It's Almost Christmas!

I've almost finished making Christmas gifts for the children. I made my daughter a lovely rag doll and a few dresses. My sons are getting a few different outfits for school and one for Sunday church. I love making them gifts for the holidays. It brings me so much joy. 

Interstate Highways

New interstate highways will definitely imrpove the efficiency of car travel for long distances. They could also improve traffic within cities and small towns from heavy travel. On the down side of things, certain buildings are being removed to make room for the new highways. Also, small shops located downtown on what once was the main road of travel, may suffer a loss of business from decreased travel of the main road. Overall, I think it's a win-lose situation for shop owners but all around a positive change for people traveling a lot.

World's Fair

I've been hearing about the World's Fair a lot lately. It would be a very interesting event to attend but the admissions prices are too high for our family to be able to attend. I overheard some people from a family I clean for talking about going to the fair. They plan on making the trip to New York and are quite excited about it. Maybe I'll hear them discuss it when they return. I also heard that there will be a time capsule. I don't really know what they plan on putting in it though. If I had a time capsule, I don't have any idea as to what I would put in it. Maybe I'll think of something later.

Labor Strike

Today, my husband went on strike with the rest of the workers. Management cut their wages almost in half because of the current depression in the economy. This wage cut is devastating for not only our family, but for the rest of the workers' families. If the strike continues for too long, our family may have to return home early before Christmas so we can make more money.

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New Work

I've found a temporary job while we stay with my parents through Christmas. I work cleaning the houses of the wealthier families in the neighborhood. I don't enjoy it because they aren't very friendly but it's work I get paid for it. It's very important my husband and I don't lose money from taking this trip. My mother gladly watches the children while the rest of us go off to work. The family is having a great time and we can't wait to celebrate Christmas.

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Thanksgiving

Our family had a great Thanksgiving this year! We loaded up our covered wagon and went to visit my parents. I've been writing to them a lot and I haven't seen them in awhile so we decided it would be good to see them for the holidays. They live in New Jersey and we'll be staying with them through Christmas. My husband found a temporary job here until we return home so we won't be losing money while visiting family. My children and I are helping my mother and father keep up with their small farm and house and enjoying every minute of the time we have here. Talking with my mother has been great since we haven't spent time together in a couple years. The children are excited to help pick out a Christmas tree and cut it down and decorate it. Well anyways, we look forward to the Christmas season with my parents!

New Cars

This week I noticed that our neighbors up the street have just purchased a new Ford Model T. They must have saved money for a long time since those cars are so new and expensive. I saw their family riding in their new car yesterday afternoon. They seemed to be having a nice time and my children noticed as well. My children asked me if we would be getting a car but sadly, I had to tell them that my husband and I don't make enough money to buy a car for the family. Eventually, maybe, the cost of a car will become low enough for us to save up to buy one but we put our children's future ahead of a car.

New Management Strategies

Companies are beginning to implement new strategies of management to increase productivity. My husband was explaining to me this new system of management that could potentially affect our children's lives when they become old enough to work. This new management strategy means that people now have to qualify to do the job properly. Men have to be of a certain physical condition to qualify for most manual labor jobs. Although this could be a downside for workers, it will definitely improve the economy and efficiency of companies in mass-production. Also, if all goes well, companies could be producing far more than they were ever capable of without raising the cost to do so. I think this is such a great idea for the most part because managers offer workers an incentive for doing more work than was expected of them. This could help out their families a lot.

The New Andrew Carnegie Steel Plant

My husband and I think that a new steel plant in the area will be a great contribution to the economy. Steel is useful for so many things such as the steel plow. Without it, technology wouldn't be so advanced. Although the initial blasting that occurs to extract the iron from the Earth could be a bit dangerous and use up land that could be settled by immigrants and the growing population. All in all, the new steel plant will be great!

The Women's Rights Movement

Today I decided I'll be joining the women's rights movement. I believe women should be equals to men and we should fight for it. There's been much talk about gaining equality but not too much action. It's time for women to fight for what we want. My husband doesn't really support my decision because I could go to jail but I'm going to do it anyways. Men just don't see the importance of being an equal instead of just being a mother in charge of the home. I love being a mother but I would like to have a chance to vote or get a well-paying job if I ever wanted or needed one. Supporting a family shouldn't rely on one parent but on both. It's a team effort and this inequality won't let it be a team effort. We women will get those rights eventually!

Reaction to Erie Canal Completion

George has just returned news to me that the Erie Canal has been completed! This brightens our future because we can send our eggs and milk further north for sale. Bringing in extra money is going to be a great help in achieving our dream of saving money for college for the children and possibly moving into a bigger home with more space. We are also interested in acquiring more cows and chickens to increase the amount of eggs and milk we can sell.

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About me! :)

Hello, my name is Alice Johnson. My husband, George Johnson, and I, have three children: John, Jane, and James. I'm twenty years of age and George is twenty five. Our happy family lives on the outskirts of Philidelphia, Pennsylvania. I am a housewife and George has a job in the city working in a shoe factory.

Although he's unhappy working in a shoe factory, we need the money to pay for food and our house. As a housewife, I make the family's clothes and tend to the cooking and cleaning. James, at the age of four, has just begun attending school. Throughought the day, Jane helps me with minor chores such as weeding the garden but she also gets to play with her younger brother John, who is two. When James returns from school, he joins John in helping their father tend to our few farm animals. Our animals consist of five chickens and a cow. The children are still quite young to be doing a lot of chores but they're old enough to collect eggs and help prepare dinner.

My husband and I hope that all three of our children can attend college and we are both seeking higher paying jobs so we can better provide for our children. We also live in a small three-room cottage. Our family often travels to the city to visit George's family and sell the eggs that we can spare. I plan on starting a service for sewing clothes for other families in the area. George and I are very excited for our future and the future of our children who will do great things.

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