The Ideal Housewife: Guide To Domestic And Family Survival
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About this ebook
It is not a manual, but you will learn the art of receiving guests even when your house isn’t clean and you will learn about the tricks to make your family budget work out.
It is not a book of recipes and cleaning tricks, but you will find some advice and suggestions to make the domestic life a bit easier and not go insane trying to pair your socks.
It is not a book, simply because I am not a writer.
"Between the many types of housewives, we can find Maggy, the compulsive housewife, Dorothy, the “miss perfect” housewife, or Amy the hesitant housewife... we then have Molly, the desperate housewife: she really didn’t want to be a housewife. She hates dust.
She hates it just as much as she would hate her husband’s lover.
She hates the plants on the balcony that won’t survive until the end of the month, like her wallet.
We then have the Ideal Housewife, always fighting against time, house cleaning, unpaired socks and she loves her dusty house, her crazy, noisy family and yes... she also loves chaos and mess, signs of a happy home.
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Reviews for The Ideal Housewife
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Book preview
The Ideal Housewife - Giorgia Giorgi
Thanks
"The Ideal Housewife
Giorgia G.
Copyright © 2014 Giorgia Giorgi
All rights reserved
To Lidia, unique and incomparable, who with her example was able to teach me the essential values to have a family that stays happy and close, even while paying the bills.
To Giorgio, special, creative and a natural optimist, I owe my abilities to cultivate all my interests and to follow my dreams, even those which seem impossible to reach.
Summary
Introduction
Housewife, what else?
Learning how to do housework ... or houseworks?
Women can multitask
Spot the differences...
Breakfast, a moment to share with your family
Glamorous or comfortable clothing
Careful with the shopping
Mums' bar
The change of Season, the monster that comes back twice a year.
Luckily, it's Christmas soon
Since you're up...
Domestic appliances, allies or enemies?
The Kitchen, a housewife's kingdom
House chores, a plan for each task
The laundry - hang it well and iron fewer clothes
The rules for a good neighbourhood
Portrait of an Ideal Housewife
The ideal housewife... doesn't do it!
Can a housewife also be sexy?
Don't trust women
PROFILES AND PERSONALITIES
Molly, the Desperate Housewife
Trudy, the Authoritarian Housewife
Amy, the Hesitant Housewife
Dorothy, the Miss Perfect
Housewife
Meggy, the Compulsive Housewife
The Ideal Housewife - website
Contacts and References
Dictionary
Special Thanks
Disclaimer
Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible. And suddenly, you are doing the impossible
Francis of Assisi
Introduction
Before starting I’d like to clarify that the title of this book has been carefully thought of. When I talk about an Ideal Housewife
I am not being arrogant, and I don’t want to say I am unique or special. To clarify, let’s look at the definition of the word housewife: a woman whose main occupation is caring for her family, managing household affairs, and doing housework.
.
This definition reflects the figure of a housewife, but it doesn’t explain what exactly she does. And let me tell you that there is a huge difference between the two things.
Now let’s look up, on our dictionary, the word ideal: existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality
.
So, an ideal housewife, not perfect, nor exceptional, but ideal, imaginary...
I will tell you right away that this is not the traditional type of manual and that you won’t find anything about culinary subjects. Bookstores are full of books about light, cheap, gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, butter or egg-free recipes, or even finger food, recycled recipes, fast recipes, summer recipes, cupcakes, fondant, steamed food, pressure cooking, etc. You also won’t find instructions on how to clean your whole house without getting tired or a handbook on how to remove stains from clothes or use bleach. I don’t practise witchcraft and I sadly don’t have the magic potion to become wonder woman, just like anybody else.
This, instead, will be a guide that will push you to choose, between many choices, a life made of critiques and sacrifices. And it is quite likely that, so I feel like I need to warn you now, after reading this introspection of myself, your ideas on the subject will be even more confused, therefore I won’t be held responsible for eventual runaways to the Tropics with consequential abandonments of husbands.
I have three boys. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. No, not because of them, they are the children any mother would want to have. Affectionate, funny, loving. But imagine having to become a mother-in-law three times. Well, let’s not think about this for now, and go back to my boys.
I see them growing and I wonder if they will ever help at home. Will I have to beg them to take out the trash? Will I feel bad for their wives? Only time will give us an answer! For now, my mission is to survive in a house that, at times, seems to be inhabited by naughty elves who move things, make a mess and create chaos everywhere.
The trick and I, unfortunately, figured it out too late, is not to panic. Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by the thousands of chores that need to be done. And learn that a dusty piece of furniture is the sign of a happy family.
So, for a long time now, I have stopped to observe women around me, looking for something in common between them, and I found out that most of the time they are all unsatisfied with their choice, or non-choice.
It’s a fact: business women would want more time to dedicate to their homes and families. Housewives would want to get out
of their domestic walls and run to some deserted land. Despite that, in both cases, none of them would want to change their situation. Does a compromise exist?
Let’s find out together, with a few stories telling us about the different phases that we all go through and overcome during our journey made of choices, regrets, satisfactions, sacrifices and pleasures.
Housewife, what else?
The worst thing about work in the house or home is that whatever you do is destroyed, laid waste or eaten within twenty-four hours.
Alexandra Hasluck
I don’t think I used to dream of becoming a housewife when I was a little girl. I remember that my recurrent dream was to
STEP 1 Find a man who would be in love with me, and possibly wealthy. Well, thinking about it, maybe I should say rich and in love. Substantially still the same.
STEP 2 Find a super great job, that would give me a lot of personal and economic satisfaction.
I decided that these two steps were essential for me to have a happy life, so I wonder when exactly I got the idea of wanting to be a housewife. It probably was a thought that rose into my subconscious as years went by.
When I was five, I wanted to be a model, when I was nine, I wanted to be a flight attendant, then a journalist, then an archaeologist.
Later, while I was studying in high school, I had even bigger ambitions. I would open my own studio, my own lingerie shop, or a catering company.
Work, work, work. Yes, because it all seemed so easy. In practicality though, let’s see what really happened after these few years of being carefree ended...
After school I get very lucky, I find my other half straight away and I get married.
The first STEP in my life project has become a reality! Yay!
I quickly started working, a real job, the kind of job where you get paid at the end of the