The house is clean but my conscience isn't

I’m sitting in a clean house. Not just tidy. Not wiped down. Full on scrubbed-floor-to-ceiling - CLEAN! Am I exhausted and worn out from 6 hours of nitty gritty work? NOPE! I was enjoying a picnic at the park with the kiddos. When I came home my house was sparkly with a lemon fresh scent. Lacking the magic to wiggle my nose and start washcloths and Comet scrubbing, I had pulled out my checkbook and called a housekeeper. 

I broached the “housekeeper” topic with my husband after a long day of cleaning. I had done a complete scrub-down of all the bathrooms and the kitchen, only to have the kiddos tear apart their room, the living room and dining room. Talk about counterproductive! Not to mention dinner was In-N-Out again (yummy!) and the kiddos were given raisins and M&Ms for lunch. I was about 30 weeks pregnant at the time, meaning, bending over and standing up were quickly becoming daunting tasks of their own! Wisely, he OK-ed a housekeeper once a month and subsequently never looked more attractive to me! Now, at 36 weeks along (and counting) I’m hoping we can continue the housekeeper for a few months after the baby.

So why do I feel guilty?? Having a housekeeper once a month is only 12 days out of 365 I have help, my belly hinders every movement (including breathing), I have a preschooler and toddler who require my attention, I run my own business, it’s not that pricey and having the house cleaned really saves me hours of time. Plus cleaning totally sucks!

I think the guilt comes because deep down inside I know I could do the work. You know, I could do a lot of things: I could train for a marathon, I could meal plan for home cooked dinners every week, I could iron my husbands work shirts in the morning. I could be the mom that has everything together all the time.

But I’m not. I’m me. I’m kind of scatterbrained, slightly flaky, and always optimistic. I’d rather have a tea party than scrub the potty. I ignore the dishes and bake cakes for doll birthdays. In the evening I snuggle with my hubby instead of vacuuming. I guess under the guilt is a little bit of pride. Being a wife and mommy come first and my messy house proves it!

Hey! Maybe with a housekeeper I officially qualify to be a Real Orange County Housewife sans nanny, personal trainer, masseuse, mansion, county club membership, boob job… OK, maybe not an “Official Orange County Housewife.” But I do live in the OC, I’m a housewife and I’m real!

An original Orange County Moms Blog post.

Ex-fitness fanatic/aerobics instructor, Kara-Noel is the creator of an awesome hat line for infants and toddlers called Eli's Lids. You can find her blogging about creating a whimsy home, motherhood and being the owner of an up-and-coming business over at Eli's Lids the Blog. Visit her latest endeavor MOMday Morning. Prizes are involved... it won't disappoint!!