Learning to be A Housewife...

Er, a CONDOwife...

I mean, fiancé. Since we’re not married yet...

Maybe I should have just titled it, Learning to Clean Up After Myself and Another Person.

That’s been my project for the past few months.

Jon and I moved in to his family-owned condo in November, around the middle of the month. We took it nice and slow, moving boxes and furniture on weekends and days off. After a hectic few weeks of unpacking and decorating and putting things away, we made it through Christmas and emerged victorious into the New Year. And by “made it through,” I mean that I half-heartedly decorated a 2 foot tree and threw some lights up in the living room. The only thing I really put any effort into was the Nativity scene on the mantel.

But we haven’t actually finished making this little condo into our home. We haven’t finished unpacking, we haven’t put everything away yet, and my decorating attempts were actually pretty lame. Luckily, I have voraciously thrown myself into the “dressing up” of our bedroom. I have been researching affordable ways to turn my ideas into reality. I can’t wait to put it all together!

In the meantime, I have been focusing on teaching myself how to be a good little Susie Homemaker.

Things I’ve done that made me feel like an utter failure:
burn milk on the stove, spill chicken grease all over the counter, shrink some of my clothing, serve canned soup for dinner...

Those embarrassing moments are swept away by everything I’ve learned:
How to organize kitchen cabinets and make the most use of limited counter space, where to keep the garbage pail while cooking, how to effectively sort our laundry in less loads...

I think, though, that the most important thing I learned is that I’m not perfect. I don’t have to try to achieve what other women have done with their houses and households. I only have to be good enough for myself, and everyone else can just GO AWAY. As long as Jon is happy, I’m happy.

Also, I have a newfound appreciation for everything my mom did when I was a kid. I mean, my brothers and I weren’t really messy children. We put our toys away, we didn’t leave food all over the house, and we pitched in with chores occasionally. But there is so much more than that! I can handle cleaning the bathrooms, not a big deal. But there’s also a kitchen to clean, carpets to vacuum, trinkets to dust off, a desk to keep organized, clothing to put away.

It was grossly overwhelming at first, but I climbed that mountain. I made a weekly cleaning schedule that I follow about 92% of the time. I also keep an ongoing list of grocery items as I think of them, and I plan meals one week in advance.

It’s truly been fun, this journey towards becoming a housewife.