"How you manage-ah, without a maid?"
This is a frequent question I get when people discover I take care of 3 kids (aged 2, 4 and 6) and a house without the help of a maid.
I smile and say, "CAOF : Take care of those that can cry first."
If you're wondering, CAOF is Cry-Able Ones First. Kids can cry, so take care of them first. Dirty dishes and laundry don't cry, overgrown grass don't cry, crumpled clothes don't cry... you get the idea. These will be done after the kids are settled and when I have time for them. (The longest I've left dirty dishes was until the next morning. I had to wake up early to wash them.)
Once my hubby asked me why the living room was in a mess. "The kids-lah, who else made the mess." "Why didn't you clean in up?" My answer was, "I can cry, too, you know." It had been a particularly long day.
Yes, I am also one that can cry. So, I rate my sanity above housework. Wouldn't you? Take care of the caregiver so that she's able to give care to others :) I'll tell you more about this in my next post.
"Why torture yourself?" you ask. " Get a maid." Well, I'm proud to say that I'm "maid-less" by choice. A few reasons: save $$$; privacy in my own home (ie no need to worry about leaving valuables carelessly about); I don't want to feel helpless when maid leave; and most of all, hubby and I are not entirely comfortable with the idea of a stranger's influence on the kids. They do drive me to hell and back but I love them and they'll only be young once.
As for my personal time, 2 am in morning, when my little girl takes her nap (like now), ... that's it. Sometimes my little girl participates in my bath, be an audience when I use the toilet (I'm not kidding). So, this blog is sorta like an escape for me, when I can entirely be away from them... well, not entirely, since I'll write about them, hehe!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
hi..thanks for dropping by my blog...
i just got a maid, more of assisting my MIL.
when there was no maid, i used to do the same too. i have 3..all 1.5 years apart! 4.5, 3 n 1.5! hehe.
now with the maid, yes no more privacy but with a MIL around, we have no privacy too, so it does not make much different. I can sleep more and blog more and leave comment here. :)
In His Time
silver, now I can guess who you are. I tot about you yesterday, but based on your earlier post alone, I tot you only had a girl, so dismissed the thought. Now, confirmed liao! ;)
You are a great mom.
You sacrifice a lot for your kids. You might not want to call it a sacrifice because you love them so much, but in our eyes these are sacrifices you made.
I am touched by this sentense in your post:
"They do drive me to hell and back but I love them and they'll only be young once."
I believe that's the motivation...
Hi, Suzette. Thanks for the vote of confidence :) I wouldn't have been able to do it without a supportive hubby.
I think you are much better than me cos you have no maid whereas I have one. My children are aged 2,4,6 like yours too. So, I guess we have many things to discuss in future.
Michelle, you're braver than me! One kid hardly walking and you were pregnant! I didn't want to run after a newly-walking toddler when I was heavily pregnant. That's why I wanted a gap of at least 3 years. I'm also grateful that it turned out that way :)
Jo-N, having a maid leaves you more time to blog, hehe! You're right, we will have many things to discuss in future cos I'd love to learn a few trick from you :)
Post a Comment