Shortly after Hubs and I were married, I realized he was a project starter, but not a finisher. Over the years I have gotten used to this fact. If you've been a friend of the blog the last couple of years, you will remember that when Hubs and I first moved into this house we tore out all of the baseboards, and to this day we still don't have any. Wait, I take that back. We do. They are in our garage sitting atop saw horses.
As all married couples do, sometimes Hubs and I talk about who does more around the house, and who is a finisher and who isn't. It always makes me laugh when he tries to win those arguments. I have yet to not finish one project I've started in this house. We won't count how many the love of my life has started and not finished. *giggle*
As I look back on today, it makes me laugh.
We got up this morning and visited one of the local farmer's markets so I could get some fresh, local produce. I had fully anticipated on starting my usual Saturday routine of cleaning the house (by myself, as always), but upon arriving home, but Hubs said he wanted to clean the garage. I told him to have fun, and then turned to Baby Bean and asked if she wanted to help mommy vacuum. Hubs said, "I didn't say I was going to clean out the garage, I said we should clean out the garage." First of all, the fact that he was willing to tackle this massive project for the first time since we've been here is a feat in and of itself. Second of all, the fact that he was willing to do it in this heat was gobsmacking. But whatever, let's clean the stupid thing out and maybe one day put a car in it. *gasp!*
Project Clean Up started around 10:30, and by around 1:00 the vast majority of garage contents were out on the front lawn and driveway, sorted into three piles: keep, give away, and trash.
Did I mention it was really hot here today? Well it was. Within minutes of being outside, I was dripping sweat down my chin and into my cleavage. My shirt was plastered to me all the way around my mid section. It was gross.
Once we had gotten the garage to that point and shop vac'ed it out, Hubs was ready for a break. Upon sitting down, I literally watched him shut down on me. He was so done. Nuh uh babe! I let him eat some chips and salsa we had bought at the farmer's market, and then I whipped his tail back outside, reminding him he started this gig, he now had to finish it. I think he hated me in that moment... and for every moment for the next hour or so as we moved the keep pile back into the garage. I made him stick with it until the job was done. Go me! Score 10 points. However, as soon as it was done, so was he. Awesome. I still had a whole house to clean and laundry and dishes to do... by myself.
We took a break to take showers and eat dinner, and then I continued to do the following while he sat on the couch watching TV:
- Did the dishes
- Cleaned the kitchen
- Vacuumed
- Did two loads of laundry
- Steam cleaned the floors in the dining room, entry way, library, and family room
- Mopped the kitchen floor and scrubbed the grout
- Cleaned the hick pool
- Sprayed the perimeter of the house with bug spray
- Sprayed the waterbugs in our shower
- Took out the trash and recycling
However, he did mow the front lawn (which is minuscule, especially compared to our backyard that is 10 times the size of the front yard [I mowed the back two days ago]) and took the stuff we didn't want to the donation location.
Guess who thinks he's the most tired tonight?
Its a good thing I love my man!
14 Thoughts:
Dude!!! My hubby does similar things. Except when he says, "WE should..." that really means, "you should." He doesn't say that much anymore because of my violent (not really) reactions to this statement.
I'm cracking up right now... that poor guy. He really did work hard. You should probably give him a massage! ;)
You are so cute and so funny! I love your stories. :)
Then never grasp how much work it takes to make a house look like it is effortlessly clean! You must be tired! Does he at least help watch the baby while you clean and he rests?
I told my hubby last night that after I did the big grocery shop today, I'd clean the house...so he went and invited a friend over at 10am-BEFORE I went to do the shopping! I MADE him help me clean for an hour before his friend arrived lol.
oh my gosh! this post could have been about my husband!
I completely feel your pain! One of the hardest things about being a working woman is working all day and then coming home to a husband that wants dinner, then cleaning the house. I can only imagine that children add to your "to-do" list. :) My husband is a very hard-worker, but is always working on everyone's house but mine. :)
Men.
My husband's the same way. He starts a billion projects and then gets bored with them and moves on to something else and then starts freaking out that he never gets anything done. I'm like, um, how about you finish what you started before beginning something new - then you always feel like you are accomplishing things!
Case in point: Half of my house has not had working lights or outlets since November. Want to go in the basement? Grab a headlamp. Need to plug something in in the livingroom? Find an extension cord and run it from the kitchen.
He goes through phases where he gets really lazy (ie, shuts down from being overwhelmed) and it drives me mad.
He's also always saying, "I wish I could stay home all day" as if all I do is sit around watching tv. He would not cut it as a stay-at-home dad. Or he would, but the house would be trashed, no one would be fed and the baby wouldn't have clean diapers. But maybe he'd find a way to finish wiring the house when K was sleeping. Though I doubt it.
He's also always more tired than I am, even though he only needs 6-7 hours sleep a night to feel well-rested and has sleeping pills that knock him out during that time. Me? Lightest sleeper in the world who wakes up like 3-4 times a night.
They are lucky we love them so much.
Holy crap you are a machine girl!!! I think I would have been sitting next to hubs on the couch after that garage project, hah!! And my hubby is so the same way, he's sorta a one project kinda guy and then he needs to break...aka couch and tv the rest of the day!
Isn't it always the way?
Hahaha, it's sort of the opposite at our house, in some ways. I almost always initiate any project and hubs is a perfectionist so he says it's his job to make sure we do it right. Not that he's always good at that task....
You are a machine! I wonder who baby bean will take after?
Man, your man and my man should get together and not finish stuff in unison.
Rolling eyes over here. And definitely feeling sorry for you. I think I would have been screaming my lungs out at him to help me with the rest of the chores. Lol!
That is so funny! It made me laugh. It's the exact opposite at my house. DH is the go-to guy and the doer who finished projects and accomplishes more in one day off than I can in a week off. Unfortunately, I tend to start projects and not finish them. I need to develop better "follow through" skills.
This post cracks me up. Isn't it crazy how they get a wild hair up their bums - my Hubby does that all the time and so randomly.
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