My Husband Created a New Schedule for Me to ‘Become a Better Wife’ — I Taught Him a Good Lesson in Response

I was stunned when my husband, Jake, handed me a schedule to help me “become a better wife.” But instead of blowing up, I played along. Little did Jake know, I was about to teach him a lesson that would make him rethink his newfound approach to marriage.

I’ve always prided myself on being the level-headed one in our marriage. Jake, bless his heart, could get swept up in things pretty easily, whether it was a new hobby, or some random YouTube video that promised to change his life in three easy steps.

A man on an armchair | Source: Pexels

A man on an armchair | Source: Pexels

But we were solid until Jake met Steve. Steve was the type of guy who thought being loudly opinionated made him right, the type that talks right over you when you try to correct him.

He was also a perpetually single guy (who could have guessed?), who graciously dispensed relationship advice to all his married colleagues, Jake included. Jake should’ve known better, but my darling husband was positively smitten with Steve’s confidence.

I didn’t think much of it until Jake started making some noxious comments.

A man looking to the side | Source: Pexels

A man looking to the side | Source: Pexels

“Steve says relationships work best when the wife takes charge of the household,” he’d say. Or “Steve thinks it’s important for women to look good for their husbands, no matter how long they’ve been married.”

I’d roll my eyes and reply with some sarcastic remark, but it was getting under my skin. Jake was changing. He’d arch his eyebrows if I ordered takeout instead of cooking, and sigh when I let the laundry pile up because, God forbid, I had my own full-time job.

And then it happened. One night, he came home with The List.

A serious woman | Source: Pexels

A serious woman | Source: Pexels

He sat me down at the kitchen table, unfolded a piece of paper, and slid it across to me.

“I’ve been thinking,” he started, his voice dripping with a condescending tone I hadn’t heard from him before. “You’re a great wife, Lisa. But there’s room for improvement.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Oh really?”

He nodded, oblivious to the danger zone he was entering. “Yeah. Steve helped me realize that our marriage could be even better if you, you know, stepped up a bit.”

A man | Source: Pexels

A man | Source: Pexels

I stared at the paper in front of me. It was a schedule… and he’d written “Lisa’s Weekly Routine for Becoming a Better Wife” at the top in bold.

This guy had actually sat down and mapped out my entire week based on what Steve — a single guy with zero relationship experience — thought I should do to “improve” myself as a wife.

I was supposed to wake up at 5 a.m. every day to make Jake a gourmet breakfast. Then I’d hit the gym for an hour to “stay in shape.”

A woman glancing down | Source: Pexels

A woman glancing down | Source: Pexels

After that? A delightful lineup of chores: cleaning, laundry, ironing. And that was all before I left for work. I was supposed to cook a meal from scratch every evening and make fancy snacks for Jake and his friends when they came over to hang out at our place.

The whole thing was sexist and insulting on so many levels I didn’t even know where to start. I ended up staring at him, wondering if my husband had lost his mind.

“This will be great for you, and us,” he continued, oblivious.

A happy man | Source: Pexels

A happy man | Source: Pexels

“Steve says it’s important to maintain structure, and I think you could benefit from —”

“I could benefit from what?” I interrupted, my voice dangerously calm. Jake blinked, caught off guard by the interruption, but he recovered quickly.

“Well, you know, from having some guidance and a schedule.”

I wanted to throw that paper in his face and ask him if he’d developed a death wish. Instead, I did something that surprised even me: I smiled.

A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney

A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney

“You’re right, Jake,” I said sweetly. “I’m so lucky that you made me this schedule. I’ll start tomorrow.”

The relief on his face was instant. I almost felt sorry for him as I got up and stuck the list on the fridge. Almost. He had no idea what was coming.

The next day, I couldn’t help but smirk as I studied the ridiculous schedule again. If Jake thought he could hand me a list of “improvements,” then he was about to find out just how much structure our life could really handle.

A woman working at a table | Source: Pexels

A woman working at a table | Source: Pexels

I pulled out my laptop, opened up a fresh document, and titled it, “Jake’s Plan for Becoming the Best Husband Ever.” He wanted a perfect wife? Fine. But there was a cost to perfection.

I began by listing all the things he had suggested for me, starting with the gym membership he was so keen on. It was laughable, really.

“$1,200 for a personal trainer.” I typed, barely containing my giggle.

A woman typing on a laptop | Source: Pexels

A woman typing on a laptop | Source: Pexels

Next came the food. If Jake wanted to eat like a king, that wasn’t happening on our current grocery budget. Organic, non-GMO, free-range everything? That stuff didn’t come cheap.

“$700 per month for groceries,” I wrote. He’d probably need to chip in for a cooking class too. Those were pricey, but hey, perfection wasn’t free.

I leaned back in my chair, laughing to myself as I imagined Jake’s face when he saw this. But I wasn’t done. Oh no, the pièce de résistance was still to come.

A woman laughing | Source: Pexels

A woman laughing | Source: Pexels

See, there was no way I could juggle all these expectations while holding down my job. If Jake wanted me to dedicate myself full-time to his absurd routine, then he’d have to compensate for the loss of my income.

I pulled up a calculator, estimating the value of my salary. Then, I added it to the list, complete with a little note: “$75,000 per year to replace Lisa’s salary since she will now be your full-time personal assistant, maid, and chef.”

My stomach hurt from laughing at this point.

A woman laughing hard | Source: Pexels

A woman laughing hard | Source: Pexels

And just for good measure, I threw in a suggestion about him needing to expand the house. After all, if he was going to have his friends over regularly, they’d need a dedicated space that wouldn’t intrude on my newly organized, impossibly structured life.

“$50,000 to build a separate ‘man cave’ so Jake and his friends don’t disrupt Lisa’s schedule.”

By the time I was done, the list was a masterpiece. A financial and logistical nightmare, sure, but a masterpiece nonetheless. It wasn’t just a counterattack — it was a wake-up call.

A woman smiling at her laptop | Source: Pexels

A woman smiling at her laptop | Source: Pexels

I printed it out, set it neatly on the kitchen counter, and waited for Jake to come home. When he finally walked through the door that evening, he was in a good mood.

“Hey, babe,” he called out, dropping his keys on the counter. He spotted the paper almost immediately. “What’s this?”

I kept my face neutral, fighting the urge to laugh as I watched him pick it up. “Oh, it’s just a little list I put together for you,” I said sweetly, “to help you become the best husband ever.”

A grinning woman | Source: Pexels

A grinning woman | Source: Pexels

Jake chuckled, thinking I was playing along with his little game. But as he scanned the first few lines, the grin started to fade. I could see the wheels turning in his head, the slow realization that this wasn’t the lighthearted joke he thought it was.

“Wait… what is all this?” He squinted at the numbers, his eyes widening as he saw the total costs. “$1,200 for a personal trainer? $700 a month for groceries? What the hell, Lisa?”

I leaned against the kitchen island, crossing my arms.

A kitchen island | Source: Pexels

A kitchen island | Source: Pexels

“Well, you want me to wake up at 5 a.m., hit the gym, make gourmet breakfasts, clean the house, cook dinner, and host your friends. I figured we should budget for all of that, don’t you think?”

His face turned pale as he flipped through the pages. “$75,000 a year? You’re quitting your job?!”

I shrugged. “How else am I supposed to follow your plan? I can’t work and be the perfect wife, right?”

He stared at the paper, dumbfounded.

A dumbfounded man | Source: Pexels

A dumbfounded man | Source: Pexels

The numbers, the absurdity of his own demands, it all hit him at once. His smugness evaporated, replaced by a dawning realization that he had seriously, seriously messed up.

“I… I didn’t mean…” Jake stammered, looking at me with wide eyes. “Lisa, I didn’t mean for it to be like this. I just thought —”

“You thought what? That I could ‘improve’ myself like some project?” My voice was calm, but the hurt behind it was real. “Jake, marriage isn’t about lists or routines. It’s about respect. And if you ever try to ‘fix’ me like this again, you’ll be paying a hell of a lot more than what’s on that paper.”

A serious woman | Source: Pexels

A serious woman | Source: Pexels

Silence hung in the air, thick and uncomfortable. Jake’s face softened, his shoulders slumping as he let out a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t realize how ridiculous it was. Steve made it sound sensible, but now I see it’s… it’s toxic. Oh God, I’ve been such a fool.”

I nodded, watching him carefully. “Yes, you have. Honestly, have you looked at Steve’s life? What makes you think he has the life experience to give you advice about marriage? Or anything else?”

The look on his face as my words hit home was priceless.

A couple having a heated discussion | Source: Midjourney

A couple having a heated discussion | Source: Midjourney

“You’re right. And he could never afford to live like this.” He slapped the list with the back of his hand. “He… he has no idea about the costs involved, or how demeaning this is. Oh, Lisa, I got carried away again, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but we’ll recover. Now, let’s tear that paper up and go back to being equals.”

He smiled weakly, the tension breaking just a little. “Yeah… let’s do that.”

We ripped up the list together, and for the first time in weeks, I felt like we were back on the same team.

Torn paper | Source: Pexels

Torn paper | Source: Pexels

Maybe this was what we needed, a reminder that marriage isn’t about one person being “better” than the other. It’s about being better together.

Here’s another story: Nora thought her marriage to Vincent was solid, but a routine kitchen cabinet check while he was away revealed a devastating secret. A seemingly ordinary jar held a truth so shocking that it led her to file for divorce on the spot.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

“When you have a broken heart – at least when I do – you got to get it out of your system. You want people to sympathize with you. I was at rock bottom, in the middle of hell.”

Rumors of a breakdown dogged Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s brief marriage. Both are now contentedly wed to separate partners.

Given their prominent positions in the music industry, it is understandable why Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert fell in love so soon.

Even though he was still married when he met her, their shared love of music drew them together. Their love affair ended in divorce eventually.

Blake Shelton and Kaynette Williams during the 38th Annual CMA Awards at the Grand Ole Opry House November 9, 2004 in Nashville, Tennessee. | Source: Getty Images

Following their introductions at CMT’s 100 Greatest Duets Concert, the two musicians first came into contact with one another in 2005.

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From the beginning, she was drawn to him, but he ignored her because he was married. In a similar vein, Shelton was instantly smitten with the “Drunk” singer.

The beginning of their romantic tale

In a subsequent interview, Lambert claimed to have seen Shelton’s wedding photo in Country Weekly and to have known he was married. She continued, saying:

“I should have known better—this is forbidden. For crying out loud, my folks work as private detectives. I’ve witnessed affairs my entire life. I am one of the few who can truly know better than this.

Even still, she was powerless to ignore the “inevitable chemistry” they shared from the start. Shelton separated from his wife Kaynette Williams a year later and went after Lambert.

Shelton asked Lambert to marry him in 2010, but he did so in remembrance of her father. The “God’s Country” singer gave Lambert’s father a call to get his OK before proposing on May 9 and bringing out a platinum and diamond ring that he had personally picked out.

“It’s so much more perfect than I could have picked myself, but we’ve been together for five years, so he knew exactly what I wanted,” Lambert remarked. The country music artist cherished the casual party that was the proposal.

Apart from that specific instance, 2010 was an exceptional year for Lambert, as she achieved her first number one song, “White Liar,” in January and won both Album of the Year and Top Female Vocalist at the ACM Awards.

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton at LP Field during the 2010 CMA Music Festival on June 13, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. | Source: Getty Images

The pair married in 2011, but problems soon arose in their union. Rumors of a breakup surfaced in 2013, which the couple refuted.

In order to demonstrate that there were no secrets in their marriage, the “The Voice” judge at the time said that his wife had access to his phone anytime she wanted. He declared:

We truly do have that level of trust. Nothing is hidden. “Go search through my drawers or my computer if you feel like it,” is what I’ll say, and it’s been extremely helpful since I don’t want her to ever question anything.

Even though there were still rumors in 2014, the pair didn’t seem to be affected and even made jokes about the supposed divorce. In the past two years, Lambert joked, “I think I’ve had like five sets of twins and we’ve been divorced four times, and one of us had a $100 million divorce.”

Shelton and Stefani were married in a modest chapel on the “Home” singer’s property in July 2021 in a private ceremony held in Oklahoma.
The pair sent heartfelt wishes on social media to commemorate their third wedding anniversary the same year.

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton during the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards concerts at the Fremont Street Experience during the on April 17, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images

Lambert acknowledged that marriage was difficult, but he also stated it was a wonderful gift that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. She continued, saying:

It is our constant goal to be together. On our anniversary, I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of the nation! That moment is precious.

However, the pair soon shown that there was turmoil in paradise, proving the claims to be real. Gwen Stefani collaborated with Shelton as a coach on season nine of “The Voice” in April 2014.

After four years together, Shelton and Lambert announced their divorce within a year. They said in a statement that was released:

+We are actual individuals with actual lives, families, friends, and coworkers. As a result, we respectfully request your understanding and privacy in this very private situation.

The couple disclosed that they were surprised by the split and that they had to take a risk by choosing to continue living their lives on their own.

Both before and after the publishing of the statement, Shelton and Lambert said nothing about the matter. They had ten wonderful years together, including their courtship phase.

LIFE AFTER PARTNERSHIP

Shelton quickly started dating Gwen Stefani, his co-star on “The Voice,” following their breakup. On November 4, 2015, they made their relationship official via Shelton’s agent, who stated:

“Gwen and Blake have been friends for a long time, but they recently started dating.”

Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, and Blake Shelton during "The Voice" Season 7. | Source: Getty Images

The couple claimed that their congruent divorces and life events strengthened their bond.

Shelton eventually told Lambert about his divorce in 2020. Details regarding their breakup were disclosed in his song “If I’m Honest.”

He answered, “Maybe not specifics.” However, you get the gist of it. It is my chronicle of divorce, but perhaps even more than that, it is also my record of happiness and infatuation.

He’s got to admit that his second divorce has devastated him to the point of no return. Even though Shelton did not create the song “She’s Got a Way With Words,” which describes a partner who strayed and lied, he isn’t stopping people from believing it was a reflection of his own relationship. He declared:

“You have to let go of it when you’re feeling down, or at least that’s how I feel. You want to be able to relate to other individuals. I was in the midst of hell, at my lowest point.

But there was also someone who understood him quite well. It was a day he will never forget. “Gwen, who I didn’t really know, had these enormous tears in her eyes when I looked at her. It struck me, “Wow, she really feels bad for me.”

Miranda Lambert and Brendan McLoughlin during the 54th Academy Of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 07, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images

The singer of “Candyman” had recently filed for divorce from Gavin Rossdale, her husband of 20 years. Later, she spoke with Shelton by herself, and that’s when their close relationship began.

As time went on, their friendship grew; they went from communicating their understanding to exchanging emails once a week. He declared:

“Then I wake up, and she’s my entire world, and I wonder if she feels the same way about me.”

Shelton and Stefani were married in a modest chapel on the “Home” singer’s property in July 2021 in a private ceremony held in Oklahoma. Luckily, Stefani’s family and kids adore her new husband and have a wonderful impact on her. Says she:

“I’ve never had a more feminine style. I think it’s because I have a pretty macho man and I’m genuinely in love. Now that I’ve let that side of myself show, I enjoy it.

Within three months of their first date, Lambert also wed Brendan McLoughlin, an officer in New York City. Even though he was married when they initially met, their love remained. It was made public in 2022 that the couple was attempting to conceive.

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