Housework: Whose job?

Not long after we were married we meet a couple whose premise was, "If you are both working fulltime, then $20-$30 a week for sometime to clean your house is not much for the weekend relaxation & peace of mind it gives -- especially for the wife!"  We both thought this was a great idea & although only once in our lives so far have we done this, I must admit, it was really nice when it happened.
As you know I have been thinking a bit lately about productivity & the new role I find myself in as a stay at home Mum.  It is a role & job & I have heard often the classic -- "Mothering is a fulltime 24/7 job, you are a counsellor, teacher, nurse, taxi driver, you do this & that & whatever, lade da de da."  I dont disagree with that but at the same time it makes me cringe because it seems as though it comes from the need to justify your work & make yourself feel a bit better about a job that no one really likes to do.  I wonder if we have our thinking a bit out of whack on this one.
I read this article the other day "Strong marriages depend on dad's involvement with kids and chores."  I enjoyed what it had to say & got me thinking back to paying for a housekeeper if you are working fulltime.  I also was reflecting on another article " Motherhood is a calling & where your children rank"  and although I dont fully agree with everything in either articles it really made me wonder about how we view being a stay at home Mum.
Here's where I am heading...  My job used to be school teaching.  I would be at school from about 8-4 (approx) each day (or the days I worked).  I would sometimes have extra work to do but mostly my job fitted within those hours.  Before & after school my life consisted of pretty normal things such as grocery shopping, cooking & general living stuff.  I would also have hobbies, time with friends, volunteering in the community & down time relaxing.

Said no one ever!

Now I have changed careers -- I am now instead of a school teacher a mother.  I am with my child for about (at the moment) 8-10 or so hours a day (the rest she is sleeping) and in those hours I have differing tasks that need completing & stuff that needs to happen -- that is my job.  It does seem a lot longer hours than I am used to, but like any new job it takes awhile to adjust to & learn the ropes.  The rest of my life should still have the other things in it, like it used to.
My job is not to keep the house clean, or finish all the washing or make sure the loo is cleaned & baking is in the tin -- these are things that I do because it is part of my general living stuff.  If my fulltime job (being a Mum) gets in the way of these things, then maybe we need to look at hiring some one for a few hours a week.
Maybe for some this is no big deal -- but for me this is a new way of thinking, a revelation that has changed the way I perceive what I do.  I hate cleaning & would never voluntarily become a cleaner -- and being a stay at home Mum is not that -- I am a mother -- that is my role/job.  I find this rather freeing & helps me to see my day in a different light.  And just in case you are wondering -- I love my new job :-)
Well that's what I reckon -- what do you think?

Housework: Whose job?