Even though I was overwhelmed when I first got married, I was still able to make (most) dinners from scratch and keep the house (relatively) clean. I thought this was normal, in fact I thought I was barely getting by. That was until I realized that there are so many people who wanted to be able to make from scratch meals, but were struggling to read a recipe. I realized that in a world of quick conveniences the skills required to keep a home running smoothly were slowly slipping away. I just happened to be fortunate enough to have people in my life to teach me the skills I would later need. My mother was a stay-at-home mother who now runs her own cleaning company, and my father was a professional cook for twenty plus years. I believe it was their expertise that helped me form my rhythms of practical homemaking.