Um, hello??

So, apparently my working my butt off just isn't enough.

I'm home, and I'm blogging.

Why? Because the wife and I just had a nice little tiff, and now she's off somewhere, and I'm here to vent.

I work only 4 days a week, and have three days off. I work Tuesday through Friday, and have Saturday, Sunday and Mondays off.

However, on the 4 days I work, I put in 12 hours per day. That gives me a total of 48 hours of work done in 4 days. This equates to 8 hours of overtime per week standard.

That's the normal schedule!

Then, there are times when I'm needed to go above and beyond my normal schedule, and come in on Saturdays or Mondays for at least half of a day, and contribute. This adds 6-ish hours to my work week. Usually this comes on Mondays, and rarely a Saturday.

The reason this bites is that I'd much rather tack on hours at the end of one work week, than start a new week with overtime. That, and most madness tends to hit on Mondays, so I usually wind up doing my "regular" job, instead of what I came in for the overtime for...

Anyway, the reason for this rant:

After my argument with the wife, she has brought to my attention that I'm not doing enough.

I only work 4 days a week, and I do yardwork and home improvement stuff, but only when needed. For the rest, I take too many naps when I get home, and I don't help out with other mundane chores.

Now, let's assess this, shall we?

I "only" work 4 days a week. My wife's job is as an administrative assistant, and she basically gets to set her own schedule. However, she is not supposed to schedule more than 40 hours on her schedule unless absolutely necessary. Mostly, she's supposed to stay in the 36-38 hours a week timetable.

Let's compare.. 36-38 hours versus 48-54? So far, I put in more time at work.

Now, yes, I'm a napper. When I get home, I'm usually exhausted, and I'll collapse in my favorite overstuffed recliner, and fall asleep with sounds of kids running rampant in the background. But honestly, when you work that many hours, and you get a chance to stop or slow down, WHO WOULDN'T?

I recall my wife having to work one 10 hour stint. She came home, grabbed a blanket, and curled up on the couch for some "much needed sleep". This turned into a 3 hour siesta.

One day of putting in something comparable to what I do 4 days a week, and she needs a 3 hour nap to cope? And she's telling me that _I_ nap too much?

So far, in my scorebook, it's:

ME: 2

Wife: 0

Anyway.. Yardwork. I'm not the most diligent about the yard. I pick up the dog poo. I'll rake leaves. I'll mow the lawn, and from time to time I'll even run the weed eater and trim up the edges. I'm not really a guy who takes pride in planting pretty flowers in the yard, or worrying about weeds that should happen to grow in places where only dirt should be, or making sure that every piece of rock is raked back onto the driveway. These are NOT a priority in my book.

Yes, I know that hedges need to be trimmed, and I also know that I should do something about the blakcberry bushes that keep growing unchecked in our hedges. However, to date I have yet to find a good alternative option for taking care of this myself, and until I have an answer, I'll just annually whack at the beasts, and hope they look better next year.

With this said, I move on to what I do and do not do at home.

We have three children. They are mine from a previous marriage, and we both love them more than anything else. I couldn't ask for a better mother for my kids than the wife I have now.

With her work schedule, there are days when I'm needed to step up, and take care of the kids. I get home, make sure homework is done, toys aren't lurking somewhere to break legs, dinner is served, showers are taken, and clothes are taken care of.

Because of some stuff that happened to me while growing up, there are things I absolutely HATE to deal with. One is folding laundry. I'll start a load in the washer, and I'll even put stuff from the wash into the dryer. But asking me to fold laundry is like asking me if I'd like to poke my eyes out with hot nails. Long story about it, maybe I'll tell it some other time.

Another thing I hate to do? Dishes. I don't know many folks who really enjoy doing dishes. Me? I can't stand it. My previous marriage was one where I'd have to work, and I'd come home to dishes that had been sitting in various areas of the house for WEEKS. I'd finally get sick, and wash dishes, but I couldn't stand it. I would try to keep up on them, but one person making an effort just doesn't seem to get the job done. This is one reason why I do try to help out, but doing dishes is something I'd rather not have to deal with.

I'll make beds, I'll vacuum, I'll dust, I'll wash windows. I'll move furniture. Heck, I'll even sweep and mop. I'll clean bathrooms. Just don't ask me to do dishes or laundry.

Turns out that these two things are what really bother her the most. Mainly because her dad does them at her house.

Now. I can really understand this. She sees it as normal because she's grown up around seeing her dad do these things, and I applaud my father-in-law for being such a wonderful person.

However, if she'd seen MY dad growing up.. Well let's just say that I'd be up for Man Of The Year for the things I actually do around the house.

Anyway, I think I'm done bitching. Sorry for the nasty second post, but I really needed to get this off my mind and chest.

Let me know what you think, oh, and tell me some of your pet peeves with household chores.. Indoor or outdoor!