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Article from the 1955 Housekeeping Monthly (Seriously)

** Disclaimer ** I know that Kendra will want me to say that she does not endorse this post. This is only to show how times have changed. Enjoy!!

GUIDELINES FOR HOUSEWIVES:

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs.

Prepare yourself. 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 more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and it is one of your duties to provide.

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash their 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. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum.

Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure. Don’t complain even if he stays out all night.

Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house. You have no right to question him. A good wife always knows her place.

Thrill of the Ride

Our annual Black Family Day At Lagoon this year didn't start off as smoothly as we had hoped, but it sure ended well. Kimball decided to smear mud all over my khaki capris at 6:30 a.m., just as we were headed out for a week-long Fourth of July trip to Idaho, started off by events at the amusement park. He had broken away from Jared and I as we were trying to get loaded into the car and I ended up tackling him on the newly planted grass (a.k.a. mud hole) in the back yard. Believe me, it WAS the only way to stop him. With mud-caked sandles, I threw the punk over my shoulder and headed for the car. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the mud-stains until two hours into the trip. Uh, ... dark brown marks and khakis all day at Lagoon ... I don't think so. We took a quick detour to see Catherine the Queen and buy some new carpis (I wasn't complaining about the fact that I HAD to buy new clothes -- you do what you have to as a mom), followed by a quick stop at Artic circle for lunch. The corndogs were not a hit. Neither was the sunscreen that found its way into Kimball's eyes. He was so badly effected by it that his face broke out in hives, his eyes swelled up past the point of recognition, and his cries of despair turned into wails of agony. No, I'm not exaggerating. It was that bad.

By mid-afternoon, some of the wails had turned into moans, thanks to a few hundred runs in the waterslides at Lagoon-A-Beach. I even made a classic Kendra run on the one of the kid slides, causing a few raised eyebrows from the teenage lifeguards on duty. Can't adults scream as loud as the kids on the kiddie slides too? Anyway, the water did us a great service and took away the sting of the sunscreen from the few hours previous and the afternoon that followed was nothing short of "magical" for the kids ... and their parents.

There must be some sort of craziness that comes with red hair, because Koria was nothing short of insane on the rides. Jared taught her the art of the arms-in-the-air-scream which she mastered by her second roller-coaster ride. Kimball couldn't wipe the grin from his face, and neither could we.

With one final trip to Rattle Snake Rapids, we came out looking like one sunburned, exhausted, very wet family. Next year, we're not using sunscreen. At least not before noon.

Dough vs. Doneness

There's been a long-contested battle in the family as to which is better -- cookie dough strait from the mixing bowl, or fresh-out-of-the-oven, oozing with newly-melted chocolate cookies. Koria and Kimball set out to discover the truth for themselves. Since both versions contain extreme amounts of sugar and butter, obvious problems arose with scoring. We may never know the answer.