How to stay sane while your house help is away this season

We can all agree good house helps are a gem and extremely rare.

They are hard to find and they become a part of the family especially if you have had the same one for years.

Before the Christmas holidays, we get so used to being around them that we forget they won’t be there to help as the year ends. Once they’re on their break, we suddenly realize how much we need to appreciate the work they do.

To avoid going crazy when they’re on leave, you need to prepare yourself ahead of time. This is how you can keep the home intact before they resume work:

Create a daily schedule

Being well organized will give you a head start on ensuring things run smoothly around the house. A strategy you can use is a daily to-do list because this gives you a clear idea of what to do at a particular time.

Since you already understand the daily household routine, plan how you will prepare meals, when you will do the dishes, how you will manage to keep the house clean, along with other duties.

A schedule will give you a rough estimate of how long you should take to handle a particular task and keep you on your toes.

Plan meals early

A big challenge you might experience while your house help is away is preparing the menu.  It’s sometimes hard to decide what you will have because you can’t eat takeaway meals every day and can’t cook the same thing over and over again either.

To keep the stress of figuring out meals away, start planning at the beginning of every week. This will also help you know what you need to stock up on.

Get the kids on board

Teaching your kids how to be responsible has many benefits. They will learn how to take care of themselves early and they will be able to transition well while the house help is away.

During this season, let them know how they need to carry themselves and delegate certain chores so you can get some extra help.

These values are important for them in the long run and besides, they should still be well behaved and responsible even when the help is around.

Hire someone to help temporarily

Maintaining a household is never easy. If it was, there wouldn’t even be a need to have a house help in the first place.

You can try and balance cooking, cleaning and ensuring everyone is happy, all while maintaining a smile but it’s easier said than done.

If you are in a position to, hire someone a few times a week to help you out.

Don’t strive for perfection

You shouldn’t pressure yourself to be perfect if you decide to push through the entire holiday season without some extra help.

It’s essential that you handle one day at a time to keep you from getting overwhelmed.

Have realistic expectations, focus on doing the best you can and don’t let the pressure keep you from enjoying the festive season.