Takin' What They're Giving 'Cause I'm Working For a Living
This morning, I washed out the trash cans. Scrubbed and everything. When you have two cats, this is not an insignificant statement, no matter how vigilant you are about double-knotting the litter-bags. This gave me such a sense of smug satisfaction that for the rest this day, I've given myself a pass on anything unpleasant or emotionally draining:
"Letter about seal-killing from the ASPCA? Couldn't possibly read it, what with having cleaned the trashcans and all."
"Clean out the fridge and sniff things to check their viability? Sure, had I not cleaned out the trashcans, that would be on the to-do list. But I did clean out the trashcans, so the khaki-colored lentil salad will have to wait another day."
"Correct the kid's word problems in math? Oh, all right, but it seems so unfair, coming so soon after cleaning the trash-cans."
You get the picture. I'm a shockingly self-congratulatory slug today. But my question to you is, what chore-- household or otherwise -- causes you to give yourself the rest of the day off?
"Letter about seal-killing from the ASPCA? Couldn't possibly read it, what with having cleaned the trashcans and all."
"Clean out the fridge and sniff things to check their viability? Sure, had I not cleaned out the trashcans, that would be on the to-do list. But I did clean out the trashcans, so the khaki-colored lentil salad will have to wait another day."
"Correct the kid's word problems in math? Oh, all right, but it seems so unfair, coming so soon after cleaning the trash-cans."
You get the picture. I'm a shockingly self-congratulatory slug today. But my question to you is, what chore-- household or otherwise -- causes you to give yourself the rest of the day off?
posted by Unknown at 5:52 PM
32 Comments:
Cleaning the chicken coop FOR sure!
Dishes! Hand washing them, definitely, but also emptying the dishwasher!!
The only non-house chore, but still a chore, that gives me the same feeling is putting gas in the vehicle.
All other chores are totally fine...even litter box patrol!
I cleaned out the fridge yesterday. And the freezer. And a cooler we had... um... forgotten about that had some really really disgusting stuff in it. And then I took that vile trash out this morning at 6am. I rule and so do you for cleaning the trash cans.
The key is to cut yourself some slack BEFORE said chore, as well, e.g., "I'd tackle that four-foot-deep pile of laundry, but I shouldn't expend my energy, what with having to clean the trashcans later." Played well, one good chore can justify 23 straight hours of worthlessness.
Cleaning the rabbit's litter box... seriously, rabbit pee is so disgusting it makes ones eyes water. After that - it's a well earned free pass. I did it this morning and have felt smugly virtuous since!
:-)
not quite coal mining, of course--which may help
Cleaning out the refridgerator.
I HATE that job.
We bought our present refridgerator when we had three teen-agers. They are all married adults with refridgerators of their own to clean. Now when I clean mine out it looks so sad, pathetic and empty.
They grew up, moved on, have lives of their own...
...and I got left with a large empty refridgerator.
(she begins humming 'cats in the cradle')
scrubbing out cat litter boxes. Lordy, what a MESS, with the cats watching me, and waiting so they can gross them up again? Ugh. Yeah, after that, I'm completely a self-congratulating butthead.
Cleaning the teenagers' room. I know. They should do it, but not to my standards. In other words, the Health Department would shut us down and then where would we live?
Well, this is a dorm chore more than a household chose, but scrubbing the shower for sure. Especially with bleach. Not only can I say that I converted the shower from moldy and gross to beautiful, but I can also insist that "all that bleach knocked me out!"
I use scoopable cat litter that gets scooped daily into sandwich-sized "ziptop bags" (as they say on the food network), so scrubbing the tub is my Chore That Gets Me the Rest of the Day Off.
Cleaning the hardwood floors! First moving all the furniture, and then swiffering, vacuuming AND mopping with wood cleaner... Don't expect me to do anything else the rest of the day!
Paying the bills. Doing my taxes (and mine are pretty simple--but I still have to clear out a whole day in my head to get to them.) Neither is particularly difficult in fact--but nonetheless they cause the greatest procrastination, and once done leave me with the greatest feeling of justification for playing hookey from all other useful activity the rest of the day.
Cleaning the shower/tub. HATE IT! I would clean a neighborhood full of toilets if someone would clean my shower. I have actually looked into having a service just come to do my shower. Can't stand it.
Bathrooms, I HATE to clean the bathrooms. Blessedly my wonderful husband is a killer when it comes to those, so I happily take on all the other chores. :) If for some reason I have to break down and clean a bathroom, the rest of the day is a pass!
I'm with The Wife - I HATE cleaning the shower/tub. I just did it last weekend & it's a miracle that I've done anything else since. I also hate to vacuum. I think the vacuum cleaner has it in for me.
Doing my taxes! But wait, that takes the whole day, and sometimes more.
Any chore I do, no matter how menial, gives me a free pass for the rest of the day, or maybe two.
Cleaning my elderly mom's cholostomy bag...Hey, she'd do the same for me.
Cat pans, yes, and the catz pop in there while I'm doing it. We should have a support group or phone tree to bolster our courage for the task.
P.S. Miss Quinn, (I'm in the South), you've made me unreasonably happy by quoting Huey Lewis.
Any kind of dreadful form or tax thing or even looking at my bank statement, really.
I loved reading your other responses - I could relate to so many! I have decided I need to hire Paycheck Princess to do some cleaning for me, though, because rarely do my wood floors get that kind of love!!!
Yesterday, I cleaned behind the fridge and the stove. I hadn't done it since well before the birth of my toddler. It was the first item on my (very late) spring cleaning list. I was terrified. I found nothing more than a dust bunny, a cat toy, and a piece of cat food - so anticlimactic. That solidified my theory that nothing in the house was as bad as I thought, and I promptly parked myself on the couch for the rest of the day.
Washing bedding and bath linens after all the company has gone home is the job I detest above all. First, the company left. We'd had such a good time, but they left anyway. Second, five bedrooms and that many bathrooms mean lots of big laundry and lots of folding. I always treat myself to a favorite book to read during loads of laundry, and have a nice sit-down outside while my laundry room floods because the washer doesn't like company going home either.
Cleaning the fish tank. It's big, so it takes up a large chunk of the day anyway, but then there's the siphoning and the scrubbing and the gravel washing and the algae removing and then the refilling. Wears a body out I tell you. Of course, I sit on the couch for the rest of the day, marveling at how pretty it is once it's clean.
Before I had a self cleaning oven and a more modern refrigerator cleanng the oven and defrosting the freezer were my least favorite chores. So now I think it is the bathroom stuff. I actually like doing dishes if there is enough hot water and plenty of dry dish towels. Worst job ever - scrubbibg trash cans that had maggots in them - that allowed me to take a month off.
Going through piles of paper on my dining table, sorting and filing them. After procrastinating days, of course!
Getting new towels. I'm living in a hotel at the moment, as I'm in limbo between where I'm going to move.
Yes, simply exchanging old towels in a bag for clean ones. I'm so lazy at the moment when it comes to chores, that lets me off the hook for the day. ;)
I didn't touch the rest of the house for a week last summer after I'd spent 4 entire days de-cluttering and organizing our basement storage. Husband would look around the kitchen, and I'd just smile (from my place on the sofa) and say, "Did you see the basement?"
Cleaning the trash cans certainly does qualify as the end-all-chores-for-the-day kind of chore but for me, it would be my weekly car-cleaning. As it may be a pleasure for most men, for me it's really just one of the most tiring chores to do. Imagine washing off a week's worth of grime and caking mud from the undercarriage, then getting rid of watermarks on the body before waxing. And that's just the exterior, Quinn! Then there's all those bits of paper, gravel, french fries, and Cheetos that litter the inside. So, give me a trashcan to clean any day. =)
Though there is one chore I cherish doing and I reserve a whole day for it: organizing my record collection.
Love your Youtube stuff, btw. Keep it up! =)
Reading all these comments makes me feel better - that I'm not a bad person b/c my house is mostly not clean. I've tried to make a nice daily schedule for cleaning, like you see in the magazines (ha ha!!!) Guess how long that lasted... This blog prompted a discussion with my boyfriend that was life-changing. I admitted to him that I hated cleaning the bathroom and he said he didn't mind cleaning it - hooray!! So he's going to clean the bathroom and I'm going to mow the lawn - something I do enjoy. : )
Here's one that hasn't been mentioned: Working on the Family Educational Trust.
It's not so much that I mind helping my nieces and nephews pay for college ... but the emotional toll it puts on me to deal with extended family is fierce. So when I have a day when I'm able to do the trustee job with panache, I get to take at least a 3-day breather.
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