This is going to be brief for a while, until I can work up the rest of the site.  But I wanted *something* here for the time being.

I’m Liz, aka Wife.  I’m a midwest-dwelling, 36-year-old housewife.  We currently have no children, but we’re working on that — I’m sure that will find its way into the blog sooner or later.  (It’s been an uphill battle with my ovaries, see.)  I’m college-educated, and while I do work, it’s from home, and for myself, in a very non-traditional position.  I’ve architected it that way so that when/if we do have children, it will be easier to transition into being a full-time mom.

I’m kind of a housewifery geek, obsessed with the idea of the traditional “housewife”, which I’m fully aware is largely a fantasy bourne of the 1950’s.  I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and researching the traditional roles of “wife” and “woman” and “mother”.    I found, in my travels both virtual and in skinspace, that the idea of being “just” a housewife meets with a lot of stereotypes and resistance — either the idea that I’m somehow giving up something by wanting to stay home and take care of the house, or that I’m letting down my feminist sisters by not wanting it all.   The fact that I have no children (yet), and that I stay home…well…let’s just say the comments I’ve heard have ranged from “lazy” to “setting back the feminist movement fifty years”.

It’s kind of ridiculous.

Also in my research, I’ve found very few resources for either the childless housewife or the relatively non-politically/religiously associated.  Most sites for and about housewives are either connected with being a stay-at-home-mom, are from an uber-Christian and biblical perspective, or have a very right-wing anti-feminist bent to them.   I’m all for letting wives make the choices that work for them and their families — I have no problem with anyone believing whatever they want.  I just don’t connect with any of those three, in particular.  (I’m not a SAHM, I don’t believe that God/Allah/The Universe/the Flying Spaghetti Monster wants women at home necessarily, and I’m a mostly-moderate Democrat/Green who considers herself to be, if not a “feminist”, then a supporter of women’s rights.  If any of these offend you, I hope you won’t let it get in your way of enjoying the site.)

While there will be information and resources here, this is still a personal project/blog.  I’m inviting you into my living room, virtually, and I ask that you respect the furniture.  Negative or personally-attacking comments will be removed without notice, because, really, it’s my house.  I wouldn’t let guests to my physical house write arguments on my walls, and I won’t let guests do it here, either.  Debate is fine, and encouraged really, but keep it to issues, not people.

Other folks you’ll see mentioned here:

J - my husband of two years.  He works for a family business and is an entertainer by night and weekend.  We’re a non-traditional family, really.

SSC - the triumverate of dogs that share our home.  They shed more than should be physically possible, and occasionally get into things that require specialized cleaning.  Because low-maintenance isn’t a word one would use to describe them.  We love them anyway.

I’ll add to this as people come up.

So, welcome … enjoy your time here and thank you for reading all about my crazy quest.  Hope you can find something here to inspire you.