I'm sitting reading. My book to the sound of the cleaner hoovering

[MaryBerrysEyelashes]

And the waft of flash.
I've eh booked her for four hours today.

I'm on holiday. I need her when I'm at work but GOD I FEEL AWKWARD. I've been out. I've done the ironing.

I am the indolent bourgeoisie.

I wouldn't personally like someone with me from 2-7 pm every day, but obviously each to their own!

Will you be going back to work? I suppose she could up her hours to mind your baby if so? Would be good in that sense to have someone who knows dd so well!

Yes we'll be doing 3 days a week at nursery and 2 with the the mothers help and see how we go.

Sounds like a good balance!

Don't feel guilty. You are providing employment/income to someone. If there's no shame in cleaning, then there's no shame in employing someone to do it. It's a job, full stop, no different to any other job (I always suspect those who feel angst/guilt are the ones who don't consider it work/job, don't actually respect the people who do cleaning, think they are having to do something demeaning. which is actually being snobby as fuck. If you don't think cleaning for a living is wrong/demeaning/embarrassing for the cleaner, why would you feel guilty? so look at your attitudes guilty ladies, and start treating cleaning as a proper job).

My mum cleaned houses when I was little, and often took me along with her. the people who just buggered off/sat down and relaxed made life a lot easier than the hand-wringing weird ones who both wanted a cleaner but didn't want a cleaner. One lady used to do the cleaning alongside my mum, and even at the age of 6 or 7 I found that odd. I thought she must be very lonely/desperate for someone to chat to once a week. which may have been the case, poor woman. But I know my mum preferred to be left to get on with it.

Sit and read, whatever. It's no different for them to work around you than for you to sit in a restaurant - you don't feel embarrassed that someone else is shopping, cooking, serving, clearing up, washing up, do you? This really is about making a judgement on the worth/value of cleaning as a job/cleaners as people.