The meaning of the spring season Looking at the transformations in nature and ourselves during spring. NEW BEGINNINGS: With the changes the spring season brings, we learn to adapt positively to the changes in our environment and our health. (Photo: Leans/Flickr) The spring season is full of transformations. The temperature rises to a more bearable degree, opposing Mother Nature's last few months of freezing surroundings. The leaves we saw fall and flowers we saw wilt are now budding into lush, green, picture-perfect plants. Aside from the weather's transformations that occur in the spring season, we are transforming our lives, too. The holidays are over now ... no more high-calorie foods loaded with carbohydrates and saturated fats that Grandma made for Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. No more putting off that morning jog because the roads are covered in ice or snow. When spring rolls into our lives, we start to pick up the slack that winter instilled inside us of becoming sloths. That new year's resolution to join the gym starts being enforced, so you're sure to have your bikini bod back in time for your beach vacation. No more lounging on the couch all day watching football — in the spring you can gather friends together at the park for your own game. For those of us with allergies, spring is also a wake up call for our immune systems. The ever-changing weather and excess pollen leaves the allergy-ridden population with running noses and sore throats when not prepared. To fight these transformations affecting our bodies negatively, loading up on vitamins like Vitamin C or bee pollen, and allergy medicines like Sudafed or Tylenol Cold is essential. Those who know their immune systems to be out of whack during the spring season are more inclined to protect themselves from all threatening situations. Spring is a season in limbo between the winter and summer months, so nothing is absolute about the weather. You should keep an umbrella, rain jacket and coat with you in your car at all times, ready for whatever weather situations spring may throw your way. While these changes can be frustrating and tiring for your health and yourself, they are good for the economy. In order to have all your allergy remedies ready for spring, you have to purchase them. I find myself going to the local CVS pharmacy at least once a week in the spring for some more cough medicine or decongestant when feeling under the weather. I'm also inclined to take a lot more trips to the car wash to get all the pollen off my windshield or to polish off the rain spots from my windows. Spring may have its drawbacks to our health with fluctuating allergies in the changing of seasons, but overall it is a positive season of new beginnings in weather, agriculture and self-awareness to take care of ourselves, and our surroundings. For the same reason that our bodies are temples we must preserve, our earth and environment need constant surveillance and the utmost care, too. Spring helps us to realize lessons as precious as this, where we learn the importance of embracing and adapting to change over time. Take this spring season as a chance to participate in some community service, tending simultaneously to your environment as well as yourself. Help write the chapter of new beginnings this spring in creating positive outcomes for all areas of nature, and our health. Posted by Multi Services Residential & Commercial Cleaning Free Estimates 416-782-3417 www.multiservices-janitorial.com

History of Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick") is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland),[3] the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. For Christians, the day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.[2] However, it has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Irishness and Irish culture.[4] The day generally involves public parades and festivals, céilithe, and wearing of green attire or shamrocks.[5] Christians also attend church services[4][6] and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day.[4][5][7][8] Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland,[9] Northern Ireland,[10] Newfoundland and Labrador and Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world; especially in Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Saint Patrick According to legend, St. Patrick used the 3-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish people. Main article: Saint Patrick Little is known of Patrick's early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest in the Christian church. At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave.[11] It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.[citation needed] In 432, he again said that he was called back to Ireland, though as a bishop, to Christianise the Irish from their native polytheism. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. After nearly thirty years of evangelism, he died on 17 March 461, and according to tradition, was buried at Downpatrick. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity and is held in esteem in the Irish church. Wearing of the green Originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's day grew.[12] Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century.[13] Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day.[14][15] In the 1798 rebellion, to make a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention.[12] The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name. Ireland A St Patrick's Day religious procession in Downpatrick, 2010 Saint Patrick's feast day, as a kind of national day, was already being celebrated by the Irish in Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries. In later times he became more and more widely known as the patron of Ireland.[16] Saint Patrick's feast day was finally placed on the universal liturgical calendar in the Catholic Church due to the influence of Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding[17] in the early 1600s. Saint Patrick's Day thus became a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics in Ireland. It is also a feast day in the Church of Ireland. The church calendar avoids the observance of saints' feasts during certain solemnities, moving the saint's day to a time outside those periods. Saint Patrick's Day is occasionally affected by this requirement, when 17 March falls during Holy Week. This happened in 1940, when Saint Patrick's Day was observed on 3 April in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and again in 2008, where it was officially observed on 14 March. Saint Patrick's Day will not fall within Holy Week again until 2160.[18][19] However, the secular celebration is always held on 17 March. In 1903, Saint Patrick's Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. This was thanks to the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, an act of the United Kingdom Parliament introduced by Irish Member of Parliament James O'Mara.[20] O'Mara later introduced the law that required that pubs and bars be closed on 17 March after drinking got out of hand, a provision that was repealed in the 1970s. The first Saint Patrick's Day parade held in the Irish Free State was held in Dublin in 1931 and was reviewed by the then Minister of Defence Desmond Fitzgerald. In the mid-1990s the government of the Republic of Ireland began a campaign to use Saint Patrick's Day to showcase Ireland and its culture.[21] The government set up a group called St Patrick's Festival, with the aims: Traditional St Patrick's Day badges from the early 20th century, photographed at the Museum of Country Life in County Mayo • To offer a national festival that ranks amongst all of the greatest celebration in the world • To create energy and excitement throughout Ireland via innovation, creativity, grassroots involvement, and marketing activity • To provide the opportunity and motivation for people of Irish descent (and those who sometimes wish they were Irish) to attend and join in the imaginative and expressive celebrations • To project, internationally, an accurate image of Ireland as a creative, professional and sophisticated country with wide appeal.[22] Girls playing Irish folk music during a St Patrick's Day parade in Dublin, 2010 The first Saint Patrick's Festival was held on 17 March 1996. In 1997, it became a three-day event, and by 2000 it was a four-day event. By 2006, the festival was five days long; more than 675,000 people attended the 2009 parade. Overall 2009's five-day festival saw close to 1 million visitors, who took part in festivities that included concerts, outdoor theatre performances, and fireworks.[23] Skyfest forms the centrepiece of the festival. The topic of the 2004 St. Patrick's Symposium was "Talking Irish", during which the nature of Irish identity, economic success, and the future were discussed. Since 1996, there has been a greater emphasis on celebrating and projecting a fluid and inclusive notion of "Irishness" rather than an identity based around traditional religious or ethnic allegiance. The week around Saint Patrick's Day usually involves Irish language speakers using more Irish during Seachtain na Gaeilge ("Irish Language Week").[citation needed] As well as Dublin, many other cities, towns, and villages in Ireland hold their own parades and festivals, including Cork, Belfast, Derry, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, and Waterford. The biggest celebrations outside Dublin are in Downpatrick, County Down, where Saint Patrick is rumoured to be buried. In 2004, according to Down District Council, the week-long St. Patrick's Festival had more than 2,000 participants and 82 floats, bands, and performers and was watched by more than 30,000 people.[citation needed] Sign on a beam in Dublin's Guinness Storehouse, a commercial museum promoting the drinking of Guinness stout on St Patrick's Day The shortest St Patrick's Day parade in the world takes place in Dripsey, Cork. The parade lasts just 100 yards and travels between the village's two pubs.[24] Christian leaders in Ireland have expressed concern about the secularisation of St Patrick's Day. In The Word magazine's March 2007 issue, Fr. Vincent Twomey wrote, "It is time to reclaim St Patrick's Day as a church festival." He questioned the need for "mindless alcohol-fuelled revelry" and concluded that "it is time to bring the piety and the fun together."[25] Canada Children watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Montreal. One of the longest-running Saint Patrick's Day parades in North America occurs each year in Montreal, whose city flag includes a shamrock in its lower-right quadrant. The parades have been held continually since 1824.[30] In Manitoba, the Irish Association of Manitoba runs an annual three-day festival of music and culture based around St. Patrick's Day.[citation needed] In 2004, the CelticFest Vancouver Society organised an annual festival in downtown Vancouver to celebrate the Celtic Nations and their culture. This event, which includes a parade, occurs the weekend closest to Saint Patrick's Day.[31] In Quebec City, there was a parade from 1837 to 1926. The Quebec City St-Patrick Parade returned in 2010 after an absence of more than 84 years. For the occasion, a portion of the New York Police Department Pipes and Drums were present as special guests. The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team was known as the Toronto St. Patricks from 1919 to 1927, and wore green jerseys. In 1999, when the Maple Leafs played on Saint Patrick's Day, they wore green St. Pat's retro uniforms. There is a large parade in the city's downtown core on the Sunday prior to 17 March which attracts over 100,000 spectators.[citation needed] Some groups, notably Guinness, have lobbied to make Saint Patrick's Day a national holiday.[32] Currently, Newfoundland and Labrador is the only jurisdiction where Saint Patrick's Day is a provincial holiday. In March 2009, the Calgary Tower changed its top exterior lights to new green CFL bulbs just in time for Saint Patrick's Day. Part of an environmental non-profit organisation's campaign (Project Porchlight), the green represented environmental concerns. Approximately 210 lights were changed in time for Saint Patrick's Day, and resembled a Leprechaun's hat. After a week, white CFLs took their place. The change was estimated to save the Calgary Tower some $12,000 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 104 tonnes.[33] St. Patricks day occasionally turns violent due to the large number of intoxicated individuals celebrating in Canada. This was seen, for example, in the 2012 in London, Ontario area, where college students lit a TV van on fire then threw bottles at firefighters (attempting to put out the fire) and police officers in the area.[34] United States The Chicago River is annually dyed green on St. Patricks Day St. Patrick's Day, although not a legal holiday anywhere in the United States, is nonetheless widely recognised and celebrated throughout the country. It is primarily observed as a celebration of Irish and Irish American culture; celebrations include prominent displays of the colour green, feasting, copious consumption of alcohol, religious observances, and numerous parades. The holiday has been celebrated on the North American continent since the late eighteenth century. Shamrock From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the plant that is a symbol of Ireland. Many places, organisations, businesses, products, creative works etc. use the shamrock in their names. For other uses, see Shamrock (disambiguation). Not to be confused with four-leaf clover.

Mathieu Da Costa Image: Mathieu Da Costa (courtesy Dr. Henry Bishop/Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia) Mathieu Da Costa is one of the most fascinating (and elusive) figures in early Canadian history. We don't know a lot about him. But we do know enough to know that he qualifies as the first Black known to have visited Canada. Da Costa was a free Black African who in the early 1600s was employed as a translator by French and Dutch traders and explorers. It was not unusual for Africans to act as translators for Europeans as it had been going on for 100 years before Champlain's time as Europeans explored their way down the African coast. This explains why Da Costa spoke French, Dutch, and Portuguese. But it is a mystery how Da Costa knew how to be an interpreter with the First Nations of America. He might have used "pidgin" Basque (a mixture of Basque and local), commonly used for trade in the Americas. (The Basques of northern Spain were frequent visitors to the fishery along the Atlantic coast.) This dialect was understood by the Mi'kmaq and Montagnais (who lived along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River). But it is also possible that Da Costa had previously spent time in the Americas and had learned the languages of one or more of the Aboriginal peoples. The only real historical "fact" that we have about Mathieu Da Costa is a document showing that he was in Holland in February 1607. Apparently the Dutch had kidnapped him from the French. The following year, 1608, Da Costa signed a contract in Amsterdam that committed him to sail with or on behalf of Pierre Du Gua de Monts as an interpreter on voyages to Canada and Acadia. Da Costa's contract with Du Gua de Monts was to last for three years and it paid a considerable salary. We can thus assume that Da Costa accompanied Du Gua de Monts and Samuel de Champlain on one or more of their voyages to Acadia and the St Lawrence area. The next bit of information that we have is evidence that Da Costa was put in prison in Le Havre, France, in December 1609. We don't know why but there were references to "insolences" suggesting that Da Costa had an independent spirit and spoke his mind. Da Costa's appearance in Canada is commemorated at the Port-Royal National Historic Site, in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge is an annual creative writing and artwork contest launched in 1996. The Challenge "encourages youth to discover how diversity has shaped Canada's history and the important role that pluralism plays in Canadian society." Canadian Black History - An Interactive Experience Search for clues about Black Canadian history in this interactive online treasure hunt presented by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The History of remembrance Day In Canada, Remembrance Day is a public holiday and federal statutory holiday, as well as a statutory holiday in all three territories and in eight of the ten provinces (Ontario and Quebec being the exceptions).[8][9][10][11] From 1921 to 1930, the Armistice Day Act provided that Thanksgiving would be observed on Armistice Day, which was fixed by statute on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. In 1931, the federal parliament adopted an act to amend the Armistice Day Act, providing that the day should be observed on November 11 and that the day should be known as "Remembrance Day".[12] The federal department of Veterans Affairs Canada states that the date is of "remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace"; specifically, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and all conflicts since then in which members of the Canadian Forces have participated.[13] The department runs a program called Canada Remembers with the mission of helping young and new Canadians, most of whom have never known war, "come to understand and appreciate what those who have served Canada in times of war, armed conflict and peace stand for and what they have sacrificed for their country."[14]

Poppies are laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Remembrance Day in Ottawa The official national ceremonies are held at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, presided over by the Governor General of Canada, any members of the Royal Family (such as Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, in 2009),[15] the Prime Minister, and other dignitaries, observed by the public. Typically, these events begin with the tolling of the Carillon in the Peace Tower, during which current members of the Canadian Forces (CF) arrive at Confederation Square, followed by the Ottawa diplomatic corps, ministers of the Crown, special guests, the Royal Canadian Legion (RCL), the royal party (if present), and the viceregal party. Before the start of the ceremony, four armed sentries and three sentinels (two flag sentinels and one nursing sister) are posted at the foot of the cenotaph.

The Guard of Honour (a member from the Royal Canadian Navy at left and from the Royal Canadian Air Force at right) at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Remembrance Day, 2010 The arrival of the governor general is announced by a trumpeter sounding the "Alert", whereupon the viceroy is met by the Dominion President of the RCL and escorted to a dais to receive the Viceregal Salute, after which the national anthem, "O Canada", is played. The moment of remembrance begins with the bugling of "Last Post" immediately before 11:00 a.m., at which time the gun salute fires and the bells of the Peace Tower toll the hour. Another gun salute signals the end of the two minutes of silence, and cues the playing of a lament, the bugling of "The Rouse," and the reading of the Act of Remembrance. A flypast of Royal Canadian Air Force craft then occurs at the start of a 21-gun salute, upon the completion of which a choir sings "In Flanders Fields". The various parties then lay their wreaths at the base of the memorial; one wreath is set by the Silver Cross Mother, a recent recipient of the Memorial Cross, on behalf of all mothers whose children died in conflicts in which Canada participated. The viceregal and/or royal group return to the dais to receive the playing of the Royal Anthem of Canada, "God Save the Queen", prior to the assembled Armed Forces personnel and veterans performing a march past in front of the viceroy, bringing about the end of the official ceremonies.[16] A tradition of paying more personal tribute has emerged since erection of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the War Memorial in 2000: after the official ceremony the general public place their poppies atop the tomb. Similar ceremonies take place in provincial capitals across the country, officiated by the relevant lieutenant governor, as well as in other cities, towns, and even hotels or corporate headquarters. Schools will usually hold special assemblies for the first half of the day, or on the school day prior, with various presentations concerning the remembrance of the war dead. The largest indoor ceremony in Canada is usually held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with over 9,000 gathering in Credit Union Centre in 2010;[17] the ceremony participants include old guard (veterans), new guard (current members of the CF), and sea, army, and air cadet units.

15 Ingenious Uses for Baking Soda, Beyond the Kitchen!

Baking soda is great for cleaning Ever find yourself searching for secret tricks to get something clean? Well, I do. I found myself wondering a few weeks ago how to get the metal smell off of costume jewelry and how to get the stains off memory foam mattresses. In my searching I ran across secret formulas using baking soda as the cure-all. I gave both recipes a shot and to my surprise my problems were solved. So I hit the world wide web to find out what other uses good ol’ baking soda had. Here are some ingenious uses that have me wanting to load up on baking soda. Here’s the kicker … it’s green! 1. Removing the Metal Smell From Jewelry Add ¼ cup baking soda and hot water to a medium-sized mixing bowl and soak jewelry for 24 hours. Smell is gone and jewelry has a new shine! 2. Removing Urine Stains From Mattresses Add ¼ cup baking soda to 1 quart hydrogen peroxide. Add one squirt of dish soap to a bowl. Mix gently to avoid creating bubbles. Pour mixture into a squirt bottle and spray mattress stains. You don’t need to scrub: as the solution dries, your stains disappear! We tried this trick on our memory foam mattress after failed attempts to scrub with various cleaners. 3. Polish Silver Using three parts baking soda, one part water, and a clean sponge, rub mixture onto your silver and flatware. Rinse and dry thoroughly. 4. Coffee Pots and Tea Pots Use ¼ cup of baking soda in 1 quart warm water. Soak or scrub coffee/tea pots, cups, and machines to remove build up and stains. Nothing like a fresh (and clean) cup of coffee! 5. Remove Crayon From Walls Sprinkle some baking soda on a damp sponge and gently rub on walls. Can also be used on furniture to polish and remove grime … and it’s nonabrasive. 6. Enhance Laundry Detergent Add ½ cup of baking soda to your washing machine along with your normal detergent for an extra boost in cleaning, freshening, and brightening your clothes. 7. Oil Stains on Concrete Remove light oil spots in the garage or driveway by sprinkling baking soda and scrubbing with a wet brush. 8. De-stink the Sports Gear Using ¼ cup baking soda and 1 quart warm water, you can deodorize sports equipment. Rub or squirt mixture on and rinse thoroughly. 9. Deodorize Almost Anything Sprinkle or place open box of baking soda in refrigerator, freezers, lunch boxes, shoes, closets, drains — you name it — to help remove unwanted odors. 10. Carpets Help eliminate the odors and freshen the carpet. Sprinkle liberally and let sit for as long as possible — hours or overnight — then vacuum. Try this on your kids’ mattresses, too. Just sprinkle and vacuum! 11. Toothpaste Boost Sprinkle baking soda on your toothpaste before brushing for an extra boost, or just brush with pure baking soda to help whiten. 12. Body Scrub Use three parts baking soda and one part water for a gentle exfoliator on your face and body in the shower. 13. Hair Cleanser Add a pinch to your shampoo once or twice a week to remove product buildup. 14. Drain Unclogger Pour ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar down a clogged drain, cover with a wet cloth, and wait five minutes. Then flush with steaming hot water. 15. Linen Closet Freshener Store a box or two of opened baking soda in your linen closet to ward off the mustiness caused by time. These are just a few of the many uses for baking soda beyond the kitchen. I’m always curious to hear about more. What cleaning secrets do you have?

7 Things Parents Say (You’ll Say Them, Too!) You will be surprised at what comes out of your mouth sometimes Before I became a parent, there were so many things I swore I’d never say to my child — many of which I’ve already uttered, even though my child just barely turned two. Below is my list of clichéd things parents say, coming soon to a home near you

1. “Mommy loves/wants/would like you to” etc. Ah, yes — speaking in the third person. It’s not just for Bob Dole anymore. 2. “See, that’s why I told you not to…” Because after-the-fact rationalizations are so effective with a toddler. 3. “Do you want apple juice, orange juice, or grape juice?” This one is a two-fer in that I always swore that a) I wouldn’t give my children oodles of choices about what to eat and drink, and b) I would largely keep them away from the intensive sugar delivery system that is a sippy cup full of juice.

4. “Do you want to pick up your toys now?” Shockingly, the only answer I ever get to this one is “no.” 5. “We don’t hit.” I guess I thought I’d get a perfectly behaved child for whom this admonition wouldn’t be necessary — or maybe that I’d just hypocritically smack her across the bottom if she smacked someone else. Not sure, really, but this statement is part of my repertoire now.

7 Reasons a 1950s Housewife Had it Made Petticoats aside, it was definitely a simpler motherhood

Recently on this very site, a blogger buddy of mine waxed philosophic about how she would have stunk as a 1950s housewife. I totally agree. I definitely am happy to see my husband when he gets home. But as a steeped-in-feminism Gen Xer, the daily lead-up to his arrival, as if he were some combination of George Clooney and the Pope, makes me want to throw up a little. Still, lipstick and petticoats aside, being a housewife back then seems like a far simpler life than now. There are some definite pluses to the 1950s housewife thing. Big ones like these: 1. Letting Yourself Go While I’m sure there was a 1950s-housewife version of letting yourself go, it was nothing like today’s model. If you walked around in a tracksuit the sausage casing industry would envy for its hold and stretch properties, you’d be brought up on indecency charges. 2. Discipline and Spanking Mrs. Fifties Housewife did not agonize over discipline. No poring over the child-rearing literature of the day. No wishing she had a Ph. D. in child psychology. Johnny did something bad. Mommy got pissed off. Johnny got a spanking, either from Mommy, or it was a “wait until your father gets home” kind of deal. All Johnny’s friends got spankings and grew up to be normal men with normal issues. Period, end of report. 3. Simple Food Food was way simpler for our ’50s counterparts. They went to the grocery store and bought food. No worrying about killing the fam with processed food. No need to take out bank loans to eat organic. If they lived a farm-to-table lifestyle, it was because they lived on a FARM, went out back and picked or killed something, and put it on their TABLE. Even the Martha Stewarts of the time didn’t make a home-cooked meal look like something from a Civil War prison camp. 4. Going to Bed Hungry Mrs. Fifties Housewife served her family their simple food. Everyone was expected to eat it (except, presumably, the King of the Castle.) If a child was sent away from the table, he went to bed hungry. If a child refused to eat, she went to bed hungry. No confusion and delay for a 9 p.m. snack. If a kid made his hungry bed, he lay in it. All night long. Because it was that or else he got one of those definitely-not-a-catalyst-for-therapy-in-20-years spankings. 5. Being Honest With Your Child If your kid did something bad, wrong, or stupid, you said it was bad, wrong, or stupid. And while this might have been bad, wrong, and stupid parenting, no one did any differently. You just told your kids the God’s honest and went off to play canasta with your buddies Joyce, Myrtle, and Phyllis. There were things to stress over, but this wasn’t one of them. 6. Men and Housework Back then men and housework were like oil and water — they simply didn’t mix. Men weren’t expected to do much in the way of housework, so most didn’t. No cooking, no cleaning, and very little childcare. Many contemporary women are seething because they expect so much from their husbands. The 1950s housewife knew it was all her show — she wasn’t expecting a co-star. Way easier on the emotions. You can’t be disappointed when you don’t expect anything, right? 7. Supermom Had it Easy To the 1950s housewife, being Supermom would have meant keeping her house clean, and keeping herself, her children, and her husband well-dressed, well-fed, and well-groomed. Supermom led a simpler life. It did not mean keeping a home worthy of HGTV, while rocking the body of a 19-year-old. Nor did it mean having having an income generating “hobby,” and gorgeous, designer-clad, organically-fed, involved-in-a-minimum-of-five-activities kids. That was science fiction.