i've got it maid!

I've had this part of a poem recited to me many a time:

So quiet down, cobwebs.
Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

When I hear that, the only thing that comes to my mind is...seriously, how long you gonna leave those cobwebs laying around?

I like a clean house...no I LOVE a clean house. It makes me happy. It is essential to my sanity. As a matter of fact, I didn't realize that I was a "clean freak" until I started really comparing myself to the people around me.

That being said...I have hired a cleaning person. Yes, I am a stay-at-home mom but I don't want to spend every minute cleaning that home in order to get it the way I like it. A clean house is so important to me, that before I hired someone to clean the kitchen and the bathrooms every couple of weeks, I was skipping out on fun activities with my daughters to get it done. And the whole point of staying home with my kids is to be there for them and accumulate quality time and memories. Right?

I would find myself wanting to go somewhere fun or play a game with the girls with a mess staring me in the face, so I would feel I had to do the cleaning first, and the fun never came. I also like to organize, so there would be things that I would love to spend some time getting in order -- but would feel I should scrub the tubs and toilets or mop the kitchen floor first. So the things I WANTED to tidy up, never got the attention.

So now I do the simple day-to-day clean-up myself - vacuuming, dusting, windexing - that's the easy stuff in my book. And I leave the mopping, shower scrubbing, toilet cleaning and stove polishing to the professionals. Because those are the chores I hated. I'll gladly give up those duties to go to the zoo, play memory for the zillionth time or read story books to the kids.

I realize how very lucky I am to be able to shell out some cash to get things done that most people believe I should be doing myself. But you'd be surprised how many other stay-at-home moms do the the same thing for the same reasons. So I'm done feeling guilty about it. And I'm shouting it loud and proud...I'M A STAY-AT-HOME MOM THAT PAYS SOMEONE TO HELP ME KEEP MY HOUSE CLEAN! So what. I am happier...my kids are happier...and my house is happier. And that's what matters.

Now I just need to find a chef, a chauffeur, a laundry-folder, a bed-maker and someone to follow the girls around picking up toys all day. Know anybody?