Touting the Benefits of "Work Dates"

I don't know if this idea will catch on...maybe it's a matter of marketing. I probably need to give it a sexier name. Maybe that will be my next contest. Anyway, here's the concept: Stay-at-home moms need each other for lots of reasons. We need adult conversations, we need to get out of the house, we need our kids to have friends and a chance to play with each other. Thus the birth of "play dates." Moms get together with their kids to play, talk and generally have social interaction. It's fabulous. It's as much for the moms as it is for the kids. Well, here's the problem I see. Maintaining a household is a ton of work. Work that is constantly being undone and can be really, really hard to even get done because of the constant interruptions from the kids. After awhile it becomes easier to load up and head out to play dates, ignoring the housework that is forever piling up. Then at some point, we have to lock ourselves in the house and "catch up" or we will be living in total chaos and our marriages will suffer.

Here's my solution: It's a throw back to the amish "bee." A good-old-fashioned "work date." Invite someone over to tackle that project that feels overwhelming (folding 52 piles of clean laundry, cleaning the refrigerator, sorting the piles of papers on the table, organizing the office...whatever it is). It's so much more fun to work on this stuff with someone else AND you can enjoy just as much conversation while scrubbing than sipping coffee. Plus, the added benefit is that while one mom handles the constant interruptions from the children, the other mom keeps the project going. It's fabulous! This is guilt-free girlfriend time. For those women who have no problem in the cleaning area, maybe you could invite someone to help you make up some home cooked freezer meals or do yardwork...whatever!

It makes so much sense, I'm not quite sure why the idea is slow to catch on. Every time I mention it, moms are like, "That's a great idea!" I think it has something to do with our pride and embarrassment that our homes aren't perfect or that we don't have it all together. The first time I asked someone for help, it was a really humbling experience. But I thought of a person who was really organized and said, "My office is unbearable and Bo is about to leave me (yes, I'm a bit melodramatic!). Please help!" She seemed delighted to do it and we had a great time. The awesome thing too was that she kept the project going long after I would have quit for the day (or week or month or year). And she didn't judge me or make me feel like a worthless failure as a wife and mom for letting my piles of paper overwhelm me. (Thanks Traci!)

Does anyone else do this? If so, tell me about it. Share your ideas! If you've never done it and decide to try it, let me know that too.

Happy working!