DT for Wednesday June 9

Hi everyone! Today is my day off from work & I've got lots to do! I just thought I'd take a quick break from my day & visit everyone!

After the crazy week, I have found myself loaded down with dirty laundry (probably 10 loads!), dirty dishes scattered around the house, dust bunnies the size of Tiki....pretty much an overall mess! I definitely have my work cut out for me today! Once I get all of that accomplished, then I'm off to do some grocery shopping & paying bills. YUCK! It's gotta be done...but at this point, I wish I had a maid! Speaking of maids, I just happened to look at my lease for my apartment the other day & they offer cleaning services. At first it sounded like a great thing UNTIL I read the amount they charge! OMG...$150 PER WEEK! I don't know who in the world could afford that rate, but obviously someone can or they wouldn't offer it. Looks like I'm stuck cleaning it all by myself! It was worth a try, huh?

Well, that's about all for my day. How's everyone else's day going so far? Great I hope!

What does Maid Brigade charge? My wife has expressed interest there as well. Aren't you women supposed to do housework anyway? Don't hit me!

I'm a busy stay at home single mom of a disabled child...and I find that my apt is even worse NOW than it was when I wasn't working from home! I have so much laundry to do that we're in danger of going naked and due to the water situation in our area right now (no outside water and our laundry facilities have been turned off), it is just piling up. I'm wondering whose bright idea it was to save all the sewer and water pipe replacing till June. I guess it's time to start washing by hand in the tub

I have looked into Maid brigade and Merry Maids and they're too expensive for what they do, that's for sure. I could hire an illegal, but...well...I can't. I couldn't live with myself. I'd be too inclined to overpay, I think, and I'd be a contributer to the problem. So I just give up sometimes and let the place go all the He** and don't invite anyone in

Besides, my babies think that piles of laundry are very fun to play and sleep in

Yes we are! It means doing the dishes, go clean the toilet, come back and do more dishes (they got in the sink by themselves while I was doing the toilet), pick up the wrappers from the snacks in the living/family room and put them in the garbage, do the dishes that are again in the sink (or put them in the dishwasher in the cabinet below the counter where the dirty dishes are currently sitting, etc. etc. etc. I'm actually thinking a setting up a course on how to open a dishwasher door! It seems to be fairly difficult for some folks, usually men and young persons. LOL

OMG!! I thought this dishwasher thing was just a disability particular to MY family passed on through genetics!! Yours has it, too??? I remember when my mother finally got my dad to bring the dishes to the sink (or the counter) and she would say, "You've already brought it this far, you can't lean over and put it the rest of the way into the dishwasher?" He looked at her like she was speaking Swahili. My brothers are the same. Well...now that they're married, I don't really know. Maybe their wives have whipped them into shape What an odd thing, this inability to lean over and put the dish into the dishwasher...or EMPTY IT!!

I clean the toilet every night because my daughter has a medical procedure every night and she must sit there for an hour. It's a terrible mess when she's done (her colon doesn't work). So I have the cleanest toilet in the west.

The snack wrappers multiply like rabbits on their own. The shreds of paper from the cat who likes to rabbit kick every bit of paper he can get his claws on are all over the place. My daughter needs her sheets changed every 3 days or so. I have a nurse that comes every Tuesday who in 10 years hasn't ever learned how to even RINSE a dish (but I love her to death, so what can ya do?). Of course, then there is the cat hair everywhere. And the dust that flies in from the railroad track (I dust and it literally covers everything again within about 12 hours). Then the fingerprints on everything. The stuffed animals all over the place from the cat or the kid dragging them around.

Ah, the life of a wife and or mother is great, eh?

But I wouldn't trade it for anything

This is Catfolks
PLEASE DON'T lump all of us men in the same boat. I happen to 95% of all the cooking
and dishwasing so just show them how to stick them in the dishwasher and turn it on.
A man is smart enough to do if he WILL.
About the maid, check the local paper, we had a local lady to come in every two weeks
and clean, she only charged us $30 to clean 2 baths,kit., LR and bedroom.

Cindy's two cents on the subject: Charlie didn't tell you that he also cleans house, does laundry and empties litterboxes too, w/o being told that it needs to be done........and don't tell me I'm not lucky? He's right about the maid though, around here there are a lot of individuals who clean, you just need to check their references and maybe sign a contract of some sort that if anything is broken or stolen she's responsible for it......just a thought.

So true. I have it down to - I don't fix cars, change oil, tires, or mow lawns and he doesn't cook, clean, etc.

By the way, I found I had to dust about every 24 hours when we lived in our last house - (moved to this house on March 12 this year) - as we had train track behind us too. I started using the Swiffer duster and I couldn't believe how good it was (and easy too). The dust seemed to stay away longer - perhaps because I wasn't actually just moving it around and was picking it up on the swiffer.

I'm not really complaining either - my husband is not a lazy man, he is always busy working on something to improve our home or our cars and our life in general. After 27 years with him he is still my "Dutch treat!".

Well, my day is going alright. It's Wednesday, so that means I have 2 more days after today until we go out of town to see my in-laws!

We got our electricity back on Monday afternoon, but I was so exhausted from the heat...I couldn't function properly here at work until yesterday and I have been swamped!

I work at a real estate company, and we have agents that hold open houses during lunch and I went to one...and they had the cutest red tabby I have ever seen in my life...she was following me every where!! My co-worker said I won't look, if you want to take her home!! Hehe..I wish--Mittens would just love that! She had 4 white paws like him too!!

As soon as I get my life back together this week, I will be online a little more Hope everyone has a great day!


Shell--I work for a friend of mine once a week, and I do everything for her and she pays me $40. I am very happy with that--ask a friend or a co-worker if they would like to pick up a few extra dollars and help you out! I am sure they will help you well and you can spend your days off relaxing instead of slaving away at laundry, etc....

I'd like to know where all the cat litter comes from. I find bits of litter all over the house, they must carry it about in their toes. I am forever sweeping cat litter. I am beginning to think that perhaps I put too much litter in the trays.

It might be worth a little local research for a maid outfit -- as opposed to one of the national services. There are tons of those, but the outfit we use is local -- it's a couple that operate it. They employ immigrant couples (the guy does the heavier stuff, the woman the rest), they're bonded, they do great work, and they do our 3-bedroom duplex with finished basement, all the routine stuff, every two weeks, for $75 (Cdn$ -- so, about $55 US).

If we were to sign on today, it would likely be more, because Ken has not increased the rate for years. But I can't see it being as ridiculous as the numbers mentioned above. We've had these folks for a dozen years or more, and wouldn't dream of doing otherwise. For us, both working outside the home, it's now a no-brainer.

Consider checking out the locals -- you might be surprised at what you can find -- not to mention supporting the local entrepreneur!

I could do that Candie, but it just comes down to the fact that I need to be more tidy. I guess I'm just so darn exhausted after each day that I just don't have the energy to do that everyday, but in the long run I exert more energy on my days off because of my "laziness". Plus, I don't think I could handle someone else doing my laundry or cleaning up after my mess. I just need to be more strict with myself when it comes to the chores!

Better get back to the grind....chat with ya'll later!

Originally Posted by Shell

I could do that Candie, but it just comes down to the fact that I need to be more tidy. I guess I'm just so darn exhausted after each day that I just don't have the energy to do that everyday, but in the long run I exert more energy on my days off because of my "laziness". Plus, I don't think I could handle someone else doing my laundry or cleaning up after my mess. I just need to be more strict with myself when it comes to the chores!

Better get back to the grind....chat with ya'll later!

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You're not the only one

My DH (I get to use it now Heidi!) always laughs and says...well if you clean her house, she should come over here and clean ours! I don't have any excuses with my house since I find time to do someone elses'...which makes me even more busier. But, it is worth making money for my savings! (if it ever gets into that account!

Originally Posted by Cilla

I'd like to know where all the cat litter comes from. I find bits of litter all over the house, they must carry it about in their toes. I am forever sweeping cat litter. I am beginning to think that perhaps I put too much litter in the trays.

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I don't have that problem with cat litter, but I do with their toys! Everywhere I turned Monday, there was another kitty toy to pick up and put back! I didn't think that they had that many, maybe they're multiplying?

My husband says-wouldn't you rather spend the money that you would pay a cleaning service on something else??? So my house especially in summer cause I am rather an extensive, mad gardener just gets the basic. My husband actually likes when my parents come to visit because he knows I'll clean the house. A couple of tips to get help around the house-1st I bought a front loading washer and new dryer earlier this year. Top of the line Kenmore and you don't really have to worry about sorting laundry, but the best feature so far is a delay timer so I can have a load start washing at 4:30 in the morning I don't hear it cause its quiet and when I get up at 5:30 its already done so I can hang out on clothesline and get another loand done and out before work. 2nd- an Ann Lander's (now Annies mailbox) had a suggestion to give options-honey would you rather scrub toilets, vaccuum, empty dishwasher etc.... which works well or if you are home before significant other be in the process of cleaning bathroom for instance and when spouse asks about supper tell them that you'll get to it after this room/task is done unless they want to pitch in and help!! (haven't tried that one however). A women's work is never done!!

lol I recently told Jason off and since then he's been doing it a lot more often.. I gues it takes me bawling andscreaming and driving in the rain to get him to clean.

It literally took me a week and a half( working also fulltime) to get this house spotless before my Aunt, Uncle and mom showed up. It was HORRIBLE! I never realized how much crap we actually accumulated! but now it's relatively clean and hopefully I can at least maintain it to a point.
Brad doesn't clean much. He doesn't do it right. I asked him to clean and change the cats drinking fountain, well he heard change the filter and that's all he did so I snapped at him that I'd put that on my long list of things to do and he sulked away saying" i was only trying to help". I was thinking about hiring someone to come in twice a month and do things like dusting and vacuming, and mopping the floors. I can do the rest, it's just those things that seem to get pushed back ya know? then when I DO get time to do it, it is a million hour job and by the time I get done, i never want to do it again.
Working 48-50 hours a week and trying to clean this house is hard, and it's only a one story, I can't imagine trying to clean my friends three story house. she basically does it by herself unless she rants and throws a fit them her kids and man will help. But like I said, brad can't clean this house, he doesn't do it right and I have to do it over, and he hates that.(I am OCD for those of you who don't remember) but we basically have an agreement, he does the outside, I do the inside, and it works out fairly well.

Originally Posted by GailC

My husband says-wouldn't you rather spend the money that you would pay a cleaning service on something else??? So my house especially in summer cause I am rather an extensive, mad gardener just gets the basic. My husband actually likes when my parents come to visit because he knows I'll clean the house. A couple of tips to get help around the house-1st I bought a front loading washer and new dryer earlier this year. Top of the line Kenmore and you don't really have to worry about sorting laundry, but the best feature so far is a delay timer so I can have a load start washing at 4:30 in the morning I don't hear it cause its quiet and when I get up at 5:30 its already done so I can hang out on clothesline and get another loand done and out before work. 2nd- an Ann Lander's (now Annies mailbox) had a suggestion to give options-honey would you rather scrub toilets, vaccuum, empty dishwasher etc.... which works well or if you are home before significant other be in the process of cleaning bathroom for instance and when spouse asks about supper tell them that you'll get to it after this room/task is done unless they want to pitch in and help!! (haven't tried that one however). A women's work is never done!!

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I am probably one of the few that has a husband that loves to cook, he does it almost every night! I don't complain washing the dishes, that's for sure...and he also helps a mighty good deal with the other work too

Originally Posted by jugen

It literally took me a week and a half( working also fulltime) to get this house spotless before my Aunt, Uncle and mom showed up. It was HORRIBLE! I never realized how much crap we actually accumulated! but now it's relatively clean and hopefully I can at least maintain it to a point.
Brad doesn't clean much. He doesn't do it right. I asked him to clean and change the cats drinking fountain, well he heard change the filter and that's all he did so I snapped at him that I'd put that on my long list of things to do and he sulked away saying" i was only trying to help". I was thinking about hiring someone to come in twice a month and do things like dusting and vacuming, and mopping the floors. I can do the rest, it's just those things that seem to get pushed back ya know? then when I DO get time to do it, it is a million hour job and by the time I get done, i never want to do it again.
Working 48-50 hours a week and trying to clean this house is hard, and it's only a one story, I can't imagine trying to clean my friends three story house. she basically does it by herself unless she rants and throws a fit them her kids and man will help. But like I said, brad can't clean this house, he doesn't do it right and I have to do it over, and he hates that.(I am OCD for those of you who don't remember) but we basically have an agreement, he does the outside, I do the inside, and it works out fairly well.

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OCD?

obsessive compulsive disorder. it basically means I have a problem with someone not doing something MY way more or less. Like folding laundry, putting dishes in the dishwasher, putting the clothes away, things like that. it has to be done a certain way or it bugs me and I have to "fix" it so that it's done the way I like it to be.
Here's an example for you: all my clothes in my closet have to be put on the hangers so that the hanger will hang with the hook part facing the back of the closet and the clothes are facing the left side of the closet. it really bothers me when the aren't that way and i have to take them down and fix them.

ok, gotcha. My mother-in-law has that too.