Extract from 1950 Home Economics Book
Have dinner ready
Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
Extract from 2019
Decide what you might like to eat and if there’s enough for two, see if your husband would like to make it. If not, make it for yourself and point him in the direction of the crisps cupboard or offer him up the remains of the kids’ tea (unless you have already hoovered this up). Most men and women are hungry when they come home but it’s a dog eat dog world, let’s face it.
Prepare yourself
Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Get into your skanky, grey pyjama bottoms as soon as you’ve got home from the school run, or the minute you walk in the door from your stressful day at work. Take off all make-up (if you had any on in the first place) and shove your hair up in a mum bun. Your boring day definitely needs a lift, so pour yourself a large glass of wine, and hope that nobody bothers to talk to you for the next 2 hours.
Clear away the clutter
Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too.
Mutter to yourself grumpily that nobody ever bothers to clear anything up, as you shove the school books, toys, iPads etc. into one big pile of clutter at the end of the kitchen table. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of slightly more rest if he remembers to never ever make the schoolboy error again of flinging his shoes off in the middle of the hall or dumping his coat at the bottom of the stairs.
Prepare the children
Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
Take a wet wipe to your children’s hands and faces if you really can no longer face the yoghurt smeared cheeks any longer. Otherwise just leave it till your husband baths them later. They can be little treasures but during the hours of 5pm to 8pm, ‘treasures’ is not exactly the word that springs to mind.
Minimise all noise
At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, drier, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.
At the time of his arrival (if you are indeed back before him) make sure that the PlayStation, repetitiveness of Capital Radio and all technological devices are playing at full volume, as well as the children being as moany as possible. If you’ve had to endure it, then so should he. Grunt at him and greet him with a download of everything that has been sh*t about your day.
Some don’ts
Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he’s late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.
Don’t forget to greet him with problems and complaints. If you can’t offload on to him then what was the point of getting married? Don’t forget to have a go if he’s late for dinner, even if there is no dinner made. Dinner is just a time that you have in your head for when you think he should be home. He may not even know what this time is, but he shouldn’t be late anyway.
Make him comfortable
Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
If he dares to sit down in a comfortable chair while you are dealing with sibling fights, iPad bans and why nobody is watching any more Dance Moms before they’ve done their homework, then he is – in the words of the great B.A. Baracus – a crazy fool. Make sure you have a chilled glass of wine in your hand to get you through the aforementioned. He can get one for himself if he wants. Speak in the only way you know how to these days – loud, impatient and screechy. He may try to relax and unwind by sneaking off to another room with his phone to watch silly YouTube videos, but be it at his peril.
Listen to him
You may have a lot of things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
You have lots of things to tell him about your ungrateful boss, your turmoil at lunchtime when Yo Sushi ran out of sushi, the fact that little Jimmy has been giving his teacher some backchat in the manner of Liam Gallagher, and you have no decent clothes anymore because you’re too fat. Do not let him talk at all.
Make the evening his
Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to come home and relax.
Constantly complain that you never do anything exciting anymore and he always seems to have time for client entertainment or pints with his mates, but never for poor old you. Do not give his world of strain and pressure a second thought, but do constantly remind him of yours.
The goal
Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
Try to limit crazy big arguments to one or two a week. Little bickery ones can occur on a daily basis. If either of you need to renew yourself in body and spirit then a retreat in Tibet is probably your best bet, but not together. Failing that, a night away with your mates should do the job.
Actually laughed out loud. But then I am currently in Qatar which is sort of like living in the 50’s. At least from a male perspective.
Author
Always like to make Mike Wall LOL – then I’ve know I’ve done alright. It must be like going back into a time warp out there. Glad I’m safely in 2017 and keeping Mr S.H.I.T. on his toes! Thx for reading Mike x
Decided Hewy was born in the wrong decade!! V funny… X
Author
Mr S.H.I.T. can but dream he was born in the 1950’s and likes to pretend we are still living in that era whenever he can get away with it. Thx for reading lovely x
Makes me so sad to think that women used to actually feel they had to live like this. I’m glad we’ve come so much further.
Don’t worry. I can see the comedy in the post ???? Another fab and clever S.H.I.T post x x
Author
It’s appalling that women actually used to be forced to accept that this was how they should worship and treat their husbands. Thank goodness we’re not stuck in the 1950’s although I have to remind Mr S.H.I.T. at times that we are indeed in 2017! Thx for reading lovely you xx
I kind of wish I was a husband in the 1950s.
thanks for the laugh!
Author
Yup, life must’ve been pretty cushty for those men in the 1950’s, if ridiculously sexist! Thx for reading x
Hahaha loving this! Made a mental note to read it out aloud to Hubster tom;)
Author
Thx for reading lovely. Certainly glad we’re not living in the 1950’s! x
Honestly, all I want from the image of 1959’s house wifery is the clothes they would have worn. None of the rest. Not a bit of it! Live your responses Susie, almost medicinal as an antidote. Xxx
Author
Agree that the dresses were good, but I’m not sure I’d have been able to keep mine clean and pristine looking! As for the ribbons in my hair….I’d have looked silly whatever the era. Thank you for reading and commenting my lovely friend xxxx
Crying with laughter. You need to make this into a book, for reals. I’d buy it as would millions of others! Also this: ‘Don’t forget to greet him with problems and complaints. If you can’t offload on to him then what was the point of getting married? Don’t forget to have a go if he’s late for dinner, even if there is no dinner made. Dinner is just a time that you have in your head for when you think he should be home. He may not even know what this time is, but he shouldn’t be late anyway’. bahahaha!
Author
Thanks for reading my love – very happy to put a smile on your face. Let’s make it into a book! xxx
I love this so much. Keep the kids quiet. As if!!! I think my husband only ever sees me in my PJ’S!!! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
This made me laugh out loud and then sob a little. I swear that sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by people who have that book! Jersey can feel very 1950s a times #FridayFrolics
Author
Oh no, sorry to hear it can feel a bit backward in Jersey sometimes – surely not like this though! It’s hard to believe that women were actually meant to behave towards their husbands in this way. I wouldn’t last 2 minutes, but then maybe I’d have been so programmed to think that that was just the way of the world, that I wouldn’t have questioned it. Like to think we would have seriously questioned it though. Thx for reading and glad it made you giggle. Hope not sob too much. xxxxx
Ha, ha, ha, haaaaaaa. Utterly hilarious, although like ‘Island Living 365’ said – it’s sad that round these parts (Cotswolds) there’s still a parochial attitude surrounding SAHMs and motherhood in general. #FridayFrolics
Author
Sorry to hear it’s still a bit backward in the Cotswolds but I hope, not as bad as in the 50’s – can’t believe women were really meant to behave that way! Thx for reading x
In a previous life I was editor of an online women’s cycling website and stumbled upon a list of hilarious but frankly terrifying ‘don’ts’ for females while cycling in the 19th Century. Enjoy! https://totalwomenscycling.com/lifestyle/19th-century-advice-female-cyclists
Author
This is fabulous – thank you! x
I’m totally with you on most of this – especially the PJs! #twinklytuesdays!
Author
I love nothing more than getting straight into my pjs as soon as I walk in the door, especially in this weather. Thx for reading x
Fantastic. Thank you so much for making my day – can’t stop laughing!
Ellen x
http://www.elfeelgoodsvintage.uk
#TwinklyTuesday
Author
Thanks for reading – glad you had a chuckle! x
This is brilliant and made me chuckle!! #twinklytuesday
Author
It was fun to write! Thanks for reading x
Haha! Those old books were hilarious, but in a disturbing way. Thanks so much for joining us for #FridayFrolics
Author
Very disturbing! Thank goodness things have moved on. Thx for reading x
This is absolutely brilliant. Laughing all the way through and also feeling sorrowful for the 1950’s wife. I would hate to be a man servant! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
This is laugh out loud funny! I wish I was a man in the 1950s now! All that effort the woman has to put in, just wow! #bigpinklink
Author
It must have been a shocker for the women back then – can you imagine? I don’t think I’d have lasted 5 minutes! Thx so much for reading and commenting x
You nailed it Suzie! I’ve seen this excerpt used in many a blog post but never in such laugh out loud perfection in representing the true goings on of a modern household 😉
X High five #coolmumclub styleeeee
Author
Thanks for reading it. Thank goodness I wasn’t a wife in the 1950’s – think I’d last 2 minutes! x
This is brilliant! I just read the whole thing out to hubby for his approval. The one about dinner time being a particular time in your head, even if your husband doesn’t know what that time is, really made me laugh! Brilliant! #coolmumclub
Author
Poor Mr S.H.I.T. never knows what time real dinner time is – it changes in my head everyday! Hope your husband saw the funny side! Thx for reading x
Very witty – & very true! #coolmumclub
Author
Thanks for reading x
Ahhh, I remember this post, one of my faves and I still surrounded by people from the 1950s 😉 #FridayFrolics
I fluctuated between revulsion that these ‘domestic bibles’ really did exist and laughter at your brilliant humour. Sooooo funny. I read bits of it to hubby (who strangely wasn’t crying in hysterics like me) and he erm…said I do some of the ‘modern day’ versions. The cheek. #fridayfrolics
Author
I can’t quite believe that these domestic bibles actually did exist..I’d have lasted 2 minutes in the 50’s! Thanks for reading darling xxxx