[Via]
Sometimes I daydream about having help around the house in the form of a maid, a nanny, or a cook. I never go so far as to imagine myself with all three - that would be a little too unrealistic. Plus, I'm a bit of a control freak, and as awesome as it would be to have someone scrub my toilets, diaper my children, and prepare my favorite meals daily, I just can't surrender that much responsibility. But day to day, I stop and think which one would I pick?
A few months ago I read the book A Joyful Mother of Children: The Magic and Mayhem of Children by Linda Eyre. Now, if you're not familiar with the Eyres, they are like Super Parents. I love, respect, and look up to them all while almost hating them. The great thing about Linda is that she is very honest in her books. Just when that subdued hate starts creeping to the surface, she writes a paragraph about yelling at her kids, and I'm like Phew! I don't have to hate her. But then she writes about taking her kids to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, and I'm like Are you kidding me, woman? But then she openly admits that her husband drives her nuts sometimes, and I'm like Wow! That was a close one!
Anyway, this particular book was about finding joy in motherhood, and at one point in the book, Linda put it bluntly: if you house is a mess, and you HATE cleaning, and you're completely overwhelmed, FIND SOMEONE TO HELP YOU.
(I wish I could find the exact paragraph to quote her accurately, but my intense thirty seconds of google research didn't pull it up).
Basically, Linda Eyre gave me permission to have a housekeeper.
So I got one.
Well, not really.
But kind of.
I can't afford a real housekeeper, but I can afford to pay one of my neighbor kids to come over twice a week and clean for me for one hour.
So that's what I've been doing, and it has helped so much.
Kay, my "housekeeper," takes care of some of the little things I can never tackle - like dusting the piano, cleaning the windows, and putting clothes on hangers. She can do in an hour what I take all day to do amidst taking care of children. Plus, since I know she's coming, I have a standard of cleanliness I want my house to reach before Kay gets here, so I'm more motivated to keep up on the cleaning.
So, in a way, I've chosen "maid" for now.
Which would you choose? Maid, nanny, or cook? Do tell!
I also chose " maid". I have a housekeeper come once a week and clean the common areas of the house. I love her, she has almost become like family!
ReplyDeleteI've also contemplated this many times . . . and come to the conclusion that I need not choose just one! I say a "housekeeper" would be the best choice! A housekeeper could do whichever of the three is most pressing at the moment, you know?!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I chose a maid. Mine comes for two hours every other week and does the cleaning that I never get to. Cooks are harder to come by . . . I actually think I'd appreciate what a cook does the most.
Now to come back to earth from my fantasy world . . . LOL
If I could have someone plan, shop for and cook healthy meals without any processed junk...that would be amazing. A maid comes in second.
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids so I'll subsitute nanny with dog walker. But, I'd totally go with a maid. I actually enjoy cooking but my house gets dirty fast with two dogs.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome post. I love that you've hired a neighbor kid to help with some of your cleaning.
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids, so I don't need a nanny. I dream most often about having someone to cook for me. I love to cook, but it's tiring to have to do it every single day. But really, I think I'd go for a maid/housekeeper. I get some satisfaction out of cleaning, but I think I get more satisfaction out of having a clean house, not necessarily doing the cleaning.
Maid. For sure. I'm 26 weeks pregnant and have 4 darling girls already, and while they will tidy up when directed, it would be AWESOME to have someone come and just do it. No nagging. No overseeing the project (love love love the hubs, and he helps out when he's in town, but why can he load the dishwasher but not wipe off the counters??? It is an unsolved mystery). It just would get done by someone who isn't me. Heaven.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd choose a cook. I dread fixing meals, especially because they never seem to taste as good after all the prep work. Really, though, I would just be happy with dinner taken care of. Although, I usually get Sunday dinner made for me by my mother, once a month my mother-in-law, and eat at my grandparents once during the week too.
ReplyDeleteMother's helper.
ReplyDeleteMaid.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, I have heard from multiple sources that hiring someone to help with the heavy lifting when it comes to housework is one of the top things one can do to improve the relationship with your spouse. So...there's that.
(Not that I think you or I need marital help, but it's nice to know, you know?)
xox
A maid to dust the house and clean the bathrooms. I have always hated dusting since I was little. I used to love cleaning the bathrooms (when it was once a week and stayed pretty clean) but with 3 boys, no thank you anymore.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATS on hiring someone!! Now you can tell people "Oh, I'll just have the help pick that up." Very classy. And very wise of you to know what you needed and for following through with it.
ReplyDeleteMy gut says it would be a maid. But reading Kayla's comment made me think that if I just had someone around to cook meals for my family it would free up SO MUCH OF MY TIME in the evenings which I could spend cleaning. Except I would probably spend that time playing Legos with the boys. Let's be honest.
Back when I served in YW I hired one of the YW to come and clean for an hour before mutual each week. She did it for two weeks. She was HORRIBLE and I felt like I had to spend more time fixing her mistakes. Come to find out, she had never cleaned a bathroom. WHAT CHILD OF A SINGLE MOM HAS NEVER CLEANED A BATHROOM? (Her mom was doing her a disservice, in my opinion.) After that happened I was sort of soured on the idea of hiring another girl from the ward. How did you choose who you hired? And how do you feel about what you pay her? Are you both happy with it? (I ask because I might try this again.)
Also, did I tell you that I'm going to part time at my job at the end of the school year?? HOORAY. I keep telling myself (and Ken) that it will give me more time to clean, etc. But I'm pretty sure I'll be just as behind and I'll spend my extra time at home with the boys.
This has become more of an e-mail to you rather then a comment. I should close now.
Oh my heck this is hilarious. I seriously just almost bought a groupon for a maid service but this is so much more genious. I love cooking and I would prefer I be the one to rear? (that's an awful word) my children; but oh how I covet someone to clean my bathrooms and mop my floor. That would be amazing.
ReplyDeleteWe have a housecleaner who comes every other week and I ADORE HER. She scrubs down the inside of my microwave, for pete sake.
ReplyDeleteBut if money wasn't an issue, having a cook would be so, so fabulous. Tasty meals are my love language.
I have always enjoyed cleaning, (which you wouldn't assume by looking at my house) but at this stage of my life I feel resentful much of the time to how consuming it is to keep a home clean with lots of littles around. I feel like it cuts into the time i could be spending playing, teaching, and cooking with those littles. So I would choose maid. Hands down.
ReplyDelete