MD, there are a number of reasons why I want to separate from the Man, and this is one of them. I believe that everyone should contribute to the household. If they can contribute towards making the mess, then they sure as hell can contribute to the tidying up. I can't differentiate which is the bigger problem, but I know that there doesn't seem to be any improvement in in the relationship side of things.

I do pick things up as I go past them, or if I'm heading towards the bedroom, then I'll grab whatever needs to be in the laundry on my way past, that kind of thing. Avoiding going anywhere empty handed. I just get so distracted by trying to do one thing, then I put some of that away only to find that where I want to put it has to be tidied, and then get stuck into tidying that up, and the next thing, and the next thing after that. I mean, to cook dinner, I have to wash the dishes from the night before. If I get called away from the dishes (usually an unhappy Ryan), then dinner doesn't get made until late, and the Man comes home, and wonders what the hell I've been doing all day. But he doesn't think to help me wash the dishes in the evening. I managed to get him and the Boy to wash the dishes two nights in a row months ago, and said that I wanted them to do them every evening so I had time to give the other two kids baths. Well, that never happened, and when I stay up late in the kitchen trying to clean up he gets annoyed that I'm not spending time sitting with him on the couch watching tv! They just make me so angry as to how lazy they are. They are bad role models who I don't think will ever change.