The Art Of Wife was one of Those Projects.  You know the ones — the ones where you have this idea and it sticks in the back of your head somewhere, refusing to shut up and let you sleep in peace because the spin-off ideas continue churning around the thinkmeats while you’re trying to sleep?  That kind of Project.

It was conceived one day, after reading a friend’s knitting blog.  She had been having some incidents — random strangers telling her that she was selfish and stupid for staying at home with her kids rather than using her college degree.  (Which never fails to boggle my mind a bit — who thinks it’s *okay* to share your unsolicited negative opinion on someone’s choices simply because you read his/her blog?)

While talking with her, I realized that a lot of the arguments for staying at home and being a traditional wife are based on the assumption that you have children.  Or that you’re of a stringent religious faith that clearly defines your role.  Or that you’re a lazy good-for-nothing drain on society that stays home to get out of working.

As any wife can tell you — with children or without — staying home is *not* all laying-around-eating-bonbons.   (Granted, it *does* indicate a certain level of economic stability of which some families don’t have a choice.  I’ll gladly concede that point.)

There are a thousand things to take care of.  And some women choose to take care of them while working.  (The operative word in that sentence being “choose”.)  Others prefer to dedicate themselves to home, whether there’s the eventuality of family or not.

I’m one of the latter.   It’s my choice to stay home — my husband doesn’t require it, though I think there are times when my at-home work-for-money bothers him (it takes a fair bit of time, as it’s creative work, which has no real time schedule for most tasks, and can stretch out if I’m uninspired.).

I’m also new to this.  Never before in my life, barring brief stints at random intervals, have I been in charge of a house and its maintenance, and a husband.  (And, some would say, *his* maintenance.  Kidding, kidding….)  I’m learning this as I go, and trying to find some balance in the interim.

I’m trying to make our lives, whether we are blessed with children or remain child-free, as easy, simple, and beautiful as possible, while still maintaining my social life and low-stress career.  And that?  Not always easy.

I needed a resource for *me*.  No kids, first-time homekeepers.  A place to NOT feel like a freak for wanting to be a better wife, but not being either a mom or stringently religious.  I decided to make it a project — collecting resources and chronicling my own  self-improvement process.  I’ve got a lot of work to do.

Over the coming months, I’m hoping to provide:

• resources and websites of note on wifery in general
•  interviews with the uber-wives (the ones that make it seem easy)
• tips and tricks on homekeeping and other skills
• projects and downloads that have helped me
• my own story.

All I ask is that if you’re going to come in and put your feet on my furniture, that you keep any negativity or nastiness to yourself.  We’re all finding our own path in this world, and this is mine.  It’s not open for criticism or judgement.

Enjoy!