SAHM's getting organised in 2009!

littlepinky84

Good evening ladies, i have had a lazy day but.... Df has done ds1 room and the bathroom i tell lies we both tidyed LR this evening aswell and i done some washing earlier and sorted the dishwasher lol

Roll on next week till school is back ds1 makes the most mess lol

Lalaladybird

I have a long way to go on my getting organised journey, but I am making a little progress.... I have filled in my 2009 calendar with birthdays, weddings etc AND slotted in the cards for those occasions and made a list of those cards I still need to get so I'll go out this week and buy them all (plus a few extras like new baby, new home, get well soon etc) then I shouldn't have to purchase any cards for the next year:j

I have drawn up a weekly chart with tasks in like ironing on a friday evening, food shopping on a thursday morning etc and I have made a daily to do list. :oI have even scheduled in playtime with my daughter and time with OH...:o

I will draw up a two week menu plan that I will just repeat....boring but easy to follow :rolleyes: (I hope)

If I am going to stick to my new self imposed rules I had better go and get the dishes washed, the highchair wiped and get my ironing done in front of the tv.

I intend to have my shower and wash my hair in the evenings so I can get up, dresssed and make up on straight away in the mornings.

How are you all doing? I feel like I have it all down on paper but life still feels a bit chaotic....I need to see some results but as it is only the 2nd I'll give myself a break

morganb

Lalaladybird, any chance you could share your weekly chart with us please, might give us a few pointers and help us plan our own!! Thanks!

skylight

Well. Today I got started with birthday pressies and cards for the year. Everything from the sales to keep costs down but need to find somewhere to actually keep them. I always forget about birthday cards and at my age its getting a tad embarassing! Last year, I did use moonpig for a while and they used to email me a week before each birthday but mid-way through last year they suddenly stopped emailing me, and started up again before Christmas - it really threw me and I missed lots! So I am writing all of Januarys now and putting stamps on them. Just need to remember to post them.....

I also have a meal plan in place and the associated shopping list that goes with it, but wont be buying anything until we get paid.

This weekend really is the cleaning of the rooms and finishing off the toy boxes upstairs. Unexpected visitors meant they weren't done today.

Lalaladybird

morganb wrote: »

Lalaladybird, any chance you could share your weekly chart with us please, might give us a few pointers and help us plan our own!! Thanks!

Here it is....


Monday....

- run errands (library/bank/returns/post letters etc - I'll let these things gather in a basket in the hall all week and only do them on a Monday)
- laundry (probably 3 or 4 loads - I will need to do 1 or 2 more during the week but I'll clear the laundry basket on a Monday)
- maybe go to a rosemary conley class :eek: I'm thinking about it anyway :rolleyes:


Tuesday....

- my OH is off work on a Tuesday so this will be family fun day, a free day out to the beach or a wander round the garden centre or take our dd to soft play, nothing earth shattering but something relaxing to look forward to. I'll make sure that we spend time together in the evening watching a movie etc rather than just doing separate activities (with a toddler scheduling this in is important for us otherwise we look back and wonder why we hardly ever spend time together:p)
- charge the mobiles


Wednesday...

- "Weekly big clean"....clean kitchen thoroughly (in the micro etc), clean the bathroom, change sheets, dust, hoover, mop floors, empty bins etc
- make soup, to use up all the veg in the fridge, in the slow cooker overnight.
- clean the fridge :rotfl:


Thursday...

- Weekly big shop....go to Mr T's and get all the groceries in for the week. I'll keep a shopping list on the fridge and add to it as things run out so I'm not guessing what we need.
- Batch cooking evening....make as many meals/soups/sauces as possible in 2 hours, including cleaning up, that can go in the freezer for the week ahead. This might take some practice on the timings but if I start when dd goes to bed at 7pm I know I'll want to be sitting down with a cuppa no later than 9pm


Friday...

- paperwork day...this usually won't take me long at all and will just involve things like filing bank statement etc but I need to write thank you cards for my daughter xmas pressies so I should have done that today as that sort of thing comes under this heading but I'll have to leave it til next Friday now
- ironing evening in front of the tv (should be doing that now....haha failing already :rolleyes:)


Saturday....
- no daytime plans ....spontenaity rules :j
- evening is "pamper me" time (things to make me look/feel a bit better like paint my nails etc... things that have been neglected since I had my dd)


If I stick to this weekly routine and follow my new daily rules of getting up and dressed, cleaning up straight away, giving everything a home and keeping it there things should start to run a bit more smoothly. Hope that helps a little.... let me know if I have missed anything out :rotfl:

morganb

Well, I have done quite a bit today, although none of it is really 'visible', i.e. my house would still fail the unexpected visitor test

- Have set up my complicated folder system
- Got all my bday / anniversary / Easter / Christmas cards for the year, with a few spare ones for good measure (will be very sad to see Woolies go, but made the most of their 80% off today)
- Have done all the ironing; each person in the house now has their own crate, into which all ironed things / clothes to be put away, go
- Have come up with star chart for the boys so that they remember to clean their teeth, etc., put plates out, tidy dining table, without me having to nag them and built in rewards as well (so I feel like a good Mum today)
- Ordered all food I need for my 14 day meal planner from Tesco's - thanks to canny meal planning and a ridiculous amount of food in the freezer, I only spent £70 - not bad!!!
- Have cleaned bathroom and made sure that OH knows EXACTLY where all the Christmas decorations go (I am a bit fanatical about that)
- Got DS1 to cook, with my supervision - salmon parcels, will post the recipe if you like, it took about 5 minutes to assemble, 15 minutes to cook and it was DELICIOUS!

Unfortunately, I also ate far too many biscuits / quality street / spent hours sticking little stickers on a London playset .... how many windows on St Pauls???? / didn;t go for a swim but DID go to the park / spent far too much money on the TU sale in Sainsbos and ordered the Complete Collection of the Vicar of Dibley ... so a profitable yet expensive day.

The tidying continues tonight with 'the stash' and anything non-work related in the study.

Hubby has backed up all photos (dating to 2003) to a new drive and is going to back up all my school work ... we have been REALLY ruthless today!!!

FrenchMaid_2

Hello,
I need to join too! My house is a tip, I once was so house-proud but over the past 2 years (guess what my daughter is 2) I let it slip beyond believe...

I already meal plan and stuff, I just need to tackle the house and come up with a routine to keep it ok!

Ok, so tomorrow I will
1. screw on the handles on DD's chest that I build in March last year
2. tidy the understair pantry/throw it all in bit
3. take Xmas decorations down
4. Wash kitchen floor!

morganb

Lalaladybird, thanks so much! My thanks button has disappeared ... as have my smiley icons.

That is a real starting point for me.

I am blitzing like mad so that I can then have some kind of system in place come Monday.

Right, that's it for me now, I think the most important thing I can do is allocate MSE time!!!

money_saving_diva

Hi all,

Can I join please? I am SAHM to my 14month little boy. I am sooo disorganised. I try and get up and ready before he wakes up, especially if we are going out in the morning but sometimes it is hard not to wake him up while I do this??!

I find trying to do anything while he is awake impossible!! I only get housework done when he is sleeping and his naps are getting shorter and so the house is getting messier! :eek:

I take him out to groups/swimming most days, so we are busy.:D

I just want to know how to leave him in a room on his own for more than 5 mins without having a disaster happen???! I find it easier to go out than to entertain him at home cos I then feel guilty for not getting the housework done when I have been at home. I am tired in the evening and hate doing housework then?!

Also no one has mentioned it but I love being a SAHM and I wouldn't have my life any other way but do any of you ever made to feel like you are 'odd' cos you want to at home with your lo's? ...and if one more person asks me what I do....or if I get bored...I will punch them!! :rotfl: :rotfl:

elle_gee

I'm going to bookmark this thread for when I'm a SAHM in July!

Thanks for all your advice and tips ladies