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A recent study by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan found that while men on average save an hour of housework upon getting married, women gain seven. Seven!!

Let's see... before I got married, I lived with my brother in Manhattan. I never made my bed, in part because I didn't care and partly because I didn't mess it up. I only picked the clothes off my floor in order to take them to the wash & fold place to be cleaned. I rarely bought groceries and ate mostly spaghetti or chinese delivery. Because I cut him a break on rent, my brother would sometimes do my dishes and usually took the trash out. Yeah, I didn't really do any housework.

Mr., on the other hand, was the most frequent dishwasher in his apartment he shared with 2 of his classmates and would be embarrassed if his bed wasn't made or if a single pair of pants was on the floor. He'd go grocery shopping twice, sometimes 3 times per week and did his own laundry. On top of being a first year medical student, he did everything around the apartment.

Over a year after moving in with Mr., I now cook dinner at least four or five times per week, go grocery shopping at least once a week, make the bed every morning, do laundry two or three times per month, dust, swiffer, and take out the trash. Plus, while we used to have the deal that he would do the dishes after I cooked dinner, I picked that up a few weeks before the boards.

Don't tell Mr., but oddly enough, I'm kind of starting to like it. I prefer to do the dishes in the morning before work. I time it while listening to music or watching the news. I may still have a pile of clothes sitting directly next to the hamper, but living with Mr. and his ridiculous schedule has brought out a better, more responsible side of me. Crazy, huh?