Learning To Live Without A Live-In Maid

Remember my earlier post where I ranted that I had headache, backache and stress? I also mentioned that after giving Sherilyn a good whipping, this mischievous rascal sat down quietly, fuss-free and did her writing. Here’s the picture of her doing suku kata (phonics in Malay language) writing, which I had given her. She knows almost all the suku kata but when it comes to spelling words, she’s still working on it.  It’s a real rare sight of Sherilyn quietly doing her homework, in full concentration and seriousness, without moving her body and limbs like an octopus. I wish she can be as serious and disciplined as Alycia when it comes to doing homework.

Anyway, my hubs and I have decided that we will not have anymore stay-in maids when my current Indon maid’s contract expires early next year. There’s just too much stress, burden, frustration and costs involved in having a stay-in maid. We’ll try out getting part-time maids twice-thrice a week and send Sherilyn to daycare. I’m not sure if I can cope without a maid but I guess I have to learn to be flexible and re-organize the way certain things are done. There will be less cooking for sure and we will most likely get catered food. These days, there are many companies that claim they cater MSG-free and homecooked-style food. Well, hubby has taken a flyer on that and we’ll try that out when we are maidless next year or maybe even earlier.  Some of our clothes will be sent to the laundrette and I will have to sacrifice my sleep, wake up an hour earlier to get some chores done and soup boiled. And of course, my time spent on the computer would have to be cut down even further 🙁

If this arrangement does not go smoothly, we can always apply for a live-in maid again.

Thanks to everyone who had taken your time off to comment in my blog, giving me your suggestions, ideas and contacts of part time maids.  You peeps really rock!

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Author: Shireen

I am a WFHM of 3 lovely girls - Alycia, Sherilyn and Cassandra. I am a health, fitness and clean freak. I am a freelance content writer and occasionally help out my other half in his food catering business. I also do product reviews and accept sponsored posts on my blogs. I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy sharing my day-to-day adventures and mostly boring ranting :P Welcome to my blog! :)

22 thoughts on “Learning To Live Without A Live-In Maid”

  1. See, S can behave too as long as she has good reason to! So, now u can see she does have the potential and maybe keep reinforcing the positive behaviour.
    Never had a maid but did have a cleaning service once every 2 wks while the kids were young and I was working full-time. Both kids were in daycare/kindergarten. Yes, will have to make adjustments, and compromise. Laundry wasn’t done everyday, mostly on weekends.

  2. I am sure you’ll be fine without the full-time maid. Your girls will be older and more independent. It will take some adjustments but in the end, everyone will cope. Hey, it might also be a chance for the girls to help you with small chores around the house.

  3. you know, i’m less stressful without a maid around and i’m more cool with my kids! i hv 4, i can manage almost everything even though i’m half alive! hahaha. i’m sure you can too. 😉

  4. GOsh I am so pampered with a maid. During transitions time (waiting for new maid to come) was so hard…. I dont think I can leave without a maid or some sort of helper.

    I wish u all the best. If it it too stressful, remember to ask for help. if i can assist, i will.

  5. well, u shall have a couple of months from now to start training the girls to be independent. hence, when the maid leaves, the girls knows what to do, or how to do some simple things 😀

  6. My maid is expiring in Jan next yr and I have no intention to renew her. I’m also worried on how I’ll cope and these are the stuff I have in plan, (just to share 🙂
    – wash clothes alternate days. use dryer. saves me time from hanging clothes and getting wet from rain when I’m away at work
    – t-shirts and homewear – no need to iron
    – hubs working shirt – send to laundry to iron (RM1.20) per shirt
    – fuss free cooking. No more frying fish. no oil splattering all over, try to eliminate oily cooking.
    – steam vege (brocolli, cauliflowers, beans) with rice cooker, saves time and healthier
    – cook heavy stuff in bulk and freeze (spaghetti sauce, curry chicken, braised pork, mui choy pork) etc.
    – change kid’s pyjamas every alternate days. saves washing. since she only wears to bed, it’s clean
    – wash bedsheet once a month (currently every 2 wks)

    I’d rather suffer a bit than tolerate current maid. Like you, I don’t want to risk another bad maid unless I really cannot cope.

    Good luck !

  7. Linda… being maid-less (stay-in and part-time) is impossible for me!

    Chris… wow, laundry done once a week! We have 2-3 loads every day!

    Charmaine… in fact, I’m preparing them now to be more independent and responsible. NO more using 3-4 sets of cutlery and plates/bowls during meal times.

    Miche… do you still have a maid now? It’s quite tough on you with a baby + 3 toddlers and w/o a maid!

    Rachel… thanks for offering your help.

    Elaine… wow, you have a real good plan in hand! W/o a live-in maid, we must learn to sacrifice many things but I’m sure we will all get used to it.

  8. U have a great post. If you really dont mind, I would really like to ask your help to email me your contacts for the part-time maid & food caterer:) I need it badly too. Thanks

  9. Navia… for the benefit of everyone who needs the contact for part-time maids and home delivered catered food, I’ll provide the contacts here:

    Part-time maids:
    http://www.parttimemaid.com/top.html
    Tel : 1-300-88-4463

    Catered home-cooked food delivery (Jeanne’s Kitchen):
    Tel : 012-215 4245 (Jeanne)

    Sheela… my hubby’s cook does not cook home-cooked food. He cooks catered food for functions.

  10. You can surely do it! Yes, only way to survive is be FLEXIBLE!
    In 2007 I had 2 kids (age 4 n 2) I managed with part time cleaner 1x/wk. Made brekkie for all, lunch for kids n myself, and dinner for whole family 6 days/week. Clean semi-D house, no frozen dishes and even baked on weekends. This yr one puppy plus twins came. With 4 kids (age 6, 4 and 8 mths) I adapted with cleaner 3x/wk, after school childcare (3x/wk) for 6 n 4 year olds. 6 n 4 yo learn to do things themselves -bring cups/bowls to sink, put dirty clothes in laundry basket, clear up after playing etc. 6 yo bathe himself (and puppy!), 4 yo can dress herself. House is still clean, all fresh cooked meals. Kids homework is mostly kautim at childcare. The most important thing is I learn to be less fussy and prioritise things that really matter.

    p/s: your laundry load is crazy! should do something abt that!

  11. what? 2-3 loads of laundry??? currently, with just the 3 of us, I do the laundry every 2-3 days, and sometimes, the washing wachine is also not full! But i guess i am a bit lazier, back home in KL, our bedsheets were changed every 2 weeks, now i only change them every 3-4 weeks……hehe. Guess the key is to be less fussy about cleanliness………if I want everything spick and span, guess I’d be suffering and crying to go back to KL

  12. Janna and Shir Lin… My 2-3 loads of laundry consist of 1 load for adults’ clothes, 1 load for kids’ clothes and 1 load for floor mats and dirty wash cloths (only half hour wash cycle). With 3 kids and 3 adults, there’s no way we can wash our clothes once every 2 days or just 1 load a day. Hubby’s clothes are sent to laundry to be ironed, mil irons her own clothes and my maid only irons the kids’ clothes, which is mostly their school uniform. I hv only 1-2 piece of clothes for her to iron every week.

  13. All the best!! I’m sure you can cope 🙂 . We also have a part time cleaner coming once a week. And we cater food from Momsfood. You can try them. If you need any contacts, let me know ya. I will try to help.

  14. I believe u can do it.. we just nid to set our priorities & cant be too hard on things.
    if a wrking mom like me can manage it without a Stay in alien, I ‘m sure u as a stay home mom will find it more manageable than me with 4 kids & 2 houses bck to bck.

  15. No maid less stress, i have to agree that, but of course we are getting less rest and own time. Now i don’t have “own maid”, which is a sharing one, so i don’t depends on the maid to do all my things. On off a lot of things i still have to do follow up, if no i rather do it myself rather than ask her. Now when we go out or when i go out with friends, i bring my boys together with me without a maid, so far i still can “handle” it, but a bit “tired”.Now my boys getting older so a bit easy to handle them already.

    Good luck to you, if you need any part time maid contact, let me know ya. 🙂

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