Finally, a tidy house…

After two years of slogging it out as enjoying life as a stay at home Mum, I decided the time had come for me to return to the (paid) workforce. (See Universe, are you trying to tell me something?)

Then, after cleverly securing an excellent child care solution, I procrastinated for months until it became so close to the end of the year (August) that waiting until the New Year to start the job search seemed the only logical solution. (I may look back on the second half of 2012 as though it were a wonderful dream…)

Anyway, by pure good fortune (and the generosity of a lovely friend of mine who happened to talk me up to her work colleague at an opportune time) not only did I secure myself a job just in time for the dawn of the new year, I also had a further month to enjoy the knowledge that I had a job, without having to actually do the job. Nirvana.

During this time, Hubby and I agreed that with him working interstate three days a week and me now working for four, some form of outside help might be useful in order for us to maintain a happy existence.

We identified a good nanny agency and set about engaging them to help us find someone who could do school and child care pick up duties as well as organise bath-time and the kids’ dinner – all that night-time stuff.

But then one day while out grocery shopping I had an epiphany…

I like all that stuff! What I don’t like is the other stuff. Somehow dinner doesn’t feel as relaxing when we’re sitting among a three week old pile of folding. Bath-time isn’t quite the same when I’m too preoccupied with the state of the bathroom to focus on blowing bubbles with the soap (I excel in this area and I don’t mind saying so). We didn’t need a nanny, I thought…. We needed a HOUSEKEEPER!!

I rushed back home to share my insight with Hubby. It took me a while to talk him around. I had to convince myself as well. It seemed so decadent, luxurious, ridiculous even. Still, we mustn’t have struggled with the concept that badly since two days later we had hired someone. She started last Tuesday and is to come three hours a day, four days a week.

Today was my fifth day on the job. So far I am enjoying it. The people seem nice, the work should be interesting, and I have a lovely office with a nice big window (overlooking a swamp, to be sure, but you can’t have everything…).

More importantly, I am really enjoying having a housekeeper. Coming home to a clean house, dinner waiting in the fridge, the washing folded and put away… Let’s just say – before, I thought I needed the housekeeper so I could do the job. Now I realise I needed the job so I could have the housekeeper.

Looking back, it seems so obvious…

Photo credit: Loungerie via Photopin