Housework - we all love it.
And it sounds so simple, one word. (But made from two - men must have though let's just squash this down further to make it sound even more simple). And it does, - it sounds like one simple job. But of course, it's lots of jobs, cleaning, tidying, washing, ironing. But then these split down further. Cleaning to cleaning the kitchen sides, the fridge, the oven (every once in a blue moon), the hob, sink, kitchen floor, toilets, sinks, baths, showers, taps, bathroom floors, dusting furniture, hoovering. Tidying to putting away children's toys, tidying up after the mess men create, washing to picking up clothes off floor and putting in washing machine, getting washing out, hanging on line, getting washing in, folding and putting away/putting in ironing basket, ironing to folding and putting away, loading the dishwasher/washing up, unloading the dishwasher and putting away/drying up and putting away. Yes I am writing all the details but the details all take time. Have I missed anything? I'm sure a lot.
And then there's cooking and playing with children though I don't count those as housework. Though I have spent most of this week pureeing epic amounts of food (this should last Jack a month)
I look at the older generation, say my Nan on my Dad's side, and I don't think I've ever spotted a speck of dust in her house. My Nan is the greatest and I love her to bits. I wish I could be more like her. She raised 3 boys and a husband, house has always been spotless and she has suffered bad arthritis for years. She even used to do a job going round to old people's houses and helping them before she retired.
Please don't think I'm complaining, though. I love life and partner and little boy more than anything and wouldn't change anything for the world. I'd much rather be at home doing this than at work (and I've worked full time from the age of 17 apart from a gap year travelling). However I am going back to work for 3 days a week from next year. Then I'll have bigger problems with fitting it all in, and then as Jack gets older I'll have another baby and start all over again hehe.
How do you manage your time? Do you spend one day a week doing the majority or do you do everything including hoovering every day, or just the important stuff every day like cleaning worktops? I thought when I had Jack and would be off full time that I'd have loads of time to be on top of everything. I don't even know where the time goes and half of the time when he's sleeping I like the chance of a rest and nice cup of coffee. Maybe a bit of cake. I feel I deserve it after going up and down the stairs 20 times a day, making 5 bottles (still do each one fresh each time) feeding 2 meals a day (currently), playing, changing nappies and bathing, in between bits of housework.
Maybe it's just me or maybe I worry too much about a tidy house. I've have been brought up with CLEAN so you think it would come more naturally to me. My OH was brought up on a farm in Devon and so therefore these things do not bother him and it would have been impossible for his mum to keep an 8 bedroom farmhouse completely spotless and bring up 4 children! He doesn't see what I see. He will wipe a side immediately in front of him but nowhere further than that. Still I don't expect him to do much more than he does already as he works full time of course.
I think I'm going to write a list of jobs per day and tick them off as I go. I think this'll help me to manage my time better and get a better sense of achievement. I could have done this just now insead of typing out this
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