At no other time of year is the inequity of chores in my house more apparent than in the spring.

I love spring. Flowers are blooming, the air is warming, and the grass is turning green. The children can get outside to play.

And I get the urge to clean. Everything. At no other time of year is the inequity of chores in my house more apparent than in the spring. My list of things to do in the spring is as follows:

Clean the blinds.

Clean the drapes.

Wash windows.

Wash the comforters and blankets. Steam clean the carpets.

Steam clean the furniture.

Clean out the kitchen drawers.

Wipe out the cabinets.

Wash the refrigerator inside and out.

Clean out the children’s closets.

This is an abbreviated list – you get the idea.

This is my husband’s list:

Mow the yard.

My list is just an addendum to the chores I do ordinarily every week of every month of every year.

The things I normally do include cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner; sorting laundry; washing laundry; drying laundry; re-sorting laundry; putting laundry away; dustin; vacuuming; cleaning the bathrooms; diaper changes. The list seems endless, especially on days that I’m exhausted.

To be fair, my husband is also in charge of snow removal. So, it could be said that his list is actually the following:

Mow the yard.

If the grass is not growing, shovel snow.

If there is no snow, play golf.

If there is no one to play with, go hit balls on the driving range.

If it is too cold to play golf or hit balls, sit on the couch and watch golf on TV.

If golf is not on TV (or worse yet, in his opinion, there is women’s golf on TV), then call someone and talk about golf – specifically, the last time you played golf, and be sure to include a play-by-play of every hole.

Yes, I love the spring. Everything is fresh and new. And clean.

Until my 5-year-old son, Thing One, tracks in mud on my just-mopped floor. But, he is holding a bouquet of dandelions that he has picked just for me. I artfully display them in a freshly cleaned vase, put down my cleaning rag and go outside to play with my children.

Spring cleaning will have to wait until next year. Again.
Liz Hazell lives in Olathe. Write her at OLnews@kcstar.com.

source : www.kansascity.com

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