My long-term dream as a girl was to become a stay at home mother. I have always wanted to have a large family and to take care of them in the way that I felt was traditional. The dream has (as dreams will) changed quite a bit over the years and reality has sunk in in its slow way. For a long time I would look around myself and see a cluttered mess. The truth was, a mess was all I saw, and I didn’t know how to clean it up. I was irritable and constantly annoyed with my husband and my daughter. It never occurred to me that the real focus of my negative emotions was me. I didn’t feel very good about myself.

The truth is that we have a great deal of power as women. My husband is the head of my household (by mutual choice) and I feel that as a stay at home mom, I should be the heart of the home. It simply took me a long time to figure out how to create joy in my family.

Many women don't understand the profound impact that they have on their families every single day. As wives and mothers, our moods dramatically affect those who are around us, and we can pass our cheer on to our children (and thereby our husbands) or we can pass off our bad mood and share our personal misery. If a housewife is happy, her family will be happy and her home will be peaceful; if she is unhappy, there will often be dissention in the ranks, disobedient children and an argumentative husband.

As women, we have a great deal of power. The trouble is that very many of us don't know how to wield that power we have been given! I feel strongly that knowing how to use our femininity will change the way that we look at ourselves and change the lives of our family for the better!

Did that get your attention?

Before you call me misogynistic, bear in mind that I am, myself, a woman. I am a happy stay at home mother who knows my place -- or rather, who knows my strategic position in the home. While my husband is the head of the household, I am the heart of the home. I have an understanding of my position in the home and what I mean to my family. I strive every day to learn more about how my moods affect them and I attempt in every way possible to pass to them good feelings: about themselves, our home, the world in which we live.

If you want good things for your family, you need to begin by understanding just how important your happiness is to the rest of your household! And then you need to act on becoming that happy housewife!

1. Recognize that while you may not be employed outside of the home, you still have a "job."

It's true. Even if you don't work outside the home, you have a great deal of responsibility, and we, as women, do quite a lot of work. I often say to my husband that he comes home from work every night, but my work never rests. Even at one in the morning I might be up rocking a sick child.

2. Do the housework.

Most of us can't hire someone to do the housework for us. If you can, then good for you! But if you are like me, you need to go through the daily grind. Experience tells me that this gets easier the more you do it. Not because you have more experience, but because you will spend less time the tidier your house is.

You and your family deserve to have a nice place to relax at the end of the day. While your job might never end, you do have time to sit down and relax from time to time. Make sure that you can enjoy that time by keeping your house clean and tidy1

3. Plan your meals.

I am still learning about how to do this. Once I have it all figured out I will post another hub on the subject of menu planning. For me, this has been the most difficult part about being a housewife. I don't enjoy cooking and I have a hard time planning what my family should eat as a result. I have discovered, however, that if you plan your meals carefully you will find that you save time, money and stress!

4. Keep a routine.

Nothing, and I mean nothing has changed my life like getting myself into a routine. When I wake up in the morning and make my bed, shower, fix my hair and makeup, and get dressed, I feel like a different human being. I am less stressed and am generally a happier person. I am also usually more productive if I am dressed and made up!

A routine provides much-needed structure and helps you to move from point A to point B more smoothly throughout your day!

5. Be good to yourself.

I have noticed that many stay at home moms in particular don't take good care of themselves. I used to be one of those. Taking the time to shower and dress in the mornings makes a significant difference in the way that you feel about yourself, however. Makeup can do a lot for the way a girl feels!

6. Consider making an income (from home).

There are several ways that you can go about making an income from home, including selling on Ebay or writing here on Hubpages. Even if you don't make a lot of money, you will give yourself a boost and a bit of pocket money that you might not otherwise have had!

7. Eat well.

This should go without saying but I know that for me, when I'm staying at home all day I can find any excuse to eat junk food. I'm an oddity: when I am eating in a restaurant I can absolutely order a salad and be happy with it, but at home I don't tend to eat right. Be sure, too, that you are drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated!

8. Take some vitamins.

If you aren't currently taking a multivitamin, now might be a good time to start. Organic vitamins are preferable and ensuring that you are getting a B-vitamin complex can be great for boosting the mood!

I hope that this article has helped you in some way. Please check out some of my other marriage hubs below!