Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

lostinrates

I have a steam generator iron too! It was a handmedown, I wouldn't have bought one myself but I do like it. Its no quicker to do a rush job in the morning but to get a good job (like shirts) its much quicker.

I also iron duvet covers and sheets etc, they feel better to me and look better, and darn it, I'm a housewife: I'm meant to! Knickers/jumpers/tshirtsjeans etc.....no way. Lifes too short. re airing taking days: I'd suggest the airer needs resiting, near an open window maybe? If it takes more than a long day/two IME it starts to smell less fresh...not good!

vivatifosi

lostinrates wrote: »

I also iron duvet covers and sheets etc, they feel better to me and look better

I have a duvet door. Also works with a duvet bannister, but shape of my staircase means I can't do that. Put duvet cover into washing machine folded loosely rather than just shoved in, do same with fitted sheet. Wash as normal but make sure that the spin cycle is not too high so does not dry too much. Take out of washing machine immediately, fold neatly and put over interior door to dry, turning if necessary. Within 24 hours its dry and doesn't need ironing. Only works with polycotton, I keep the 100% cotton for hot summers only. Oh, and of course, make sure that the top of the door is dusted first to avoid grey stripe on nice clean white duvet:rotfl:.

I never use a tumble drier, don't need one and don't like their impact on the environment (says the woman whose DH works for an airline ).

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

I have a duvet door. Also works with a duvet bannister, but shape of my staircase means I can't do that. Put duvet cover into washing machine folded loosely rather than just shoved in, do same with fitted sheet. Wash as normal but make sure that the spin cycle is not too high so does not dry too much. Take out of washing machine immediately, fold neatly and put over interior door to dry, turning if necessary. Within 24 hours its dry and doesn't need ironing. Only works with polycotton, I keep the 100% cotton for hot summers only. Oh, and of course, make sure that the top of the door is dusted first to avoid grey stripe on nice clean white duvet:rotfl:.

I never use a tumble drier, don't need one and don't like their impact on the environment (says the woman whose DH works for an airline ).

Oh, I've done the door too. Generally though a windy dryish day with an airer is as good as a summer day. (I hate driers for the same reason, though got infatuated with the one I lived with for a while....I still buy bounce sheets for stuffing in shoes/radiators etc). Our lifestyle is not environmentally impact free, but not having a dryer is a small move. I plan drives etc for maximum efficiency.

I have washing on the line now thats been rained on, but its mainly ''dog towels'' (for dog and floor drying) so I'm not freaking that I forgot it:o

misskool

for those who need to feel better about themselves, we moved about 2 years ago and we still have things in boxes along a line in the dining room. and the loft hasn't been touched with whatever got slung up there. We've had 2 skips (granted, most have been building work), about a zillion freecycled and more to charity shops.

lostinrates

Thank you misskool!

I very foolishly have put most of the odds and sods and unpacked boxes in the room where work will probably start: meaning of course it will all need moving again, lol.

I think those with children do very well to ever get houses tidy-ish. I do a fair bit of housework and within half an hour of DH coming home stuff seems strewn everywhere. I try and spend 5 mins or so setting things fair down stairs before bed each night but the room the dogs sleep in is best closed off most of the time, and my desk top and ''coffee table'' (its actually an unpacked trunk but we don't have a coffee table and the truck is not ugly) top are groaning under the weight of things to sort out.

I'm doing the ten baby steps thing now carolt, a post followed by ten small things....:)

StevieJ

Looks like a slow news day, must be when a handout to a equality and a diversity course makes the headlines

A council has denied banning mother-in-law jokes after it was reported the puns had been outlawed.

A spokeswoman for Barnet Council said a document was created but was not widely published. It said there was no policy on the jokes but expects staff to be "polite" to members of public.

She said it was a handout given to 35 members of staff after a "one off" equality and diversity training session.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100927/tuk-mother-in-law-jokes-not-banned-6323e80.html

silvercar

Before our last move we emptied our loft to find boxes of things that we hadn't opened since the previous move 13 years previously. They went straight into the skip, only to find the neighbours fighting over them.:)

We've had the loft super insulated here, so we can't store anything in there as the insulation is higher than the beams, so we can't see where to place boxes. I thought it would make us less cluttered but there is a spare bedroom and garage which are gradually filling up.:(

On the washing/ ironing front. I never iron bedding or undies, but everything else needs ironing. When I fall behind with the washing I take all the towels I can find and get them service washed and dried at the launderette. My treat to myself, but otherwise it would take forever to dry them all.

I'm sure my dishwasher uses less water than hand washing dishes and so I can environmentally justify running a tumble dryer.

carolt

Thanks so much to everyone for helpful comments - nice to kow I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed by it all, though I am 99% sure that my house currently looks worse than yours.

But I can blame that on moving - it WILL get sorted (or a bit more sorted, anyway) soon.

Came back this morning from popping kids on school bus to definite smell of wee. Emanating from...where? Not sure. Unfortunately ds still has occasional accidents, not usually reported, so no idea what I need to clean or where. Sigh.

This morning, am feeling much more cheerful, partly due to helpful comments, partly due to...ahem, embarrassing reason. Lets just say I should remember not to post my woes without first reminding myself that everything goes in cycles. (Clears throat. ) Anyway, let's just say I no longer feel like I'm about to collapse with tiredness, the jobs that need doing now seem eminently do-able, if long and tedious, and, on ssss's recommendation, I did the washing up before going to bed last night, so I didn't wake to it frightening the children this morning , put a load of washing on and a load of clean dry stuff away.

By 9.07 (now), I have made 3 packed lunches, got 3 kids breakfasted, dressed and off to school, hung up the washing, put more washing away, done more washing up, sorted out the spice rack, found the missing clarinet, made the beds, (kids supposed to do this, but...ahem), and sorted out my list for the day.

Am now ready to go, with freshly-made cup of herbal tea (raspberry and echinacea, if anyone's interested - a new one on me), and determined to crack on with my list. Am a bit put-out that it's raining, as have to go out for various things and didn't really want to get soaked, and the forecasts promised it would be fine today. Tut.

carolt

silvercar wrote: »

Before our last move we emptied our loft to find boxes of things that we hadn't opened since the previous move 13 years previously. They went straight into the skip, only to find the neighbours fighting over them.:)

We've had the loft super insulated here, so we can't store anything in there as the insulation is higher than the beams, so we can't see where to place boxes. I thought it would make us less cluttered but there is a spare bedroom and garage which are gradually filling up.:(

On the washing/ ironing front. I never iron bedding or undies, but everything else needs ironing. When I fall behind with the washing I take all the towels I can find and get them service washed and dried at the launderette. My treat to myself, but otherwise it would take forever to dry them all.

I'm sure my dishwasher uses less water than hand washing dishes and so I can environmentally justify running a tumble dryer.

I bow humbly to those who iron 'everything else'. I iron dh's shirts (usually, or feel guilty and he looks creased), and occasional blouses/dresses etc - but would never dream of ironing duvets etc - I do a messier approximation of the overdoor thing others do.

I suspect I'm just not cut out to be neat.

Oh well.

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

made the beds, (kids supposed to do this, but...ahem), and sorted out my list for the day.

My theory with kids (from nieces and nannying) is that unless they are of the right type or going through the phase its easier to compromise with beds. Presuming its a fitted bottom sheet and duvet arrangement for kids folding the duvet back in half neatly so the bed can air is, it seems, less arduous than pulling duvet up to be ''made''. weird but true. A hotwater bottle being given to them fifteen mins or so before bed to tuck under the pulled up duvet starting at this time of year can also encourage the interest in this sort of thing: noticeable benefit to them;) When nannying I also used to encourage good bed making behaviour with the occasional surprise reward on made beds (eg a book they were wanting and had been going to just given to them, those weird cards boys always seem to collect, occasionally a wrapped biscuit). (not routinely....for complicated neuroscience reasons suggesting random reward in such circumstance is better). Its not a fight I elt needed to be picked, but ''good'' behaviour was quickeasy enough to endorse.

OK, nest ''ten'' are outside. I hate this weather, when its warm and wet. Two of the horses are in rugs at night, but on mild days like today need them off. The gamble of when to put them back on is always a nightmare.....too soon they get hot, too late they get rained on then need to come in to dry off, meaning pulling in unwilling horses and carrying in heavy, wet and muddy rugs. Its easy when its just cold enough all day, like yesterday:o)