when i tell people that i have a housekeeper, it's not uncommon for them to say the following things:
are you freaking kidding me?
no way!!!! how much do you pay her?
serious??? my husband would NEVER let me do that!!
i hate you.
are you judging me yet? most of you already know i have a housekeeper, but in the off chance that some stranger stops by here, i want them to know that I HAVE A HOUSEKEEPER. and? it is THE BEST THING EVER. i want to make one thing clear: for the most part, i don't mind doing housework. i enjoy having a clean house. i do hate laundry. but i think everyone does, right?
the kicker? i work about 50-60 hours a week at a job that most people wouldn't be able to handle. i know this because i am pretty sure i got the job only because no one else wanted it. ha HA! but seriously. it's stressful. i love it and i'm grateful for it every single day, but it takes up a significant amount of my time. cleaning my own house would just be ONE MORE THING i have to do. i still cook dinner regularly. cooking is love.
i work because i can't imagine NOT working. i never ever expected to be a stay at home mom. i love SAHM's and sometimes i envy them. they probably envy me. i work for a few reasons: i enjoy it; i need to make my own way (i cannot be dependent on a man. it's not in my nature), and i like shopping. oh, and that pesky mortgage.
back to the housekeeper. have i mentioned that i love her?
i literally have nightmares that she will quit. that someday, i will have to dust my own shelves. mop my own floors. scrub my own toilets. and FINISH MY OWN LAUNDRY. oh! the horror!!!!!!! i told her she had to give me six months notice if she ever quits. she laughed. i was like, no, i'm serious. this isn't a a joke.
for those of you who do not work outside of the home, i can see that it might be very hard to justify having a housekeeper. but for those of you who do, you are nuts if you don't find a way to fit this into your budget. it costs me less than $200 a month to have my house cleaned once a week. i come home every tuesday to a house that smells like cleanliness and pine sol. she catches me up on laundry if i'm behind. (i say "if" like it doesn't happen very often. HA HA HAAAAAAA.) it is the best feeling in the whole world to come home to a clean house.
having a housekeeper makes me a better mom. a better wife. a better person. i don't resent my husband for not helping around the house. i don't hate my kids for wrecking the house after i spent 5 hours scrubbing, mopping and dusting. i don't mind doing the other things that make my household tick. i have time on the weekends to enjoy my family, instead of spending the time cleaning. i can enjoy my kids' activities without having to worry about doing household chores when i get home.
my kids still have chores. they still have to clean their own rooms. the housekeeper only vacuums their rooms. they still have to put clothes away, hang up their towels, empty the dishwasher, take out the trash, etc. they still have to help.
i'm not totally lazy. that's my story and i'm sticking to it, anyway.
best. thing. ever.
now. i'm off to find a stash of chocolate. or wine. or both?
