Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 19:02     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:DH and I have always split the household chores equally. I want this to change when I stop working after our child is born - I want to do less. We have a cleaning service that comes in once a week and do a lot of ordering of supplies online.

Basically, I want to do only what a good nanny would do in terms of spending all the baby's waking hours engaged with her and her napping hours either napping myself or doing her chores (baby's laundry, food prep, etc). I want to do classes with my child, go on play dates and not think about the house at all.

Is this possible? DH is all for it right now but...


I do about an hour or two of housework in the morning while baby sleeps. This still leaves the rest of the day to interact with her.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 18:14     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.


We just do once a week. $100 for 4BD/3.5BA.

I outsourced laundry when my kids were little and we did a lot of takeout. Plus, the house wasn't always tidy. I never have had any interest in housework - before or after kids.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 17:36     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
OP, remember that a working couple who employ a nanny (like my husband and me) have to split the remaining household chores after work, or hire them out.

You are still the parent, just as your DH is, even if your "job" is nanny during the day. You can't just say because you WAH, you have fulfilled your part of the after work domestic burden!
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 17:25     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.



We have a cleaning company come in, five people, one hour for a five room house. $100.


Five rooms total, or 5 bedrooms?
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 17:24     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.



We have a cleaning company come in, five people, one hour for a five room house. $100.


Please share!
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 17:24     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.



We have a cleaning company come in, five people, one hour for a five room house. $100.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 17:02     Subject: Re:Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:^ I understand if you have a maid come frequently... I guess they would change Tp, cook, do laundry, make beds. But only weekly I don't see what a maid would do that the house cleaners don't, as cleaners will make the beds, change sheets, etc.


NP here. I do not know how it works for others, but I have an hourly helper who helps me to deep clean and declutter. Stuff she does - sorting out the pantry, cleaning the refrigerator, yard work, cleaning garage, organizing stuff, putting away clothes, organizing closets, cleaning out drawers and cabinets, food prep, washing school bags, lunch boxes, rugs, sneakers, recycling, picking drycleaning, childcare, pick up or drop off my children (at times), cleaning the interior of my cars, helping me with dinner parties, serving etc. I pay her exceedingly well and she has been with me for 15 years. She employs another lady to do the cleaning for me. She comes twice a week. I have been very lucky to have her, because she has an innate sense of organization and is very self directed. She will find something in my house that needs doing - be it watering my plants, putting my groceries away, refilling soap pumps, even painting smudges off my walls and do it.


Lol ok. If you say so.


Lol! I do say so! There is a reason people cannot retain great staff and the reason is that they are too cheap to pay them well. Thankfully, she understands that and has been with me for a long time. Do you even know how difficult it is to find good help (probably not, because you do not believe anyone can or should pay domestic staff well)? For most people it is a revolving door of cleaners and maids.


How do you define "exceedingly well"? People always think they pay/tip better than they actually do.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:57     Subject: Re:Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you have cleaners who come once a week, I don't think there's much to do in addition to baby chores. Throw in dishes with baby bottles, throw in laundry with baby laundry. I guess vacuuming once a week in addition to when the cleaners vacuum. Bathrooms are fine being cleaned weekly unless you're slipping water all over the sink. What other housework is there? Cooking?


OMG. Why do you care? OP could be watching tv for all you care. OP is not taking your money, she can do what ever the hell she wants. How pathetic is your life that this is burning you up!!


I didn't read that poster as burning up or angry. I had that same thought....what is the OP talking about? Why would she be scrubbing floors if she has weekly cleaners? Is she just asking if it's normal to have weekly cleaners and a dude to mow your lawn if you are a SAHM? Is there some other work that she doesn't want to be doing?
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:52     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.


I had a housekeeper for 20 hours/wk for a few years. We paid her $14/hr, so $280/wk. She had guaranteed hours and paid vacations. If you do this for 5 years, it's about $75k/yr. So, yes, it is expensive, but on the level of both you and your husband purchasing a luxury car, not on the level of owning your private island.





Not $75k/yr...$75k over 5 years.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:52     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
You do you. Sounds boring AF to me and also like you're lazy. So, maybe we won't be BFFs but not everyone has to love one another's choices.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:52     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.


I had a housekeeper for 20 hours/wk for a few years. We paid her $14/hr, so $280/wk. She had guaranteed hours and paid vacations. If you do this for 5 years, it's about $75k/yr. So, yes, it is expensive, but on the level of both you and your husband purchasing a luxury car, not on the level of owning your private island.



Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:38     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.


How big is your house? We paid $130 per session for a 4bdrm, but they only came twice a month. The rate changes a bit according to how frequently they come, I'm sure.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:30     Subject: Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
For those who have cleaners once or three times a week, how much does this cost?? I am toying with having cleaners once a month and even this feels like it will be a squeeze on our budget.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:28     Subject: Re:Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you have cleaners who come once a week, I don't think there's much to do in addition to baby chores. Throw in dishes with baby bottles, throw in laundry with baby laundry. I guess vacuuming once a week in addition to when the cleaners vacuum. Bathrooms are fine being cleaned weekly unless you're slipping water all over the sink. What other housework is there? Cooking?


OMG. Why do you care? OP could be watching tv for all you care. OP is not taking your money, she can do what ever the hell she wants. How pathetic is your life that this is burning you up!!


Hmm? I'm the PP you quoted and I'm not angry or even judging, just curious and sharing my view... fwiw I'm a SAHM to an infant with cleaners who come in twice monthly. I'm saying there's not a ton of work to do if you have cleaners coming that often. Things may change when OP's kid reaches toddlerhood, of course.
Anonymous
Post 05/10/2017 16:24     Subject: Re:Stay-At-Home-Mother but not Housekeeper
Anonymous wrote:If you have cleaners who come once a week, I don't think there's much to do in addition to baby chores. Throw in dishes with baby bottles, throw in laundry with baby laundry. I guess vacuuming once a week in addition to when the cleaners vacuum. Bathrooms are fine being cleaned weekly unless you're slipping water all over the sink. What other housework is there? Cooking?


OMG. Why do you care? OP could be watching tv for all you care. OP is not taking your money, she can do what ever the hell she wants. How pathetic is your life that this is burning you up!!