Let me preface this post by saying that I believe my thyroid meds are out of whack again and that my period is about to make its quarterly appearance. So I may be the teensiest bit out of sorts. ;)

When Jamie walked in on Friday afternoon, the first thing he said was "Wow! Look at how clean the house is." And while I didn't think about it while he was gone, honestly, the house WAS clean b/c I wasn't cleaning up after him all the time. Seriously. He's worse than Cassie--it sort of reminds me of Pigpen in the Snoopy cartoons. It's like piles of dust and dirt and clutter and crap just follow him around and he is completely oblivious.

This morning I tried to sleep in. I tried, but Chase was too loud. When I came downstairs there were muddy footprints all over the hardwoods (b/c Jamie didn't wipe Sherm's paws w/the towel next to the door for that purpose). There was burned milk on top of the stove from the hot cocoa Jamie made (but didn't clean up) last night. The kitchen table was covered w/clutter, the cereal from the kids breakfast wasn't put away (and on the island)...it was ridiculous. And while I missed Jamie terribly last week, I didn't miss being his maid. This morning after he got ready, I had to clean up the bathroom after him b/c God forbid he wipe the spit off the mirror or wipe out the sink when he's finished...you get the point.

This absolutely infuriates me, but after over 11 years of marriage, I'm kind of used to it. Every few months I throw a tantrum and threaten to hire to maid, but we both know I wouldn't actually do that. Ever see the episode of Friends in which Chandler hires a maid for Monica? And Monica winds up showing the maid how to clean? I suspect it would wind up like that. Plus, I don't DO one big weekly clean--I clean all the freaking time. So having a maid clean once a week really wouldn't do much for me w/two little kids, a huge puppy, and a slob for a husband. The results would last about five minutes and that's not worth it to me.

What I can do about my frustration is teach my kids to pick up after themselves so their spouses don't feel like unappreciated servants all the time. And that is actually working. Chase knows what a laundry hamper is and how to use it (more than I can say for my husband at the time of our marriage). And he picks up after himself and willingly uses a bleach wipe to wipe down the bathroom. Even Cassie likes to "clean" tables and floors (she wipes them w/paper towels)--she's learning. If only husbands were as easy to train as children (and dogs).