hi all, thanks for being here today. i really appreciate all of you that read and watch my content, i really appreciate when you leave comments and i love when you share my posts and videos with friends in conversations :) it makes me so happy! so thank you.
today i want to write a little bit about what it means to me to be a 'homemaker', and why i prefer to use that word as opposed to 'stay at home mum' (or sahm for short).
to me, being a sahm conjures up negative thoughts and emotions, to me i always read the opposite of it 'the not-out-at-work mum'. it also puts all the pressure on my job being about the kids, which means that if at the end of the day my kids are grumpy and ill-behaved then i've failed at my job, because they were supposed to be my 100% right?
that's why i've switched my job title, i now call myself homemaker. because it gives me something to succeed at, and it more accurately expresses my role in the home too. you see i spend the majority of most of my days making my home feel clean and tidy and warm and inviting, a place where children naturally thrive, a place where there's good food and candles lit and flowers on the table.
i love this quote from Audrey Hepburn, when talking about homemaking:
"It's sad if people think that's a dull existence, [but] you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's the flowers you choose, the music you play, the smile you have waiting. I want it to be gay and cheerful, a haven in this troubled world."
to me, a home isn't just a safe place, i also have the privilege to make it all of the things written above, where love can be shown in many different ways. where life is rich and full of meaning.
i've also strived over the past couple of years to really put intention into my daily duties, to find ways of enjoying the "more boring" tasks. the key is to make it your own, and i mean really truly take ownership for it, be proud of it and do it the best you can. treat it as you would a paid-for 9-5 office job. take pride in your work. give yourself an annual review if needs be.
you can see my homemaker life in practice in my latest vlog…
one of the major changes i've had to adjust to is how much hard work it is to be a homemaker, how doing it well requires a huge amount of energy and effort. and how our society pushes convenience and relaxation and me-time too far most of the time - i get so much reward from my lifestyle that's at a slower pace...
i love waking up to come downstairs to a clean kitchen each morning, because the night before i stayed up til 9pm cleaning it before i sat down with a cup of tea. i love saving money making my own clothes or altering them or mending them, instead of going out and buying new ones. i love making my own bread, because it's healthier and cheaper and i find it really easy and fun. i love meal prepping and cooking much more than takeaway or eating out, because it tastes better and i know exactly what's in it.
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so much of our society is just a product of great marketing and evil politics, it's taken me a long time to feel like my role at home was of value, because society tells me i should be out at work and that this role isn't important. society tells me the only things that are important are to make money, to spend money and to value money higher than most anything else. especially in the UK, where now the majority of parents are both working, because it's such an expensive place to live and one salary doesn't usually suffice, especially if also, like both my husband and i, you don't 'come from money' and haven't been given a helping hand to begin with.
gosh, i could rant for a while about that. i am so grateful for what we have, but it's taken so much grind to get to where we are, for both of us, and it's tiring. i feel extremely grateful for our children, who give us so much joy, and make our hard work seem much more worth it.
now moving on.... Jaques of London were kind enough to send some beautiful toys for me to review in the video, and it was such a joy to open their lovely boxes, all wrapped in ribbon and paper. there's even a card inside each one saying who wrapped it for you - such a lovely touch. see the video to see what we opened - the kids haven't stopped playing with them...
as you know i don't often work with other brands, i get lots of emails, but i'm veeeeeerrry selective, and almost never find one that i would be happy to talk about on my platforms, but as i'd already bought so many toys from the company and loved them, and because they stand for a lot of things that i also stand for, and because i knew that so many of you would enjoy them, i said yes, and i hope the discount code blesses you.
have a lovely day, thanks for reading, catch up soon x
