Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

silvercar

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.

Try the shoe cupboard. Why the shoe cupboard? Because before the kids go out I would shout "Put your shoes on and go to the toilet." I would find a child, half asleep, in the toilet looking for their shoes....and vice versa.

SingleSue

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 ).

Hehe, I have duvet, sheet and towel doors....boys always laugh as they can tell when it has been towel washing day because every single door in the house has a towel slung over it.

carolt

silvercar wrote: »

Try the shoe cupboard. Why the shoe cupboard? Because before the kids go out I would shout "Put your shoes on and go to the toilet." I would find a child, half asleep, in the toilet looking for their shoes....and vice versa.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

carolt

lostinrates wrote: »

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.

Ooh, like that tip.

Didn't know you used to be a nanny, lir.

I swear I now have an image of you that is just like Mary Poppins.

SingleSue

Silvercar.....it's not just little ones who do that.

We went to a party many years ago and of course, drink was involved. As there were so many guests, we were out in a caravan in the garden (about 8 of us in a 2 berth caravan - when one rolled over in bed, we all had to roll over in bed!)

Anyway, part way through the night, we woke up to my dad messing about in a cupboard...it was a slow realisation but it came eventually (we blamed the cold and the drink), that dad was weeing in the cupboard. We all started shouting at him and at first he couldn't see what the problem was, as far as he was concerned, he was weeing in the loo...except there was no loo!

Another time...and again my dad. Staying in their static caravan, I always sleep on the made up bed in the living area. I woke up one night to the 'wonderful' image of a buck naked father running into the living area in search of the toilet, opening a cupboard door with a sigh of relief and then being thwarted by my mums voice coming down the caravan from the bedroom "Jim, that is not the toilet! Come back up this end before you frighten Susan and wee in my DVD's!"

I pulled a seat across after that to block his access.......

carolt

Sympathise, Sue - my DD2 occasionally sleepwalks and we've had a few near misses of a similar nature. Luckily, she usually wakes up for the loo whilst we're still awake so can find her, and pick her up and carry her to the correct location.

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

Ooh, like that tip.

Didn't know you used to be a nanny, lir.

I swear I now have an image of you that is just like Mary Poppins.

Not a proper nanny with quals. I started baby sitting when about twelve....(not sure thats allowed? think its 14 now?) Anyway, when I was in mid teens and not boarding was earning a relative fortune from baby sitting weekdays, so it was a natural progression. Had a couple of short term live in positions while doing a levels, and when working at other things during vacations always used to ask my ''regular parents'' if they new anyone who would want me near where I was working: almost all ways found somewhere. Thought about au pairing my way through university terms too, but was already spread too thin really and really wanted the experience of halls of residence then flat-sharing. When I went to university all of ''my kids'' and parents near home who knew each other got together and bought me a present (embarrasingly I can't remember what) but I have the card they all signed, and unusually sentimentally for me its one of my ''treasured possessions'' and when I see it I shed a tear or two. One of my summer jobs and I had a bumpy summer: he really hated me...I was very, very different from his parents, who had found me through a regular. He was a nightmare to get to do anything and I felt like a horrible person all summer. When I left though he cried, and wrote to me for about two years afterwards.:D Boys are weird even when they are small (he was 8/9)

edit: au pairing/nannying often fits around other jobs which is why its so good during studying. That boy's summer I also worked in a tack & feed store part time, when the boy was at day clubs. Its short term enough to do when staying at places...loads of people want someone short term just for a school holiday period or while they leave their kids for a long haul break . I miss babysitting more though. I liked my evenings with lots of the kids, and when they go to bed if their is nothing left by parents to do. Now it would make nice reading/tv time.

another edit: yeah, I think I probably used to think ''what would mary poppins do right now?'' when confronted with a challenging situation. More often than not kids just like having an ''adult'' to talk to who isn't family. who still knows what its like at school, and who has a kids appreciation of things...so I'd me no good now! I was also quite strict....I made people do chores, partly be cause that's what I knew at home and also because it keeps people busy.

lemonjelly

If I could venture forward a tip, the one thing that'd I'd suggest, is do not stress about it. Stressing acheives nothing, and is a barrier to what you're seeking to acheive.

I accept it is probably an in my nature kinda thing, but I really try not to let such things stress me. The only way to remedy it, is to do something about it. If I have a topsy-turvy house, I'll just go at a few things. The benefit of seeing an improvement spurs me on.

The list idea is a good one (I live by lists, & some even suspect I have a form of OCD owing to my reliance on them), however there is a great sense of acheivement in crossing something off the list.

A last suggestion, have yourself a reward planned. For example, when you take the little un to school, get a cream cake. Get back home, & set yourself a task/few tasks, with the knowledge that on completion of said tasks, you are allowed the reward of the cake. There are double advantages to this - having the cake & a cuppa allows you a break & gives you time to view the benefits of your labours. It also helps with assessing what to do next. Plus, the knowledge that you earned the cake makes it doubley pleasurable!

(NB doesn't have to be a cake, can be a takeaway that night, or a cinema trip, or anything)

lostinrates

lemonjelly wrote: »

(NB doesn't have to be a cake, can be a takeaway that night, or a cinema trip, or anything)

Oh LJ, I do love you. I do this, my treat is just a cup o tea or coffee usually, or the next meal or whatever. I think I'm also slightly OCD. I count everything. As well as the ten baby steps I number my lists, I feel I get through them more easily. when doing the poo in the fields I also count and do a set number for each horse in turn, then go back to the beginning. It feels like there is an end to the job, and then anything after the first count (the minimum number of poops a healthy horses does a day....) is by ''choice''. Oh the ways we fool ourselves!

I didn't do ten things between these posts ;)

lemonjelly

lostinrates wrote: »

Oh LJ, I do love you. I do this, my treat is just a cup o tea or coffee usually, or the next meal or whatever. I think I'm also slightly OCD. I count everything. As well as the ten baby steps I number my lists, I feel I get through them more easily. when doing the poo in the fields I also count and do a set number for each horse in turn, then go back to the beginning. It feels like there is an end to the job, and then anything after the first count (the minimum number of poops a healthy horses does a day....) is by ''choice''. Oh the ways we fool ourselves!

I didn't do ten things between these posts ;)

Not only does it feel like there is/will be an end, but it allows you to measure progress, which builds a personal sense of acheivement.

How many times have folk here spent all day working away, & it looks exactly the same, & you've said to yourselves "it looks like I've done nothing!"? By having a measuring device, or a list to cross things off, you know what you've acheived.

That personal sense of acheivement is important when we are doing tasks. You need to get a sense of gratification from its completion. There are internail benefits - eg "ooh, doesn't the kitchen look lovely now!"

which helps you feel better about it all!:)

Which means less stress!:)

The more things that are done, the less remains. & pieces will then start falling into place...:)