Don't Call Me "Housewife"

This isn't one of my complainy "I didn't spend 4 years working in the day and going for classes at night to be called a housewife" kind of posts. I'll save that for another time. Lucky you. .

So anyway. Please don't call me a "housewife" because I think that if you'd like to brand someone something, then wouldn't it make sense to make sure that they are at least good at it?

I totally suck as a "housewife". I look nothing like the 4 ladies at Wisteria Lane, for starters.

My impression of housewives are ladies who run a tight ship at home. Not that I don't want to, but my sailors won't let me.

Housewives have excellent planning skills and time management. My late grandmother knew that when Tuesday rolls by, she grabs her mop and gives the house a clean. Saturday was marketing day so she would go to the market with my late grandfather and they'd bring back loads of stuff and he'd clean the fridge while she cleaned the fish.

Isn't it sweet how he was involved like that though?

She cared for 7 of her own children and 3 of her grandchildren (me included). That's 10 kids. That means that everyday for about 25 years, she's had at least one screaming kid in her house. (yikes!)

But yet things were always neat, meals were always cooked, laundry always done, and she even had the time to sit and watch the Cantonese drama on TV3 at 6pm everyday.

That's a true housewife. Everything in order, everything working like clockwork.

Me, on the other hand, I'm a different story.

Our shoe bench has somehow morphed into the bag bench. Before leaving the house each time, we rummage through the pile to find our bags. If they're not on the floor, that is.

We don't have a sofa. We have a nice white 2-seater laundry mountain. Sometimes clothes don't even make it to the drawers; we simply sift through the pile to pick what we want.

Our dining table is always half covered with stuff. Unfinished crafts, library books, bills, and lots of other random things. We actually have to clear the table from time to time (and by that I mean push the stuff to the side) just so we have space to eat.

Once, we tried fixing Saturday as "clean-up" day. We lasted a week. We should try getting back to that because Poppy's been asking. And we should really take advantage of her great love of sweeping and washing ("Mama? Can I have a special treat today? Can I do the dishes?")

I know some mums who designate chores to their kids. I make Poppy keep her toys and books, and to wash the paint materials after we're done with crafts. But I draw the line at making any kind of housework "her job". Yes she enjoys it but I don't feel right making her responsible for it. Not at 4 anyway.

So if she sweeps, it's always under supervision and she always gets praised and thanked for it after. I never say "Poppy you missed a spot" because it's supposed to be fun for her, not work.

So I do whatever I can, whenever I can. I have no fixed routine. The clothes get washed when the laundry baskets are full. The shower gets cleaned when I feel like it. The only thing I'm a little particular about is the floor. It gets cleaned pretty often because Calla's romper has a habit of picking up all kinda of dusty treasures.

So there you have it. I'm a crappy housewife. An embarrassment to housewives. So please don't call me one. I don't deserve the honour.

Disclaimer: we always clean up before people come over, not to worry.