A Week

After we returned from our fabulous Bali vacation (which I promise to post about very very soon!) our housemaid informed us that she would not be here on May 1st because she was going back to India to see her children. I became super stressed. Knowing that the hardest part of our time here was coming...the moving part and end of school year part. As a room mom (snicker all you want!) that requires quite a bit of time...as do the normal end of school year parties, etc. Our plan was for us to move the day after school gets out. Ok -- well not necessarily to move...to be completely packed and go to Egypt for a quick vacation...before moving to Doha. Husbandless and needing serious assistance.

Well, our housemaid is gone and it has been bitter sweet. Parker misses her like crazy. Madelyn cried fountains...but this morning I got to walk around partially naked!!!! well...ok, not fully clothed. In Texas in my home, I was rarely fully clothed. A bad habit, but I get so hot and sticky, even with the airconditioning at full blast and having layers of clothing on makes me feel like I am being weighed down and smothered to death. So, it has been really really nice not to have to worry about that "extra" non family person being in the house.

It has been a week. People have been seriously worried about me. "How are you making it without a maid?" "you poor dear, it must be so rough!" Well, I started listening to how silly all of that sounded. I mean, afterall I never had a maid before...of course, I never had 7 bathrooms before! But still...it wasn't like I was going to live in a state of nasty dirtiness and my life collapse around me because I didn't have someone else cleaning up after us. So, these last few days I have been steadily keeping up with the housework of this place...and today after the new maid arrived, she gave me the best compliment I have ever received..."Madame, you have a maid before?" "yes, but she left to go visit her children in India." "She has been gone?" "yes" "your house is very clean for having no maid!"

Yeah! That's right! MY HOUSE IS VERY CLEAN FOR HAVING NO MAID! Anyone that knows me knows that I have always had a slob complex. Locker - always crammed with junk. Car - always crammed with junk. House - sometimes I wouldn't even let my own mother in. But somehow, this last week, with no outside help...my house has managed to stay really clean! I'm so proud of myself. Of course, I have had horrible allergies, watering eyes, puffy sensitive skin...but I have kept it clean enough not to be embarrassed should someone stop by.

I have entered a new chapter of my life.

Anyway, about the new maid...she is getting paid VERY well. She can work these two months and then is moving onto another long term job so it works out beautifully for both of us. So far things are going well...maybe it was just the compliment about my being able to keep the house clean that is clouding my judgment. Who knows. Time will tell.

I'm just really glad to have some help again. What will I ever do when I move back to the US?