to hire or not to hire...that is the question

Now I know you are wondering what in the world I'm talking about. Surprisingly I'm not talking about work, but about home. I have been debating hiring someone to clean our house every two or three weeks. This debate has mainly been going on in my head since we brought Wesley home two years ago (tomorrow is his two year anniversary as a US citizen). Here's the dilemma...

We purchased a much larger home than our previous one two years ago. Of course I knew that a home twice as large as our old home would be more work, I just had no idea how much more work! I think I also underestimated how much less time I would have to handle household duties.  Damon, being the wonderful husband that he is, has tried to make me get a housekeeper, but I've resisted. I'm sure you've figured this out even if you've never met me, but I can be a bit of a control freak. I am "type a" personality all the way, so giving up control of the true cleanliness of my house is hard. Not to mention that I'm cheap, so I don't really want to pay someone to do what I am perfectly capable of doing.

Truthfully, I enjoy cleaning the house...mostly. The bathrooms on the other hand, not so much. I credit that to having to clean the bathrooms growing up with a brother who had no interest whatsoever in being clean. I have to admit though, I was quite the pack-rat back in the day. Now I *LOVE* to throw things out!! I digress...

I was vacuuming this evening (I love to start the week with a clean house because it makes me feel like I can conquer the world), and I moved some furniture ever so slightly to clean underneath it. What do I come across but flakes from the Christmas tree and a Christmas ornament! Yikes!! Christmas was over eight months ago. This is disturbing to me on so many levels...the fact that those things have been lurking on my carpet, the fact that I didn't see them in all the times I've cleaned, the fact that others could have seen them and didn't tell me, the fact that I didn't clean them up when we put away Christmas stuff. Oh...I could go on and on.

Having two dogs doesn't help the "house needing cleaned situation" either. Katie hardly sheds at all, mainly due to the fact that she only has hair on her back. Poor girl. Duke on the other hand is like a hair waterfall! In case you can't remember my dogs (shame on you by the way), here's a refresher.

Katie (aka Katie Katherine, aka black dog, aka the good dog)

Duke (aka Dukie dog, aka brown dog, aka the bad dog)

Another reason the house needs cleaned so frequently is Wesley - obviously. The dogs keep the food on the floor situation under control, so that isn't ever a problem. Three year-olds though aren't exactly known for their cleanliness habits. I often hear "no, Mommy, I don't need a bath, I'm not dirty."  

Recently Damon golfed while Wesley and I cleaned house. Does anyone else think I got the raw end of that deal? Now, I would much rather clean than play golf, but I sure could use a manicure of something else that involves just "me" time. Then the second part of that equation is Wesley "helping" with cleaning. Now in my attempts to make him a wonderful husband one day, I am trying to teach him the fine art of a clean house, but his interest in learning quickly fizzles out once we begin. He does dust under the chairs in the dining room, which I do thoroughly appreciate. (It's not as easy to get down on that hard floor as it used to be...couldn't be that I'm getting older though) He then drags out every toy and book to read while he cleans. Now I'm all about multi-tasking, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't read a book and run the vacuum at the same time. Doesn't stop Wesley from trying. I digress, again.

So as you can see, the house cleaning falls down the list of priorities. I think I am going to have to break down and relinquish control. What's a girl to do? I wish I could just chill out and not have to have a clean house all the time. I can handle a little bit of mess (toys on the floor, mail on the counter, messy desk), but I am not sure that I can handle dirty. A house needing picked up is one thing, but needing cleaned is entirely another.

I really could use some advice...to hire or not to hire?