The last few days have been a whirlwind of ideas in terms of designs. Sometimes I get ideas that I really can't shake, and I have to get them out of my head before they contribute to my insomnia. Side note, I really don't sleep that great, but a weighted blanket has been a very nice improvement to my restlessness.
Anyway, raise your hand if you feel like you have done six million loads of dishes during the pandemic! I certainly do. Especially while we were both doing work from home, it was a ridiculous amount of dishes each week as I was suddenly cooking actual food for three meals a day versus batch cooking larger meals. So every day, unloading, reloading, unloading, reloading this dang dishwasher (which isn't even a very good dishwasher, it's kind of sketch to be honest!).
And all I really wanted was for someone else to "Do Some Chores in This House." I am not even a certified (neat) freak, but I really get bogged down trying to keep up with the stuff that needs to get done. We have ongoing negotiations about who is doing what in this house... Regardless, I thought that a funny tweak to the WAP lyrics would result in something that a lot of people could also resonate with. It is shown here on coasters, and I really like the magnets as well.
I kept it really simple for this one, utilizing a handwriting style script font, with some designs having an outline and others being just the main text itself. I was going to add in some little brooms or cleaning icons but I really just wanted the saying to stand on its own.
Because really, this is a very straightforward conversation some of us need to get better at having. Have you ever just found yourself really burnt out because it feels like nothing gets done if you don't do it? I feel you. While I failed to explain for many years why this was the top issue for me in a relationship, I have recently started explaining in a way that is less "I do all the work" and more like "here is what this says to me". Allow me to elaborate:
I no longer say "I do all the housework" or "you don't help me get theses things done even though you live here too." While those might be valid, they can come off as confrontational and make people bristle. So I switched it around to "We only have so much time in the evenings to spend together, and if I have to spend all my time doing these things that we both feel need to get done, I don't get to spend any quality time in this relationship. I now have work work and home work." And that seems to resonate better, at least in my experience. I also found that before, I was mad that I was doing stuff around the house while my SO was playing video games. That was actually a two-part problem- I wanted more help with the house, but I also had let my own hobbies drop off and was not realizing how much of it was also my jealousy of not having something that I was doing all the time. So I really had two issues to solve.
Am I a relationship guru? Far from it. In fact, every few months my current relationship appears like it will burn to the ground, and then it kinda works itself out, and then it hits the match again. I have no idea where it will even go or if the rollercoaster will settle out. But I am finding myself more able to better communicate what is going on with me, my boundaries, and do so in a productive way.
So here's to growth in 2021. May we be able to do it in the presence of others and not all sequestered in COVID lockdown...
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