Why Try to Get the Baby to Sleep? So I Can Shovel?

I have come to the realization after a few years of marriage (3.6 to be exact!) how blessed I am to live in a "traditional" household. Believe me, it is not for everyone! As much as the "you go to work & I'll stay home" bit can get a little tiring now and again, I find myself finding joy in the routine of taking care of my husband, children and home.

Even though some days are long and my patience can be short, I really wouldn't have my role in the home and in my marriage be any different. Basically, I take care of chores inside the house and Pete takes care of the outside chores.

I do ask Pete to complete a few minor and major tasks I probably could or should be doing myself. Which, in 90% of days, he completes. This doesn't count the fact that he leaves the house at 7 a.m. (on a late day) and returns at 7 p.m. (on an early day) to provide for all of us and allow me to stay at home with our kids. On the same note, I am with our kids 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. but you can still find me folding laundry at 10 p.m.

Pete's tasks include but are not limited to:

Roll out the garbage cans to the curb
This does not include fill the garbage cans with full garbage bags. Half the time I remember to be sure to get that bag of diapers from the nursery out, no matter how full it is, and half the time I forget. I dislike when I forget.

Pick-Up Beer
I know I go to the grocery store and pick up 4 bags of groceries and carry them into the house with 2 kids and a diaper bag but, picking up a case of beer requires an entirely different set of muscle groups I am not equipped with.

Fill Cars with Gas
I admit. This is pretty pre-historic. But it's cold outside and I have my kids in the car. Just do it. Thank you.

Mow the Lawn
I haven't mowed the lawn once in my life. My Dad might have taken me for a ride on his John Deere tractor once-upon-a-time, while mowing, but I have never operated a push mower. Don't even know how to turn it on. Errr, start it?

Fix, Hang or Put Batteries in Anything which Requires Screwing or Un-Screwing
Yup. The kids and I play with toys. We don't put them together.

Shovel
I have attempted shoveling quite a few times but I usually have some excuse to not finish like:
1. Oop! David's up! At least, I think he is up. I better go check (even though I have the monitor in my pocket - volume to 100 & vibrate on - he could sneeze and I would know it).
2. These gloves aren't quite warm enough. Huh, while I am in the house I might as well just stay in here.
3. This just plain sucks.
4. Pete should really be doing this.

In exchange for these completes tasks I will do:

Everything else.

I will do the dishes 109 times to not have to put gas in my car. I am dead serious. Likewise, Pete would rather go to the gas station the do the dishes. Both things need to get done. So, I really find it a win-win.

Now, what is the point of my blog post today?

What about those times when Pete does the dishes? Dear God! Does that mean I have to fill up the car with gas? Nooooooooooo!

Settle down Sally.

Awesome thing about Pete and I is, we don't even need to address who does what. We just know it and we just do it. We don't have to argue. We don't have to have endless discussions containing who did what, when or how. We both love each other, and our life and we want to keep it that way. So, we just get our crap done for lack of a better expression.

Then there are those bonus days when, how awesome, I get out of the dishes. And days like today, when I shoveled the driveway for Pete.