Thursday, January 8, 2015

The 50s Housewife Experiment: Update 1

The first week of the experiment went slowly. I started the new year at my in-laws house. Anyone with in-laws knows that you can't begin a journey to a new and better you with your spouse's parents in the mix, particularly since I am a firm believer of trying not to draw too much attention to myself when someone is gracious enough to let me live in their house for a couple of days. Besides, how could I greet my husband at the door with a smile on my face and dinner on the table when he was already in the house with me?

We travelled home on Saturday and spent Sunday getting used to our the morning church time slot, rooting through our Christmas prizes, and relaxing. This meant Monday was the first day I could begin my magical experiment. I didn't get to greet my husband at the door with his slippers in hands, since he needed me to pick him up from the train station, but I did hold back my complaints about how other people drive after he got in the car.

With the new year, I lucked into some research opportunities. A local television station swapped The Donna Reed show into their regular schedule. As you can imagine, I instantly started doing my homework by watching each episode as it became available to me.

In order to pay homage to Rory Gilmore, I shall make a couple of lists of my observations.

Observations of the Life of Donna Stone

1. I have yet to see her cooking while wearing pearls, but she does wear an apron. Maybe I should use one of the ones hanging on my wall for more than decoration.
2. She spent a lot of time selecting a hat for a lunch date. I don't think I am ready to wear hats. I barely remember to brush my hair.
3. One of her friends made a joke about domestic abuse. I guess some concepts are universal.
4. She actually knew her neighbors. In fact, their son would just drop by and devour anything edible. I am not sure I want to know my neighbors that well. I may be antisocial.
5. She conferred with her husband before making big purchases. My husband may wish I'd stop doing this, since my idea of a big purchase is anything over twenty dollars. (I really may have been born in the wrong era.)

Observations of the Life of Annabella Ordena  in 2015

1. Suddenly, I have a lot of household sewing projects, like hemming curtains. It is like the universe knows about my experiment and really wants to test my ability to become a domestic goddess.
2. My house does seem to be shaping up despite a sudden influx of ideas for next Christmas. (Since I tend to forget the great ideas I have at the end of the holiday season, it's best to work on them now rather than waiting until Christmas rolls around again.)
3. I still need to work on dressing up for my husband. I did put in earrings yesterday (I know--midweek), but he didn't seem to notice.

I am working on a fiction piece for your eyes, but this update demanded to be written.

4 comments:

  1. Does your husband know that you are trying this experiment, or are you going to surprise him? I've learned that when I try to do things as a surprise, my feelings end up hurt because he a) doesn't notice, or b) doesn't express it. He's not the most verbal guy in the world. I'm going to have to wait until he comes back from Houston (he goes next week) to really be able to start. I have a cold right now; I haven't even gotten dressed today.

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  2. I don't know if he still checks in on this site, but I am generally assuming he has no idea since he hasn't asked me questions. Most guys aren't verbal. My husband just tends to be easy for me to read. He smiles a lot when he's happy or looks grumpy when he feels under-appreciated or overwhelmed. If you still feel sick when your husband gets back, try to at least wear a pretty nightie ;)

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    1. :) I will try. I usually try to but he gets home around midnight typically and half the time Lizzy is already in bed with me, lol.

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    2. Well, nothing is more beautiful than a mother and her child, so it sounds like you are already succeeding.

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