I hate it when the mister says "So, what's on your agenda for tomorrow?" (and he does, almost every day) because half the time, I really don't have anything planned. I just take things as they come, and I wind up getting stuff accomplished. I don't like saying "Umm, nothing, why?" because he either smirks at me, and acts like "Oh, nothing? You're not planning on doing anything tomorrow?" with sort of a 'tude, as he looks around the house. OOR, he'll say something totally off the wall like "Good, you know that 9 yards of mulch in the driveway? Can you spread it over where the azalea bushes are planted?" or some other ridiculous task.

When I say "No plans." I mean doing my day-to-day routine, which includes, meeting with the contractor, and whatever inspectors decide to show up, often a trip or three to Home Depot for supplies, 5,000 phone calls and various daily odd tasks that keep his business running smooth (I spend more time on the phone with customers, than a telemarketer, it seems) bookkeeping, AND being a mother and a housewife on top of all that. So, tack on the daily duties of raising an exeuberant five year old, cooking 3 meals a day, doing crazy amounts of laundry (the mister changes his clothes 3 times a day. Street clothes, highway dept. uniform, and his own work clothes) with no dryer, and now, packing a few boxes every day. A few weeks ago, you can add cutting and installing lengths of insulation. Next week, add paining and priming to that list. Oh, and general upkeep of this and the other house.

When I DO have plans, I'll say something like "Yeah, I have to go give two people estimates, grocery shopping, and bake 3 dozen cupcakes, oh, and I'm getting my nails done"

Nowadays, I just fucking INVENT plans for myself, to avoid the smirk, and to avoid plans being made FOR me.

See, the problem is, he works two jobs, right? Till 3 he works for The Monmouth County Highway Dept. as a Heavy Equipment Operator. From 3 till whenever, he's his own boss, as a landscaper. In season, he's gone from 7 a.m. till dark. (Dark in the summertime can be as late as 9 p.m.) He's a workaholic, he gets very antsy if he's just sitting around. No patience to read, or chill, or mess with a computer. If it's not making him a profit, it's a waste of time. My job? I'm his personal assistant, in a way. I do allll the administrative whatevers for his business, and take care of every single other thing in this household, so that he can work 16 hours a day, and everything runs smoothly. I'm his PR person, his secretary, receptionist, appointment setter, soon to be landlord, maid, chef, personal massage therapist, and so on. I work from home, so he thinks I do nothing. He respects people that "go out and work, for a living" but, when I offer to go get a *real* job, which I would LOVE to do (only if it relieved my duties here) he's like "Who's gonna do the bookkeeping?" Right, exactly.

I guess I feel unappreciated. He doesn't notice what I do, because I do it so well, y'see? If he DID notice things, it would only be because I failed to do them. Does he think about credit card bills, or how his jobs get lined up? Does he have to double check on clean socks for the next week? Does he have to stop and wonder if the orders for parts and equipment were placed, or if the checks will bounce? Is he worried that his lunch won't be packed for the next day? Nope. Yet, when I tell him I don't have anything planned, he spazzes out. So, now I have to detail every single little thing that I do.

There's a few things I don't do, however. One is dishes. I do the daily ones, but I don't do them after dinner. Two is *most* yard work. For years my mom forced me to do her shitty yard work, to the point of being abusive about it. I like having a nice garden, and I work in my own little flowerbed and herb garden, but if he wants to have a hugely landscaped yard (which we do) then it's his job to maintain. Won't touch it. Oh, and I don't get paid, that's the other thing I don't do.

One nice aspect to not getting paid is, I can take extra money and go out and buy stuff on a whim. It's an ok deal, and I get no guilt. If I had a "real" (haha) job, I'd have my own pocket money to go out to lunch with, or get my nails done, or splurge on a new game or some books. So, once in awhile, I'll do just that. I feel I'm justified. I'm not spendy, though, or some kind of compulsive shopper, but I do like to get things when I want them. If I set my heart on a new game, or a new jacket or something, and it doesn't happen right away, I get antsy. Like, I work my ass off, and I can't even have a few bucks to buy some new clothes? WTF. It seldom happens, though. Because I'm not a girly type of shopper, and because I very very seldom get told no.