Radical Homemaking

NOTE: Radical homemaking apparently is different from totally gnarly homemaking.

This story was in the Oregonian last month and truly, I loved it. Yes, maybe it's because I am not working outside the home right now that I'm cheering these gals on. But I do like that a few renegade "I-make-my-own-soap-thank-you-very-much"-ers are giving the lifestyle a new name, a new respect, and a new mission.

There is something to be said about a life that leaves you utterly exhausted at the end of the day, with tiny wet footprints on the floor, seedlings growing on the windowsill, knitting projects sticking out of couch cushions and recipes strewn all over your dining room table. To do it in the way that these women are - that saves money, is low-impact on the environment, and that honors the importance of skills that have nearly been forgotten in our tech-driven society, is something I aspire to.

It has taken me so long to be at peace with staying at home. To say it out loud when meeting someone new, to write it on a new patient form or when filling out taxes -- it's just plain weird at first. It's almost like you are supposed to back it up with a declaration of "It's only until he's three!" to justify being home. The feeling is, "You should be in a suit right now with a coffee in your hand - what's your excuse??" In truth, I can't think of doing anything else that would feel more authentic or relevant to where my heart is right now. I am learning so much, and I feel more "Leslie" than ever before, but that doesn't mean that I don't second-guess the decision to be home constantly.

The "what's NEXT???" question is always there, so it takes discipline to remain in the present day, to remain thankful, to not feel either guilty for being able to stay home or inferior for not having a career right now. On the days when I just sit back and absorb it all, and stop the constant thinking and questioning, it is as good as it gets.