Ack! I need to add an entry
My front page is all wonky when I have no entry up here. I was thinking of blogging more regularly again but only thinking about it and not actually doing anything to facilitate that. I’ve been crazy-busy and crazy-tired and trying to figure out how to get some time to sit and be quiet. I really need to stop and re-focus because things swung slightly too far past bustling on into backbreaking. Have no fear — soon the work will dry up and I’ll be complaining about that. See, it’s always something with me.
I’ve decided to hire someone to clean our kitchen and one bathroom twice a month. That is if I can get it into our budget. I’ve been a housewife for seven years now and still haven’t figured out how to keep my kitchen floor clean. (I believe mopping it would help.) The truth is, I am really terrible at house keeping because I don’t like it. And I’m never going to like it. It causes me terrible angst to walk across a sticky floor but not enough angst to actually make me do anything about it. In the evenings, when Brett is home, I want him to spend time with the kids, not cleaning so what the hey, we’ll hire someone. And that’ll help the family, right?
Listen to me, can you hear how guilty I feel? I’m rationalizing.
To assuage the guilt, I’m looking for an individual and not a service because I think they’re generally exploitive. There’s a nice guy here in town who makes his own eco-friendly cleaning supplies and does a good job (says my friend who uses him) and that sounds about perfect.
I’m just feeling overwhelmed lately and Madison — like her brother — is not one to sleep through the night. There’s not a lot of room for give in my life but house cleaning is definitely something I don’t mind turning over to someone else. And hopefully, that will give me more sanity for the kids.
Speaking of the kids, what would an entry be without pictures? A boring entry, that’s what! So here they are in all of their glory:
–The two children posing nicely
–Two children who love each other
–Chub-a-lub Madison, in a hat knit by her Gram Pam
Great pictures as always!
Don’t feel bad about the housecleaning. I agree that going with an individual is the best way. We have already decided to cut something else in our budget and get a twice-a-month floor and bathroom cleaning once the baby gets here. I just know that having those basics covered will be a big help when other stuff gets overwhelming. But that decision has been YEARS coming because I have always deeply felt that no one should clean up “after me.”
But if it’s someone’s self-employed job, it’s their business if they want me as a customer.
Love the pho-togs. Your children are gorgeous! I love the roly-poly-eees on your daughter’s arms and legs. Simply adorable!
Glad to hear you are considering hiring housecleaning help. It really does make a difference, IMHO. I follow my Flylady, too which helps immensely in keeping down “hotspots” as she calls them. Just having someone to come into your home, sweep and mop the floors, dust, swish out the bathrooms and change out the bed linens really takes a lot of the grind of housecleaning.
I have had the same woman for 4 years who helps me. She always offers to do more, but honestly, just having her do that is all I need. That sounds great with the guy with the home made cleaning supplies! I wish I could find some good ones that really work well. My house uses a lot of vinegar, borax, baking soda, etc. They are pretty effective, but not as well as I would like!
Don’t feel guilty a bit. Embrace the time that you will be able to spend with your children rather than cleaning! And whatever you do, don’t obsess and clean before the cleaning person gets there. That’s a strange waste of money, IMHO.
I have had some kind of cleaning support for 20+ years. First person A (17 years) (then person B 5 years). I’ve been trying to do it myself for the last month….It’s been damned hard. I just don’t get to stuff. Getting the laundry all the way through reduces me to gibbering wreck.
It is hard for me. Personally, I prefer an individual as that person gets to know the idiosyncracies of the house and of its denizens.
I always did clean before the cleaner came, in the sense of having the stuff I could deal with dealt with. I want to pay for laundry being done not my little messes tidied.
I don’t think it is wrong to pay for having a service done, any more than it is wrong to pay to have your oil changed.
Dawn, I’m the same way. I’m so unwilling to clean and so impatient about it when I do is that the only thing I have found that helps me be able to clean is to do something else at the same time. And what fits best into that is to talk on the phone. I have a phone headset so I can talk hands-free. ‘Course all my friends back home work all day and I don’t wanna call my mom so maybe what we should do is just talk to each other and clean our floors.
ps: What about a high school student? if the eco-friendly guy doesn’t work out? for some teens it sure beats babysitting …
now, what does this mean? I work at a full time job but I LOVE housekeeping! I’m not kidding! I love grocery shopping, cleaning.
You have beautiful children Dawn.
AWW! The kids look so happy, and you sound good (busy - as always!).
I HATE house cleaning - used to *like* it.
HUGS!