If all you knew of me was this blog, you might be surprised to find that I have a 'housekeeper'. Anybody who waxes poetic, as I do, about the mundane tasks of the domestic arts (a full clothesline makes me weep with joy!) surely could not abide employing outside help!
Yep. And don't call me Shirley. haha!
Luz comes every Friday and she does all the things I don't love doing. The bathrooms, the mopping, cleaning our stove and hood, the microwave, dusting. Oh, that's a lot! She's wonderful. She brings me enchiladas and tamales and her friend Lupe sent me the best papusas I've ever eaten, outside of a papuseria in Oaxaca, Mexico.
It's easy for me to make the decision to keep her services, even though as a line-item in our monthly budget she comes right after mortgage and preschool. In the spring, I thought maybe I'd cut back to twice a month, instead of weekly, but...actually, I didn't do it because somebody else cut her back to twice a month, and I am a total sucker just didn't have the heart. Plus...I love her!
When I'm not working outside the home, Luz comes over and we work together. She also loves to garden....loves it!...and she always spends extra (unpaid) time hanging out and working the gardens. She knows a lot and I learn so much by osmosis. She even comes over when she's not working to get veggies for her and her friends. We'll also wash the car when we're together.
The fact is, we're so productive, it sort of proves my only-half-kidding belief that, I don't care who you are, everybody needs a wife. It's amazing how much easier life is with one! Just ask Erik. :)
Anyway, if you can swing it, and you find somebody as wonderful as Luz, I recommend hiring some help. Heartily. Not only because it frees up your time to putter around and do the things you love (like laundry...I'm weird...or making beds) and learn new things (like canning and quilting) and make things for the people you love (like knitted Kings and Queens), but also because chances are, anybody who cleans for living will have some wonderful, awesome quirks that will make you happy.
Like this one. Every time Luz comes when I'm at work, I come home to find some little surprise like this ~ a pile of tomatoes I left on the counter is rearranged into a careful ring. Or, the lotions and mascaras and lipstick tubes that littered the bathroom counters are commandeered into a smart little army of straight lines.
It just tickles me so!
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I would LOVE to have someone to help out around the house. Good for you! La
ReplyDeleteyour luz sounds wonderful. i want tamales and enchiladas!!!!!!
ReplyDeletei too have a helper who comes 2 times a month. for a few hours. i am thinking about having her come every week. she is very nice but has, as i like to call it, a heavy hand. she always breaks something. but i still like her.
(glad to see you coming back)
xo
La ~ It IS so wonderful! It's funny, because me and the kids, we still have "chores"... sometimes, mostly with Tommy who is older, I'll tell him to put clothes or toys away or take out the garbage and he'll say, "Luz is coming." Oh, honey, NO. She's so awesome though, she totally doesn't let the kids get away with that!
ReplyDeleteMichelle ~ Tell me about it, they are heavenly! Heavy hand, that's so perfect! Luz once broke something, it was the little blown glass wall vase in the bathroom. She took it home and super glued it! haha!! She's so cute!