Angels over the Years

(sorry for typos-no time to edit today)

I started thinking back this morning to all the wonderful and not so wonderful people we have had working in our home over the years, ensuring that while we are at work-our home is taken care of.

When the kids were younger, I travelled more for my work and my job has often held as part of it a host of local and not so local offsite dinners and evenings with its peak a few years back that lasted about three years.

My husband takes time off..but for vacation only. Rarely for other reasons. When I am away or at work, it is others and not him who come to our homes and kid’s rescue.

We never had a nanny . We have always had housekeepers 1-1.5 days per week and then my Mom over the last number of years taking the kids to their activities, doing errands and managing our home in a lot of way. The work she does for us deserves another future post of it’s own.

This one is about our housekeepers…often referred to as angels who have saved us from starving over the years. Laundry, meals, preparations for meals for guests on the weekend. Cleaning, dusting, ordering groceries. Picking up the kids if needed and helping them to grow into responsible young adults by chastising them to make their beds and put  their clothes in the hamper. Watching over them in summer when they are home and feeding them lunches. Always within that day and a half..but a lot gets done over 12 hours if the delegation is done properly.

We started off with an angel..and have an angel now but in between….,my word there were some strange ladies! (and man)

 Our first angel was an older, very bossy lady who has strong opinions, the body of an ox and a heart of gold. She cleaned and cleaned and cooked us stews and ironed and  my brought my Hubby’s underwear more than once home to sew up any holes. She nurtures and loved our children and sent them money at Easter and their birthdays for years after she retired. She loved our family as her own…and we loved her too…although part of her scared us too…she was one overpowering lady. More than anything-she was wonderful and my children were adored.

So what that she never followed instructions? So what if our food was made with heavy cream and heart attack inducing? So what if she took it upon herself to put our handmade Italian blinds through the laundry machine and shrunk many good shirts? She loved us more than life and was with us for many of our kid’s formative years. She was a keeper. And then she had to retire. We still keep in touch. My husband calls her every year on her birthday.

Between that angel and today’s angel…we were not as lucky. We had one of the worst housekeepers humanly possible for a year who I think truly hated us and our children. Her idea of a meal was a big ham, with no sauce on it, no gravy, no veggies, no potatoes and no plates, with a big fork in it in the middle of the table. Hard as rock and tasteless –this was her act of love. She hated our home and her job…..and we did not feel very favorably towards her either. None shed a single tear the day she left.

 We had another lovely couple come and tend to our home that were very odd. Their cleaning was amazing but I never trusted them. I let them go when 2000$ was stolen in cash that was left in an envelope of the renovation guy. To this day we don’t know if it was them who took it or the people doing renovations. I tried not to let their appearances intimidate me over the years-they were massive people. Between them maybe 15 feet tall and 750 pounds..of pure muscle. They were like two giraffes…they scared me a lot (and scared the kids). They never smiled much.

 A couple of good and sweet cleaners in between. Can’t really remember them much.shows how long that lasted.

Then SHE came along about 5 years ago and is truly our angel. She makes the best meals you have ever tasted..it’s like a personal chef. She can whip up muffins from anything in your fridge and prepare a dinner party in a couple of hours. She is kind, gentle, interesting and adoring. She waits for the kids to come home afterschool because she loves talking to them about rodeos and hockey. She loves sleeping over when we go away in winter as she loves spending time with the children and they love her too. She is discreet, sweet and wonderful.

Her laundry and cooking are perfect. Her housecleaning is good…but won’t have our house sparkle as if a team came in and cleaned it..but I prefer that sparkle in my laundry, my food and her smile. We are all different in what is important to us and she is the perfect fit for our family... I think I would dig a hole and bury myself in it the day she leaves our family. To me she is simply not replaceable. She is wonderful for our family and for our needs. She very rarely has missed a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon all of these years and I thank god for her dependability and reliability.

 So although often we are at work…….we have a system that works for us with the angels that have cared for our home. It’s a load of work to delegate properly, but much easier than doing it ourselves! It’s worth all the money I dish out for these services for the peace of mind and the hearty meals on my table twice a week.

Add my Mom in there a few afternoons a week and I have a really win win situation going on that I thank God for every day. I am a career woman that is certain, but I have never, ever wanted my kids to be subject to my choices. I wanted to give them a partial stay at home mom feeling and I think they have always had it. And this makes me happy. I feel like our plan worked and the kids are reaping the benefits.

So to all those who have taken care of us at home a huge thank you for the peace you provide me. And even to those who took a ham out of the freezer and stuck it on my table….you taught me what I could not tolerate and made me select with more care the next time. It is because of you…that I have an angel in my home now. You..led me to HER.