I'm right on the edge of giving in. Nearly everyone (okay, every female) I work with has been talking about how it has changed their lives. We are not really in a position to do this. But, like I said, I'm about ready to cave.
I think I need a cleaning service.
I always thought that by the time I actually reached the point in my life that I was able to pay someone else to clean my house, I had arrived.
Well, I definitely have NOT arrived. But I still need the cleaning lady.
Some of you may wonder at this. After all, doesn't Hubster stay home? The answer to that is...yes.
I think I need to go back a little bit.
Hubster was the oldest of a large family...of boys. He and his mother will admit that he was sent into the world with practically no domestic skills. Okay, not practically no domestic skills. Just absolutely no domestic skills.
Seven years of bachelorhood did not promote any self-education in the area.
When I married him, he could build a house from scratch, fix a car, and change the motherboard in a computer. But clean a window, sort laundry, or boil water...not so much.
During medical school, we were both very busy. Between my long study hours and Hubster's full time job and part time classes, and the boys, anything domestic was low on the priority list.
I remember studying late into the night for neuroanatomy finals. I looked up the study area across the hall to see one of my classmates. His wife had brought him dinner for him to eat while he studied. She had also brought their pajamaed children up to the campus to kiss him goodnight.
It was at this moment that I had a revelation.
I needed a wife. Someone to cook and clean for me.
Hubster is an amazing husband. He is supportive, hardworking, dedicated, loving, handy, and able to open pickle jars. Hubster is an amazing husband.
But he is a terrible wife.
The last 9 months have expanded his skill list. He is now nearly proficient at laundry sorting and doing. He can scramble eggs and make a casserole. He is an amazing father. He takes great care of the kids.
But the house...not so much. Don't even get me started as too why this might be. I could go on for a very long time. But that's beside the point.
And this brings me back to my first point.
I need a cleaning service.
Someone needs to clean the bathrooms, the windows, and the baseboards. And it doesn't look like it's going to be anyone living here.
Time to put the boys to work I say ;) I feel the same way all the time- Cam and I are both the messy type and we have passed that on to our kids OOPS! Sometimes I look around the house and wonder how much it would really cost to get someone to come in and just clean and organize for me. I think it might be worth not eating for a week or two to have a perfectly clean house. I also try to convince myself that if someone got my house perfect I could maintain it - it is all the backlog of undone chores that kills me..... But I have a new system which I have been at for a whole week- Each day is assigned a room or chore to perform that day. I have no time limit or goal of how much to get done on that chore I just have to work on it. So far so good my house is a lot cleaner than it was last week. We'll see how it goes.....
ReplyDeleteYou amaze me. I can't believe that you have time to maintain a blog, let alone a household, with your busy lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for confirmation that you need a cleaning lady, then the answer is HELL YES. You won't regret it. Plus, you can set things up so that it works for you, your schedule, and your financial needs. Maybe she just comes over once or twice a month, but the important thing is that she is visiting and helping you out.
You won't regret it!
I remember thinking (long ago before marriage and kids) that I would NEVER want someone else to come into my home and clean. I think I may have had issues re privacy and cleaning or something. Ha! What I wouldn't do now for some help. I can guarantee you that when I start working outside the home again, a cleaning service will be #1 on my list of phone calls to make.
ReplyDeleteI know soooo many people who use cleaning services, and I'm not talking about wealthy lords of states. I have one friend on a VERY tight budget, but a clean home is a priority for her and her husband (they both work, have 3 kids, and a very small home that gets messy quick) so they use a cleaning service twice a month.
You gotta do what you gotta do. But maybe if you tell your husband just how sexy it is when he cleans the baseboards, things might turn around. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything. Ahem. ;)
ReplyDeleteI remember trying hired help for the first time. It was for two hours. I felt like I should have paid a bonus, because home was like I wanted it to be, in a magical amount of time, and I hadn't neglected the kids! It felt like a miracle, and no, we couldn't afford it. Sometimes it needs to happen even if its affordable only twice a year or two months on two off. Even stay at home people get overwhelmed. This is as important to your sense of well being as safety belts and good tires. You are not giving in, you are saying yes! Yes, we can breathe more freely, less stressed. Yes, we can loose any anxiety that hubster or mom are somehow not doing enough.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing the right kinds of things. So say,YES!
You don't have to contract. Try it one time, or two, then call if you decide to try it again. Oh and have the amazing, supportive hubster follow around and make sure its done right the first few times. Can't afford to pay for what doesn't happen. (It can't hurt to see how its done right. Right?)
Do it. The house will feel less chaotic and no one will have to be frustrated at anyone else over a dirty bathroom.
ReplyDeleteI've contemplated this myself for a while, as I too need a wife! Keep us posted on how it goes!
ReplyDeleteGet a cleaning person! I've had one for a few years, and it is worth every penny.
ReplyDelete