Three Confessions of a Happy Housewife!

We all need a bit of encouragement, inspiration and motivation so here are my top three happy housewife confessions!....

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1. I confess, I don't iron! Scandalous but true. Try washing on the lowest spin cycle then removing anything you would usually iron immediately after the spin cycle has finished and hang it on a padded hanger. You can then set the rest of the load to spin again on a higher rpm. That's why I don't iron. (that, and consciously purchasing clothing with elastane or synthetic fibres, less than 100% cotton content and lots of fabric conditioner!!!)

2. I confess, I don't cook every night. Welcome to the Ready Meal Revolution! Yes, I know, it's hard to believe but at least twice I week Mr. Redressing heats up a ready meal for the 2 of us and it's delicious! Look out for offers on readies (M&S Meals are some of the best) and budget accordingly on your weekly shopping funds. Removes hassle, is speedy and fortunately the options have moved on from Shepherds Pie or Lasagna! If cooking is a housewifely bug-bear let yourself off with a pre-prepared meal once in a while (if you don't already!)

3. I confess, I don't drink instant coffee. Yes, I am a coffee snob! I have found, 3 children later, that I am in need of a rather large and rather good quality cup of coffee to start my day. I take some time with this particular cup of coffee as it's the first real chance I get to look at my 'to do list'; assess the days requirements and determine realistically just how much of the said list will in fact get done! If this is the time in my day to plan strategically, be decisive, effective and efficient then I am sure as heck not going to do that over a cup of instant coffee! I also adore the smell of fresh coffee; have a clever little machine which keeps the pot hot for a couple of hours and also have low blood pressure so can take the caffeine induced palpitations hit!!!! In line with a well known hair care brand, I do feel that I am 'worth it' and therefore my coffee reflects my values. Nectar.

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The best housewifely tip I can pass on is to value yourself and by doing so, validate what you do. Remeber dolls, you are gorgeous, inside and out!
               xXx

The Re-Script workshop: D is for....

Today's re-script workshop challenge is a really exciting and easy one! Honestly, as D is for Dresses!
As women who want inner strength and outer gorgeousness, we can often end up falling victim to fast-fashion, fashion fads and frankly, just bad buys. Items which appear to be a bargain, but which in fact are ill fitting, don't go with anything and will inevitable end up in the back of your wardrobe until they hit the eBay pile.

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Your challenge for today is to ensure that your inner strength is indeed reflected in your outer gorgeousness by culling that wardrobe and making sure that said wardrobe contains at least one dress!
Dresses are fabulous- no matter what your shape, style or lifestyle there is a dress to suit you and you really do need to be wearing it! Apart from being thoroughly stylish, adaptable and easy to dress up or style down, a dress is your best friend simply because it is a single garment. Gone are the daily dilemmas surrounding what to wear. You have the fab jeans but no suitable top, or you have a great shirt but your skirt isn't quite right. Enter, the dress. One item which you can quickly pull on, layer up with a cardi, warm up with tights, chill out with sandals or notch up with high heels. If you don't have a dress in your newly culled wardrobe then I urge you to get one. Try on some of a friends, find out about your bodyshape and see if you can find one to suit you, but nothing will give you that feeling of ultra-outer gorgeousness than a dress.

Don't forget, you can send your unwanted clothing off to the local Chazza, recycle things by giving them to your friends and even keep pieces with cool fabrics for future make do and mend projects. Inner strength is our goal and it includes outer beauty so get culling and make sure you own that 'I look amazing' dress!
Do let me know how you get on girls!
                      x

*If you need a great source for that fab frock pop in to Redressing!

Mirror Mirror on the wall.... or floor. Vintage Finds

Just take a look at this gorgeous 1950s mirror I found at my local tip!!! She's a beauty. I'm thinking she really ought to go up in my hallway for that final outfit check. What do you think?

Shoes: Miss L Fire Cherry Bomb; Pencil Skirt: Kelly Brook for New Look

Oh I do love it that other peoples rubbish is long forgotten treasure! Can't help wondering who elses reflections she has revealed across the years?!
(Just need to ask Mr.Redressing very nicely to get the drill out now.....)

Have you been vintage hunting over the weekend too?
                                x

The Re-Script Workshop. B is for....

B is for balance.
Thank you to those of you who have already signed up for the Re-Script workshop! It's wonderful to have you on board and I hope that some of my own journey will be of benefit to you and that you can share how you're progressing with the various challenges..

Most of today's workshop comes out of a post I wrote a little while ago when I was trying to find some balance in my life.

Being a woman can be hard. Add in being a worker, Mother, Sister, Wife, Daughter, it can get harder. Being 'Superwoman' is frankly not achievable nor is it desirable. As women we are built to carry a lot and we tend to carry things emotionally from a deep place inside. You could almost say we carry things 'hysterically'; meaning from the Uterus; deep deep down, from that safe place of strength, life and nurture. (Not from a place of emotional instability!) Carrying these things is often not really the problem, it's what the weight of them does to us and knowing how to handle that weight and then put them down successfully.
Finding balance is all about knowing what we are authorised to carry and knowing when to put some of these weights down.

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Today's interactive challenge is to simply write down the things in your life which you feel you carry as weights. This might be your family; your job; your need to be needed; elderly parents; your fears for your children's future. Have a good look at the list. Are there things there which you simply don't need to carry anymore? If so, strike them off! For the other things, what needs to happen in order for you to have balance in these things? Remember, your world is unique and different to every single other woman so no comparisons allowed!
For some people, like I found, building a more obvious structure into my week helped move some of that feeling of being overwhelmed when I thought of all the 'weights' in my world. This might work for you. Or you might need something else. Take some time in the next few weeks to name your weights; only then will you know the right way to carry them so that they don't have the opportunity to crush you.

If you'd like to join the Re-Script workshop you can add your name here. Simply scroll to the bottom of the page and click the 'you're next' linky and add your name- no further details required (unless you want to!)

Let us know how you got on if you'd like to
                     X

The Re-Script Workshop: A is for.....

Welcome to the first post in the Re-Script Workshops!

.....A is for Attitude.... a Positive one at that!

Before we begin our journey let me explain why this journey is such an important one for me. I believe that all women are beautiful. Every. Single. One. We are designed to be able, capable and beautiful. Sometimes, life tries to take over. We get busy at work; we have children who need us; we get tired with life and we forget. We forget to remember that we are strong. We forget to remember that we are beautiful. We forget to remember that we have a purpose, a destiny, a choice. Today's post is our first attempt to re-script that lack of remembrance and to begin to change our attitude towards ourselves so here's your challenge. Take a piece of paper and a pen. Write down 5 things you really like about yourself. Things you really like. Write them in really large letters! Use the kids glittery gel pens, whatever you have to hand, but write them down big enough for you to read them easily. If 5 is just too many then start with 3. If you have more than 5 then that's great. Now write them down. These are your new script. This is going to become the way you think, talk, hear things and respond to others when it comes to your view of yourself. Stick them up somewhere you can see them. If you aren't ready for others to see them them stick them to the inside of your knicker drawer- but stick them somewhere you can see them  and read them. Everyday, read them. Know them. Own them. This is you. Welcome to the re-script workshop.

If you'd like to share how you feel within this challenge I'd love to encourage you. If you already have a positive attitude towards yourself and love who you are then share your journey with us. Become a member of the Re-Script workshop here or share your thoughts in a comment post.

Fab Frock Friday- Summer is here!!

Wow! What a turn around in the weather?! Well ladies, there's nothing for it but to don a dress....

and here are 5 good reasons why you should....

D- Don't think you have to be going out somewhere posh to don a fab dress- you are gorgeous inside and out so show it!
R- Rarely does the sun actually come out, so what are you waiting for?!
E- Everybody can wear a dress! Check out some of my previous posts on body shape and how to dress it well here.
S- Sunshine is good for you (with an appropriate sunscreen on of course!) Get some sun on your legs.
S- So you don't have a dress?! No problem.... check out Redressing today and grab yourself a gorgeous gown or fab frock today! P&P only £3 and we ship worldwide.

Don't forget to sign up for the new "Re-Script Workshops" here!

Enjoy the sunshine ladies! Happy Friday X

Is the Domestic Goddess Dead?!

I was called up by BBC Coventry & Warwickshire last  to take part in a phone chat about the role of the Domestic Goddess and whether or not that role is dead.

I was on the call with the gorgeous Lynsey LeKeux from LeKeux Events and we were both being asked if we considered ourselves as Domestic Goddesses and whether we thought the role was indeed dead. Clearly not! The question really is more about balance and choice than about skill or ability when it comes to Domestic Goddess activities and an accurate understanding of it. (Think confident and capable siren, not tired housewife chained to the kitchen sink!!)

A very dear friend of mine once said to me that although people may complain a bit about their lot, we are usually able to find enough time in the day to do the things we want to do. The choice to cook, clean, sew, bake and make jam (or candles in vintage tea cups!) has to come from a decision that suits the individual circumstances we find ourselves in. We can't compare our worlds to those of other women, even when they look the same. Our circumstances and situations are unique to us and so any decision we make has to be one that works. If it works for you to 'farm out' all your domestic duties and you can comfortable afford to, then go right ahead!

Having said that, I do know of people who have effectively run away from some of these responsibilities by burying themselves in work.

 If however you want to build certain principles and values into your world and your family through some Domestic Goddess-ness activities, then do it! Things have to come back to principles and values that under gird your decisions not the practical 1/10th of those decisions. You don't 'lose out' by not being Superwoman you know. As long as you know how to love and care for your immediate spheres of influence and are doing it then it shouldn't matter what shapes some things take. Bottom line, we cannot do it 'all' (whatever 'all' is supposed to look like!) so know the foundations your visible 1/10th is built upon and be confident in your choices; you should never have to justify your world if you know you've built it justly, ethically and sustainably.

 If the spinning plates are beginning to drop then maybe you need to revisit what balance should look like in your world! You are most probably your own harshest critic so lighten up on yourself, make changes as and when you need to to re-dress the balance, just don't live a lie. Only you know if your world works; what anxieties you carry and what masks you wear. I know it's a terrible cliche, but the richest man on the Earth is the man who is at peace with himself. Are you?

x