The Cleaning Fairy beats Fairy Godmother, Blue Fairy and Tinkerbell. Wands down.

There is absolutely nothing I wouldn't give up to keep my cleaning lady coming to my house. Nothing. In fact, I have upgraded Diane (a fitting name-- it means 'divine' and she certainly comes from heaven), from mere cleaning mortal, to Cleaning Fairy.  She appears, with magic and glitter, and makes my house sparkling clean and good-smelling.  

The only problem with having a Cleaning Fairy is that, dang it, there doesn't seem to be a pre-cleaning fairy.  I've wished upon a dozen stars for a second fairy to come and de-clutter, arrange and prepare my house for my Cleaning Fairy's arrival.  I've even left out small plates of cookies and milk; all I got for that one was some fat guy that woke up the baby with his belly laugh, and left soot all over my floor. Nice. Thanks guy.

It's funny, but I think part of trusting someone to come into your home and clean it for you is knowing that person will arrive.  Cleaning Fairies can't be collecting dishes from all over the house or sorting the mail that is strewn across the counter. It's a waste of their glittery time. Plus, I think it would really annoy ME if someone I was working for couldn't even take the time to give me a proper area in which to work. So, in anticipation of her arrival, I spend roughly three hours prepping the house. I clean off the counter she has to scrub, my daughter puts her toys away so Diane can vacuum (and see) the floor.

My husband, who enjoys cleaning as much as I do, grumbles witty things like, "Why do we even have [a cleaning fairy] if I have to do all this cleaning anyway?"  and the answer is so obvious I scoff.  We have a great deal going here. She scrubs toilets, showers, floors, et cetera.  The last thing on earth I want to do is annoy the Cleaning Fairy.  Like I said, there's nothing I wouldn't give up to keep her, and thusly I willingly give up an afternoon of family time for her to spend a morning of her time, doing the stuff I really can't stand. 

What's that you say? I could save that money by adding an hour or two to my pre-clean and just finish everything myself?  Sure. Yes. It is true. But, part of the appeal of this arrangement is that I can walk into my house, perfectly arranged, with vacuum lines and a lovely citrus scent that I had nothing to do with making. It's better than coming home to a meal I didn't have to make, or a closet full of designer shoes I don't have to pay for.  Yes. I said it.  Carrie Bradshaw can keep her closet; my Cleaning Fairy is worth more to me than 10 000 pairs of Louboutins.