Our household

Although we seem like a very stable family grouping -- we just increased our family by one hamster -- but we're working up to some major changes. We had to reduce our housekeeper schedule from 5 full days to 3 days. Alice has been with us for about 10years back and so even dicussing it has been a wrench because Alice does everything for us and knows us so well. and I suddenly realized that she is in fact kate's best friend. But when we alerted our door man, who knows everything and everyone in the building that we were trying to help Alice find 2 days of work to keep her in balance financially, he found her 2 days a week with the young couple in 9B who have a new baby. But now they also want her full time. We can't say no. This will be a great opportunity for her and they are nice people and Alice loves babies. Unless of course they decide to move to New Jersey or some other god forsaken place. We had to agree.I discussed it this morning with Kate and we are both sad. More than sad. We both hate change. No matter how much you talk it up, change can be hard. I don't want to hear mutterings of good tidings here, this is the day to be distressed. Maybe next week I can hear the good stuff about change and really believe it too.
We have Alice through the end of March and spring vacation and then it's a brave new world for us.

Alice will continue to be in the building so Kate will have access to her and we will hire someone else to the cleaning, shopping, laundry stuff that I have never done and will never do. Especially the cleaning/laundry gig. However since I don't quite see Arnie turning into Mr. Mom and baking cookies for Kate in the afternoon...we will need someone to be there in the afternoon when she gets home from school.