"SAYING NO TO NETFLIX"
Don't worry, I looked it up, Housewifery is a real word.
(Housewifery (house-whif-ery)- The functions or duties of a housewife; housekeeping.)
How ever you would say it. I know it sounds like a fake job.
Most people imagine homemakers to be playing perpetual hooky (which can I just say, is a very easy
trap to fall into). But I'm not here to say what is the right way or wrong way to be a housewife. I'm just
here to tell you the realities of my experience.
Don't worry, I looked it up, Housewifery is a real word.
(Housewifery (house-whif-ery)- The functions or duties of a housewife; housekeeping.)
How ever you would say it. I know it sounds like a fake job.
Most people imagine homemakers to be playing perpetual hooky (which can I just say, is a very easy
trap to fall into). But I'm not here to say what is the right way or wrong way to be a housewife. I'm just
here to tell you the realities of my experience.
So obviously I'm still fairly new to being a housewife. I have been doing it full time now for 6 months,
and i'm going to share my first faux pas of staying home.
T.V.
Ok, so when I first set out to do this, I had already made my mind up that this would be a "job", and
that I would work really hard at it. And that everyday when Justin got home, there would be dinner on
the table, a clean home, and things would be taken care of. And it was! Everyday, he would ask me
what I did, and the answer was pretty much the same, "I did some chores around the house, and
cooked, 3 meals."And he accepted that, because how much more vague could I be?!
What he didn't know was, I would wake up, do my chores, and then watch Netflix. About until the
time I knew he would be heading home for lunch, then I would turn it off, make lunch, and then, yep!
You guessed it, cleaned up the kitchen and plopped my lazy butt back down until I either needed a
bathroom break, or it was time to prep for dinner.
Now, I always had good intentions, of course. But that really means squat when all your doing is
yelling at Rory Gilmore to not quit Yale (Gilmore Girls). Or watch so much 'Call the Midwife' that you
think you are one. Not kidding. (When you are considering naming your firstborn child after a TV
Show character. It's time to ask for help.)
So here it is, the terrible time I was caught with TV.
About 4 months ago, I was doing my usual thing, and Justin comes home for lunch, pretty typical. Well
when he left I was pulling out a load of laundry from the dryer, and lying it out on the couch, you
know, "to separate" (ahem, to be closer to the TV). Justin came over, gave me a kiss, and left. Well…I
got about 1/4 of it done and then... next thing I know, "click, click" Confessions of a
Shopaholic is on! Well, it would be rude not to watch it..
*2 hours later*
Guess who comes home early?
Yep, the ol' Husband. And where am I? SAME. EXACT. SPOT!!
Well, suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty. I pretty much went into major defensive mode about how I work
so hard keeping house, that I was taking a "break", or "day off" of sorts, same as I would do if I were at
an office job. He, of course being the most understanding person in the world, apologized for getting
mad. And dropped it. (Yeah, you can judge me, I kinda judge me too…)
Well, Praise the Lord, a couple of days later, I was laying in bed reading my bible study, and
immediately was overcome with conviction. There it was, the reason projects weren't getting done
around the house, why I wasn't making any Etsy sales, and why everyday I did not have any feeling of
accomplishment.
T.V.
I mean, for Pete's sake all I was doing was watching fake characters lead great and exciting lives, while
I sat on my couch! Come on Kaylan! So, I sat down with Justin and had a very real "marriage talk", I
told him that I knew was not doing my best work, and that I was sorry for not taking things as seriously
as I should. And I wanted to fast from T.V. for a whole week. So embarrassing as it was, Justin took
the remotes with him to work everyday, and wouldn't bring them home until the evening. Which meant,
if anyone came over and wanted to watch something, I had to be held accountable, and admit that I was
trying to not watch as much TV. It was embarrassing for sure, but oh my gosh, the things I got done
that week! It was amazing!! And you know what, I am so glad I did it, now most of the time I can go
days on end without ever turning it on, and I don't even know the difference. And I can actually say
that I feel so much better about my performance as a housewife!
Thinking of going Cold Turkey on T.V.?
Here are some of my tips!
- Be honest with yourself. (It may not be TV, maybe it's food, or social media, do you just sit there for hours looking at a screen while everything around you sits undone?)
- I know we all think we can manage with Netflix on "in the background." but come on, who are we really fooling? Every episode of any show has moments where you need to "sit down for just a second" to enjoy!
- Take some time away from it, try just be quiet with yourself. We are never quiet with ourselves anymore! You may be surprised, think of all of the ideas, and creativity just sitting dormant in your brain!
- If it's too tempting for you, try having someone hide the remotes from you, or tell someone close to you about it, so they can keep you accountable.
Look, I know this seems silly, but this is the world we live in.
Now, believe me, it was not easy to put these raw facts about myself out into the world of the internet. But if you have any desire to be a stay-at-home anything. Then my only hope is that maybe this helps you unlock some of that potential you aren't using. And save you some time and embarrassment from someone having "The TV Talk" with you.
Come back again if you like embarrassing anecdotes. Because believe me, I got plenty.
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