what surprised you when you started your own household?

[Sonilaa]

for me:

• that defrosting the fridge/freezer is sooo disgusting
• that loo paper is very expensive

that I'm so shit at it

That there is nothing in the world more important than storage

That at some point in your life it will make a woman cry - one day the drudgery/montony of it all when you have pmt/bad day really will make you sob for a few minutes

That grass and weeds plants grow really, and I mean really fast, and that just because my mum and my sisters like gardening, it doesn't mean I would, and that the garden might end up feeling like just one more room I had to keep tidy - a big organic, prickly, stingy, occasionally shitty one.

And that all the lovely gardens you look at are lovely because their owners are out in them "doing something" every DAY.

That you could do housework 24/7 and it is never ever done!

That you never have enough storage

That you seem to do so much more laundry than your household wears! It makes no damn sense!

That a cleaner is the best thing ever.

Even my friend who loves cleaning misses hers.

I prefer gardening to cleaning.

that if you break glasses or crockery more dont magically appear in the cupboard... you will be reduced to drinking out your toddlers plastic cups

Oooh good thread.

I suppose that there is just so much to do.

That nobody gives you pocket money or even a star on a chart, even if you are REALLY good and tidy up LOADS.

That even a basic filing system is an actual godsend.

the price of council tax

That being a sahm isn't just doing the same work as a wohm but over more time, it is clearing up after every single thing the dcs do, looking after every aspect of thier lives, then being told you are lazy.

That no aspect of housework is so vital that it cannot be left if the sun is shining.

It'll still be there tomorrow when it's raining.

And that laundry is just endless.....

That I started having actual conversations with people about housework and exchanging opinions on cleaning products

That just because I am a feminist, it doesn't mean my floors will magically clean themselves

One load of washing done (washed, dried, ironed, put away) every day is better than a having a constant cycle of laundry on the go.

That planning meals for a family week in week out for 20 odd years gets rather boring.

That going to work and using some of the money to pay a cleaner is well worth it.

That there is no-one who says "isn't it time you were in bed young lady, it won't be this in the morning"

wrong - that cooking is indeed v boring.

can't wait til DS is old enough to be 'enthused' into doing it for me...

that defrosting the freezer takes an entire evening, and anyone that trots out, 'only takes 10 minutes' is a complete liar.

That some people make it look very very easy... I - on the other hand...

How very boring it is.
Now that my eldest child is 10 I can really appreciate the way my mother tricked encouraged me into cleaning the bathroom by telling me how brilliant I was at it.
When DP and I were both working I used to feel surprise to come home and find yes that same mess I left earlier. Completely unchanged. Amazing!

that my mum absolutely definitely has a cleaning fairy.

there is no way she works full time and keeps that house immaculate without help.

definitely and external force at work there.

bit late to the thread but i was amazed that i was expected to pay for COLD WATER! i honestly thought water bills were for hot water

That some jobs have a time allocation.

Like the washing...

It needs to go on either the night before, or by 8am at the latest or there's no point - you won't get it dry...