tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868043333703483044.post7182474272907688726..comments2023-10-04T01:56:18.484-07:00Comments on The Little Things: HousecleaningAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16540136429022445258noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868043333703483044.post-48346212583426846552010-03-26T10:36:12.000-07:002010-03-26T10:36:12.000-07:00As I type this, my housekeeper is turning my kitch...As I type this, my housekeeper is turning my kitchen from a terrible mess into a clean oasis. We have her come every other week--we used to have a weekly cleaning, like Diana, and it was a wonderful luxury! <br><br>We decided to cut back on that a year ago, though. My favorite thing about having a housekeeper is just what you touched on: it removes the stress I used to feel when I looked at a mess. It was always such a weight on my shoulders to know that I would have to get around to cleaning that up, and it put me in a very bad mood much of the time. It also distracted me from my work; since I work from home, I would get angry and frustrated when walking around my house and seeing messes during the workday and want to clean them up. Now, I can look at them and remind myself that the housekeeper is coming to make everything right in X days.<br><br>I admit I usually don't find the time for an off-week clean, and I probably won't be finding it in the near future with a baby on the way. I just let my house go in between cleanings (to an extent; we try to tidy up nightly and we do wipe kitchen counters a few times a week, but I don't even bother with the dog hair), and if I need a cleaning on an off-week (if I am expecting company, for example), we have agreed that the cost of one extra cleaning is worth the time I'd spend fixing everything up myself.<br><br>I don't even consider it a luxury anymore. There are several line items I'd reduce or totally cut from my budget before I would give up the housekeeper!Torinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868043333703483044.post-51416658436191433052010-03-26T10:37:53.000-07:002010-03-26T10:37:53.000-07:00PS. I feel the same way about my lawn guy in the s...PS. I feel the same way about my lawn guy in the summer. What a lifesaver he is.Torinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868043333703483044.post-56851397418757765442010-03-23T12:04:27.000-07:002010-03-23T12:04:27.000-07:00Diana, that makes me think of a question to ask yo...Diana, that makes me think of a question to ask you on formspring.Amyhttp://www.amymossoff.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868043333703483044.post-29877644783471599182010-03-23T13:02:15.000-07:002010-03-23T13:02:15.000-07:00Ha, so you were the naughty one! I just answered ...Ha, so you were the naughty one! I just answered it. <br><br>http://www.formspring.me/DianaHsiehDiana Hsiehhttp://www.dianahsieh.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868043333703483044.post-57259956809989104902010-03-26T13:35:24.000-07:002010-03-26T13:35:24.000-07:00Tori, you're right that the last thing you'...Tori, you're right that the last thing you'll want to do when you have the baby is to clean. When I had Sam, we were not in a financial position to have any professional cleaning and Adam and I shared the work. But after a month or two of hell, I hired someone twice a month for the first time ever. I didn't care if we went bankrupt!<br><br>I'm so glad someone understands the reboot!Amyhttp://www.amymossoff.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2868043333703483044.post-86787978703796680842010-03-23T08:27:43.000-07:002010-03-23T08:27:43.000-07:00I'm a terrible housekeeper. It's hard eno...I'm a terrible housekeeper. It's hard enough for me to take the time to clean up my own daily messes, let alone to set aside a few hours each week for a dusting, vacuuming, etc. That was a huge burden for me... and so back when we lived in California, I hired a house cleaner to come every two weeks. I'd do some touch-up cleaning in the off weeks.<br><br>However, once I got seriously busy with graduate school -- and we had the two dogs, two cats, mud from the barn, and so on -- even that off-week clean was more than I could tolerate. And two weeks of mess really piles up. <br><br>So now we have the housecleaners come every week. It's a huge luxury, I know, but wow, I'd so rather have that than a fancy car or jewelry or whatnot. (We do use a really great service -- and they're quite cheap too.)<br><br>I figure that -- as Ellis Wyatt says in the valley -- I'm buying my own time, so that I can spend it doing projects that I love. That's worth the expense!Diana Hsiehhttp://www.dianahsieh.com/blognoreply@blogger.com