Coming back to our homes

I have written quite a bit in the past about how homemaking and housework are looked down on by some and sometimes seen as a less than acceptable way to spend time. We have gone from valuing the homemaker and children being raised by a mother working at home while the father was bringing in a wage, to several decades of working couples and children in day care. Let me add that I'm not judging here, I value all people who work to give their family and themselves a good life. I believe the work we do helps makes us who we are but it isn't only paid work that forms character and builds self confidence, working in your home does that too. There is no right or wrong way to work - the vast majority of us are just doing what we have to do to reach our goals, whatever they may be.

I think this has been coming quietly for a while, but now there seems to be a distinct change in the air with people going back to basics, eating local and organic when they can and trying to cut out the chemicals, additives, preservatives and colourings in their lives. Thrift has made a come back and it looks like homemaking and housework are the next in line. Finally it's okay again to be a stay at home parent, or to enjoy spending weekends as a homemaker when the rest of the week has been spent in the corporate world. And both men and women are enjoying this freedom to be homebodies. Home is cool again.

For the past five years I have worked in my community at the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre. I was co-ordinator there until I left to write my book, and have returned there now to teach the skills of bread and soap making, fermenting, preserving, cooking from scratch, making laundry liquid and green cleaners and frugal living. Yesterday we had a wonderful bread making workshop where we made bread from scratch, then ate it with a cup of tea. We've also established a sewing circle and Crafternoon as well as a kitchen garden where we will soon teach how to grow organic vegetables, keep chickens and worms and to make compost. There is a lot of enthusiasm for the classes and it's made the Centre come alive with people connecting with us, their neighbours, and their own ambitions of working in their homes. There is a real interest in basic homemaking skills again. This is fundamental community development work and it's giving our people a feeling of empowerment, a sense of well being and confidence knowing that come what may, they are capable of looking themselves. It's such a priviledge for me to be part of it.

I hear stories all the time now about biscuits, cakes and bread being baked at home, mending being done, dress making and knitting. When we have our Crafternoons, some of the ladies bring along a cake to share for afternoon tea; this week's was made with black flour and wild raspberries. Many of these people are shopping at second hand shops, they're recycling and thinking about the consequences of their shopping and the packaging that comes with it. Cooking from scratch is popular again; the benefits of knowing what's in the food we eat is now more important than the convenience we used to buy. And all these actions are taking place at home; it seems to be okay again to be a homemaker and proud of it.

The good part about all this is that you don't need any special equipment, there is no must-have colour that is made exactly to your requirements. This is a change of mindset more than anything. To put it into action you just start buying ingredients instead of pre-cooked and processed foods, shop for, or grow, fresh vegetables and cook the way your grandma did. Stop buying cleaners and laundry products that look like they've been put together in a science lab. Buy ingredients - washing soda, bicarb, borax, soap and vinegar and make your own. They're effective and inexpensive. What you save can be paid off your mortgage or car loan or credit cards. Living like this will save you money, and it's not just for low income groups, it's for everyone.

Once you get yourself back into your home, whether that be on a full time basis, on the weekends or fitted around your paid work, there will be opportunities for you to express yourself, find satisfaction in the ordinary things and to build a simpler way of living. When you find your rhythm at home, you can slow down and relax more. This is a wonderful environment in which to raise children and develop yourself. Learning the skills you need to make your home the one place in the world where you feel comfortable and relaxed will also make you a different person; it did that for me. There is a lot to be said for looking after your own needs and doing it consistently with your own hands. Independence and confidence comes from that and if you have children, they will benefit from your sense of certainty and self assurance as well.

Our homes can be many things for each of us. They are where we retreat when we need to rest and recover and they're where we teach ourselves and our children the skills of living. But they're also our launching pads. Home is where we prepare ourselves to be in the outside world. So when you go to work or the kids go to school, if you're launched off on that journey having spent time in a nurturing home, you'll be the best you can be. And it all starts at home. Home, and the work done there, can be the making of us.

For those blog readers who live in other countries, the Australian Women's Weekly featured me in this month's edition. If you'd like to read the article, it's online now here.