Although I am new to the writing team at Rochester Mom, you might recognize me from Community + Conversation, and also as one of the regulars to have a spin on others posts, smiling or laughing. With everything going on now, I think if I could make just a few readers smile and forget the stress, that’s a win for all of us!
So once or twice a week, my hubby, whom I have called ‘Handsome’ since meeting him, works from home. On those days, we try to take the time to go out on a rare date. Normally, it’s a quick lunch date but hey–I’ll take it because I don’t have to pay the babysitter. It’s nice to just catch up and have a chat without being interrupted by our Little Prince.
However, over the last few weeks things changed from the normal routine, as my sweet, loving, OCD, clean-freak hubby will now be working from home for an indeterminate amount of days–scratch that–weeks!! OMG! I not going to lie, I might have yelled in the deepest part of my being, and smiled at the same time.
Don’t get me wrong, I love him. I love being around him, and I love how whenever he is around I don’t have to worry about a meal as he is the Martha Stewart of the castle. I appreciate how he loves a clean house, but if I didn’t put my foot down I’d be living in a museum instead of a ‘lived in’ house!
Typically, on the days he works from home, I make a point to be away and just meet for lunch, as we tend to get on each other’s nerves if we spend too much time together. So perusing Marshalls or TJ Maxx keeps me occupied and smiling. But with this whole new set of limitations and the Safer At Home mandate, this social butterfly is going to go “cray-cray,” as Barbie says! Instead of buying massive amounts of toilet paper, I’ve been buying and hiding Cadbury Mini Eggs to keep me going.
Someone who knows our relationship said to me today, “Just call it a dry run for retirement. Remind him that he is a boss at work and you are the boss at home.” I’ve learned for the last two years of him working occasionally from home not to take it personally, and not to rely on him being able to help with our son because he is after all working.
When I told my hubby I was thinking of writing about this he laughed and said “Oh, so now you are going to make everyone aware of how good I am to you and how clean our house is?!” And then he added, “And you will tell them how I love to upset you and push your buttons!” At least he knows now!
This being said, with the clean house, I keep wanting to do play dates for adults, dogs, or kiddos…but then he reminds me that we are exercising social distance.
So as I normally do right before he comes home from work, I now make it a point to put the most annoying show on the TV (which to him is home renovation shows), and I try to leave a few things lying around just to remind him that two can play this game! Maybe, by the time he goes back to work, I can have him “trained” to put his dirty clothes in the basket instead of beside it… A suivre!
Stay safe during this social isolation and uncharted times, and remember to go outside, go for a drive, watch or read silly things that make you forget the worries you may be having and if you ever need a laugh hit me up!
