Let's-Go-Shopping

Heather asks:

I’ve been trying to find homemaking blogs that are more feminist or agnostic or atheist. Or basically, blogs that don’t talk about submitting to God as a step to becoming a good homemaker. I just want more spaces where I can read and comment without feeling as if I don’t really belong. I’m having difficulty finding many, and I was hoping for some recommendations.

Hey, Heather! We ran a post a few months ago about my ten favorite home-related blogs, and you’ll probably find something you like there. But you guys — let’s hear what you read that Heather might like. Cough it up!

Comments on Seeking agnostic, feminist homemaking blogs

  1. I know this isn’t exactly what you mean, but finding a good board on Pinterest is as good to me as a blog… it has all the visuals and aggregation of homemaking ideas, and you can quickly, visually assess if it’s one you might be into following. Here is a board pooled together by an awesome group of women I know. It’s not all homemaking but there is a lot of cooking, decorating, beauty, etc on there… http://pinterest.com/ragani/mmb/

    • Ooh, hadn’t thought of that. I have a BAMF board (Bad Ass Mother Fuckers) board — and it’s got ladies, too. Sometimes when I feel sad, I look at it and let Miranda July and Jim Henson and the Captains Kirk cheer me back up.

    • My turn for selfish promotion… I blog about home type stuff at annabelvita.com – not quite a homemaker as I work and have no kids, but anyway.

      I’m a feminist and an agnostic, but I don’t talk about either on the internet much, and I think that’s partially because the crafty-blog space is so dominated by religious types. I’m trying to move away from this though and take more of a “this is who I am, like it or lump it” approach. Maybe all the offbeat homies should support each other in this!

      Young House Love is my second favourite (after OBH!) DIY blog. They are Christian but have only spoken about that once very briefly (because their readers kept asking!) and although they don’t talk about being feminist or not, they split parenting and their business 50/50.

  2. Oh! There is a whole genre of what I call “punk housewife” blogs. Apron Stringz is my favorite, although posting has been sparse lately as she deals with her husband having cancer.

    I also like NW Edible, although that’s MUCH more about gardening than general housewifery.

  3. So OK, this isn’t a blog, but it IS a great resource – Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook. It has a ton of great information and is basically an encyclopedia of stuff that used to actually be taught to people who wanted to home keep, versus assumed that “girls should just know this stuff.” It is incredibly comprehensive. <3 Hope this helps!

    • Soule Mama is one of my favorite blogs. I don’t know how Amanda does it, and she freely admits that there are plenty of non-picture-perfect moments at her household, which is such a great reality check. That said, her lovely rural life is such a great spot to land every day.

  4. Yes, this!! I had found a few that I liked awhile ago, but they’d stopped posting a long time prior to me finding them. Thanks everyone for the answers! I’d love to find like-minded “home makers”. It’s been trying to find home-centered blogs that don’t spout religion constantly. There are other reasons to want to “keep house” or “make a home” than biblical reasons! (you know, like just wanting to…)

    Great question!

    • That’s the blog that I start my day with! She’s an amazing lady and I love how there’s almost always a new post every day (Except for weekends, but that’s when Rhonda posts a blog list!)

  5. Some of these are lovely. As a liberal Christian feminist, I find that many homemaking blogs, while occasionally useful, are a bit hard for me to read and relate to. Thank you everyone for the awesome reading suggestions.

    • I’d love to read about your experiences as a liberal Christian feminist. For me, I find that Christianity and feminism can be at odds with one another, and I’d love to hear from a different perspective. Thanks!

      • Christianity, like most religions, is a vast and varied thing. I spent a long time trying to reconcile the two, myself, but they are both an intrinsic part of who I am and I couldn’t really part with either and be true to myself.

        Faith is complicated, but I found a nice, liberal church that suits me and all of my beliefs. I’ve found that, for me, both faith and feminism are necessary to make me happy.

        • Me too. I’m a liberal Christian feminist but I live in Florida. Finding a church that isn’t patriarchal or “all the gays are going to HEYELL!” is really hard.

          I don’t struggle with my Christianity and being a feminist. I struggle with other people thinking the two are exclusive and that being a Christian means you cannot be a feminist. LOL So I guess I’m a bit self-righteous too.

      • As a conservative Christian (read: complimentarian) and a feminist, I’m at odds with the feminist world some times and the Christian culture at other times. It’s a road less travelled that I quite enjoy traversing.

        I blog, but my blog is not about that. More about “today I went to the shops, blah blah blah”

    • I’m in the same boat! And especially since we are child free and planning on being so for quite some time I have a hard time figuring out how certain things translate. Although I do have the personal belief that I need to take care of my home because God trusted me with the responsibility of one. But, ya know, that’s the same for my husband. And everyone else I know, in my opinion. I somehow never get the idea that a lot of Christian homemaking blogs feel quite that way.

  6. http://thepioneerwoman.com/
    is pretty great, kinda offbeat light, but as her website “I’m a desperate housewife. I live in the country. I channel Lucille Ball, Vivien Leigh, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier!”
    She talks about homeschooling her kids in the country, living off the ranch/land, a lot of recipes (mmm butter), some crafty things, hilarious & sweet photos of her family and basset hounds!

    • Pioneer Woman is a ton of fun and has her posts broken down into different feeds so you can follow what interests you; I follow Confessions, Cooks, and Home and Garden.

      I’m an atheist and she’s definitely Christian, but it comes up so rarely that it doesn’t annoy me at all.

  7. Shannon Hayes literally wrote the book on this, ‘Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture.’
    http://radicalhomemakers.com/

    It’s pretty radical, as the title implies – no cute apartment therapy stuff in this one, really; it’s more political and academic. But an interesting read. Here’s an excerpt from the synopsis:

    “Radical Homemakers uncovers a hidden revolution quietly taking hold across the United States. It is the story of pioneering men and women who are redefining feminism and the good life by adhering to simple principles of ecological sustainability, social justice, community engagement and family well-being. It explores the values, skills, motivations, accomplishments, power, challenges, joy and creative fulfillment of Americans who are endeavoring to change the world by first reclaiming control of home and hearth.”

    • I’m re-reading this book now, as I do every year or two, to un-brainwash myself from the whole “I have to buy the latest crafting gadgets, expensive fabric etc so I can make this fabulous thing!” mentality that seeps in. I need more upcycling instead and I so wish there was a network for Radical Homemakers to communicate, but perhaps that’s what websites like this one are all about. Still, if anyone has other suggestions…

  8. I find myself unfollowing blogs that start to get overly preachy. Mentioning you attend church is one thing, but when they start going on about what Jesus provided for them or something like that, I click unfollow. I do the same to Facebook friends who get overly preachy.

    I read a lot of homemaker/mom blogs even though I’m not a mom yet, but I’m an American living in the UK, so I tend to read a lot of blogs by other Americans living here. My favourite is The American Resident (http://www.theamericanresident.com/). And like others above, I’ll throw my own link out there, too 😉 http://blog.beccajanestclair.com.

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