A homemaker can be anyone who makes a home. I imagine there are plenty of people who live in some form of a residence but do not make an effort to make that place a home.
Let me be clear that a residence is a physical building. A home is the emotional and psychological experience of living in a place.
Homemakers make their dwelling a home, often through invisible work. Much of a homemakers work in maintaining a home is felt but not always seen or noticed.
For example, while my fellow homemaker was relaxing on the deck, I cleaned the filter in, and filled the cat water fountain with clean, filtered water. I also cleaned the mat and the corner where our cat’s water fountain sits. I’m not sure those gestures will be noticed by my house-mate nor said cat for whom the effort was made.
Are you aware that many a homemaker “processes” groceries? I’m aware that some homemakers simply shove the refrigerated foods into the refrigerator or freezer, job done. But, I’m one who processes food on its way to storage.
For example, I cut raw broccoli heads into florets and store them inside a slide-lock bag with a paper towel inside. Then, I squeeze the air out as much as possible, zip, then store in the refrigerator. I do something similar with raw spinach. This is sous chef behavior, I’ll have you know.
Preparing for visits from my grand-toddler, I buy berries and process them. I wash raspberries, blueberries, and cut up strawberries, put them into a container with a paper towel in the bottom, and they’re ready to grab and include on a “plate” of finger foods that he likes. I also prepare bacon ahead of time, microwaving it in batches, cut it into snack size bites, and “voile,” finger food.
I’m sure my grand-toddler doesn’t notice the work that goes into his meal-prep, but I’m just as sure that he feels it when gammy pulls a plate of his favorite finger foods out of the fridge. Not noticed, but felt.
Did anybody notice that I changed the empty paper towel roll and the tissues, with one left in the box? This homemaker is the one who put “hand soap” on the list because there are no replacements in the bathroom cupboard.
I’m the homemaker who trooped outside, step-stool in hand, to tape some foil temporarily on our front windows to keep that highly annoying male cardinal from beating himself up over his reflection, and from making these home-dwellers completely crazy. I also prepared a box of dirt with mini-excavators and trucks in it, for my grand-toddler to play with even on rainy days on the front porch. Maybe I’ll put flowers in the planter this year or maybe I won’t, but I’ll always have that beautiful soul brightening my days.
This homemaker likes tidiness, order, and nice things as much as the next homemaker. Well, maybe I like these things more or less than other homemakers. But, I totally value the souls who come and go from our home so much more than the structure which welcomes them. So in my list of priorities, I will value the souls over the stuff any day and if tidiness, order and nice things must suffer, suffer they must.
I make the bed. I fold the laundry. These things may not matter to you and good for you if they don’t. But, they matter to me. I appreciate the order that they bring to our home and my house-mate appreciates that they give me peace of mind. I’m not sure he cares about either of those chores, but he appreciates me for doing them. That makes all the difference.
I sort garbage. I know, that seems a little bit obsessive. However, my mom did it and I don’t know if that means something, but I do it too.
We recycle aluminum cans, placed into a designated bin. We re-use our plastic grocery bags and all clean plastic wrapping as packing material for shipping items for our business. We recycle glass, plastic, and steel containers as well as redacted junk mail. We burn paper. We compost vegetable food waste. Once in a while, we send everything else with the trash hauler.
I clean once in a while, not obsessively but not never. I am always sorting stuff. Clothing and household items pop up that are not worn or used and must be donated to someone who wants such things, and which have become clutter to me.
Having a small house, this homemaker is constantly storing and retrieving seasonal items. As everyone in these parts knows, this spring has been a merry-go-round of weather variations. A few weeks ago we had a taste of summer so much so, that I cleaned the fireplace and all of its accoutrements, thinking that winter was done and dusted. Then, we had a week of freezing weather, and this frenzied and cold homemaker pulled all the fireplace gear back out of its hidey-hole, including the todder-safety gate. At least I remembered where I put them this year.
It is not unfair to say that a lot of homemaking involves invisible work. It’s almost like magic that so much gets done around the house, without a thought of the sacrificial effort put into it.
However, many a homemaker has a partner who doesn’t always notice your homemaking magic. But he or she feels it. They know their unconscious comfort and ease, wasn’t provided for by fairies.
My partner, is one who verbalizes his appreciation for my homemaking effort. Sometimes, I remind him of some of the invisible work that I’ve done and he’s quick to thank me and applaud my willingness to do what he didn’t think to do. Would that we would all be so blessed for homemaking partnership.