We all do household chores. When I taught our three kids to cook, do laundry and clean, I told them, “Unless you’re rich enough to hire servants, it’ll be up to you.”
I enjoy cooking, washing clothes is just something that must be done, but cleaning is my nemesis. Given a choice as a farm girl, I shoveled cow manure in the barn with Dad instead of vacuuming in the house with Mom. After marrying, I’ve tried to adopt my mother-in-law’s philosophy, “I don’t like to do it, but I like the way it looks when it’s done.”
When I was a young housewife, this was the time of year for fall cleaning. Curtains, windows and painted walls were washed. Wax was removed from linoleum and a new coat applied. I rented a rug shampooer to clean the carpets. In the spring, I did it all again.
Another ‘carrot’ to do those jobs that I’d rather thrust aside was entertaining card club. Most of our married life, we belonged to a group. Once a month on a Saturday night, six couples gathered at one of the members’ homes–some played 500 and others euchre. Food and drinks were served. Top scores for the evening earned prizes with a booby awarded for the lowest, but no one played for blood. It was a fun night. Sadly, everyone got too old to continue. I miss those card players and the incentive to do needed housework.
Dust bunnies and cobwebs are easier to ignore than a glaring husband signaling time to eat or an empty underwear drawer pushing me to do laundry. Even when I’m not doing the work, I procrastinate. The carpets in the living room and family room were recently Duracleaned and look great. It should have been done sooner, but I kept putting off calling the man because I didn’t have a deadline pushing me.
What are your incentives to do necessary tasks?
Yes, company, in general, is a real good incentive for cleaning. Now, no company, not as much cleaning plus I have a cleaning lady twice a month so the dirt & clutter never gets too bad. There was a time when I was married to Dale, my second husband, that he wrote his name on a dining room cabinet, & I didn’t even notice it. He was an ass anyway.
I always preferred to work outside on the farm (mow the lawn, putter in the flowers, paint the farm buildings, etc.) to doing things in the house. Poor mother, she got stuck with so many things in the house.
Sid does the laundry so that leaves time for me to write or do genealogy.
Sounds like you have a good thing going. We grew up a lot alike on the farm.