If my husband were to clean the house, he would be finished in two hours, and it would look like it had been cleaned. I, on the other hand, could work on it all day and you wouldn’t know I’d touched a thing. That’s because every time I start, I find a drawer or a closet or a pantry that seems cluttered, and I have to run to Target immediately to remedy the situation. I can’t stand clutter. Surely Target will have some container or closet organizer, or drawer divider that would make things better.
After the trip to Target, I need to spend time sorting things, making a pile to go to Salvation Army, which naturally leads me to go through all the closets for more things for Salvation Army, and don’t you know it, my cabinet with all the plastic wraps and foils is a mess, and now that I think of it, my spices keep falling out of the cupboard every time I open the door, and doesn’t Target have a turntable that would solve that problem?
When my husband comes home and looks around, he scratches his head and thinks, “I thought she said she was going to clean the house today,” but he doesn’t voice this because he is one heck of a smart guy. Eventually, though, he sees what I’ve been up to when he opens a drawer and things don’t fall out, or he walks into our bedroom closet and he sees all the shoes sitting neatly on a shoe shelf instead of scattered across the closet floor. “Been to Target?” He know me well.
I thought about the difference between men and women last night when one of my sons called me. I had sent him a text yesterday morning, asking him if he could use a file cabinet I didn’t want anymore. “Thanks, Mom, but I don’t think we really need one.” The gasp in the background was loud and clear as my daughter-in-law said, “Yes, we want a file cabinet! We have stacks of papers all over the place. A file cabinet would be great!” A girl after my own heart. My son got back on the phone. “Yes, Mom, apparently we do need that file cabinet.” A woman knows.
Coming East 
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So true! There is so much that goes on ‘behind the scenes!’
its the little things that women see, and I think men look at the big picture. Both have value. Thanks, Reeling
Your post makes me miss Target even more!
Ha-ha, Shanghai. I just got back from Target. I went to pick up a prescription refill, and since it wasn’t ready, I obviously had tomwalkmaround the store and buy more things.
Love this post cause it reminds me of myself except I never make it to Target to get the things for organizing. I have piles. oh my so sad.
Get thee to Target, Miss Julie! Hurry!
I love it! I’m more like your husband though. Bryan tends to clean by “organizing,” or sorting stuff into piles rather than getting rid of stuff. But who can resist a good trip to Target?!
Now that our Target sells more fresh food, I go there even more, Leah.
You must have secret cameras that watched me clean… you did miss one step. Once I leave Target, I’d be heading to Staples to buy just the right labels for the bins!
Hmmm…Staples. That’s a thought. We don’t have Staples, but I can walk to Office Max.
Love! I am also from Target. And if I can’t make it to Target then I am the master of shoving things away where I can’t see them… until I can go to Target!
Thanks, Phoenix, for supporting my contention. As a matter of fact, I just came back from Target because we needed plastic bags to put in our bathroom and bedroom waste baskets, and the Target ones are the perfect size. Of course, I had to actually buy things to get their bags, but that wasn’t hard.
Your daughter-in-law sounds like one smart woman!
She definitely is, Emily, and my son is even smarter because he married her!
I clean the same way–when I clean, that is. It may not look like much has been done, but there’s surely a space somewhere that brings a smile when I look at it.
Yes, Patti, that deep cleaning is what we women are all about. I reorganize my pantry every couple of months, and then George can’t find where I’ve put his coffee, poor dear.
Haha yes! I’m an organizer, too! I think it’s the adult woman equivalent of trying to clean your room, but getting distracted by toys you forgot you had.
Rena, that is the perfect description of it!
“If my husband were to clean the house” – does that mean he does clean the house, or is it a hypothetical? Just curious. I’ve never actually heard of a husband who cleans…
Well, it was more of a hypothetical, Margie…but he does do the dishes after dinner…except for the pots and pans. Does that count?
My husband is the one who gets distracted. Once when I was cleaning like mad for company, and asked him to help, he was missing and quiet for a very long time. When I went to look for him, he was in the pantry, lining up soda bottles.
That cracked me up, NQO!
I will never believe that there could be life on Mars for as far as I know, there is no Target.
That’s proof positive, Bella. Very intelligent answer.
Hehe. I just wish then my husband would get on with our housework if he could do it so much quicker and easier than I can! 😉
Well, yeah, Eye, I’m saying IF our husbands cleaned house, they probably would get it done faster because they deal with surface issues and we clean at the deepest level. Your point is well taken. LOL
A place for everything and everything in its place. We women know how to organize!!! I “cleaned house” the other day too. Guess what I accomplished? The kitchen pantry. But it looks so nice now! 😉
Hey, the pantry is a big project, Mama. Didn’t you feel great?
A woman after my own heart once again, Susan
We are alike on many important levels, Judith.
I laughed out loud when I saw your title.
Do I take it that it resonated with you, Jumping?
Cute! Finally we are parking a car in the garage. Yes, it can house two vehicles but… our in-laws estate, CA daughter moving out west and leaving boxes galore, Dallas daughter leaving instructions not to throw out xxx. Incredible how we found oodles of rubbermaid tubs now emptied…instead of going to Target wish you could walk across the street and help yourself. Goal: park two cars in the garage.
Wish I could get those empty tubs, too, Georgette. We did not have a garage in San Antonio, so when we moved to Virginia, the first thing George made sure of was that we could park our car in the garage. He actually organized it. Guess garages are Mars for men.
A woman does know 🙂
Thanks for the support, MLTM!