House work

[RCT]

Do you do it all?
Have help in the form of a housekeeper?
Do you share it with your kids?
Does your Spouse help you?
What about the yard?

I have been sharing the house work with dh for years, I have recently started having the kids help more, I have issues with the cleanliness of the bathrooms and don't feel comfortable having the kids take care of it all alone, so we are doing it together. DH likes to mop the floors himself, so that makes that easy, DD likes to dust...

As for the yard, we used to do it together, but now that we are renters they provide a gardener, so that makes it easy on us

[PamE]

Dh helps if I ask, but I only ask if company is coming and I am desperate. (Since he works and I'm home I feel it is my responsibility to take care of housework, cooking and laundry.) The kids have daily chores (basics like dishes, wastepaper baskets/trash, picking up their room, laundry, etc) and weekly chores. I rotate their weekly chores, but keep them at one until they are proficient. Right now dd1 does all the mopping and sweeping. Ds1 dusts and sweeps patios and walkways. Dd2 cleans the bathroom and washes sliding glass doors, mirrors, storm doors and (rarely) windows. I run the vacuum, make sure decluttering is done regularly and crack the whip. Dh takes care of yard work, car and home repairs, though I'll do what I can with those, too, before I ask him.

[Diane]

Right now I take care of most of the house work. I make the bed, the coffee, vacuum/scrub all the floors, cooking meals, washing dishes, grocery shopping, dusting, laundry, windows... toilets, bathrooms. Every once in a while, dh will help make the bed, or if there are (his) snack dishes in the sink... he might wash them. ;)

Dh mostly takes care of all the yard work, except for the trimming of the shrubs (which I do) I help rake in the fall, and I also help out when it comes time to close down the pool. Dh and I both pull up all the plants/flowers from the gardens and take the bulbs out that need to be taken out. He mows the lawn 2 to 3 times a week, he keeps the pool clean and keeps all the chemical levels where they're suppose to be. He takes care of the litter boxes, pays all the bills... and takes care of everything that doesn't work/breaks, that I can't figure out/fix. :lol:

Were both always there for each other when/if it's needed. I think were pretty even. :thumb:

[MaryL]

He mows the lawn 2 to 3 times a week,


Did you mean a month??

We cut ours (during May/June) probably once a week, July and August (depending on rainfall/growth/heat) maybe once every other week, and September/October once a week. It probably averages out to about 3 times a month or so.

[MaryL]

I do the bulk of the housework. Dks are helping much more.

Me: Laundry, grocery shopping, meals/planning, help w/school projects if needed, most errands, most dusting, I sign all school forms/notes/etc, master bathroom, I do the majority of the "dog" duties.

Dh: Pays bills, outdoor maintenance, "fix it" stuff, will occasionally wash dishes for me, makes bed (he gets out last), washes windows, picks up dry cleaning, he's great at playing with the dog (tires her out!)

Dks: Vacuum, dust, clean bathrooms (I do the "thorough" job, they just wipe down daily), make beds, cut grass, bring garbage cans down to curb and sort recycling, pick up mail after school,

We all pick up items that are in the wrong places (declutter). We all take care of cleaning our own bedrooms.

[Diane]

Did you mean a month??

We cut ours (during May/June) probably once a week, July and August (depending on rainfall/growth/heat) maybe once every other week, and September/October once a week. It probably averages out to about 3 times a month or so.

Nope... a week. He takes very good care of his lawn ;) and it shows.

[RCT]

Nope... a week. He takes very good care of his lawn ;) and it shows.

wow our gardeners come once a week, two or three times a week seems like a lot, do you have a big lawn?

[Diane]

wow our gardeners come once a week, two or three times a week seems like a lot, do you have a big lawn?

Not HUGE... but big enough. Dh loves doing yardwork. The neighbor's will all tease him about how he puts them/their yards to shame. :lol: Our lawn is thickest/cushiest... the greenest, and it hasn't got a weed in it. :thumb:

Dd #2 was doing a web site for a lawn fertilizer place (can't remember the name of the place) one year and used a picture of our lawn on their web site. ;)

[DMS]

Nope... a week. He takes very good care of his lawn ;) and it shows.

What kind of grass do you have?

After our house was struck by lightening years ago and we had to move out while the renovations were being done, we rented a house across the street. The lawn was Tif, which is the same as is used on putting greens at golf courses. When the owners were actually living there, the husband would come home on his lunch hour EVERY DAY and mow the lawn.

[Diane]

What kind of grass do you have?

After our house was struck by lightening years ago and we had to move out while the renovations were being done, we rented a house across the street. The lawn was Tif, which is the same as is used on putting greens at golf courses. When the owners were actually living there, the husband would come home on his lunch hour EVERY DAY and mow the lawn.

I have no clue what kind of grass it is... :)

I think if he had the time he would probably be mowing it every day. :lol: He won't let me mow it... I think he doesn't think I would do a good enough job. 8o On Monday he'll mow it going back and forth in one direction. On Thursday he'll mow it in the opposite direction that he did on Monday. Then on Saturday... he'll mow it at an angle. Hey... I don't care... as long as I don't have to mow it. ;)

[AnnW]

On Monday he'll mow it going back and forth in one direction. On Thursday he'll mow it in the opposite direction that he did on Monday. Then on Saturday... he'll mow it at an angle.

I think that's called OCD ;)

[RCT]

lol what she said!

Glad it keeps him busy.

[DMS]

I have no clue what kind of grass it is... :)

I think if he had the time he would probably be mowing it every day. :lol: He won't let me mow it... I think he doesn't think I would do a good enough job. 8o On Monday he'll mow it going back and forth in one direction. On Thursday he'll mow it in the opposite direction that he did on Monday. Then on Saturday... he'll mow it at an angle. Hey... I don't care... as long as I don't have to mow it. ;)

When the boys were little I loved to mow the lawn. It was something that when you were finished with it, you could stand back and think "well, now that looks great!". And it was something that the kids weren't going to mess back up in 5 minutes. Do I hear someone saying I'm not well suited to motherhood lol?

[angie r]

When the boys were little I loved to mow the lawn. It was something that when you were finished with it, you could stand back and think "well, now that looks great!". And it was something that the kids weren't going to mess back up in 5 minutes. Do I hear someone saying I'm not well suited to motherhood lol?


Isn't that the truth!! The first part, not the second, lol.

[MaryL]

I read Diane's posts to my (horrified) boys!! They already gripe about cutting it once a week...and can't imagine having to do it more often. :lol: They want me to ask Diane if it's a riding mower, or a self-propelled mower.

(I'm with you, Diane! I don't care WHO cuts the grass (or when) as long as it's not me!)

[Cathy]

When the boys were little I loved to mow the lawn. It was something that when you were finished with it, you could stand back and think "well, now that looks great!". And it was something that the kids weren't going to mess back up in 5 minutes. Do I hear someone saying I'm not well suited to motherhood lol?

LOL What I love about cutting the lawn (and using the snow-blower) is that I can't hear questions or complaints. I just mime 'I can't hear you' and keep going.

[Amy]

Diane-does he fertilize a lot? Dh seems to think you in order to have the type of lawn you describe, it has to be a chemical based lawn. When we first moved here, we fertilized according to the 4 seasons. I didn't like all the chemicals after the second year, so now he only does it twice a year and its organic (pretty much chicken poop! ) LOL

We have to mow 2 times a week also, depending on the amount of rain we get, but in no way-with an acre lawn-are we particular about direction. But heck, dh has a 400 gallon water tank that is his secret girlfriend. LOL

Back to the original question...I usually like to clean the house when everyone is gone,but if for some reason I don't get to it during the week, I make everyone help me.

[Diane]

I read Diane's posts to my (horrified) boys!! They already gripe about cutting it once a week...and can't imagine having to do it more often. :lol: They want me to ask Diane if it's a riding mower, or a self-propelled mower.

(I'm with you, Diane! I don't care WHO cuts the grass (or when) as long as it's not me!)

It's self propelled. I tried talking him into a rider a few years ago when he was looking at new lawnmowers, but he wouldn't dream of it. LOL

[Diane]

Diane-does he fertilize a lot? Dh seems to think you in order to have the type of lawn you describe, it has to be a chemical based lawn. When we first moved here, we fertilized according to the 4 seasons. I didn't like all the chemicals after the second year, so now he only does it twice a year and its organic (pretty much chicken poop! ) LOL

We have to mow 2 times a week also, depending on the amount of rain we get, but in no way-with an acre lawn-are we particular about direction. But heck, dh has a 400 gallon water tank that is his secret girlfriend. LOL

Back to the original question...I usually like to clean the house when everyone is gone,but if for some reason I don't get to it during the week, I make everyone help me.

not really, just the usual. He does however spray his "secret formula" on it quite often... and I think that's what's doing it. (he swear's by it) Within a few hours after spraying it, you can see the grass get greener. Thing is that he's very consistent in it's care. :rolleyes: It was he)) when I did day care, and he didn't even want the kids running/playing on his lawn. I'm like... so if they can't play in the yard on the lawn, where are they suppose to play? He didn't care... as long as it wasn't on the lawn. :lol: Yeah... I'll never forget the day when the day care kids and half of the neighborhood kids were all playing football in the front yard... and one chid skidded and took out about a foot of grass. 8o The neighborhood kids all took off running for home... as if they had thrown a ball and broken our window. :lol: I'm glad he wasn't like that when our own kids were little and wanted to play on it.

[Mickey]

I do it all in the house. I hire people to do the heavy seasonal pruning, sprinkler work, furnace inspection, winterizing swamp cooler, etc. Any handyman stuff gets done by a hired handyman. I hire painters (used to paint, but not anymore) and will occasionally hire cleaning people for a few weeks now and then (when I need to organize, get rid of stuff, or deep clean). Ds will vacuum (really likes to do it since we got The Shark! LOL!) and he will occasionally load the dishwasher or put B's toys away, if I ask. He also occasionally does a load of his own laundry. Everything else is on me (laundry, cleaning, shopping, cooking, etc.).