June Cleaver is my hero. Clean house, happy kids, and home-cooked meals. She was loved and appreciated by Ward, Wally and “The Beave”. She was even polite and patient with the ornery, suck-up of a neighbor kid, Eddy Haskell.

I realize that June Cleaver was not a perfect mom, she just played one on TV, but she set a standard for me all the same. I grew up admiring her, but once I became a wife and mother myself, I realized how hard she was to emulate.

Through careful analysis and contemplation I realized that June didn’t have any abilities or characteristics that I didn’t have, but there was one very important detail I was missing. The one thing she was rarely seen without, the secret weapon that made her the mother of all TV mothers… an apron! She had one and I didn’t.

The missing ingredient seemed too simple to be true. Could it be that June’s super abilities as a happy homemaker came from wearing a perfectly tied apron? Why not? After all, what would Superman be without his cape? What would Cat Woman be without her whip?

I wouldn’t have believed it unless I experienced it myself. The purchase of my first black and white, floral print apron changed my life. Trading my “mom uniform” of a bleach-stained t-shirt and yoga pants for a ruffled apron changed my attitude toward my home and my household responsibilities. I went from slacker mom to happy homemaker in the tie of a sash!

I couldn’t believe how easy it was to access my inner June once I donned an apron. I started to feel all “homemaker-y” and feminine. The once insurmountable pile of laundry seemed less daunting. Spending more than fifteen minutes to prepare a family meal became less of chore and more of a joy…sprinkled with love. I even put on a pair of heels and pearls and vacuumed the floor! I don’t want to say that my apron contains super powers for the modern mom, but MY NEW APRON CONTAINS SUPER POWERS FOR THE MODERN MOM!

Just don’t take my word for it. Take the June Cleaver apron challenge for yourself! Ditch the gray sweatpants and over-sized t-shirt and tie on an apron. Maybe you’ll be able leap the tallest mountain of laundry single bound.

X-ray vision not included.

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