Housekeepers for Homemakers

The other day, we visited some family. Their home was immaculate (duh, she had guests coming, who doesn't clean!?!), but not only that, it seemed kept up, and well organized. My husband commented on how nice it would be if our home were that organized still (we were pre-child neat freaks). He marveled that they had three children, yet still had "neat freak" status. Anyhow, after staying with them for a few days, I pointed out that she cleaned and organized while her children were at school, and when they weren't at school, they were either outside or at soccer practice (hence, not messing up the place!). Anyhow, I told him our house would be that clean as soon as our children were in school. Then it dawned on him that they won't be...unless we decide Not to homeschool, which he is strongly for. Anyhow, I pointed out to him that a house keeper would be cheaper than a private school, and therefore I could focus my efforts better on schooling the children at home. At this point in time, we can't afford it, but feel that perhaps in the future (when he's not a graduate student while I stay home). We also hope to find creative avenues for housekeeping, such as helping a student pay for college by hiring them as the keeper, as someone gave me that opportunity and I was extremely grateful.

Anyhow, my thrilled-ness was that it didn't take a lot of cajoling to get him to agree!

For me hiring a housekeeper isn't as big a deal as hiring a gardener. I've slowly been replacing the grass with other less needy things, but we keep some grass for the girls to play in and to appease the neighbors. I don't have the time to mow or the strength to mow the hillsides which is what most of our yard is. DH hates yardwork so it was left to me. There is nothing that gives me as much joy as Wednesday morning at 8:30 when the truck pulls up and the guys get out. By 8:45 my yard looks great and I didn't have to do a darn thing!

If you are looking to hire a housekeeper, I'd like to suggest you hire a person rather than a service. After reading Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed" I was shocked!! at how those services work. I worked as a housekeeper for a number of years, but never with a service. I always cleaned my houses as though I was cleaning my own home. Not so with the services Ehrenreich worked for. Their cleaning practices disgusted me. Plus, hiring a person usually costs less than a service and she gets to keep more of the money. I'm sure there are very good, very reputable services out there, but I must admit I'm very wary now.

Hello!

I had an idea while reading your article. Those moms who do stay at home and are physically able why not share the housekeeping? With other SAHMs or those who are not. This way those mothers will have some time to talk to an adult and have fun cleaning. Make it a cleaning party! Put some fun music on and dance while working! Then trade off with the mom who helped you clean that week. Go help her clean her house. This would also get the kids out of the house for some good playtime fun with other kids or become an opportunity to teach them the importance of cleaning, once they discover just how fun it can be.

Just a thought!
Spirrah

We could never afford someone to come and do a bit of housework each week while our children were growing up, but in hindsight it would have taken the strain and pressure of our marriage... We homeschooled our children which meant I was not only keeping house, but raising and teaching the children 24/7! There was a lot of chore sharing and to be honest, chores and housekeeping are packed with learning across the curriculum, so we wouldn't have wanted someone to do all of the housework for us! I could never keep on top of all the jobs that needed to be done and we simply had to lower our standards... This could have been avoided if we'd been smart enough to set aside the money we spent on hiring movies, buying chocolate and the odd bottle of wine to subdue our worries, on two hours of housekeeping a week. Thanks for the idea - I'll pass it on.
cheers
Beverley
http://homeschoolaustralia.com