Battle of the Sexes - Who does what?

So here a little while back (maybe a week or so ago) I was talking with ... Mama.
That's right. Yeah, I know. What's new? Not much I guess.. ;) So anyways.. We were
talking about her needing to let go of some things for some peace of mind. The truth
is...we all need to cut some corners for the sake of holding on to even a little bit
of our sanity. So, I thought I'd share with you how I do it. What my family does 
works for us, it won't work for all, and sure some things could be better...but
such is life.

I'm a fairly neat person. I can follow a routine and keep things the way they are.
The problem is....everyone else. I find it very tiring and maddening to clean up
after multiple people who can't seem to follow basic instructions for cleaning
up after themselves. Back before I had kids I was in a relationship with someone
who would holler about the place being a disaster because the shirt he threw over
the chair was still where he had thrown it. Oh, well excuse me for not feeling
like finding the dirty clothes basket for you. My ex-husband would get mad about
the kids making a mess and me not cleaning it up fast enough. Dude, get off your
butt and help?

Here is my husband putting away the dishes that he washed after they dried.

The idea that house chores and child raising is a woman's job is so out dated.
That statement is for both sides of the sex argument. I've known men who
were Mr. Mom. I follow some Mr. Mom's on Facebook. I don't care if you have a 
job outside the home. You can freaking help out around your own house. You
can put your own clothes in the dirty clothes basket. You can pick up the toys
out of the living room floor while your spouse is cooking dinner. This argument
of it being a woman's job or the job of who doesn't work outside the home is
a tired excuse from the lazy.

I'm pretty OCD about things being where they belong. I swallow it a lot and for
as long as I can muster. I will always eventually reach my limit and flip my lid.
Usually this happens when I go to get something out of the cabinet and find that
someone hasn't been putting my dishes up correctly ;) The point is... Life happens.
Constantly. Every single day there are comings and goings. People get busy. In the
big picture it doesn't matter that your kids can't put their shoes up or that you
were too busy to vacuum.

We're pretty busy. My son plays baseball year round. My daughter is in the high 
school color guard. I'm involved in my sons school. I help out where needed with
the color guard. My husband works from home. There is a lot of in and out. A lot
of opening the door, throwing stuff down, and running back out the door. Throughout
the week we stick to little chores. It's a success if I manage to get the kids to 
get their crap into their bedroom floors instead of the living room floor. On a
nightly basis there are things that HAVE to be done. Things like the kitchen.

While talking with Mama about the kitchen she decided to call me a lucky bitch.
I love you too sweetheart ;) So here is the deal in my house. If I cook dinner in 
the kitchen then hubby cleans the kitchen. If hubby cooks in the kitchen then I
clean the kitchen. This becomes a wash if the hubby grills outside. He grills outside
he still cleans the kitchen. The teenager takes the trash the out every night.

We've lived in an apartment for the last ..5?....years. We just moved into a house,
so we don't have a washer and drier yet. Laundry gets done on the weekends. Aside
from that we spend part of a morning (if possible) over the weekend to catch up on
all of our chores that got put to the side during the week. So, I don't spend my days
running around cleaning up after a bunch of people who don't want to clean up after
themselves, no one says jack to me about a mess, and in the end...everyone helps out.

This is not limited to house chores. This goes double for helping out with the kids. You either had the fun in making them or willing stepped in after the fact. Either way it is both your jobs to fight the battle of homework, running them here or there, and monster hunting in the middle of the night. I know it's not that way in every household. I've been there. But by golly it should be. It's why I have a crush on Fodder. Not only is he an awesome husband/father he made himself a Facebook page to tell all the other daddy's about how to do it right. To show them what real daddy'ing is about.

Mama's right. I am a lucky bitch. Believe you me, I know it. I am thankful for it. And not a day goes by that I don't appreciate it.