{ What Inspires me to be a Homemaker }

What or who inspires you to be a homemaker?  Why are you ok with being home instead of having a career outside the home?  How do you keep from going stir crazy in the house?  How do you feel when someone calls you old fashioned or tells you that you are *just a homemaker*?

I get asked these questions pretty often, and I think I've replied a few times, but I thought I would actually sit down and compose a post on homemaking and why I do what I do.

Yes I've made a few posts about this in the past, but I keep being asked the same questions, and I really don't mind sharing my life or why I do the things I do.

So from a very young age, I knew that I wanted to be a homemaker.  I wanted to be a mom, a wife, I wanted to have my house and clean it and keep it cozy and take care of my family.  When other kids would play hopscotch or draw, or play tag, I would often be found inside playing HOUSE.  I would pretend I was cooking, cleaning, and took care of my dolls, often lining them all up and pretending they were my babies.  It was just natural for me, it was something I wanted to do and I got the biggest joy out of.

What many don't know is that I did work, after I graduated high school I worked until I got married at 24, so it's not like I never worked outside the home, but from a very early stage my husband and I decided that I should stay home and take care of the kids.

But where does the inspiration to be a homemaker come from?

I would have to say without a doubt, that my biggest inspiration came from my greatgrandmother Ema.  I've talked about her before, and the fact that she had the biggest impact in my life and who I am today.  Many other women in my family did the same, my grandmother, my stepmother, but my greatgrandmother was the one I looked up to.  I wanted to be just like her, with her apron on, sitting at the kitchen table snapping beans with a huge smile on her face.

Homemaking is not for everyone, and that is perfectly ok.  There are many women who want to have a career, who don't want to stay home, who love working outside the home, and I take my hat off to them.

For me though, I am happiest being a homemaker.

Aside from my greatgrandmother and other family members, I get a lot of inspiration from watching period dramas, from learning from the old days and reading books on the way life used to be.

I've never made it a secret that if I had the chance, I would go back in time and live a much simpler life.

How do you keep from going stir crazy in the house?

Well I really don't think there is much chance of getting bored at home, there is always and I mean always something to do, something to cook, something to clean.  Time flies, I find myself wondering where the day got to because I end up with things I wanted to do, still left undone.

Homemaking doesn't have to mean boredom, homemaking doesn't mean you can't ever leave the house, so if you find yourself going stir crazy, and trust me I do sometimes, that is when I head out the door.  Whether you're grocery shopping, heading to the farmer's market, or just going for a walk or a drive, it helps.

You're old fashioned.

That's another biggie for me, I have lost count how many times I've been called old fashioned, like it's a bad thing, like it's a stigma that I would want to steer clear of.

I think the biggest thing people tend to forget, is that homemaking is as equally important as any other role we have in our society.  We need all these different roles and people in order for things to work, for life to be what it's supposed to be.  Bakers, pharmacists, doctors, policemen, military, secretaries, managers, retail workers, homemakers and so on and so forth.

Every single one of those is important in it's own way and contributes to society in another.

Just the way I think of it all.

But back to my personal inspirations for homemaking and loving what I do.

Books. Over the past years I have collected a few that I really enjoy looking through and reading, and I've been gifted a few by some very special friends.

Every one of these books inspires me in a different way.

I love the book above, it is one of my favorites from my stack, it is all about teaching you the skills that you never learned, living the prairie way.

The cooking books have been one of my biggest inspirations in preparing filling, delicious meals for my family without killing our budget.  Not to mention I love seeing what they used to cook with, and how they produced these meals without the modern ovens and stoves of today.

My wonderful friend Jen gave me the book above.  She lives near the Genesee Country Village and Museum and often visits.  I've always told her how jealous I am and how I wish I could go as well, so on one of her visits, she got a few things for me.  Best gift ever :)

Reading about simpler times inspires me to enjoy all the moments I have in my own home.  I also get ideas for simple decorations, candles, quilts, just small ways to make every corner of my home seem warm and cozy.

I want to encourage all of you to follow your hearts.  And if being a homemaker is your calling, something you love, then do it, but do it fully, don't worry about the naysayers, don't worry about the comments or feeling like you are falling short, because you're not.

I've dedicated my life to being a homemaker, a wife, a mom and yes my job as a mom of young ones is quickly coming to an end.  My daughter is graduating high school in May, my son is starting High School this year and I'm not longer needed in one way, but times are shifting and I'll be needed in different ways.  

So I'm moving with the tide, adapting, continuing to contribute to my home and my family the best way I can.

I'm not ashamed to be old fashioned, not when I look around me and see what being a modern woman means in these times.  I'm a homebody, I always have been and I don't think that will ever change.

Embrace your life as a homemaker, friends.  You ARE important and what you DO is necessary.

I would love to know how many of you out there find inspiration for homemaking and just how you deal with the almost always negative opinions on homemakers.