On December 31st, in the afternoon right before she left for home, Crazy Maid greeted us happy New Year and said she would be back on January 2. That was the last we ever saw of her. Through her son (who works here, too, cleaning outside and gardening), she informed my mom that she had to take time off to take care of her young pregnant daughter.
Kfine, how do you say no to that, right? I told my mom, though, that this is a good time to adjust to life without Crazy Maid, who has become pretty inefficient, and on some days doesn’t even show up at all (she goes home at the end of each work day, kasi).
So today is officially day 7 of help-lessness, and we’re doing okay. My mom and I are both home-based, and I have no doubts that between the two of us, we can totally manage. Still, I look forward to the day when we finally get a new replacement helper from the province. And promise, I will take it upon myself to train her well. No more Crazy Maids for me, thankyouverymuch.
Over the last 7 days, we did and learned a lot. I think the most exciting of all was doing the laundry for the first time, ever. As in, EVER. The boys and I had been wanting to try out the Coin Laundry shop in BF, and we just went ahead and did it after lunch last Sunday.
I am now officially laundry-obsessed! That’s a good thing, of course, because it’s something that is gonna be part of my regular routine from now on. I’m extra excited about mixing and matching detergents and fabric conditioners til I find what works for us hahaha. Actually, I went a little nuts shopping for laundry soap at the supermarket the other day, and I now have enough to last me til next month.
I’ve also started experimenting with cleaning products, and am still fussing over our bathroom. I need that place to stay clean and nice-smelling all the time. I know that you guys who live with boys know how tough that can be. But so far, so good, our bathroom hasn’t been yucky since the start of the year.
Washing dishes, folding and putting away clean clothes, wiping tables and counter tops, and cooking – that’s basically what’s been up in my 2015 world so far. Lucky for me, MrC was trained well by his mom and dad, and is pretty handy when it comes to cleaning up around the house. Oh, and I’ve gotten the kiddo to start doing chores, too. He is in charge of refilling our empty water bottles and putting them back in the refrigerator. I told him that this would earn him 20 minutes of gadget time for every bottle, and he now has a tally of daily refills taped to our bathroom door.
The challenge for me is how I can manage my work schedule alongside all of the new chores I have on my list. So far this week, I think I’ve been doing fine. It’s really time for me to learn how to stick to a schedule. And to start using lotion. My hands are getting dryer by the day from all the dish washing.
Okay, off to the laundromat now!
Do you have helpers at home? Which chores do you do yourself?
Buy dishwashing gloves for your hands 🙂
I could say Job well done. It’s always an adventure when going to the grocery with kids and family.
Its a good thing your mom is there to help you, pag nag d-day off si yaya laging ako and good thing talaga home based din ako. Good luck!
Nakaka stress talaga the helpers, crazy or not! Ditto on the lotion! When our help had her vacay, my fingers are cracked talaga. Gloves are good for when you’re brushing the bathroom walls and floor, but with dishes, I want to be able to feel the plates for remnants of food. Hehe!
I know what you mean, Ceemee! I need to be able to feel that the plates and utensils are clean. Still on the hunt for the cutest gloves ever for bathroom cleaning hahaha.
I understand how tough it can be to balance the house work and your own stuff without the help. It’s hectic! Anyway, it’s good to see that you are handling things just fine.
That explains why you were so excited about the cleaning products!! I saw that on Instagram and I wondered why. I always buy household cleaning products because I don’t have a maid (to avoid the crazy ones..hehehe). I just get excited when I get them on sale.
Mom and I were just talking about how life is much quieter and calmer now that crazy maid is gone hahaha! Grabe, domestication 101 ako talaga now.
You’re growing up, Patty! Congratulations! Haha! If I can do it, so can you. 🙂 Good luck! And yes, to lotion. Your hands will need lots of it. 🙂
I knowwwww! I’m a big girl now hahaha!
I think having no help would be a good chance to give the kids some chores. It would help them to be responsible growing up.
That’s so true. I grew up in a home with maids all the time, so I only learned to do chores now that I’m older. I want my kid starting early.
Hi Patty! I have been doing almost all house errands by myself for more than a year now. Oh well, they say people come and go, like those maids who came and left me nightmares. After I resigned from work, I decided to call the devious maid games quit. After 18 years of being an office girl, I am now a full-time mom. It was pretty tough though at first. Imagine a life with 3 boys and a diva daughter, OMG my sanity was almost breaking away. I am still lucky though to have a supportive husband who helps me delegate responsibilities to my grown ups, takes me to a spa or massage on a weekend. Thanks also for the innovations that help my every sunrise and sunset lighter, without those auto household machines, I’ll be a walking dead.
we had the same experience last holidays…but sometimes things happen for a reason. While not having some house helpers last month, I noticed that kids at home learn to do some chores and they become more responsible,
Hi, Patty! Why don’t you come up with a schedule of all your household chores for the week and even month so you can manage your work-house-mommy-wife duties without going crazy? Post in on your fridge for your whole family to see. Like you don’t have to dust the living room everyday or do general cleaning everyday, right? And make this your number 1 house rule: Clean as you go! 😉 That will make life for everybody so much easier 🙂
I can relate, Patricia! Help-less but not helpless… it’s the holidays I guess! I have one piece of advice for you… gloves! Get gloves for washing the dishes 😀
Oh my gosh oo nga! Now to go look for cute ones. 😀
Hi cuz
Hey, cuz! 😀
There’s a coin Laundromat in BF? huhuhuhu that is so nice!!!
Our helpers and staff went on holiday too for a week and it was just the 4 of us at home. I was about to go cuckoobananas on the 4th day because the floors were starting to be dirty and sticky even after mopping it.
When I think about it, it’s sad that I became too dependent on my helper and yaya when it comes to running the house. With work and business and now a baby, my hands are in multiple directions all at once.
I wonder why you call her crazy maid. Lol. Anyway, it’s great that you were able to go about your day and able to manage the house without the help. Enjoy it as much as you can until you get a new maid. 🙂
I call her that coz she drives me crazy hehe! And oddly yes, I’m enjoying doing these chores… So far. 😀