Sunday, August 2, 2009

"The Good Wife" Party


Friday night was Jenni's Bachelorette Dinner and we had a blast--even if we were only five!

The plan was dinner with all Jenn's best friends and the moms on the deck of The Studio at Rocky Neck, but plans change. Torrential down pours forced us to change our reservations, opting for an intimate dinner at a little Italian BYOB in town called LoGrasso's. Then, one by one, girls began bowing out for different reasons and it ended up just us five and a bottle of pinot.

But we had a lot of fun just the same! Beth and I decided to give Jenni a little advice on being a wife and found this irresistible little article from a 1955 issue of Housekeeping Monthly magazine called "The Good Wife's Guide". Here it is:

• Have dinner ready: plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal—on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) are part of the warm welcome needed.

• Prepare yourself: take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He
has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

• Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

• Gather up school books, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

• Over the cooler months of the year, you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give him a lift, too. After all, providing for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.


• Prepare the children: take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

• Be happy to see him.

• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the time of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first-remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.


Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late, or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

• Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

• Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

• Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.


Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

• Arrange his pillows and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

• Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

• A good wife always knows her place.


Yeah, we all had a good laugh while Jenni read this out loud. Do you suppose it was written by a man?

After that, we presented Jenni with a "Good Wife" bag, just some little things to make her feel good (which is a priority if you're going to make others feel good). It included the book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus," a pair of pink thong panties, heart shaped post-its (for either love notes or to-do reminders), sex dice, breath mints, a harmony candle, and of course, chocolate, the everything cure-all.

So thanks to all who came to our girly dinner--"the good wife" had a wonderful time!

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