One of the defining features of being a mid-century housewife was babies. You married, expecting to have babies. And when they came along, you raised them right. So what kind of clothes and furniture did the proper ’50s housewife have for her baby? What was in the vintage baby layette? Things to Have Ready For …
Mid-Century May Baby Step 6: Vintage Baby Layette Read More »
Tuesday. Today I tackled ironing. I don’t actually have very much that needs ironing. I iron my husband’s good shirts, but not the ones he wears while working. When I finish my new cotton housedresses, they’ll need ironing. I am also trying to get all of my kids to wear more wovens, and fewer knits …
I see a lot of people who wonder how to build a vintage capsule wardrobe. Here, I am showing how to design a ’50s housewife capsule wardrobe. This is going to be a slightly different capsule than, say, a 50s college girl would have had. But it does show what was considered an adequate basic …
Mid-Century May Baby Step 5: Vintage Capsule Wardrobe Read More »
It’s Monday! That means laundry day today. It’s hot here now. We were frost-free about a month earlier than normal. Ordinarily, we’d still be expecting a frost. Not this year. And it’s hot and dry enough that my laundry is done in half the time that it usually takes! I’m expecting a long, hot summer. …
A schedule is the best way to manage your housework. Housework is, after all, a real job, and needs good management, or you’ll end up a workaholic housewife. If you want to plan your housework, you need to make a schedule, especially if you are caring for young children or an elderly parent. Some housewives …
Mid-Century May Baby Step 4: Plan Your Housework Read More »
Today is Sunday, and I am not going to spend much time writing this. I put on a pretty dress, made brunch and Sunday dinner and took a nap. I always try very hard to have a day of rest on Sundays, because otherwise I feel burnt out. If you can arrange your work to …
The best thing about reading old homemaking books is how every home economist thought that her area of specialty was the most important factor in living the best homemaking life. Meal planning, ’50s style took its responsibility for the health and satisfaction of the family very seriously. If you weren’t taking the long view of …
Mid-Century May Baby Step 3: Meal Planning, ’50s Style Read More »
Welp. Can I just say that a vintage daily cleaning routine is really overwhelming to look at? I’ve gotten into the habit of doing the things on the list, and I can whiz right through it, but typing up the whole list of things that I do took longer than *actually* cleaning. Anyway, my husband …
After Getting Up and Getting Dressed, the next baby step for the vintage housewife is a Daily Cleaning Routine! Daily Cleaning Routine A daily cleaning routine is doing a light cleaning of all the rooms of your house. Vintage housewives did their daily cleaning first thing in the morning, in case unexpected company came by. …
Mid-Century May Baby Step 2: Daily Cleaning Routine Read More »
Well, the beginning of this challenge started on a Friday, which is the day to do a thorough cleaning of the living room and dining room. The baby step for Mid-Century May: Day 1 was to get up and get dressed, which I did. As far as get up and get dressed goes, I am …