Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Ode to a Housekeeper

Okay--I am sorry that I am not posting any fabulous ideas tonight, I am just going to take a moment to whine and have my own little pity party. Forgive me, judge me, join in...whatever!

Up until recently I had a housekeeper. I have been a GM of a hotel for 7 of the last 8 years and during football season, I work A LOT, I have moved up from the GM position but still have similar obligations during football! It drove me crazy to have a messy house and to be crazy busy at work so I finally got a housekeeper. Her name is Margarita and she is a cute Hispanic lady who earns money on the side while she goes to school to get her high school diploma and for gas money to take her so to see a specialist doctor once a month about an hour and a half from here. I thought she was a worthy cause, I trusted her since she went to my church, and I needed what she could offer. My husband and I decided that we would have her come every 2 weeks on Wednesdays...I called them my Margarita Wednesdays (without the alcohol) and looked forward to them every 2 weeks. It also helped me to keep my house tidy in between her cleanings and to keep things in order so that she could easily clean around our stuff. She was wonderful, did a great job, and I loved having her come. Well, when my husband lost his job this summer, we decided that I would have to give up my Margarita Wednesday so that we could save the money. My husband changed careers and is now rebuilding his experience and has taken a job making less than half of what he used to make, so we have had to make some financial adjustments, one being no more housekeeper.

I so miss Margarita! My house is never as clean as she could make it...it always seems cleaner when someone else did it! One of the reasons we had her was because I was at work so much that when I was home, I wanted to spend it with my boys...well now, I just get to clean all the time and still live in a messy house. I swear, they can mess up so much faster than I can clean! And on top of that, some days I am just WORN out and don't have the energy to clean so I just leave it for another day. I have 2 home football weeks in a row now, so I am not thinking that it will get any better for at least 2 weeks....I hope I can stand it! I hate being disorganized!

I really can't complain...and I know this! There are many people who deserve a housekeeper more than I do....there are people who have a gaggle of kids and work 2 jobs and they REALLY need a housekeeper...I just really got spoiled and now I miss it so! I could maybe even afford her again if I gave up my new found love of boot camp, but I am not going to give that up now that I am on a healthy roll and haven't been on one of those in like 18 years.

So, forgive me for being a spoiled brat...I just had to get it off my chest. I miss my Margarita Wednesdays! And I also hate that she doesn't have the extra income and hope she found another person's house to clean (lucky person!).

In perspective...I wouldn't trade the happy husband that has re-emerged after loosing his job. His job was a tense high stress, always on call, dealing with emergencies in the business kind of job....well paid but totally and completely stretched to the limit. My husband now has a ho-hum job, works basically 40 hours a week but picks up extra hours here and there just to help out. He is happy and easier to live with and hasn't been this content in about 5 years. As much as I love my Margarita Wednesdays, him loosing his job was the best thing that could have happened to our family. I got my fun and happy husband back and will learn to live on less and be a more frugal person....and realize that sometimes the house just stays a mess so you can spend time with family...you can always clean tomorrow (and probably will need to anyway!)

If I could only teach my boys to pick up those darn socks!

:) Life lessons are hard...but they give you great perspective!

You are beautiful! (Pass is on!)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love that! You can always clean tomorrow. Very scarlet o'hara like.

Have you considered going into teaching? you'll never have to work game days again and get all the holidays and summers! Student need great and dedicated people like yourself.

Heather said...

You know, its funny you say that. I always wanted to be a teacher, all growing up that is what I thought I would do. I come from a long line of teachers...mother, grandmother, great aunts...I even have a great aunt who had a school named after her because she was the first female Superintendent up in the Castleberry area in Texas. The reason I didn't become one? My mother talked me out of it...she always told me to do something else, she thought there was more that I could do in a different profession. I think she felt like she was somewhat of a prison guard by the time she retired from teaching high school. She may have been right, but there have been many times that I have considered going back and getting my teaching certificate. I guess that is why I work for a university now, I am around the students but work with them in a different way than teaching.

Thank you for your comment and compliment! I think teaching is a high calling and I am so grateful for all the great teachers out there...its such a hard job!

Heather

Stamp With Linz said...

No, you've got a great job- don't give up on that, and you do get lots of holidays. You have the right idea here- giving up a little "ease" for something better. And who knows- he may get a better job in no time & Margarita can come back!

McHorse Fam said...

You are making good choices. I know it is hard but it will pay off. Maybe when you get something paid off she can come back or maybe you can save and have her come once every other month. Oh and by the way socks are a part of the flooring. Didn't you know that?

Heather said...

Yep, I am in week 1 of a span of 5 weeks where 4 are home games...I may need to have her come once just for my own sanity!

:)

And, I do love my job...so I really can't complain.

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