Allison's Wonderland

Utility Room Side1

So I've been spoiled.  Very. . . very spoiled.  I don't normally admit that, as growing up my parents pretty much made me work for most of the stuff that I got.  I obviously had food, shelter, etc., but if I wanted anything specific when it wasn't around Christmas time or my birthday, I had to pay for it.  This is a different kind of spoiled.  In Italy Simona wanted me to spend time with Mattia when he was at home and on weekends while she and Gian were working in Prato.  We played Uno, had picnics, went on adventures, and watched T.V. together.  The only thing I was responsible for, other than Mattia of course, was keeping the upstairs tidy which consisted of my room, bathroom, and a little sitting area.  No big deal.  I'm a pretty clean person, so keeping the upstairs clean was cake.  I also helped with kitchen duties, took out the trash, emptied the dishwasher, kept Mattia's room tidy, that sort of thing.  I was never asked to do those things though, it was all on my own accord.  I just wanted to be a little helper. :)  More oftentimes than not, Simona would even get Mattia up and take him to school.  That left me to sleep in.  Like I said, I was spoiled.

Utility Room Side 2

Here in the U.K., you can just call me Cinderelly.  The girls I "watch" are 10 and 12.  I quote "watch" because they're old enough to take care of themselves, and don't really need anyone to look after them per say.  Really they just need a referee to break up their fights when they get really nasty.  I'm not exactly sure what I thought when I signed up for this gig, but it definitely wasn't what I am doing now.  Here's my schedule . . . I wake up at 7:45 to get Ellie up for school.  Ellie HATES to get out of bed, which is understandable.  I hate it too.  Waking up is one of the worst things a person can do in the morning.  I go in and try to be nice with waking her up.  Sing a little song, you know that kind of thing.  When that doesn't work, I get my iPhone out and turn on the most obnoxious alarm.  When

Mopping Old Fashioned

that doesn't work, which it doesn't work often, I fling the blinds open.  After doing that Ellie complains and cries about how it hurts her eyes.  Of course it does.  That's the point.  I want her to get up.  After this back and forth goes on for about 15 minutes I head downstairs because I'm pretty fed up.  This morning she told me to, "Get OUT!"  Go Away! You don't understand!"  Understand what?  The fact you don't want to get out of bed?  Oh I understand perfectly well, because I was in that position about 15 minutes before you.  After being screamed at, I walked downstairs and made her lunch.  Before making her lunch though, I had to clean up the mess that Sophie, who is the 12 year old, just left out.  Milk was lying on the table, cereal still in a bowl along with her spoon.  I wasn't able to put it in the dishwasher because the dishes were clean in there.  I had to hand wash all of the dishes from the previous night's dinner because we were out of dish washing detergent.  So, that being said, I had to unload the whole dishwasher before cleaning up Sophie's mess.  After getting Ellie's lunch packed and ready to go, she comes crying downstairs saying her sister stole her head band.  So I calmly tell her to find another one.  She then shouts that she doesn't have another one.  That's when I walked upstairs to the bathroom to find a whole box full of head bands.  Really?  You couldn't just choose one of those?  Dear dear dear....

My Laundry Prison

After being accused of moving her brush, which I didn't, I get back to cleaning up the kitchen mess.  I get the dogs clean fresh water, and let the hamster's loose so they can frolic in the garden.  The not finding things is a routine with Ellie, and Sophie as well.  I think I can put the problem to the fact that they NEVER put anything away themselves and are extremely unorganized.  I don't know how they can live with that.  Most of the things I own have their proper place and can be found accordingly in their place when I need them.  Yesterday morning Ellie couldn't find her tie.  She thought it was underneath her

Some of my day's work.  iPod is a Must!

desk.  Don't ask me why it was there in the first place, but it definitely was not there after we searched for it for 20 minutes.  After Sophie was off to school, I was off to clean.  First I started with laundry.  I ironed a huge stack of laundry that will probably just be stuffed in some cupboard somewhere, so there's really no point in me ironing, but I do it anyway with a happy smile on my face.  I have ironed more clothes in one day for this family than I have in my entire life.  In the USA we have a little thing called a dryer which works wonders for wrinkled clothes.  I guess in the UK they're non existent.  I folded a huge rack's worth of the family's clothes and put them in their "prospective" places.  I put Wendy and Bill's clothes in the office as Bill hadn't woken up yet and I didn't want to disturb him.  After laundry, it was vacuuming time.  This is something I do every day probably twice a day.  There's carpet even in the bathroom.  Not use to that for sure.

Mess I made while cleaning the kitchen

I took to dusting by using this little spray can and a little cloth.  I also took out a big bag of trash and took out some of the recycling.  After putting things away and hoovering all over the house, it was time to walk the dogs.  According to the skeleton of a schedule I should be done working at approximately 9:45.  I'm not sure in what universe I could've gotten all that work down in two hours, but by the time I took the dog's for a walk it was 11:00.  Did I mention my hours were suppose to be 7:45 to 9:45 in the morning?  After picking up some lovely poop that the dogs discarded on our walk it was time for me to flee.  The only time I can really get any kind of rest is when I'm out of the house.  Otherwise, if I'm in my room with the door closed I get tasked with extra work.  That's why I go to my favorite coffee shop called Caffe' Nero and write these lovely Blog, which I know you love reading. :)  

Now I don't mean to sound ungrateful in anyway, which I totally probably do right now.  It's just I didn't realize that I was going to be an extremely underpaid live-in  maid when I took this job.    I'm just feeling a little bit overworked, underpaid and neglected at the moment.  What's a girl to do other than write about it? :)