Part Time Maid

I have two maids now. A daily one which does the daily laundry, washing, ironing, cooking, washing, that kind of thing. The other maid comes in twice a week for four hours each time. On one of the days, she will clean everything upstairs, cleaning up all the upstairs rooms, toilets, fans, aircon filters, mop the floor, wipe everything table tops etc. The other day is for downstairs doing much the same as upstairs.

Actually both maids are me. I've decided that its better to really focus on doing housework for 4 sometimes 5 hours a day but only for twice a week so I won't feel overwhelmed by it and so that I will have some "free time". Of course, there is never ever real "free time". That's where the other "maid" comes in for the daily stuff.

I've found that every since the real maid left, I've been so swamped by housework that it has left me no more inspiration to write. I used to love waking up each day and really being excited and looking forward to writing. I even managed to a book of poems and a breastfeeding help book. Housework killed that. Hopefully, my twice a week plan works out, so that I can have some focus again. I didn't realize it but when I write, I need to focus too. I need concentration and the more I write, the more I have to write about. Housework killed that focus.

I'm slowly trying to get back into my writing mode. I've been out of active action since July last year when I got chicken pox and my maid went back for a holiday. She came back for two months but then the year end holidays arrived and I was busy with the kids. In addition, in October the maid left abruptly which left me swarmed with chores. It's almost half a year now. I should be settled down by now.

I still have this freeze in my mind where my words use to flow freely. I need to be motivated and inspired again. During my absence (from writing) I've missed out some fun quests at Squidoo too. I managed to put in one recently for the Imminent Picture Perfect Reel Challenge. We were supposed to take our own pictures and write a lens (a page on Squidoo is called a lens) using those pictures. My lens was one of the 15 to win a raffle ticket this week. Can you spot which one it is from here? Ok, ok, I'll save you the trouble. It is this lens on Choosing Cross Stitch Patterns. The cross stitch pictures on the lens are all my own. This is the second lens I wrote after a long time. I'm happy its still good enough to be featured. The first lens I wrote after getting back into action is this one: What To Look For When Buying A Juicer. I used to be able to write a lens a day but now...

I need to get back into my blogging mode too. So far, I've managed some posts. Hope I can keep it up.

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Describe Your Family Members

The other day my husband and I were discussing about a movie and when he left the room, my boy smiled and said "Dad and his movies." Then he smiled some more and said "Dad and his comics."

After that he went on to say "Mom and her games." followed by "Mom and her chores."

When I asked him to describe his sister, he said "Cheh cheh and her homework".

Finally, I asked him to describe himself and he said "Me and my laughter." Haha. That is so true. My son,  you certainly brighten up my life with your laughter. Your laughter fills up the house when you are in. Ever since you were a baby, you were always smiling and laughing and you continue to do so now.

Son, you fill up my heart with joy with your laughter and your warm personality. Whenever I hurt myself, for example accidentally kick the door with my foot, you would rush over to make sure I am all right and give me a hug and massage the hurt foot. You are so kind and caring.

Just thinking of it and just looking at you makes me smile. I want you to know that I love you. I hope you have happy moments in your life always to make you continue to smile as easily as you do now and if at all you are feeling down, I hope you find this post.

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Home Cooked Food

When you have to cooked home cooked food two meals a day every day (and that does not include breakfast and tea), then  you have to improvise and cook easy meals to stay sane. Here is what I do, when I am lazy to cook.

This is what we're having for dinner. Egg Tofu, Chinese Cabbage, Chicken, Baked Beans and Grapes For Dessert

First I mince the chicken meat, cut up the tofu, put the beans in a bowl and wash the fruits and vegetables. Now they're almost ready for cooking.

Next, I put the mince meat over the tofu (they don't look that pretty like in restaurants but who cares) and I put the grapes into little dessert bowls and keep them in the refrigerator for later.

Then the beans go into the rice pot for steaming

The tofu and chicken goes into the wok for steaming

The vegetable goes into the wok for stir frying

That's it. I've got a simple home cooked meal for a family of four. You only see 3 here because the man's portion has been kept in the cooker for warming till he gets home from work.

Even this simple home cooked meal which is rather bland and boring takes 1 hour to prepare and that does not include washing up. (Plus I cheated. I used canned beans!)

Home cooked food may be simple and nutritious but it takes effort to prepare. Don't let its simplicity fool you into thinking that it is easy and quick to prepare. Cooking is time consumming and this is as simple as it gets. Some foods require deep frying and stir frying again with sauces. Some require the ingredients to be grounded or is that grinded into a paste first and many other ways of preparation.

So, if you're reading this and you're not the one doing the preparation, go thank your mum, sis, or wife who has prepared it! If you are the one doing the preparation, then give yourself a pat on the back.

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The New Maid

The new maid gets up half and hour then the old maid. She is more clumsy then the old maid. Ever since she started work, she has broken the sugar pot, snapped a small part off the juicer, broke a part off the rice cooker and almost caused it to be unable to close and therefore unable to function, dropped the hot water flask making it harder to push hot water out now and several other small stuff.

She is also more messy then the old maid. The old maid  used to keep everything spotless and things in their place and her memory was very good unlike the new maid who tends to be more forgetful. However, the new maid cooks faster than the old maid. I guess that is because the new maid is more busy than the old maid since she also helps out with the kids unlike the old maid who only does housework.

Helping out with the kids keeps the new maid very busy so she is treated out more to meals outside and takeout meals. Well, its time for the new maid to stop typing now as she has to go and repair the toilet grout which has a hole in it.

Have you guessed it yet? The new maid is me and I can tell you that my old maid is a lot freer than me because she does not have to handle the kids. My job is twice as much as hers.

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