Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Real Story…..

Remember all those silly women who smile while they do housework and cooking back in the 50’s ads???

You know the ones….

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Baking…

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Shopping….

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And be sure your daughter can “do” the smile too!

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Oh and don’t forget how to really LOVE doing the dishes….lol

Here is how they hoped you would feel…

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This was the reality then and it still is….

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Yup!  Look at the date!!!

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Do you see the look on her face????

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I had to have this magazine…just for the cover!  lol  Do you see where the Mister is sitting???  Now that would just really get me riled….I am so glad I wasn’t born in that era.

Women have never enjoyed all of this tedious work!  So don’t feel bad if you are not Suzy Homemaker….Martha Stewart acts like she has major issues with control and OCD!  lol

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I have felt this way more than once in all my years of holidays and meals….how about you?  I will admit it, I do not enjoy cooking and cleaning!  There I said it!  I worked a full time job, had two sons in every sport known to man and a husband that had a job that took a lot of time away from us as a family.  So cooking and cleaning were mandatory, not fun.   My body finally said…Enough and I ended up with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I ruined more than one holiday when I was a young mother and wife having to have everything “perfect”.  I refuse to do it anymore, and you know what?  Things turn out better every year! 

Thanks for letting me rant…:)

 

23 comments:

Laura said...

LOL's ....I remember my grandmother telling me to look at the reflection in the plates and look how shiney they were ...aren't they beautiful she would say.... ha ha...that was her way to try to get you to do the dishes..

Bunny Jean said...

Hi Sandy!

I'm with you on this issue! Loved see those old pictures.

I am wondering about the story behind that cover showing a peek into the reality of a housewife's life.

xoxo Bunny Jean

Marissa said...

I love seeing all the old pictures takes me baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak...Thanks for sharing!!

Musings from Kim K. said...

Fabulous covers! We've been potlucking "appetizers" for our Christmas meals for the last few years. No one wants to be in the kitchen for cooking or clean-up.

Shirley Hatfield said...

Isn't it amazing how the grown children all of a sudden have an important date with a Monopoly board when it's time to clean up? I admit I like seeing them enjoy each other's company...but really? Can't help their dear mother put a few things away? Especially after Dear Mother spent two months preparing for this shindig? Ah, Guilt...the Christmas gift that keeps on giving! lol!

vivian said...

great pic! I know.. I actually enjoy it until I get tired! Or until I feel like im the one doing
all the work.. but up to that point.. Im happy!
lol!
xoxo

Jenny said...

Perfect "Schmerfect".

I've lowered all my expectations of everything...and it keeps me a lot less frazzled.

I'm sorry you're worn out!

Be kind to yourself.

You deserve it, sweetie!

Hugs and Merry and Bright to you!

Scrap for Joy said...

These old ads are so funny in one way and sad in another in that they made women feel that they had to strive for perfection. My Mother was way ahead of her time...she worked as an executive secretary and so my sister and I always did the dishes after dinner and sometimes got it started after school, too. Today, I'm a believer in "good enough".
Merry Christmas to you dear Sandy. I have not forgotten about the friendship banner. I have a list of things to do after the New Year!! xoxo

Unknown said...

Yep....I feel like that EVERY Christmas and I feel my standards lowering each and every year. Next year...POT LUCK. LOL

Happy New Year!

Jean Knee said...

I am so not into housework either. Hope you had a lovely Christmas.

Dewena said...

Ahh, I feel like you just told me the tooth fairy isn't real! I wanted them to be happy!

If we're being honest though, what I love is maybe not so much doing housework but I do love looking at my house after it's done. I too have given up my expectations of a perfect Christmas but I do try to analyze each year what I could do the next to make it easier but nicer, as in what can I do ahead. Every year I plan on doing things earlier but some years, like this one, many things did not go as planned. But the important things, being with our children and grandchildren happened except we were missing our daughter and husband who live in FL.

Next year I plan on making just desserts and we're all going out to eat so I can have more time to visit. We have our family party early so this would be possible and probably not cost any more than buying all the groceries I do.

Love that magazine cover!

Chenille Cottage said...

Hi Sandy,
I enjoyed your "POST" issue...Oh, that cover just about says it all. I have a secret way of getting my husband to help more around the house...Whenever he is vacuming (I have MS and he does help me a lot)...I look at him fondly and say, "Honey...You never looked more attractive!" He always laughs. I have a little red sign by the kitchen sink that says, "Get Kisses from the Misses...When you do the dishes."

Hang in there, dear...Don't let the turkeys get you down!
Blessings and hugs,
Carolynn xoxo

Anonymous said...

Ha! I just saw that "realistic" mag cover on pinterest! But I actually *like* to clean my house and sorry, but I actually hum and sing while doing so! Of course I no longer have a crying baby crawling around my feet and other kids fighting in the background! Cleaning wasn't always easy back then but I trained those boys to help as soon as they had the hang of walking!

I do hate to cook though and thankfully, my hubs and my youngest boy have finally figured this out and I only cook a couple times a week.

I gave up on Christmas dinner years and years ago! I still do Thanksgiving because I figure I can make one big meal a year and still live. The last couple years, the hubs has done the clean up and won't let any of the others help cuz he wants the boys to be able to spend time together. :)

We do pizza on Christmas and we don't exchange gifts with everyone. I do stockings for the grands and gifts just for the hubs and the youngest still home who incidently both told me they didn't want anything this year! Ha! Not me, though! I said I want everything! Ha-ha! I can't imagine ever being one of those women who "has everything".

Well, no one knows how to best take care of Sandy like Sandy does! Rest up and enjoy life as much as you can! ♥

Anonymous said...

GREAT post Sandy! This was my first year EVER to have Thanksgiving Dinner at my house because in the past 35 years, we had always driven up to my parents and siblings for the holiday. Wouldn't you believe it... my children could not come! LOL! They felt they "had" to go to their inlaws! Well, I whined until I realized I could do the dinner another weekend - but we had mexican food instead! Same thing for Christmas dinner. They could not come to my house! And, I'm still trying to work out Christmas with them. Sigh... But, I am enjoying living in the country now with hubs. And, we are looking forward to making new friends here - and we can invite them to dinner! Wanna come over? LOL!

Unknown said...

Sandy, I love that you got to shop for yourself for Christmas. Have you seen the new "old" Christmas lights for the tree? They are ceramic and do not get hot at all but would look so cute with all of your reflectors. Lol! I had a mother who never cooked or cleaned; so I am one of those nuts who enjoys it all! Wishing you a wonderful New Year! Elizabeth

Phoebes World said...

Great post...it made me smile. Happy New Year
Phoebe x

agravette said...

I know exactly how you feel. I have lupus and I do what I can do, and what doesn't get done, oh well! Thank God I have a husband who enjoys cooking and an 11 year old and 16 year old who help out around the house. Otherwise, we'd just be eating sandwiches and frozen pizzas on paper plates! Hugs to you!

Little Susie Home Maker said...

Oh, Sandy! You are so funny! I love those ads. And the magazine cover from 1949 is the BEST!!! That is a lot like I feel most of the time. I completely know how you feel with the RA dragging you down and messing up holidays. I have FM and CF. These make the holidays rough for me, but I do have a great support from my family. And nobody expects me to be" Susie Home Maker" LOL
I am so happy you figured out all that work is not always worth the pain.
Blessings,
Susie (Home Maker, hehe)

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

I just want to do the best I can, whatever that may be! I do like to cook...not so much cleaning and dishes...Love to decorate, create and shop for treasures! LOL!
Happy New Year!
Warmly,
deb

Fran said...

All of those illustrations of smiling women were probably born out of a man's wild imagination. I LOVE that magazine cover, leave it up to the Saturday Evening Post to keep it real! Happy New Year! :) --Fran

Poppy said...

Happy New Year, Sandy!

So refreshing to see some real words about the real world! I totally agree with you: when we relax and take the pressure off of ourselves, it just seems that everything gets done anyway! And sometimes, even better!

Love the images, but that's really what they were: IMAGES!

Poppy xo

GardenOfDaisies said...

Just catching up on some of the posts that I missed over the holidays. I HEAR YOU! :-) I don't love the cleaning up, that is for sure, but on the other hand I like my house to be clean. I do enjoy cooking, but after the third day of big parties and big meals I am so ready to be done with it and my back aches. I told my kids that I was really ready to just go be a guest in someone elses house for Christmas... so I was looking for a daughter-in-law or a son-in-law to do the cooking. LOL! They aren't quite at that point in their lives yet, so it was more of a joke than anything. All jokes aside, I do think I am ready to try to simplify things a little. That is hard to do when you don't see kids for months and they come home for the holidays and want everything to be just the way it always was. Sigh... What's a mom to do?

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

Many a night I have had that same look as the woman on that magazine.

I have to admit, I would be happy to stay home and take care of the house like that but this is a different era. Now days we women take care of the house AND work outside the home!!

Thanks for sharing! I loved them all!

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