I know some of you are stay-home mamas like me. And I am well aware that the rest of you are not, but just hang with me for a minute.
We do a freaking LOT of things. So much, in fact, that if I were to try to make an actual, comprehensive list of all the things I do in a day? Well, a) I would never get anything done, and b) I'd probably jump on the crazy train trying to record the minutiae of my life, and while those minutiae are why I am absolutely invaluable to the people around me, the list would make me sound really petty.
8:57 a.m. picked up a tissue.
8:57.5 a.m. picked up a scrap of paper
8:58 a.m. threw said items in trash can
Do you see what I mean? And also, it's not like I'm in a Gold-Medal Used Tissue Recovery Competition. Nor am I a Truly Spectacular Housekeeper.
Fortunately for me, there are jobs in this house that are not mine, and usually they involve things that fall into the following categories: a) Heavy; b) Stinky; and c) Things I Do Not Want To Do.
It has come to my attention that when the Heavy-Stinky-Things-I-Do-Not-Want-To-Do Things do not get done, I become very irritated.
What? You too?
And sometimes I say to Me: Is it *SO* hard for him to ___________? You know, as if I am the person who Always Gets Everything Done. As and if being the operative words there. Is it *SO* hard for him to take out the upstairs bathroom garbage? Is it *SO* hard for him to take the soda bottles for a refund? Is it *SO* hard...
But then I realized something. No. It's not. It's not *that* hard to take the upstairs bathroom trash out to the pretty green container in our driveway. It's not hard for The Mister... and it's not hard for me, either.
What is hard? Living with a person who is a crab. And being a crab about some things makes you seem like a really unappreciative... ummm... well... bitch. It does.
Hello, I'm Pamela, and I'm Appreciative and Not-A-Bitch, and I took the trash out today.
We do a freaking LOT of things. So much, in fact, that if I were to try to make an actual, comprehensive list of all the things I do in a day? Well, a) I would never get anything done, and b) I'd probably jump on the crazy train trying to record the minutiae of my life, and while those minutiae are why I am absolutely invaluable to the people around me, the list would make me sound really petty.
8:57 a.m. picked up a tissue.
8:57.5 a.m. picked up a scrap of paper
8:58 a.m. threw said items in trash can
Do you see what I mean? And also, it's not like I'm in a Gold-Medal Used Tissue Recovery Competition. Nor am I a Truly Spectacular Housekeeper.
Fortunately for me, there are jobs in this house that are not mine, and usually they involve things that fall into the following categories: a) Heavy; b) Stinky; and c) Things I Do Not Want To Do.
It has come to my attention that when the Heavy-Stinky-Things-I-Do-Not-Want-To-Do Things do not get done, I become very irritated.
What? You too?
And sometimes I say to Me: Is it *SO* hard for him to ___________? You know, as if I am the person who Always Gets Everything Done. As and if being the operative words there. Is it *SO* hard for him to take out the upstairs bathroom garbage? Is it *SO* hard for him to take the soda bottles for a refund? Is it *SO* hard...
But then I realized something. No. It's not. It's not *that* hard to take the upstairs bathroom trash out to the pretty green container in our driveway. It's not hard for The Mister... and it's not hard for me, either.
What is hard? Living with a person who is a crab. And being a crab about some things makes you seem like a really unappreciative... ummm... well... bitch. It does.
Hello, I'm Pamela, and I'm Appreciative and Not-A-Bitch, and I took the trash out today.
You and your hubby rock. I have fallen into the crabby unappreciative bitch role a lot, and it is just like you said: We get so hung up on the fact that we do many other things that sometimes we forget that our men are doing a hell of a lot as well. It happens.
ReplyDeleteI guess I should get my head out of my ass more often.
Hi, Pamela!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I needed this reminder. We have a similar arrangement in our home, and on days my husband fails to take out the garbage or whatever I get so pissed because if he doesn't do it, I have to do it, and he knows that, so he's an asshole for making more work for me.
ReplyDeleteBut, it's not really like that. Really, he just forgot and we all forget sometimes, right?
Preach it Sister Pamela. Good post. Good reminder. Good for you for taking out the garbage. I need to go take out my kitchen garbage...
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should have a Used Tissue Recovery Competition in the Olympics?? I bet you would so win the gold for us.
I just found your blog by happenstance and have been laughing my a@@ off ever since, thanks so much for adding your sense of humor to everyday life, and for reminding me not to become crabby over (usually) unimportant things. Also LOVED the one about soap nuts!!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your next post!
in our house the roles are completely reversed.
ReplyDeletehusband often doesn't realize what happens when he is gone ... because quite honestly ... he always has the two of us to accomplish the same things when he IS home. so after numerous ... ahem ... discussions about this same topic ... he is really really trying to be less crap-appley about it all.
the hardest part is the knowing of the going back to work in which i need to do all of this AND still work 8 hours during the day. ugh. i'm so screwed.
on a more related to your actually post comment ... it really is sometimes just easier to do than to get crabby and prove a point.
Simply said....you're awesome!
ReplyDeleteUsually we're both so stupid tired that we just... um, sorry I drifted off there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Babe. I'll go get that heavy, stinky, stuff-you-don't-want-to-move off the porch.
As the working bitch in this relationship, I work all day so I sort of expect everything else to get magically taken care of. Most days, it does. Some days, it does not. I attribute all of it to a woman's keen eye on her house no matter how busy she is working at home or at her job. Deep breaths friend, they just don't see the things we do, nor do they prioritize the same way. We are all in the same boat working or not. In the end, we do almost all of it at home honey....
ReplyDeleteHi Pamela! I took out the garbage this morning too!
ReplyDeleteOne time I gave up and took out the garbage and I was barefoot and eight months pregnant, and maggots came out the bottom. Onto my bare, pregnant feet. And the garbage men were there and saw me hop around and shriek and then swear in vivid detail, and they backed up a bit when I came down the driveway with a leaking bag of garbage in my hand and steam coming out of my ears. (Pretty sure the steam was what scared them.) And yeah, for awhile after that, the unappreciative bitch took front and center.
ReplyDeleteBut he does cook dinner all week while I teach lessons, and I have not ever seen another maggot in our garage. And the baby is a year and a half now, so probably it's time to get over it. Don't you think?
I'm not sure how I came across your blog (by clicking "Next Blog" at the very top of screen a couple times after reading my friend's blog site)?? But, I L-O-V-E this post. May I please share with other GFs? :)
ReplyDeleteEm, I tried to email you but your profile won't let me. Send your friends on over. I love meeting new interpeeps.
ReplyDelete