Learning the art of Homemaking

I've been responsible for a £10 million pound marketing budget. In one quarter I juggled and delivered 22 marketing direct mail packs on time. I once project managed an event that involved 70 members of staff over a period of 6 weeks, working 12 hours a day. And yet managing a home has been by far the hardest thing I've ever done.
 I now have a new found admiration for my mother who at the tender age of 22, had a 16 month old and a new born, kept a fastidiously clean and tidy house, and kept us clothed and fed on a shoestring budget. I believe that Homemaking does not come naturally to most women. It's a skill, an artform that is learned just like any job role. In my mother's and grandmother's day women were expected to take on the role of full-time housewife once they were married. Their education revolved around learning home duties. Now women have more choice and education revolves around developing a career.


My mother dropped by with some books I had stored at her house since I had moved to London. Amongst them was a book titled The Collin's Book of Household Hints and Tips. 'Oh no', I protested, 'this isn't mine, it must have got mixed up with my books'. 'Oh really?', my mother replied with fake nonchalance, 'it must be one of your grandmother's. Oh well you may as well keep it since it's here now.' Hmmmm, are you trying to tell me something mum? A 'quick' flick through revealed some interesting and alarming advice. You're meant to clean the fly screens on your windows at least once every three months, mirrors can go for a month between cleans, but toilets and floors should be cleaned everyday! I'm still getting around to clearing away the dishes from last nights dinner!


So now my new education begins; learning the art of Homemaking. But first I guess I better get out of my pyjamas and attack those dishes!