chores
As part of his book, The Guinea Pig Diaries, author A.J. Jacobs did everything his wife told him to.
From The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs. Copyright c. 2009 by A.J. Jacobs. Reprinted by permission of Simon and Schuster, Inc.
In the course of all the life experiments I do for journalism, the most common theme of the e-mails I get sent is that my wife is a saint. These e-mails are sent by readers who are in awe of Julie for putting up with my biblical beard, or for tolerating the endless stream during my year of reading the Britannica. Often, they'll say that I owe her something for the suffering I've inflicted—precious stones, perhaps.
But a … Read More
Advice on how to divide housework. First tip? Get him to do man chores!
In today's piece "13 Male Habits The World Could Do Without," number 13 includes "pleaning," defined as "cleaning something so poorly we're prompted to say, 'Man, this was a piss-poor cleaning.'"
Love Buzz is quite familiar with this phenomenon: man says he'll clean his mess in the kitchen. Man spends some time with Windex and paper towels and proclaims said room spotless. When you go in five minutes later to retrieve the hummus from the fridge you find grease on the stove, crumbs on the floor, and pieces of… something, stuck the counter. When questioned, man says, "It looks … Read More
What busy woman wouldn't want a man wife? Find out what happens when one gets her wish.
Many a busy woman with a jam-packed schedule has daydreamed about having a nice, cozy man-wife, with bulging biceps. After all, who wouldn't want to end the day with a home-cooked meal hot off the stove, a neatly made bed and a stack of freshly scented laundry....that's been pristinely ironed and folded. In Annie Sanders' new book, Busy Woman Seeks Wife, one woman gets just that.
But in this entertaining beach read, a man-wife wasn't exactly on career woman Alex Hill's wish list. Rather, she comes home one day expecting to find a woman caring for her aging … Read More
Okay, so we are both highly educated intelligent people. When we got...
Okay, so we are both highly educated intelligent people. When we got married we were all "yay, partnership of equals!!" But sometimes, like on cleaning day, my life feels like some really horrible sexist sitcom. When it's me whining at him to vacuum the floor and he is rolling his eyes like a teenager. And I am like, MY FOREBEARERS DIDN'T BURN THEIR BRAS SO WE COULD FIGHT OVER YOU VACUUMING! Those are the moments I whip out my "We are both adults" speech. Which makes things soooo much better.After almost four years of marriage, things have gotten better, he … Read More
"That's What He Said" takes to the street to find out what men think about domestic duties. How do you split up the chores around the house? Is it 50/50?
Housework: How involved is your man?
"That's What He Said," takes to the street to find out what men think about domestic duties. How do you split up the chores around the house? Is it 50/50?
How to share costs when moving in together.
As a 23-year-old editorial assistant living in New York City, I was confident in my relationship and in my reasons for wanting to move in with my boyfriend of two years. I'd become a bag lady lugging my life between our apartments just as the hobo chic look had lost its appeal. I dreaded forfeiting my monthly rent check—also known as half my salary—to keep a studio I never saw. And I knew I eventually wanted to marry my boyfriend—just not yet.
But I hadn't considered the financial commitment of moving in together until I rode up 14 flights … Read More
No duh!
The results of a 40-year-long study on housework were recently released from the University of Michigan. Can you guess who does more? No big surprise here: Women do, in fact, know the broom, mop, and feather duster more intimately than their husbands, but the clincher is post-nuptials.
On average, single women did about 12 hours of housework a week, while married women did about 20. Women with three or more kids: roughly 28 hours a week. That’s not raising the kids—that’s simply cleaning up after them. Ack!
It has improved, though. The study … Read More
Cathi and Dan offer advice on multitasking for couples.
For the best advice on sex, love, dating and relationships we ask two experts with personal experience. Cathi Hanauer is the author, most recently, of Sweet Ruin, a novel about love, marriage, and adultery. Daniel Jones is the editor of both the "Modern Love" column for The New York Times, and Modern Love, an anthology derived from the column. They've been married for 15 years, and together they provide a his and hers take on relationship questions. This round: men and multitasking.
Question: My husband and I both juggle full-time jobs with caring for our toddler, but lately … Read More
Setting up guidelines is the best way to talk about chores.
Q: My girlfriend and I are both 29 and have been dating for two years. I’m planning to ask her to marry me, but her divalike attitude is causing me to question my decision. She seemed excited about working on the renovation of our apartment together, but when it was time to dig in, she refused to help out, claiming that the work was "too dirty." And she hasn’t helped out around the house or taken out the garbage in over a year. At this rate, I'm worried that she'll be a complete princess by our second anniversary. I have … Read More