I would rather have a housekeeper.
In a few weeks, our lovely sitter T is heading off to college. I am teary-eyed just writing this. She has been so responsible and responsive with our children. She comes nearly every Wednesday afternoon for just a few hours and Arun asks for her throughout the week. All of us are going to really miss her.
There was a time when I desperately needed Kid Free time and it needed to be regular and scheduled. However. Lately, I have been feeling that I need a clean house more than I need free time. I am not quite to the point where I could be exposed on a future segment of Oprah, but I am seeing how easily one's piles of crap can get out of control.
So, I have scheduled the house cleaning service again since our babysitting fees are going away. Anyone who has a cleaning service knows that it is not quite as simple as you sitting on your couch, eating bon bons as someone in a duster vacuums under your feet. Hardly. The cleaners come next Wednesday and this means that I have loads of things to put away before they can come in to do their jobs. Actually, that is what I miss the very most about the cleaning service - the fact that it forces my Lazy Hand into picking up. Sad, pathetic, yet very, very true.
I am calling this entire project Take Back the Dining Room. Wish me luck.
13 comments:
We've had a cleaning service for the past few months. It's a godsend.
(Though in the 6.5 years I've been a mother, I've only had an occasional babysitter for 9 months. So a sitter would be nice, too!)
Anjali,
Well, I feel incredibly lazy hiring a cleaning service. Oh, wait, because I AM INCREDIBLY LAZY. Sigh.
don't feel lazy for hiring a cleaning service. That is the first thing I'm going to do when I inherent lots of money. Because i would rather play with my kids than clean the toilet..which is why you should probably pee outside at our house.
We are doing project take back our house this weekend and then I will be hiring a cleaning service to keep it up. I just cannot do it anymore and I want to be able to play with my kids instead of griping because I have to clean again that I like the idea of forced cleaning - like when you have guests coming. I work much better under pressure.
As for the sitter - the big girl is a trained sitter now although she isn't ready to do more than 2/3hrs and not at night yet but if you ever need her, let me know.
I don't have any kids-what's my excuse for being a pig?
Have none.
I would have a breakdown without my housekeeper. Well, that's exaggerating. But I do a lot of work at home and it makes for a WAY better environment if it's nice and clean.
I feel like crap in a dirty house. I AM a slob but I hate living like one. Ergo, I do the best I can on a daily basis and pay someone to help me out with the big stuff that I'm too busy AND too lazy to do.
I only have her come once a month. Tip every single time (can afford to and with gas prices the way they are the tip probably just goes to fuel). I loves her so much. She deserves every penny.
My fave? G thinks towels are cleaned up by Lumiere and his magical teacup attendants. Therefore they are to be dropped in a soggy pile in the corner of a room and/or wherever he's standing. Right now it's hilarious and I tease him about the fact that it's so obvious he lives in hotels. Of course, they can only be used ONCE before they're trampled on (I had to buy 6 extra towels for him).
By "hilarious" I mean "only because I'm not living with him". Otherwise it's reasonable grounds for a martyred sulk.
I choose a housecleaning service because you can just lock the kiddos in a closet. They won't even bother you if you line the closet with thick carpet to muffle the screaming, no? ;)
Why spend a ton of time doing all of the big-ticket cleaning items if you don't have to?
Good for you! :0) I know the last thing you want is advice, but I have a system. I do two main "power cleaning surges" during the day: one in the morning, and one in the evening. Of course this is on top of regular dishes, laundry, etc, but I mean just straightening up. It's amazing what you can get done in 15 minutes if you're not distracted. Like that ever happens since we're mommies. ;0) My last one of the night is when I tuck the wee one into bed.
Actually, Bethany - that is excellent advice. I need to think about doing that on a daily basis. For example, I tend to do a Big Pickup every Wednesday evening/Thursday morning. I need to rethink my system.
We are going to do the same in August. Bi-weekly to begin with. We decided we couldn't afford daycare for 2 kids in 2009, so I told my husband in trade for giving up the idea of a May/June baby I wanted housecleaning and an iPhone. I already got the phone, sweet sweet phone.
I would so take a housekeeper over a sitter, but then both kids will be in school full time in a month, so that factors in. Actually, even when they were both home full time, I'd have taken someone to clean, but working part time, it didn't seem to be something I could justify. That and the fact that I'm too lazy to make the call and interview them and have a schedule when I have to have everything picked up and whatnot.
Too lazy to be lazy?
I think I need a sitter for a while until I can find the floor in the office. Then i need the house keeper to come do the actual cleaning. Maybe she can get off whatever that dried up gunk is under the highchair with her magic mop. I just keep Swiffering over it!
House cleaner hands down. I'd gladly go to the park with my kids while someone else brought the sparkle back to my dining room. However, when they were younger, I would have said Nanny. I felt so completely consumed by them when they were babies that having somewhen take them, even if I spent the time scrubbing toilets, was so welcome.
I can say this for fun, but I doubt I'll have either before they are grown.
I'd go with a cleaning service too. I am in a babysitting co-op so I have sitting covered. I so wish I had a cleaner. It is so much work keeping the house kind of clean!
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