Firstly, this not an entry to moan and groan about "what my maid has done this time" - cos I dun have one in the first place.
I know that having a foreign maid is not easy as they come with myriad of problems as highlighted by the press and my colleagues and friends. I guess it also boils down to whether you are lucky enough to get a good and reliably foreign maid.
Before Jeremy was born, we have decided against having a maid due to the above reasons and resolved to work together to cope with the situation. So far (touch wood) the arrangement has work to our satisfaction. The arrangement has worked todate due to the following:-
1. Essentially, all our household cleaning is outsourced to Merry Maids who comes in every fortnight to clean the entire house from top to bottom (they even make our beds as well, clean the fans, windows, countertops, kitchen, deep clean our sofa set, carpets etc). We have contracted their services for the last 4 years and they have done a fantastic job keeping our home clean. Frankly, in my opinion, I don't think a foreign maid can clean the house as well as they do. We are so pleased with the service that they have rendered that we simply can't do without them. I quite reluctant to let them go even if I do eventually get a maid.
2. Jeremy is being looked after by my parents in the daytime during the weekdays . We send and collect him from my parents' home each day. So, I dun need a babysitter for him, no let me rephrase that - I can't have babysitter for him due to the restrictions imposed by the geomancer who chose his Chinese name. If I ever have number 2, it would be something I need to consider. Again, the headache of choosing a good and responsible babysitter/au pair/nanny to take care of a baby...*sigh*....
3. Hubby cooks and take care of our meals while I take care of the clothes (washing and ironing). I still do the cooking sometimes when I crave for some dishes which I haven't had for a long time.
4. I don't have pets or plants or a proper garden to upkeep.
Question about having a maid would only arise when we plan for number 2 or when we move to a larger home... I have friends and colleagues who cope with 2 toddlers without a maid. I don't know how they do it but I don't think it's possible in my situation. On the other hand, I have colleagues who goes through 4, 6 and even 8 foreign maids a year! I don't want that headache. I have ppl telling me their maids ran away, contracted typhoid, just didn't know how to perform basic household chores. It's not only costly but an experience like that could be a nightmare for anyone. Currently I'm exploring the possibility of having a local Chinese maid. I heard there is an agency in Old Klang Road that specialises in this and one of my colleagues' friends (single mom with a toddler) have tried and tested the service of a local chinese maid/housekeeper and so far so good. I heard local maids are expensive but what the heck, if I get a good one, it's worth having for the peace of mind. Bu I guess local maids also come with an entire different set of problems. I wonder whether anyone had any luck with local maids.
10 comments:
It's wonderful to have your own parents looking after your kid, isn't it? Your arrangement with Merry Maid seems wonderful, wish they have a branch here. My Indo maid who comes in 2x a month is hopeless. No need to elaboratelah :P
Wow,, yr geomancer actually said kenot hv babysitter?
Erm, fortunately we don't hv maid probs. I stay wi in laws and we have a foreign maid to clean the hse. But I nv trust her caring Ryan, so we send him to nanny during the day.
Nv experienced wi local maids..u looking for a lived in local maid?
wahh.geomancer really say that huh??
well If i do have a choice, i'd go without a maid...but not when both my kids are so young..maybe when they start school :)
Guess I'm not the only one curious about what the geomancer said! Do share if it's ok with you.
MerryMaids have a good rep up north too...can share also how much they charge? I thought of trying them out after 1/2 day disaster with cleaning service.
Immomsdaughter: Yeah, I guess you could say I'm lucky in some sense with parental help :). Merry Maids have branches in Penang and JB only so if you stay in one of these locations, you can try out their services.
baby-ryanlim: Yeah, I'm exploring the possibility of having a live-in or live-out local Chinese maid. But I heard they are expensive. How expensive I dunno le.
Jazzmint: Yeah, if I have choice, would love to have a no-maid arrangement. We love our privacy too much but dun think can cope if 2 kids la. Yeah, geomancer said that, you can check out my blog entry in August 2006 on that and how his name came about *lol*.
Kitty-Cat: Yeah Geomancer said a whole lot of things - you can check it out in my August 2006 blog entry titled "behind the name" *lol*. Merry Maids charges are definitely more than the charges of a local cleaning company especially since it is an American franchise. But having said that, it's worth it. For my terrace house, they charge RM100 fortnightly for 4 hour cleaning session. I think for apartments, they charge about RM50 only. Generally, they would need to appraise the size of your apartment before they quote you the fee. They are reliable, never miss a scheduled cleaning appointment. Plus they bring all their cleaning solultions & utensils with them, so you needn't provide them with anything. For me, it's quite hard to do without them. I've been begging them to introduce an ironing service as well but so far it has fallen on deaf ears *lol*
Hi - I have 2 kids - one almost 3 and the other 9 mths. We have been managing pretty well without a maid, although like you, i have someone come in once a week to give the house a thorough cleaning. It can be quite tiring at times, but its not as bad as what people say. I hear my colleagues complaining about their maids ALL the time, and I am so glad I am not in that position. I also have a good babysitter that is quite flexible as I sometimes pick up the gals late.
Hmom: You are indeed very fortunate. If I had a choice, I would like to do away with the maid thingy when I plan for number 2.
Hi, there is a Merry Maid branch in PJ. I used them to spring clean my apartment.
I am interested in local live out maid. Any idea where to get one?
Hubby and I talked and talked about this before Aiden arrived, but ultimately had to resort to one (foreign one) as both our parents who will be taking care of Aiden are old already and needs help with the household chores if we leave baby with them. I have made it very clear right from the start though -- that the maid is for cleaning house only and not Aiden's nanny. I am very particular about that. Till today, the maid has never fed or shower him..
we don have enough money hire maid but i have sil to help out but then.. still have to check on her everyone..as bad temper!! Another is she is forgetful turn on running water or electricity, etc.
Post a Comment