I rake, she shovels
Feb 1st, 2008 | By Chuck | Category: Humor Central, Papa PrattleMonday mornings are pretty predictable around our place. I wake up around 6 AM to an 18 month old little girls calls of Daa-Dee, Daa-Dee. I’m the morning person so I gather up the girl, change her diaper and we make our way to the kitchen where I fill one sippy cup with milk and get a pot of coffee brewing.
By this time the three year old wanders into the kitchen with feet shuffling and hands rubbing her eyes. “Cup Daddy?” I prepare a big girl cup with milk and the girls either follow me around as I prepare for work or make their way downstairs to watch a little Noggin before mom wakes up.
When 7:15 AM rolls around I’m tying my shoes and calling the kids upstairs for a kiss goodbye. I say goodbye to my wife and tell her to have a good day, to which she replies, “sure, I’ll just be shoveling out.” I grin. She sneers. Off to work I go. TGIM (Thank Goodness it’s Monday). Sometimes I skip on the way to the car.
Many of our weekends are spent with me holding down the fort, or rather propping it up with some flimsy instrument. My wife will usually work one or two third shifts over a weekend which invariably means we don’t see much of her for a few days. This is one of those sacrifices we make so she is able to be home with the kids during the week.
It also means that, while the kids are typically very spoiled happy and very tired, the house has not received the utmost care. I rake. She shovels.
I do work pretty hard to make the house look presentable to the casual passerby. The dishes are typically done and beds are sometimes made. Most things are in their rightful place. Truth be told this is all surface stuff, hence the raking reference. I rarely find it in me to move the toaster when wiping down the counter, and can often be found convincing myself that the layer of playdoh on the kitchen table is hardly noticeable.
I consider my chief responsibility during these times to be safety officer and chef (where chef is translated as “gourmet maker of PB&J”). As long as no one gets hurt, or is complaining of hunger pains, my chances of success grow exponentially.
So there you have it. I rake, she shovels and we are both perfectly fine with this. That is until she decides to take up some real estate of her own online, in which case I’ll be forced to tell you what a chronic liar she really is. 
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I thought I was the only one to say TGIM!! LOL Really sweet post though.. it is all about (sorry I am going to do this to you) team work..LOL (I hope you do not watch wonder pets because if your like me the tune is now stuck in my head!!)
Have a great weekend!!
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@Kim - Thanks, and yes…I do watch the Wonder Pets, so thanks for that too.
- the phone, the phone is ringing…
I’m raking as I type. Raking is my specialty!
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I absolutely love your blog!!! I read it all the time. I think that I am the raker and the shoveler. I rake for a week or two then I take one day and shovel. My husband works too much to do either. Thanks for your insight I love hearing about parenting from a mans perspective.
Sarah’s last blog post..Kid Pictures.
The thing that stinks is that it takes one day…One Day!!…of taking a break from raking and shoveling, and suddenly you need heavy machinery to get the place clean. It’s never-ending. Ug.
Hubby and I have a similar arrangement. Our house is kept clean mainly by the “threat of company” which happens often enough to keep things from getting out of control!
LOL! Great story! Sounds like things are under control when Dad’s around!
Blog Hopping! Happy Friday!
“Margarita Mom”
@SAM - What a coincidence! Mine too.
@Sarah - Thank you for reading! I popped over to your place and noticed it just started up. Exciting! I’ve subscribed and look forward to reading.
@Karen - Yep, we keep the heavy machinery close by at all times.
@Too Much Vino - The threat of company is quite the motivator isn’t it?
@Stacy - Yes they are, thank you very much!
Great post, Chuck! My man and I have a similar life. He skips to work on Mondays and I work one day on the weekend. I agree, we don’t see eachother much, but it is so worth it for our daughter to have Mom or Dad home.
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Hah! Great post… nice to find you here whilst blog hoppin!
Maureen
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You clean like I do. Surfaces only, order is key. Appearance is everything! And I totally know what Karen is talking about. One load of laundry every single day and I’m caught up. Miss one day and I’m 5 laods behind. What’s that all about?
Ed (zoesdad)’s last blog post..Story Time with Zoë –Volume 1
Sounds like a marriage made in heaven
.
bloghoppin’ hi….pomtini
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Sounds like you two have worked out a great deal… so much better for the kids to have parents at home with them.
blog hopping - Etcetera
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That is interesting. My husband is the stay at home parent and I’ve determined that he shovels and I hold the rake and shout encouraging words. He seems okay with it (in fact, we just had a conversation and he appreciated that I put the vacuum away after he did all the real work today). It fits with my theory that the stay at home parent rocks, regardless of gender.
Blog Hopping
-Amy
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I love that expression. It sounds like you two have a good system going!
Weekend Blog Hopper,
Anastasia Beaverhousin
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great teamwork! if in the future, if i ever decide to settle, hopefully to find one thats good in teamwork. not the one that snores to sleep while i was sweating all alone doing the housework plus the screaming kids.
i can read between the lines kids love daddy so much and vice versa. there is that strong bond. wish i had a daddy like that.
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@Huckdoll - It’s always nice to know we aren’t alone in this setup, and when we do see each other its nice to realize that we still like each other.
@Maureen - Thanks for stopping and commenting.
@Ed - I have been banned from actually washing laundry, too many items ruined, but have been the chief folder for a while. It really can get out of control!
@Karen MEG - thanks for the comment
@Tara - I couldn’t agree more
@Amy -Well said. Thanks for stopping
@Shannanb - Thanks for commenting!
@Arlene - Welcome and thanks for taking the time to read between the lines and leave a comment.
TGIM! haha! I know what you mean. At least in my cubicle I have the knowledge that I can handle anything that’s thrown my way. At home? Not really.
BusyDad’s last blog post..Return on Investment
I’m the gardener extraordinaire.
Momo Fali’s last blog post..It Would Be One Heck Of A Bash
Love this post! It fits us, too. Of course, I’m glad my husband doesn’t blog. He might tell you my shovel’s been gathering dust since I started mine. ;o)
(BTW, just wanted to let you know I added you to my blogroll. Sorry it took so long! You’re in my reader, I just don’t get a chance to come comment often.)
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@Avery - My wife would have similar comments. While the rake isn’t good for much it too can be missed. - Thanks for the blogroll add! You are in ours too.
Sounds like some memorable moments. Lovely!!
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