So That My Husband Will Come Home…
January 12, 2010 by Kimberly · 12 Comments
I have had some form or the other of the following conversation with various people…
Me: I have to go. I need to clean the house because Reggie (my husband) is on the way home.
Them: Why?
Me: I like for the house to look orderly when he comes home.
Them: Why? That seems a little stereotypical 50s housewifey. Reggie is cool. He knows that you have a lot going on.
Me: Believe me…it has nothing to do with being a stereotypical housewife.
I only straighten my house completely two times a day: one – before Reggie comes home and two – after everyone is in bed so that I can at least wake up to a clutter-free home. (The third time would only be if friends or family are coming over – which happens quite a lot). As far as straightening up before Reggie comes home (he always calls to let me know that he is on his way), my final answer: I straighten up so that he will come home! Sometimes a visual helps. The following video was taken a couple of months ago when Sean was going through an especially messy stage. Fortunately, that phase has passed. Now the “Before” mess is about half of what you will see on the video. Enjoy my chaos!
Tell me that I’m not the only one who straightens up before my significant other comes home…or I’ll cry (not really).
Don’t worry, I do that too. My husband always calls before he heads home (he works about an hour away) and that gives me a chance to clean the house (and me) before he comes home.
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This totally made me laugh because for a while, my mom was on a total bender about my lackluster housekeeping skills. It’s not that I wouldn’t love a tidy home 24/7, I just find it very hard to keep that up.
Anyway, so one day, she pulled me aside and said, “Christine, you *really* need to have the sink emptied by the time Jon comes home. A man likes to come home to a clean sink.”
I’m pretty sure Jon never even notices the sink but I could be wrong. Also, this advice is coming from the woman who used to iron my dad’s underwear.
Anyway, so while I don’t always manage to tidy up before Jon comes home, I definitely always do so before my mom comes over!
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Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. It’s nice, in theory.
I straighten up the house as well before my husband comes home. Also, if I’ve been in PJs all day, I try to change into clothes & comb my hair so that I don’t look a mess too. LOL!
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Joanna & Shawnta` – Your comments make me realize that I need to make sure that I “clean myself up” too!
Boston Mamas – That is so funny. I don’t do my husband’s ironing except at the rarest of times. I hate ironing! Ironically, my husband really is cool if the house is messy. The only thing that he really dislikes is…dishes in the sink!
Musings of a Housewife – I don’t bat a 1,000. If I’m sick or extremely tired, I give myself a “pass”. We’re only human, right?
I think it is very thoughtful of you to have a straight house for your husband to come home too. I have worked full time in and out of the home and I can tell you, coming home to a straight house is so appreciated. It always allowed me to focus more on the people I care most about instead of the task list of things that need to be done.
I do the same thing, but sometimes I am torn…
I always want to straighten up like you do (makes it easier to focus on welcoming someone home when I am not distracted by the mess I wish I had cleaned up), but sometimes it also seems like the effort spent goes unnoticed if no one ever sees the “before!”
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No, you are not the only one who does this, and it is so NOT 1950s! I think it is a sign of respect to both yourself and your husband. Plus, who wants to come home to chaos? We should want our husbands to be happy to come home without thinking that doing something nice=being his slave. Finally, in my case, I see it as my job…he works to make money to pay for what we need, and I work to make what we need work. If something goes wrong like kids are sick and I don’t have time to get to everything, I don’t make apologies for it, but on the whole I work to make where we live a nice home for everyone. (Not always successful, but I strive for it.)
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Wow! That’s really cool, Kim. Reggie is a lucky man!
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I have a friend who calls that the 4 o’clock run around. I try to do a little each day, but it seems I rarely make it past the common areas (powder bath, kitchen, living, dining room) because those are the first rooms someone else will see. That leaves our bedrooms and secondary baths getting significantly less attention. But, at least I try.
That’s so funny, it was as if I was looking at my son’s room just now. Isn’t it crazy how much damage they can create in a few minutes and takes such a long time to organize and clean up. You are not alone.
Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don’t. I always get a nice hello wwhen I do though. It works the same if I come home before him.
It’s a good jesture toward the relationship.
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