All About Life Without Maids

[nonKiasu]

minnie2004:

Who's going to look after my kids at home if I'm out doing yoga?

I have my facial on weekend when my DH is at home to look after the kids.

minnie2004:

Also, as we don't have parents and PILs here, is it still possible for me and DH to catch a weekend movie from time to time?

Same here, I have no PILs to help and my parents are impossible to look after my DSs. We can always catch DVD at home after the kids to to bed.

minnie2004:

Cooking is another issue. We always cook 3 dishes and a soup for dinner. Although these are not hard to prepare, I'm not sure if I can stand the heat in the kitchen

Definitely an issue. We throw lots of diff ingredient into a soup and just cook 1 soup dish. Or steam a big fish. Time consuming is washing leafy veg. So eat lots of brocolli, cauliflower or big leafy veg.
Simple dishes only and of course no frying. Mostly steam dishes or soup. We steam even the chicken wings and surprising my DSs love them esp with noodles. If anyone want to eat fried ones, we eat out. No fried stuff at home.

[minnie2004]

Thanks nonKiasu for your suggestions. I guess I can probably shift my yoga class to weekends too and let DH watch the kids. So he can have some quality time with the kids .


As for cooking, we do stir-fry dishes quite a lot. We don't steam that much, only fish, sometimes chicken. I'm afraid my kids (actually it's more my DH) will get bored soon eating steamed stuff all the time . Maybe I shud buy some cook books for steamed dishes :idea:

[minnie2004]

myWQ:

I take it you are a SAHM? Our problems are quite similar, except we have families in SG. I am currently taking care of the baby myself, and have to rely on my parents or hubby to help out when I need to run some errands or just to have some alone time.


Lucky for me I don't have much household chores to do. Hubby irons his own shirts and will packet dinner back. He also cleans the floor couple of times a week. It also helps greatly that he can come home anytime if needed.

So in our case a maid doesn't really feature in our daily needs.

Hi myWQ, you're indeed very lucky. You have a supportive hubby and parents. My hubby will never iron his own shirts, not to mention cleaning the floor .

[janet88]

If I have to prepare a lunch, it will be a all-dump-in. So, it will either be chicken or pork ribs. My kids love soup, so all-dump-in means there will be soup, vege and meat. With a maid, it will be 2-3 dishes and a soup.

[nonKiasu]

minnie2004:

My hubby will never iron his own shirts, not to mention cleaning the floor .

Same here! In fact, I will be grateful if my DH just pick up hangers, put laundry into the laundry basket and don't dirty the floor, tables, bed, etc. I told him recently that without maid, can you pls have more outstations? I was so much freer when he travel last month!

[janet88]

Nonkiasu,

When I had a maid, my hubby was on my nerves too and I was worried about him staying at home after he has retired :?:
Now that there is no maid, he has to iron clothes, keep and fold laundry. But when he mops the floor, he refuses to change water :x and I have to change the pail of water. That really makes me super mad :x

[nonKiasu]

janet_lee88:

Nonkiasu,

When I had a maid, my hubby was on my nerves too and I was worried about him staying at home after he has retired :?:
Now that there is no maid, he has to iron clothes, keep and fold laundry. But when he mops the floor, he refuses to change water :x and I have to change the pail of water. That really makes me super mad :x

No way my DH will do any housework. Our triplets arrived after 8 yrs of marriage. During the 8 yrs, with only 2 of us, we have no maid and he never lift a finger on any housework. So, put all my hope on my poor DSs.
Btw, do you kids do housework? If do, must learn from you on how to train them.

[Luanee]

About catching movies… we usually take half day leave to catch a movie together, when the kids are in school haha… even when we used to have a maid we would do the same becoz we never leave the kids home alone with maid on weekends one…

[verykiasu2010]

nonKiasu:

janet_lee88:

Nonkiasu,

When I had a maid, my hubby was on my nerves too and I was worried about him staying at home after he has retired :?:
Now that there is no maid, he has to iron clothes, keep and fold laundry. But when he mops the floor, he refuses to change water :x and I have to change the pail of water. That really makes me super mad :x

No way my DH will do any housework. Our triplets arrived after 8 yrs of marriage. During the 8 yrs, with only 2 of us, we have no maid and he never lift a finger on any housework. So, put all my hope on my poor DSs.
Btw, do you kids do housework? If do, must learn from you on how to train them.

start them by getting them to wash the dishes, progress to sweeping the floor (they do that in school), mopping, taking out the rubbish, simple cooking like making hot drinks, toasting bread, then progress to cooking simple stuff like frying an egg, cutting veg, seasoning the chicken for roasting etc etc not that daunting ....

[mumma_bear]

It's tough having no maids at all although it only takes effective time management in order to achieve the activities you want to do. My DS is now 2 years old and I have been at home eversince to care for him myself with no help from anyone except a slight help from my working husband. I'm now a work at home mom, still care for my son, but at the same time working. I give him toys and educational videos to watch to keep him preoccupied and I work more hours every time he sleeps. If I do get tired, I get help and pay for someone to do the laundry and the ironing. I guess I have been used to this set-up already. I'll think of a different solution if ever my DS will go to school already.