Touching Base

It feels like it has been a long time since I've touched base with you all. Real Recessionistas turned into Retro Summer, which then flowed into the Institute for Fine Living, and before I knew it, the summer, along with September, disappeared.

A Respite
In truth, this past season was a welcome respite for me. After a year of personal challenges (see An Infertility Observed for a peek into those...), I have felt grateful for a few months of rest and creative enjoyment. They have worked--and continue to work--to restore my energy and vision for the future.

This past season has also given me an opportunity to develop a few skills and projects, too, like my photography, sewing and cooking. And those projects have planted the seeds for new ventures to come. Ventures I am excited about, and look forward to sharing with you soon.

Fresh Start
I mentioned yesterday that I sense a fresh start on the threshold. And though I don't exactly know what that entails for this little blog, I anticipate a few modest changes. Like some more substantial writing to balance out the great projects and photos, as well as a greater emphasis on leadership and community engagement. And perhaps a resurfacing of some of my favorite columns from the past, like Marketplace Mavens(featuring female entrepreneurs) and Smarty Pants (thoughts on current events).

Of course you'll still find the same attractions and interests that have filled these pages all year, like more DIY fashion inventions and my escapades with knitting needles. But in addition to inspiration, I hope also to equip you (and myself) to grow into strong women who lead with confidence.

So, here's to new horizons and fresh beginnings!
I'll talk to you soon!
--steph

Now is Our Time

It is easy for me to feel...well, uneasy...during these times. It is not, for instance, a particularly good time in history to start a family. It is disconcerting to see my investments shrink. It is alarming to hear reports of political and environmental concerns abroad.

Make me Feel Better
During these moments of anxiety, I often want to look to someone to make me feel better. A leader who can offer solutions that I can apply in my own life. Someone, or some group, that has answers or ideas or even a consistently positive attitude. Unfortunately these people are few and far between. Too many politicians are corrupt, too many CEO’s are greedy, and too many figureheads are ego-maniacs.

And so I’m going to--just this one time, and never, ever again--quote Dr. Phil: If you need a leader, be a leader. And so I think that now is our time to lead.

Be A Leader
Without getting all “Viva Revolucion!” on you, I’ll simply say that this recession is a perfect opportunity to rise to the challenge. And I firmly believe that we ladies are particularly equipped to do so. Because the antidote for a lot of what has gotten us into this mess (ahem...bloated institutions expanding their global reach via grossly inflated claims) lies in it’s counterpoint: in small, community, home-centered (and dare I say female?) places.

Ignore the Naysayers
These solutions, and opportunities to lead within them, are undoubtedly offensive to many. What do you mean you can solve the global economy troubles with the help of a bunch of gals selling trinkets from home and growing food in their yards? Why, that’s a bunch of kum-ba-ya hooey! Even I hesitate to overstate our influence for fear that some will think I’m preposterous. Hooey aside, though, I’ll endure some criticism if it means that gardens and cottage industries and creativity get some attention during these times. And of course attention for the ladies behind them, too.

So please, give Recessionistas a chance to inspire your leadership, and pay no mind to the naysayers. Sometimes what we’re looking for is small, and simple, and right in front of us.

Previous Recessionista posts:
Your Inner Entrepreneur
Homegrown Resilience
Smarty Pants: Jobs vs. Livelihoods

Farewell to Summer

Well, it's finally here.  The end of summer.  Yes, I know that technically fall doesn't begin until mid-September, and the weather is still warm.  But for me, the season is over when Labor Day commences.  Football starts, and the days get shorter, and it won't be long before I have to add another blanket to my bed at night.

Summer's end, of course, marks the end of the Summer Squeeze series where I celebrated all things fun and leisurely.  Fun and leisure isn't over, per se, but it's time to refocus for the fall.  

I've been talking all month about starting a Back to the Basics series in September.  This series, starting next week, will focus on one thing: making sure our "home base" is solid.  By home base, I mean the home.  And by solid, I mean that it is strong enough to provide us with the peace and energy we need to tackle the busyness of fall and the holidays.  My theory is that we need strong roots so that we can be strong leaders.  As HGTV says, we'll "Start at home."

You'll also notice a few changes to this blog, like a new title.  Yes, I'm still passionate about domestic life, and we'll still talk a lot about it here on this blog.  But I'm also passionate for community leadership and female entrepreneurship, so we'll be talking about that too.  

Other changes are happening even now on stephaniehillberry.com, and you can expect me to be mentioning my website a lot in the months to come.  Why?  Because it is a hub for all of the ideas I mention here on this blog, and I'll be adding new resources, testimonies, and activities frequently!  I invite you to check it out, and keep visiting, to find "lifestyle inspiration" and opportunities to share!

Though I am a little sad to see the sun set on summer, I am excited to jump into fall.  I hope you'll jump with me!  See you next week!

Resourceful Lady

As I mentioned yesterday, one of the leadership qualities that we women can bring to our communities is resourcefulness.  

Certainly I'm not the only one talking about resourcefulness these days.  Being mindful of our resources is even trendy.  The culture is encouraging us to count our carbon footprint, to take short showers, to drive fuel efficient cars.  Of course, beyond its recent popularity, resourcefulness just makes sense.  There is a reason for the timeless adage, "waste not, want not."  In our age of plenty, we are quickly learning that some things can run out.  

I think that women have a special aptitude for resourcefulness.  I can remember working for an employer who grew up in the Depression era.  She knew how to stretch every last ingredient in her kitchen, and how to reuse items in new ways.  Her practices were both creative and practical.  

I remember feeling a little embarrassed sometimes when comparing myself to her.  I was always quick to buy something new, even when I didn't need it.  Even today I find things in my closets that I have forgotten about.  Perfectly good things that I should be using.  But don't.  

Still, I know that I have the potential to be as mindful as my former employer with a little practice and some discipline.  And it would be worth the trouble.  Not just for me, but for others, too.  Resourcefulness as an intentional lifestyle can strengthen communities.  When we take a step back from the onslaught of commercialism in our lives and maximize what we already have, good things happen.  Like getting out of debt, saving more, and working less.  Furthermore, resources we aren't monopolizing can be shared with and used by others.  

Will resourceful living cures all that ails us as a society?  No, of course not.  But the practice of utilizing and being thankful for what we own, and being thoughtful about what we acquire, can certainly help.  

Please send me your resourceful tips by posting comments or emailing me!  How do you keep from wasting things?  What successes have you had at using what you own.  What creative ideas do you have for repurposing items?  Please share!

Working Women Left Out?

I spent the last several days revamping my website, stephaniehillberry.com.  As I was adding things, and subtracting others, I always had the stay-at-home woman in the back of my mind.  Would she read this?  Would she find it useful?

Later, I showed my mom some of the improvements I'd made, and she said something that has caused me to pause and think.  She asked, "what are you going to do about women who don't have someone in their lives to financially provide for them?"  In other words, what about all of the women who aren't staying home?  Who are working full-time?  Who have no other choice?  Will they be left out?

Her question is fair.  I spend a lot of time addressing the women who--like me--stay home.  They are either home raising children or running their own businesses or being housewives.  But what about everyone else?  Do I have anything to say to them?  

The answer is yes.  Yes I do.  I say to them the same things I say to women who are staying home, which is "you can be a civic and economic leader in your community."  The tools I've created for my website (many of them are coming soon) are for women in all circumstances to use in their lives, with their friends, families and neighbors.  Granted, some of the tools are easier to implement if you are staying-home, mainly because the stay-at-home lifestyle is more flexible than the 9-5 grind.  But none of them require a stay-at-home life.

And I guess ultimately that is the point I would like to stress.  A call to leadership is a call to everyone.  Yes, I will consistently be an advocate for stay-at-home women, because so often I think that society overlooks their potential.  But I sincerely hope that by encouraging one group I don't discourage the other.  

The bottom line is that our communities need the skills that women bring, especially in these times.  We should be bringing those skills regardless of the lifestyle we are living--working from home or working out in the traditional workforce.    

What does micro-business have to do with being home?

Note: New to Deviantly Domesticated?  Thanks for visiting!  We are right in the middle of a series on micro-business and why it could be a great fit for women.  Scroll below to read previous posts, or jump right in with today's discussion!

After reading several days worth of posts on micro-business, you might be asking yourself "what does this have to do with being domesticated?  Isn't this blog supposed to be about being a housewife or stay-at-home mom?"  It's a fair question indeed.  Allow me to respond...

Women who stay home are often expected by society to be concerned with two primary things: raising children and caring for the home.  The choice to be home-based is often perceived as a choice against work and earning money.  I would like to change this perception, because I think that most of use who choose to stay home would either like or need a little industry in our lives.  And micro-business, I think, could provide that industry.

The truth is that rather than disqualify us from the economy, being at home means that we have an opportunity to nurture viable economic work for our own benefit, and fitting with our own lifestyle.  Micro-business, which can be based out of the home, relational, flexible, and compatible with children, can give us a much needed outlet apart from our roles as mothers and wives,  and provide us with our own income and financial sense of accomplishment.

Being at home also means that we have the opportunity to support an alternative to the traditional economy--an opportunity even to lead in it.  On the surface we may not look like economic leaders, but an army of micro-businesses that support the community can have a great impact.  

I'm most likely preaching to the choir.  More and more I hear accounts of women who are living a home-based lifestyle and are finding innovative and creative ways to earn some income using their skills and interests.  These women are engaging the marketplace while still raising kids, investing in the community, and building their marriages.  The more we hear their testimonies, and the more we encourage each other to be leaders in a fruitful alternative economy, the more others will see our leadership and be encouraged to follow.

Seriously

I was reflecting today on the role of the stay-at-home mom and housewife (like I usually do), and find that an ever-increasing conviction about the value of that role is growing in my mind.  It is a vocation that needs to be taken seriously.  

Of course, it is not taken seriously, for so many reasons.  Women who stay home don't earn money (or at least they aren't perceived as wage-earners, even though many of them are), they are lazy, they live outside of the "real world," they are occupied only with children and chores, etc. etc. 

More concerning, though, than the culture not taking the stay-at-home vocation seriously is that many times we don't take it seriously ourselves.  Passion for motherhood is probably the exception to this.  Most of the mothers I know who choose to stay home with their children feel very strongly about the value of that choice.  But the choice to stay home extends far beyond children.

The truth is that women (and men) who choose to stay home have a unique potential to become leaders in our culture today, and we should take that potential seriously.  By staying home, we have the opportunity to support our communities in a unique and vital capacity, strengthening the neighborhood, social organizations, civic groups, the family, and more.  We are positioned to promote the alternative to Big Business and Big Government in our circles, providing some much needed balance in our communities.  We will most likely be the "first responders" when people need help, encouragement, and aid--often a better social safety net than the best-intentioned government programs can offer.  We can set an example in micro-commerce and education.  We can mobilize when called upon for important causes.  And that is only a portion of our contribution.

Staying home is a legitimate live-li-hood because it brings life into our cities and our culture.  This is not to say that other occupations don't bring life--many of them do.  It is only to say that we should take the "home vocation" seriously, and step into the leadership that is there for our taking.  Because if we don't take it seriously, certainly the culture won't, and we all won't know what we're missing.