Certain kinds of housework are enjoyable. Cooking, cleaning and organizing the kitchen, most kinds of yardwork, stuff like that can be relaxing and almost meditative. Laundry's not bad, either. And my dog loves trying to kill the feather duster so I can turn a little bit of dusting into some fun bonding time.
But then there are bad kinds of housework, too. Mopping, for example. Anything involving a bathroom. Windows. Carpets. These bad kinds of cleaning can actually shorten your life, so the most important thing is to find someone who has a high tolerance for them and develop a shared list of chores that preserves all the healthy cleanings for you and provides your partner with the opportunity to learn to appreciate the other ones. Many people don't realize the importance, in choosing a life partner, of finding someone with whom you're housework compatible.
I don't mind cleaning the bathroom and washing the floors, but I hate vacuuming the rugs because it's such a hard chore. So I guess I should keep doing it, and add five years to my life? My husband keeps the kitchen clean because the kitchen is his domain.
/Fark it. Hire a maid service.
/I clean the cat litter. Automatic extra ten years.
I've been finding out that NOT noticing that she has been losing weight is just as bad as noticing that she has gained some. Looks like it's time for me to start doing some housework.
2CountyFairs:I've been finding out that NOT noticing that she has been losing weight is just as bad as noticing that she has gained some. Looks like it's time for me to start doing some housework.
I'm still paying for a time 7 years ago when I didn't notice that my wife had had her hair trimmed.
House cleaning is always a dichotomy for me. A dirty house makes me depressed. Cleaning the house makes me depressed to the point of wanting to put my head in the oven, but mine is electric and that would be fairly futile.
Shrinkwrap:Does anyone want to clean my place? You must provide your own hazmat suit.
Decades ago, I had a boyfriend who was an awesome housekeeper. He kept the toilet pristine and the kitchen polished. I left him just because he went home with and slept with a woman he met on what was supposed to be a guys' night out. I should have told him to have her scrub out the fridge and take over the vacuuming.
My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
WhippingBoy:2CountyFairs: I've been finding out that NOT noticing that she has been losing weight is just as bad as noticing that she has gained some. Looks like it's time for me to start doing some housework.
I'm still paying for a time 7 years ago when I didn't notice that my wife had had her hair trimmed.
I'm just not that observant after 8 to 10 hours of work and 2 hours of driving...and then being mobbed by my kids at the door. But apparently that is not an excuse.
My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
Argh.
Until recently, I behaved as your wife did. However, I am single, and thus my apartment gradually accumulated more and more clutter for five years.
In late June, I undertook a project to clean my entire apartment, which concluded a week and a half later. I have since changed my habits, and now need only perform regular floor and counter cleaning and bathroom scrubbing.
I discovered a lateral file cabinet and a kitchen cart, both unassembled and in their original packaging, while cleaning.
My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
Argh.
I hear ya, brother. My wife will first throw all her junk on the kitchen counter (making it impossible to make dinner, etc.) If that's full, she'll move on to the kitchen table. I swear to god, the next house I buy will not have any flat surfaces.
I enjoyed doing the washing up when I came home from work. Something to get your mind off things. That was multiple dishwashers and fifteen years ago, of course.
WhippingBoy:AgentBang: I do virtually all of the housework.
My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
Argh.
I hear ya, brother. My wife will first throw all her junk on the kitchen counter (making it impossible to make dinner, etc.) If that's full, she'll move on to the kitchen table. I swear to god, the next house I buy will not have any flat surfaces.
Mine does that too. And then she wonders why our kids don't pick up after themselves.
But then there are bad kinds of housework, too. Mopping, for example. Anything involving a bathroom. Windows. Carpets. These bad kinds of cleaning can actually shorten your life, so the most important thing is to find someone who has a high tolerance for them and develop a shared list of chores that preserves all the healthy cleanings for you and provides your partner with the opportunity to learn to appreciate the other ones. Many people don't realize the importance, in choosing a life partner, of finding someone with whom you're housework compatible.
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/Fark it. Hire a maid service.
/I clean the cat litter. Automatic extra ten years.
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Worth it?
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It just *SEEMS* like you live longer because you long for the sweet, sweet embrace of death.
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No, your big butt makes your butt look big
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jlawn001: Granny is at the house right now. 89. All she does is clean.
Worth it?
TOTALLY...between her tonic and her russlin' up a mess of vittles, you ain't got a lick to worry about.
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2CountyFairs: I've been finding out that NOT noticing that she has been losing weight is just as bad as noticing that she has gained some. Looks like it's time for me to start doing some housework.
I'm still paying for a time 7 years ago when I didn't notice that my wife had had her hair trimmed.
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kumanoki: Yeah, well, subby, my wife just told me I was "gross" and my house getting cleaner...
*isn't
/dammit
//belly got in the way of keyboard again
///gross
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/amirite, fellas?
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Shrinkwrap: Does anyone want to clean my place? You must provide your own hazmat suit.
Decades ago, I had a boyfriend who was an awesome housekeeper. He kept the toilet pristine and the kitchen polished. I left him just because he went home with and slept with a woman he met on what was supposed to be a guys' night out. I should have told him to have her scrub out the fridge and take over the vacuuming.
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My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
Argh.
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WhippingBoy: 2CountyFairs: I've been finding out that NOT noticing that she has been losing weight is just as bad as noticing that she has gained some. Looks like it's time for me to start doing some housework.
I'm still paying for a time 7 years ago when I didn't notice that my wife had had her hair trimmed.
I'm just not that observant after 8 to 10 hours of work and 2 hours of driving...and then being mobbed by my kids at the door. But apparently that is not an excuse.
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AgentBang: I do virtually all of the housework.
My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
Argh.
Until recently, I behaved as your wife did. However, I am single, and thus my apartment gradually accumulated more and more clutter for five years.
In late June, I undertook a project to clean my entire apartment, which concluded a week and a half later. I have since changed my habits, and now need only perform regular floor and counter cleaning and bathroom scrubbing.
I discovered a lateral file cabinet and a kitchen cart, both unassembled and in their original packaging, while cleaning.
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AgentBang: I do virtually all of the housework.
My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
Argh.
I hear ya, brother. My wife will first throw all her junk on the kitchen counter (making it impossible to make dinner, etc.) If that's full, she'll move on to the kitchen table. I swear to god, the next house I buy will not have any flat surfaces.
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WhippingBoy: AgentBang: I do virtually all of the housework.
My wife doesn't put things away when she's done with them. She puts them down wherever she happens to be. So I end up following her around like a human Roomba trying to put things away and organize, because if I don't I'm going to end up listening to 2-3 hysterical bouts of "I can't find my keys/wallet/license/bag!"
But, if I just let her go and things pile up for weeks (not joking here, towering piles of papers on the kitchen table, opened mail, things ripped out of magazines), eventually she'll declare that I need to leave her alone for a few hours so she can "clean." And she has this major feeling of accomplishment that she "cleaned up."
Argh.
I hear ya, brother. My wife will first throw all her junk on the kitchen counter (making it impossible to make dinner, etc.) If that's full, she'll move on to the kitchen table. I swear to god, the next house I buy will not have any flat surfaces.
Mine does that too. And then she wonders why our kids don't pick up after themselves.
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