Weekly Training Plan!
Since my Aunt Irene Brady Riley lived to be 83 years young – having been the longest living “Matriarch” in the Brady Family – have to write of some tings I remember!
When she was a little girl in the early 1900’s – families were more organized so that each member of the family had chores and or duties to do each day, so that larger families could live together under one roof – with dignity. So, each child had some kind of work in the home to do or work for others at some amount of pay. Little Irene was the first girl and at the age 5 was to start to learn all about food preparations and clean up, because there were four older brothers working outside the home as day labours while going to school.
First day of the week was Sunday, and the whole family went to Church, followed with big amounts of food for family and friends. A day of rest!
Monday was “WASH DAY” – and it took the whole day for a family of five children and FATHER AND MOTHER, and more on the way!
Tuesday – everything that was washed – now needed someone to iron and that includes lots of linens as well as lots of shirts for the men in the family. Did anybody complain – – that it was too hot? The women wearing long dresses with a couple of petticoats and those long bloomers under it all?
Wednesday is the day to finish up whatever you did not get to do on Tuesday. If you were able to finish “TUESDAY’s” work you then started with dusting and other cleaning
Thursday and Friday were the days for some real good in the house cleaning – into the dirty corners and the changing of the bed linens and getting the fancy living room linens in their place as well as the covering on the piano – taken out and hung on the line to freshen up for the weekend. Also, the front white stone steps scrubbed and the vestibule area cleaned – just in case someone sits on the steps in their “Sunday” best attire. I do have old photos of every one standing and sitting – ready for the camera!
Saturday, little Irene gets an up front and on the job training from the best of best “Chef” her mother, Mrs. Anne Smart Brady! If you wanted to learn anything about cooking or baking – you would want to be in little Irene’s place. This was “Top Drawer” learning at its best!
They made all the breads and sweets that would be eaten for the week. And everything was gone so fast – it was so good, and every “SATURDAY” had all the baking to be done again – week after week.
Professional training of the children done in the home, and by the parents! Is there a better way? Let me know?
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