Traditional?

Last night I took to the huge pile of rubber bark that has been resting on the side of our house, resting patiently waiting to go under our new play structure. Here's a shout out to my friend who let us scoop it up and bring it home with us, as it was not going to be shipped to ID when they moved. Last night I'd had enough of the site of the bark lingering and gathering leaves and just looking ugly that I began hauling it into our back yard, even though we don't have a special something-or-rather that's suppose to go under it, or the special trim to keep it in place.

I grabbed the Mega Blocks wagon and began loading exactly 3 shovel-scoops of rubber bark, then rolled it into the back yard and dumped it under the play structure. Hells bells! Now the back yard looks like a magazine ad for rubber bark. It makes the play structure shine and the whole scene screams, SAFETY FIRST!

I was wicked dirty when I finished, I jumped in the shower and then sat down at the table to enjoy the yummy pork chop dinner my hubby had prepared. I laughed when I sat down. I mean, I was the one who was outside doing manual labor, getting filthy dirty, and sweating like pig. Meanwhile, my hubby was inside making pear vinaigrette salad dressing, baking up some candied pecans and trying out a new recipe for pork chops.

I stay at home and husband works, that statement sounds very traditional on the surface. But there are many jobs that I've taken on in my "core roles" that he as the man of the house would be doing under the term "traditional". For example, I take the trash to the curb, I use the chain saw when the trees need trimming, and I haul rubber bark! I'm not a cook, I can get the food from the can, to the pan, to the table. My husband is the chef in our house, he's the chef and I'm the sou chef. I wonder sometimes do other families have such an abstract concept of "traditional". Is there a new definition of the word? And if I work outside the home, would we still be a traditional family if I did all the manual labor and still didn't cook well?

It works for us and it's been working for the past 9 years so I'm not looking to change things! I would never complain too loudly about taking the trash to the curb, as then I might be expected to make the fabulous meals my husband makes. Here's to non-traditional!!