to storage but then he never does.

10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!)

-Yea

11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up?

-Is this even necesary? How long does it take to sew on a button? Like, less than 2 minutes. Big freaking deal.

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory)

-No, because I don't feel like having a rediculously hot apartment.

13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice?

-Yea.

14. Does your house smell nice?

-I think so.

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?)

-I never really decorated to begin with.

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh?

-Yes

17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer)

-Again, apartment living. Don't have a clothes line.

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot?

-Do my houseplants count?

19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized?

-They're getting there.

20. Are your photos organized?

-They're all on my computer, does that count?

21. Are your computer files organized?

-No

22. Is your correspondence caught up?

-I'm all caught up on Facebook, does that count?

23. Do you make any of your own clothes?

-I wish. To do that I'd need a working sewing machine though.

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt?

No because I hang clothes before they have a chance to wrinkle. No wrinkles= no need to iron.

25. ARe your books organized?

-They're on shelves, does that count?

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales?

-Does taking stuff to thrift stores count?

27. Are your windows clean?

I can see out of them if that's what you're asking.

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients?

-Yea

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month?

-No, and I have no intention of doing so.

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill?

-Really? Only 1 book a year? That's pretty lame.

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I was thinking of taking my children (admittedly only a paltry two, not SEVEN) to the science museum tomorrow, since we're on Spring Break too. Zsu has me just about convinced that we'll have a lot more fun cleaning out the garage instead. It's the closest thing we have to a shed, and it won't get done as fast because I only have two blessings, not SEVEN like Zsu.

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Do you have a morning routine in the house? Yes – Hubs and I shower, mock CSPAN callers while getting dressed, he makes breakfast while I vac the kitchen/hearth room and we drive off to work. The house stays amazingly clean during the day when no one is there.2. Are your dishes washed and put away? Yes Dishwasher

3. Is your cabinet top clear? Very.

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centepiece? Yes. An antique glass rooster in the hearth room and pottery in the dining room.5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months? Yes

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road? Yes I even washed the doorjambs in January when I washed the windows above and around the door. 7. Are your carpets clean? Yex

8. Is your floor clean? Yes

9. Is your living room ready for company? Yes any day of any week. 10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!) Yes. I generally don’t iron the sheets, but sometimes Iron the top sheet and often iron the pillow cases. I used to send them out. 10 years ago, it cost $10/set to have a set of sheets picked up, ironed and delivered to me at the office. Hubs does at least 50% of the laundry, anyway. 11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up? Yes

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory) We don’t eat bread, but I have a couple of great artisan recipes we can make when we have bread. OR we go to a good bakery. 13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice? Yes, all of them are/do.

14. Does your house smell nice? Yes.

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?) I painted and redecorated the guest room and bath about 2 years ago. Hubs and I are going to redecorate our offices in the next year.

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh? The beds are often made, the sheets and bedding are changed frequently .17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer) Nope no clothes line allowed in my neighbourhood and allergies to dust and pollen. Since I work, I can afford new sheets as needed.

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot? Large Herb garden. Working on plans to xeriscape a couple of the beds in the yard, in response to drought and climate change. 19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized? Yes. I also fold my plastic grocery/wal mart sacks and store them in old zip lock bag boxes, to use as trash bags in our bathrooms—do you Lydia? 20. Are your photos organized? Sort of. They are in a box—and the new ones are on my computer. 21. Are your computer files organized? Yes

22. Is your correspondence caught up? Yes23. Do you make any of your own clothes? Not for years.

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt? No. Of course, that is what shirt laundries are for—oh and he knows how to iron, too. Since he changed industries, he wears Ironed shrits much less often.

25. ARe your books organized? Yes,

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales? No, I go through my things regularaly to donate.27. Are your windows clean? Yes.

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients? Yes, I cook about 1/3-1/2 the time. Hubs cooks 2/3-1/2 of the time.

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month? NO, but I had 18 people over for a vodka tasting happy hour and one little dinner with another other couple in the last month.

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill? I’ve read 4 fiction books and 3 non fiction books in the last 4 or 5 weeks. I learned how to build a website using new tools this year, am learning to blog and starting another project or two. Of course, I work full time and travel for work often. (Nothing keeps a house cleaner than not being there to mess it up.)

]She supposed that women want to work because they are bored at home, but no amount of make work (ironing socks, hanging laundry, raising chickens, growing tomatoes and moving couches around) will replace work a person enjoys. I also waste untold hours on the internet. Between hubs and me, we do most of the housework we do in bits through the week so we can have fun on weekends. We have parties at our house so that we get and keep the house company ready. A clean house is easier to keep clean than a dirty house is to get clean.

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No Zsu. Cleaning out a shed on kids' holidays is not bloody fun. You are deluded. They think it is fun because that is how you justify it. Granted Zsu does do fun stuff with her kids. (Between Solomon doing all the laundry.) They think it is fun because they know no different. Self perpetuating craptastic parenting.

You can make activities like that fun for the kids. Doesn't mean it's not work, but it doesn't have to be horrible. I've had races with my niece to see who can fill up a box with sticks first. Still work, but making it a game. Making work fun does not make for craptastic parenting. (Zsu does enough of that with the hate she teaches her kids.)

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What if your centerpiece is the morning's breakfast dishes? :shifty:

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Thanks to a cleaning-rota, sharing tasks and doing our own laundry, we've got pretty-much all these covered. But this one got me:

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

"Fancy a cuppa?" is a near daily question, I ask. No doilies, no white summer-dresses, but if you're up for a biscuit and a mug of tea, then yeah, I have people over for tea nearly daily. And for coffee. :D

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I need to call my supervisor and say I won't be coming in tomorrow because I can't have a garden in my apartment. If I do that I won't ever have to worry about going to work again ;)

That list is an insult to women who don't work for a pay check. My mom was a SAHM for awhile when I was growing up and she was always more than a maid who cooked bread.

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outside of the home. Here it is:

Do you have a morning routine in the house?

2. Are your dishes washed and put away? Yes, my husband has that chore

3. Is your cabinet top clear? Yes, what would be on it?

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centepiece? Yes, to both. My centerpiece is a bowl of fresh fruit and two candles.

5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months? The husband just did the fridge and my cupboards are clean, they get wiped down when I spray clean the countertops

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road? My porch is clean Not sure aht would make it welcoming? We have landscaping and we decorate for holidays

7. Are your carpets clean? Just one throw carpet and it is clean.

8. Is your floor clean? Yes, they get mopped once a week, or more often if there is a need.

9. Is your living room ready for company? Yes, why wouldn't it be?

10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!) It is and I have an amazing closet dh and I built. We turned an entire spare room into a walk-in closet. A local shop was closing and gave us three huge rolling racks, as well as shelving. We keep a basket in the for dirty clothes and when it is full, we throw it in the wash. Wow, I need to be a SAHM to do laundry now?

11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up? lololol. Button replacement and mending? What am I mending, socks? I can't recall the last time either of us lost a button. Fixing a button once every three years doesn't mean I need to quit my job.

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory) Sometimes. I love the bread a local shop makes, so I primarily shop with them. Artisan 5 minute bread is super easy and quick when I want to make some at home

13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice? They are clean, since they get fully cleaned once a week. I have a febreeze plug in that makes it smell pleasant. This requires very little time

14. Does your house smell nice?

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?)

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh? Bed is made each morning and sheets changed once a week

17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer) I love my line! Anything that saves on the electric bill is great. Winters are long here, so the line only gets used in the summer and early falls

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot? Last year I grew cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, and green peppers. I plan to add corn this year.

19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized? My attic isn't, who cares about an attic? Everything is labeled, but thats about it.

20. Are your photos organized? My photos are on my computer I scrapbook the ones I really love. This is a fun activity that I do whenever the mood strikes.

21. Are your computer files organized? I have special computer files? I don't evrn know what this means. I have folders for pictures, video, ideas of things to try, work related items and so forth

22. Is your correspondence caught up? You mean emails? Yes, I send plenty and catch up on FB

23. Do you make any of your own clothes? Heck no. I have no desire at all.

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt? No, because he is capable of ironing a shirt. He's a genius

25. ARe your books organized? Yes, they are all on my kindle, or in the cloud for easy access. The rest are in a bookcase.

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales? No, I tend to give my things away to those who may need them.

27. Are your windows clean? The insides are, the outsides will be once again when winter finally leaves

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients? Yes, most meals are pretty basic items. I love my steamer. I can load it up on the morning with broccoli and baby potatoes and set it to be ready for when we get home. It takes just a few minutes to cook the protein. I also enjoy once a week cooking on Sunday evenings, Big pans of roasted green beans, cabbage with apples, and cut up celery and carrots and store in water for east access all week

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month? No, tea is gross. friends visit often.

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill? I have read at least four books since the new year. I am currently reading two more. I do this at night to wind down.

None of these are things I can't do with my job. I honestly don't understand how she believes these are big accomplishments. If this is all she does she must be super bored, have kids, or have a massive garden and make all her own clothes.

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I've got all but one or two of her tasks down, especially if throwing a dinner party for 6 counts as having someone over for tea. My husband takes his shirts to the laundry, which does a much better job than I could. My windows sparkle because the window washers were just here. No, I haven't redecorated in three years and why would I when I had it painted with high-quality paint in colors I'm not tired of, and my furniture is nice enough that the kids will fight over it when I'm dead? Here's a tip, Lydia: buy good stuff instead of cheap cr@p from the dollar store and you won't want to redecorate either. I don't sew for myself because my time is worth more than that and I like to wear nice things, not a polarfleece bathrobe for a coat. I read at least a book a week (on the bus, on the way to my fulfilling and financially rewarding job). I give my unused items to charity and take the tax deduction.

No, I haven't finished my youngest son's baby book yet, but I'll get to it before he has kids of his own. It's more important that I have taken steps to secure my financial independence so my kids won't have to support me in my old age. Something to think about.

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What if your centerpiece is the morning's breakfast dishes? :shifty:

In matters of taste, who can judge what is right for you!

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TL:DR

Let me reach allll the way back to the first year of marriage for this one.

1. Do you have a morning routine in the house?

Yes. Which includes cooking breakfast and making a fresh batch of muffins before work (the trick being to pre-prep as much as you can on the week-ends)

2. Are your dishes washed and put away?

Always, there was no place to leave them out

3. Is your cabinet top clear?

Yes.

4. Is your table clear, when not dining, and do you have a centerpiece?

Yes and actually, yes.

5. Have you cleaned your cupboards and storage areas and fridge in the last 3 months?

Yes, I do the fridge weekly and the rest every three months on the nose.

6. Is your porch clean and the entry way cheerful for visitors or people who see it from the road?

Yes

7. Are your carpets clean?

No carpets

8. Is your floor clean?

Yes

9. Is your living room ready for company?

So said the company that was in it every night

10. Is your laundry washed, folded, ironed and put away? (Keep in mind, I am not saying you have to do this. I am only listing it in case you think you have time to bring in another income!)

Yes. Again, no place to put it

11. Is your mending and button replacement caught up?

Yes, always

12. Do you bake bread? (Once again, no one HAS to do it, but if a woman is bored, maybe she should bake her bread. It takes more time. It smells wonderful. It has far greater effects than can be listed here, both emotionally and physically or even involving childhood memory)

Yes, I had a bread machine

13. Is your bathroom shining clean and does it smell nice?

Yep

14. Does your house smell nice?

Yep. Three blocs from the ocean in a cypress woods, all I had to do was open the windows

15. Have you re-decorated or re-arranged in the last 3 years? (You need not do it, but if you think you need to go to work or take on extra work earning money at home, why not put the time into re-beautifying your house?)

Yes, I go over it every year

16. Are your beds made? Are your sheets and bedding fresh?

Yes and yes, changed once a week.

17. Do you hang your clothes on the line? (You needn't, but it takes more time, and is good for your health and it actually increases the life of your sheets and clothes, as opposed to the dryer)

Yes, I didn't have a dryer

18. Do you grow a garden, or even a tomato in a pot?

Actually kept a quarter-acre vegetable garden back then

19. Are your drawers and storage areas organized?

Always

20. Are your photos organized?

Yep, neatly in files by date

21. Are your computer files organized?

Oh yeah, and backed up in two places

22. Is your correspondence caught up?

Yep.

23. Do you make any of your own clothes?

Actually, I did

24. Does your husband ever have to ask for an ironed shirt?

Nope. I kept everything ironed to military specs

25. ARe your books organized?

Yep

26. Do you go through your things regularly for garage sales?

For Goodwill. Garage sales were hard to do in our town back then

27. Are your windows clean?

Yep

28. Do you cook regular meals from basic ingredients?

Yep, nightly

29. Have you had anyone over for tea in the last month?

Every week-end, only for BBQ

30. Do you read at least one good book or learn something new within the year, or learned any new skill?

Yep. as often as I could.

And with all of that I also worked 40 hrs/week teaching school.

My secret?

Condoms. When you don't have kids it's just not that hard to keep up

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Of the approximately 7 things I actually care about on this list, I can assure you that they're done regularly, in spite of teh ebil grad school (where I am *gasp* looking for education, not a husband). I even manage to line-dry my sweaters! Not that line-drying is a REQUIREMENT, mind you. It's just that, if you don't fill your day up with outdated, time-wasting chores, you might realize you're merely a glorified servant to your husband. Praise Jeebus!

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LL, while you are at church on Sundays I'm doing many of those suggested chores. I'm then free to work during the week :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Of the approximately 7 things I actually care about on this list, I can assure you that they're done regularly, in spite of teh ebil grad school (where I am *gasp* looking for education, not a husband). I even manage to line-dry my sweaters! Not that line-drying is a REQUIREMENT, mind you. It's just that, if you don't fill your day up with outdated, time-wasting chores, you might realize you're merely a glorified servant to your husband. Praise Jeebus!

Funny how the rise of modern feminism coincided with most homes having washing machines......

I cold wash most clothes & line dry for the environment. Also because I have a jasmine plant growing on my washing line which makes the clothes smell AMAZING!

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