Back to the grind

It’s Sunday. I have to go back to work tomorrow. This is most likely the last day my house will be clean. Ever.

Wylee said that once I go back to work, he was going to do more to help around the house, so the house can stay clean. After I get home and take care of the kids and get them to bed, I’m exhausted. I want to have me time, so I don’t do all the things everyday that need to be done to make the house look nice. Things start to pile up, and suddenly I’m living in chaos. So, it’s awesome that Wylee offered to help.

I made a list of the things I wanted done every day, and the things I wanted done once a week. I’m not a complete neat freak, there wasn’t that much on the list. There was like a dozen daily chores, and if they’re done every day, it doesn’t take that long (I know this because I’ve been doing it for the last two weeks. I’ve kept the house clean and I’ve still had time to blog and watch tv and snuggle with Keaton and play with the AC. Life has been quite nice).

I told Wylee about the list, and asked him if he wanted to choose five things he wanted to do every day, or if he wanted to switch off with me, or if he wanted to draw cards or roll a dice or something, so it’s completely random and fair. Wylee looked at the list and said, “Well… maybe I could load the dishwasher each night.”

Wha??? Maybe? MAYBE? So, your idea of helping is doing something that, if done every day, takes all of ten minutes? While I do everything else? What kind of help is that?

I sighed. “OK, so what about the weekly chores?” I had another list of an additional 10 things that needed to be done weekly: dust, vacuum, toilets, etc. Wylee looked at that list and said, “Well, I’m pretty busy on the weekends, working on the yards and such.”

Ugh. I would love it if the yards were mowed, edged, weeded, and such every week. But if you’ve ever seen my yard, you’d know dang well that the yard does not get worked on every week. And even if Wylee does mow the lawn one week, he won’t edge it, or maybe he won’t weed the planters, or sweep the porch, something's always missing, so it’s never completely done.

So, really, nothing has changed. Except that the dishes might get done each day now. We'll see about that. To be determined.

I actually don’t mind having to do everything. I’m kinda old fashioned: I accept that I have to do all the housework, as long as I don’t have to lift a finger outside. And that’s worked out well: I have no idea where we keep the lawnmower, and I don’t think Wylee even knows we own a mop. What annoys me is that Wylee said he WANTED to help. If he didn’t intend on really helping, he shouldn’t have said he was going to help, you know? What, was he just being polite, and expected me to decline the offer?

Sheesh. Men.

At least Wylee’s still good for killing spiders.