Monday, September 6, 2010

A New Appreciation!

I have always realized that keeping up a house was work. I will however fess up and say that at times I wondered why some thing had to be done like they did. I always knew my wife went shopping, clipped coupons, saved money by shopping sales, never ran out of the things needed to keep the place working. But I gotta tell you, I never realized just how difficult the total job is. Doing the big things is hard enough, but all the little things that make the big things happen are a whole nother thing. And there is just the two of us. How moms with a family continue to manage is beyond me. Here's just a sampling of what I mean:

Toilet paper: Making sure there are spare rolls in the bathrooms - at all times! That's even more important than replacing the rolls on the dispenser.

Bread: Breads bread to me, but someone I know requires fresh baked bakery bread. I still have not mastered the secret of buying two loafs at a time and splitting them and triple bagging smaller bags, and freezing them to prevent molding. I still wonder why my cheap bread will last for weeks without molding and wife's only four days.

While we're on the bread thing, I never realized that making toast was such a detailed art. How much easier can it be to make toast, add butter and jam? I learned that the toast must be just so dark (well not dark at all, just one and a half shades darker than white, but hot and a wee bit crispy). All the top surface of the bread MUST be covered with butter. The butter must be of a required consistency, that is only achieved when taken out of the icebox for 30 minutes at room temperature of 70 degrees. The thickness of the butter must be correct too, but so far I don't know what that is. I just keep adding more. I am sure I'll be told when I have enough. The jam is not a big deal. I think it's the butter that is critical.

House and out side plants and flowers: Why do they die when either over watered or under watered?

I'm tired, gotta rest.

Thirty minute nap later!

I now know how/why my underware is always clean and in the drawer.
I now know that the orange juice does not automatically get made when it needs to.
I know you have to plan ahead for meals and thaw frozen stuff.
I now realize that if you don't sweep the floor on a regular basis you'll need a shovel.
I understand that if dishes are left overnight it's harder to wash them in the morning.

I could go on and on about all the little things around the house that my wife always did, that I never gave a whole lot of thought to. I'm learning!

2 comments:

Not Lucy said...

i was very lucky that my husband broke his leg and was off work for almost two months about 19 years ago. We had three kids: 8, 6 and 1 and I also did some home daycare. He was stuck at home and realized just what it took to keep the house going! He never again wondered why some things just weren't done when he came home from work!

Unknown said...

well now...we all know a certain someone is a wee bit fanatical about things. :) I think you're doing a fantastic job,and its great that you have an appreciation for the role of "housewife" which some men just never get....don't even get me started on women's lib and how we got totally screwed into having TWO freakin full-time jobs! lol

Just keep the cheetos,chocolates,and books stocked and she'll be happy!