I wear many hats in the course of a day: wife, mother, editor, writer, friend, daughter, sister, et. al. In my personal and professional life, I am surrounded by strong women who make things happen. They inspire me as I hope I inspire them in some small way.

Recently, I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of yet another strong woman, a woman who was a pioneer of the issues that mattered to women … in the early 1800s. I came across The American Frugal Housewife (12th edition) on a recent vacation to San Antonio, in the gift shop at the Alamo. It was the perfect souvenir for me as I’m always on the lookout for an interesting book. As my kids wandered around the busy gift shop quoting lines from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (“There’s no basement in the Alamo!”), I immersed myself in daily life circa 1833.

This book offers some useful information (such as simple recipes and tips for frugal living) and some questionable (earwax as lip balm? Um, I think not); but what is most striking is the information that applies today, nearly 200 years later. I was inspired by the strong voice of this book to do some research on Mrs. Child. I learned that she was a woman before her time, stirring up people across the country with her strong ideas on feminism, Indian rights and abolition. She wrote many other books, poems (including the Thanksgiving poem Over the River and Through the Woods) and published the first monthly magazine for children in the country.

She champions clean living through healthful eating, good hygiene and common sense; she offers advice for living through times of recession and warns against the dangers of excess; and she reminds her readers that a graceful and happy life is an attainable and noble goal. Many of her words ring true even in these modern days.

I find Mrs. Child to be an inspiring woman, a trailblazer for those of us who strive to make our mark on the world today. It’s motivational to hear of a woman who fought against the establishment to be heard at a time when it was, well, unheard of for a woman to fight the establishment.

This title is currently available at amazon.com, and right now, the Kindle version is free.