So, along came Om Joe

...and Om Joe (or mother of Youssef, I combined the two languages together; Om means mother in Arabic & Joe the short English Interpretation of Youssef, the long one is Joseph) is the 'help' that came to 'help' me in cleaning the house. She came today at 7:45am!!! ON A SATURDAY!!! Well, in a totally different context, waking up on weekend, or a holiday in general before 11am would have been a disaster to me and to whoever's around me, as it keeps me grumpy all day long even after a BIG delicious cup of home-made latte. Also, having someone strange in my house turning everything upside down to clean used to drive me crazy, or rather irriatated in my parents' house. But, since it's gonna be an even more disastrous disaster not to have someone clean the house, the whole house that is (I've been cleaning the house over the past 1.5 months in batches, i.e. a day for the reception, a day for the bed room and a day for the bathrooms and the kitchen, couldn't have been more fun, huh?), in a further time than now. And although I found that I made a great job cleaning the house (in batches) the past couple of times, I do believe she did a great job and it's even more relaxing, and gives me time to do other stuff than laying back after cleaning half the house complaining from serious pain in my back.

I do believe though that these people, I mean the help here, especially the ones who are specialized in cleaning have been gifted from God with such vitality, strength and endurance that keeps them going on cleaning for long years without causing the damage 'We' non-professional cleaners suffer after dusting the first table!! (the cooker ones, by the way, I think are still more durable than us, however, I think fall in a less durable category than cleaners, or so I think!).

Still, planning is a major pillar here. One has to prepare everything before Om Joe comes, from the cleaning cloth, cleaning soaps, detergents...etc. to the food she'll eat during her break. Also, one has to watch the help like a hawk, in terms of our belongings and the way they clean (for if you've wooden floors, as usual they'll flood it with water, thinking lots of water equals lots of spotless clean, you have to stand by them saying no water, just sweeping with a special wood detergent. I never actually appreciated that when at my parents' house, no I appreciate it the most.

What's so funny is that after watching like a hawk for quite a while I got tired (HAHAHAAA), tired from watching and collapsed on the couch and grabbed my laptop and started suuuuurfing the web.

And that concludes episode one with 'The Cleaner'. Next Saturday, a new cleaner on the list. Let's keep our finders crossed and hope the best Cleaner wins.

Cheers,
The Future House Diva
Cairo,
Sunday, May 20th, 2012
9:44am

I still have a LOT to learn!

Yes, I do! I just wanted to drop a very short post to everyone reading my blog for the following nutshell reality:
I'm not claiming in anyway, whatsoever, to be the 'Guru' of house management. I'm learning and will keep learning till the day I pass. All I wanted is to share these experiences with women all around the globe (hopefully!), to hear from them, if possible, on their own, to learn from my mistakes and to help in successfully running their lives which deeply involves successfully managing their homes, of course.

So, cheers everyone. Have fun in life and enjoy sharing your experiences and learning  from those of others.

Have a nice weekend** Egyptians.

The Future Proud House Diva
Cairo, May 17th, 2012, 12:21pm

** In Egypt, the weekend is Friday and Saturday.

This blog is gonna be a real relief for me, getting to talk about two of my most inspirational sources in my life, both my Grandma Samira & house work. However, I don't want any of the people reading about this to think 'oh, why her grandma? why not her parents?' Well, at that point in time and in that context (achieving being The House Diva) these two sources are for now the 'most' inspirational. Keyword here, 'Most'. Now the first inspirational source is understandable, but the second, even to me seems really weird to tie 'inspirational' to 'house work'!!! but there's an explanation to that and it is 'leave your work and outdoors crap OUTDOORS, it's not any of the resident's of your house fault that you're working or you find difficulty dealing with whatever's going on outside your home' and actually that's a real relief. It's hard by the way, who said anything about it being easy, BUT one never fails if keeps trying ;)

I'm sure, however,  my grandma had a better chance than me being the House Diva, since she didn't work (was uncommon at that time women working, they preferred being House Divas). To me what I'm up for is a challenge, i.e.  juggling work and house management, and challenges have always been a constant catalyst in my life for achieving dreams or coping with TOTALLY unfavorable surroundings.

Now, back to how to become The House Diva.

Rule number One**...Yes, believe it or not, being your own House Diva has rules.
OK, Rule number One: Responsibility, which has a lot to do with 'Selflessness'! but I'll defer talking about that to the next post as it requires a clear head, which is unattainable at work!

Rule number Two: Planning! Always Plan ahead even when taking a shower.
That rule is a MAJOR one, not only for The House Divas but for any person who aspires 'sure success' in their lives both on professional and personal levels. Honestly, what's shocking to me is that this rule has always been a lost one in my life, which I'm hardly adapting to now! I'm a big, big, HUGE fan of improvising; wake up whenever and do whatever. Now, that is totally in the trash bin. I've to plan everything from what to cook today, when to send for the laundry shop to pick up our laundry, to which room has the priority of being cleaned today (unfortunately, haven't found someone yet to do that task for me, so I'm handling this and I'm dead beat cuz of it)..etc.

Miraculously, I discovered the 'Beauty' of planning. It's time saving, gives you space to be creative (even when you're preparing your lunch box), and definitely and most importantly spares the tension of being overloaded with chores which gives you time for Antakha**.

Last night, I didn't pack the lunch boxes for laziness reasons (a trait I really despise of myself, which makes me miss a lot by the way) and woke up today so grumpy as usual for waking as early as 6:30 to get the work bus and almost fell asleep standing while packing it! Wasn't the best of moments, and doesn't compare to waking up going in your head 'hey, I already packed the lunch boxes, I can now stretch a bit in the bed not having to spring up and go fuzzing around everything from getting dressed to the sacred lunch box packing :), YEEEAH'.

Sincerely, when I do that, I feel I achieved a real milestone, people reading this might think 'She's crazy! what milestone is there in preparing the lunch box from last night?'. To me, it actually is! For a person who, when was single didn't pack her own lunch box, plan what to wear the next day at work, and didn't even care to put her laundry in the laundry box (never in her almost 32 years of life on this planet), it definitely is a milestone and a good starting step to becoming the House Diva. 

The Future House Diva signing off, have a nice day everyone.
Cairo, May 16th, 2012 12:56pm

** By the way, in the previous post,  it's 'contently' and not 'contendly', sincerest apologies for lingo freaks like me if they read it & were offended :)

**Antakha is the colloquial Egyptian expression of laying down lazily doing nothing at all!

** Blog readers: You'll have to suffer with me a bit on Rules' arrangement that might change all through the life of this blog, since my thoughts about them develop by time and hence their priorities are likely to change. Moreover, it'd probably be due to it being my first time EVER to write in such a way, so publicly for everyone to read.

...So in my attempt of becoming 'The House Diva' of my home, I've decided to establish that blog (not sure is it: establish, or have, or  make...whatever:) to unlock all the thoughts and experiences (and boy, do I have many of these so far!) I've in that domain and to record them and share with close friends & family, and hopefully the globe at some point in time  with the hope of providing valuable advice to all women in how to successfully and contendly run their houses. Also, this blog is my breeze of freedom from work and its over-exceeding load that's been hyping for quite some time now and is pushing towards the direction of an unavoidable breakdown (yes, to that extent).

Now, and in that context, I couldn't find a more suitable title for that than: 'Samira's Feast, The House Diva' why? well, my late grandma's(from my mother's side) is Samira, and man, was she the best House Diva ever! she was a great wife, mother, cook,  sewer, friend, neighbour and above all the best Grandma ever! None of the people who met her, even for the shortest period didn't love her. She possesed qualities I aspire nothing in the world than to acquire. She was fun, yet respectable, easy-going, yet straight forward & firm, quick in achieving her chores, yet with impeccable quality.In achieving that last aspiration in the previous paragraph, it always seemed mind and soul relaxing to me talking about her, it's as if she's the relaxing pill, the mentor of 'how to live life no matter how bad it gets', yeah, even after 2 years of her passing away.

Also, there is no better collocation of Samir's name than feast, cause she actually did a great job on that and in my own interpretation of the word feast collocating with my grandma's name it means 'festival', which is how she made life look like a festival filled with colors, joy fun and responsibility of how to make people happy while contendly enjoying it to the max!

Bottom line, I guess this blog will be about becoming a House Diva through recalling my beloved grandma's life experience and my own fresh new experience of running my own home and new life as well.

post note:
I do apologize for whoever is reading this blog now for any spelling mistakes, fuzzy style/thoughts for I've been writing this yesterday & today in between work hours, just as a breezer to avoid the stray jacket ;)

This is the Furture House Diva signing off at 2:24pm Cairo Local Time, EGypt