Housework

As part of her week-long broadcast blitz on "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything,"  Maria Shriver focused today on what men think and the roles they play in the changing landscape at work and at home.

What emerges from this and other studies is that men are definitely more involved at home, taking care of the kids and doing housework, and are more comfortable with women working outside the home. But balancing a home where both parents work, both sexes agree, is an ongoing negotiation. Read More »

The other night, I was faced with a kitchen-full of dirty dishes. And pots. And pans. At midnight.

I was already tired. I had been up late working, and I'd gotten up early, too, thanks to my 2 1/2-year-old alarm clock of a son who wakes at 5:30 a.m. (and who obviously didn't read my post about how I prefer to stay up late rather than get up early). But the kitchen was a wreck, it's hot and humid outside and, as such, bug season, and call me crazy, but I cannot stand having anything with more than two legs in the kitchen, and that includes the dog. Read More »

I try to watch what my kids watch, which means that the commercials I sit through are geared mostly either to kids (Toys! Games! Candy!) or to moms (Body wash! Convenience foods! Cleaning products!). Or, I should say, "moms," because really, a commercial pitched to directly me, and most of the working moms I know, would involve wine and sleep.

The commercials for cleaning products bug me the most, because they just seem completely unrealistic. I mean, really -- who takes time away from their work-life juggle to wipe down an already pristine living room? I'm looking at you, makers of a certain multi-surface cleaner, the commercial for which caught my eye the other morning. A woman, in a glass cage filled with already-clean kitchen appliances and cabinets, quips that she doesn't have time to clean because she has to go pick up her kids, but is able to wipe up a few smudges and smears without having to use several different cleaners. After she's done, the place looks exactly the same, but she looks tired and relieved.

I don't know about you, but my housework workload would not be significantly reduced by not having to switch cleaning products while dusting my bookshelves. Read More »

Men and why we love them Read More »

After you've got your chaos under control, how do you keep the clutter from creeping back? We asked Vicki Norris, author of Restoring Order to Your Home, for her strategies for staying ahead of the mess.

1. Make organizing a habit, not a one-time event.
“If you incorporate organizing into your daily routine, you’ll prevent the mess from getting out of hand again,” says Norris.

Institute daily or weekly rituals: Before the TV gets turned on at night, have everyone do a 10-minute tidy-up around the house. Pay your bills at a set time every other week. “If you have set times for cleaning and organizing, you’ll be less likely to skip it,” says Norris. Read More »

I was up late the other night, working, and when I finally rolled up to bed, I was upset that I hadn't gotten enough work done. But I was wiped out, battling yet another cold, and really needed to sleep.

The next morning, I reassessed my to-do list.

What was crossed off: Edit articles, write blog post, update journalism blog, unload dishwasher, make pumpkin bread, reload dishwasher, fold laundry, put away laundry.

Read More »