Splitting the chores

It is something that is discussed in most  households, especially between couples with young children. To stay sane while coping with kids and working full time, one needs a system. I wonder how  many people follow their plans. We certainly don't really follow ours.  Partly it's due to a difference  in personalities. I want things done now; my other half likes to take the considered approach and get things done right. There is virtue in every method; you just need to agree to differ.

Recently we decided to put our original plan of taking turns with cooking into action,  We had agreed on this since I returned to work but had never actually stuck to a system.  I ended up doing the bulk of the cooking but that meant I didn't spend as much time with Baby after nursery/preschool as my husband.  There was also a big divide in what we cooked because of this skewed division of cooking duties.  I  never prepare anything spectacular because I wanted to maximise time with Baby rather than cook and clear up in the kitchen after dinner (I am responsible for the dishes while Hubby is in charge of the laundry). My husband, on the other hand, would take his time and prepare spectacular food.  So this time we decided we would just swap every week; this would make grocery shopping simple as whoever was responsible for cooking would choose the ingredients at our weekly shop.  It also allows us to plan meals so that we have some meat free days interspersed with meat or fish days.  There is a much bigger rotation of recipes so our diet is a lot more varied.  So far this has been working well and I am enjoying Hubby's meals and the extra time spent with Baby.  There is only one weakness in this plan- I write a blog with quick recipes for busy home cooks and there are patchy spells with no recipes when I am now off duty, but I am happy to live with that. 

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