Forgetting things is a norm??

I know my maid always forgets things, so I tried to help her by guiding her to make a list. Because she is so disorganised, I told her to write down what she intends to cook for each meal, plan and write down the ingredients ahead so that when she goes marketing, she is well prepared.

Yet even with such planning, EVERY alternate marketing days, she will come back after 3 hours and then tell me "oh I forgot xxx" So she will need to go out another 2 hours to rectify her mistakes. When it happens the first few times, I was ok and brush it off as accidents. However it keep happening every week and I'm getting annoyed. How do u forget things??? U pay and take the things n go. Once in a while I get it, but every other day? 

What annoys me too was how she NEVER tells us what she fail to buy, either coz not enough cash or whatever other reason. We don't have an issue with her missing out buying stuff due to lack of cash but we have told her before to inform us so that when we are out we can buy it on our way bank. However she just persistently keep quiet and I have no idea why. She will only tell us she didn't buy this and that on the night before and so she has an excuse to go out on a non scheduled marketing day. Then she will rush through the rest of the day cling cling clank clank while I'm trying to put baby to sleep n disrupt my day. 

Another thing is that she will change what to cook on her whim n fancy rather than what was planned ahead. So I would be expecting one dish but end up eating salmon again twice in a week. So instead of using the money I gave her to buy beef, she decided she wants to buy salmon instead. She just cook watever is easy for her and that again grates on my nerves. When u try to ask her why, she will always avoid the question and fob off with "u want me to cook something else?" I get frustrated coz she will not look at you n will never answer the question with a direct answer. 

I wish there is a database with maids profile and REAL feedback or testimonies against their work resumes. Of course this will never happen coz administratively impossible. Though I find it grossly unfair that employers have to bank on luck to hire an unknown maid, hoping she can do the job since there is no references on the past. Some employers will just lie since the maid is still with them in their last month. U do not know if the maid u hired has issues with former employer  or work attitude and yet this person will be working or u repeating her errors and staying in your place facing each other day in day out where employers do not have legal options to pay for live out options. 

There are many good maids n there are nasty ones. I am still undecided where ours stand. To be fair she is not all that bad compared to some others that steals, borrow from agencies etc but she has her moments. 

Changing maids seem like "easy" way out but it will be another 3-6 months learning from scratch and I don't have so much time n energy to waste on retraining a maid. By that time, I would not need a maid since my baby will be older. I would rather just hang in there and pray for miracle she will stop being so forgetful. Now she just does her things, I do mine and we stay out of each other's way. Good thing my flat is big enough where I can still have my personal space. 

I wish my previous help of 6 years didn't have to go back to Philippine. She was really good and having her was a joy and we can chit chat while she works and I never have to worry about a thing. Good help are sooo hard to come by.