Another Amateur Housewife

Hello, Betsy's readers. My name is Meghan. I have two daughters, M, 15 months, and V, due Thanksgiving week, and a wonderful husband who recently accepted a one-year clerkship for a judge in Houston, TX. As of two weeks ago, like Betsy, I am also an amateur homemaker! I suppose I was a homemaker before too but now my only work is homemaking so it's "for real" and I'm feeling excited and a bit anxious.

My husband and I made this decision because we saw the many benefits, some monetary but mostly non-monetary, that come from a family member putting substantial, thoughtful, "professional" (in a sense) time and effort into how the household runs. I feel blessed that Jon sees the value of this work. I feel blessed that he is able to provide monetarily for our needs and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to devote my full time and attention to our family. I feel unsure about my ability to do this well.

I was raised to appreciate the many opportunities women have in the workforce today and it was encouraged to strive for success in a career of my choosing. I really do appreciate the many opportunities women have now. I appreciate my education, the ability to provide monetarily for my family, and the ability to contribute to society as part of the workforce.

Truth be told, I feel a bit out of my element in the choice to work in the home. I have a LOT to learn about homemaking. I am not particularly talented at cooking, cleaning, shopping, financial planning - many (any?) of the frequent tasks of a homemaker. Even with these deficits, I think my best possible contribution to society right now is through homemaking. In addition to this objective good, I feel like I've repressed an inner longing for this sort of work for many years. At various times in my life I tried to focus my attention on life skills over academic skills but was discouraged in these efforts. Now is the time and I'm looking forward to gaining in knowledge and skill for both myself and my family.

I asked Betsy if I could post occasionally because I would really appreciate insight, tips, and critical thoughts on various homemaking topics. I also struggle sometimes with laziness and procrastination and it would be very comforting to have people around who would give a loving correction where needed. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and comments. God bless.