Shallow and Not So Shallow...

I have had housecleaners for about 13 years now, with a few haitus here and there.  But overall, we'll just say it's been 13 years.  I hired a "cleaning lady" when we lived in Atlanta.  Doug traveled close to every week.  My children would have been 9, 7 and 1.  Yikes.  Those were busy times.  I really felt like I had "arrived" to FINALLY have a housekeeper.  But what I soon found out, was that it takes a lot of work to have a housekeeper.  If I was going to pay someone to clean my house, I wanted my house perfect...even if for a couple hours.  So I'd bust my tail de-cluttering, finishing laundry, completing projects, all so my house would look "model home perfect" after the housecleaning.  What I found was I'd spend an entire day frantically putting away laundry, yelling too much at my kids to clean the playroom and their rooms, and then, all to find out the morning the housekeeper arrived, I'd still have several hours of work to do, stripping beds, washing dishes, etc.  You get the picture.  Now, at the risk of sounding like a spoiled housewife, I know this was/is a luxury.  I get it.  And I probably shouldn't have a housekeeper now, because I have the time to do it myself.  But, for now, I'm keeping the housekeeper.  Maricella came today.  I cannot believe how easy it is to get ready for her now.

Today's Sweet Fringe Benefit (sfb) is a simple one, and an obvious one.  But I think it deserves a shout out.  Laundry for three people, breakfast dishes for three people, heck...I even wash my own sheets and make own bed, and it's still WAY easier than it ever was 10 years ago.  My heart groans a bit when I walk by my two empty bedrooms upstairs.  But they're clean, and they stay clean, and since I can't turn the clocks back (a common theme of sfb's) and change my reality, I'm loving it. Getting ready for my housekeeper is a piece of cake.  I can actually plan a morning outing on a day that she cleans, and still have my house ready for "perfection."

I've been reflecting a bit today on this blogging experience, even if it is just day 4.  I shared my secret with my son and husband yesterday.  I'm getting closer to sharing it openly to whoever would like to read.  But I'm finding that daily reflecting on something good...some sfb of my stage of life, age of life that I'm going through, has been therapeutic.  Last week, I came across this video, I think it's one of the things that got me thinking about a daily blog.  It's prompted a lot of reflection the past week.  I've read more from the scriptures, and meditated more on my blessings.  Click here if you'd like to see more inspiring videos.

And back to the shallow....

Loft rust colored jeans, JCrew Grey V-neck T-shirt, Loft oatmeal cardigan, Target Cheetah belt, Emaack Designs Statement Necklace.  

I love my clean house.  Several rooms will actually stay clean.  I'm going with that...

Nanette