Things that only I know how to do

The other day I was cooking up a batch of green pasta sauce for my children, which I've been making for years, and it occurred to me that were I to go under a bus, would there be anyone that could make it for them? (Although loving relatives, if you do need the recipe then I did blog a version of it once and you can find it here - baby led weaning pasta sauces). 

It made me think about all the things that I do which no-one else knows how to. I used to work in the NHS in Business Continuity, and my job was all about making sure that the processes and procedures in our department were documented so that there wouldn't be any loss of service if someone was absent or left suddenly. While things wouldn't fall apart entirely upon my sudden departure, there would be a few things which might be difficult to manage for a time.

Here are some of the things our family needs which only I know how to do:

* Batch cook and serve the favourite pasta sauces.

* Plait hair.

* Cook the meals that we eat regularly, along with organising the cupboards and fridge to make sure that we have all the food that we need in the house..

* Pay for school trips.

* Know how much to pay the window cleaners and keep the money ready.

* Work out a packing list for holidays and pack everything.

* General organisation and decluttering so that drawers and cupboards aren't overflowing with outgrown clothes and other junk.

* Check for school uniform that has been grown out of and sort out getting hold of the next sizes up.

* Retrieve certain items from their storage locations, for example the Christmas stockings, seasonal décor and dressing up clothes, extra bin bags, wrapping paper and cards.

Then of course there are the things that I do which others are perfectly capable of managing but don't:

* Put a new toilet roll on the holder, and top up the spare ones in the rack when we are down to the last one in a bathroom.

* Put away the clean dishes from the dishrack and clean the sink.

* Put dirty washing in the basket instead of the floor, along with putting everything the right way out so it is ready to fold when it comes out the machine.

* Wash up the day's lunchboxes and prepare the next ones.

However, in the interest of balance , here are some of the very important things that only my husband can do:

* Find the best deals for insurance, utilities, holidays, bank accounts and all the large purchases. He has much more patience than me when it comes to shopping around and knowing where to look for the best prices for things.

* Use the drill. I'm terrified of it, it's so loud!

* Sort out anything to do with our smart home devices, internet, routers, photo back up and so on. 

What does your family rely on you for? I'm wondering if I need to come up with some business continuity documents for our house so that we can each learn each other's jobs!

Photo credit Anastasiia Chepinska via Unsplash