My home is a mess

alec_eiffel

procrastinator wrote: »

Hello
Not posted for quite a while, was ill and nothing much has got done.
Feel very despondent. Have been lurking on and off.

Have got one load of washing done, airers cleared of previous wash, new stuff out. Old stuff on to indoor airers or on hangers. Not sure if there's room in the drawers cupboards so they may well go from hangers to body back to wash pile. Another load in.
Sitting here thinking of the chores and not doing them. Want to go out but can't unless I do some work here first or feel too guilty. Have wasted half my life (or so it feels) putting off what I want to do because I don't get on with other stuff first.

This sounds ridiculous reading back but will keep it here as a reminder to me to just get on with it.

Happy Sunday.

I think your post will ring true for many people, it does for me. I used to be the same. My house was full of junk and things that needed to be done and there was I wanting to do all these things, full of ideas, fat, skint and I will admit it here - lazy. I thought all the advice that I'd read about getting organised was a load of old cobblers, suitable for other folk and not for me but then someone on the radio said "why not try another way if your way clearly isn't working" and so I did.

It took months and months to sort through my stuff, to access rooms that we couldn't get into, to get into a laundry routine so DH never had to go out first thing in the morning to buy clothes to wear for work and to be able to have the curtains and blinds open at the front of the house so people weren't horrified when they went past. But it goes. And the more you do the more you want to do (not just talking about getting organised) and the more you realise you can ditch the guilt and do what you want because the balance of doing what you have to do and doing what you want to do starts to switch.

Motivation doesn't arrive, it catches up with you once you've started doing things. It can happen! I do the most important things first thing in the morning then it frees up the day for fun stuff and other less important things. Sounds too simple to work but it does.
Laundry was a big problem for me too, all the stuff you use is out and about and all the stuff you don't is hanging in the wardrobe, shove it in a bag and let it go, free up the space for the things you do use. If you throw something away nothing bad will happen.

Catslovelycats

Hello, all.
Can I jump back in please after being absent for quite a while?
I keep trying the various decluttering challenges but nothing lasts very long. At the moment my house is fairly OK cos I had to do a major sort for when the builders come to fix my collapsed ceiling and for the plumber to sort out my heating problems.
It's not been the best year with all the shock expenses, but at least my new budget and account system has meant I've had the money to pay for things (admittedly by robbing Paul AND Peter at the same time). A year or so ago I would have been scrabbling around. I partly thank the convenience of my phone app for being able to keep track of my money.
I just wish I could transfer the organisation into the practicalities of running a house! I've got to keep things in order for the builders this week, but after that, I'm not sure how it will end up. Being on here might help me keep a focus.
Off work at mo cos just getting over a horrid virus that made it impossible for me to stand or sit without feeling incredibly faint. It's given me time to think about how I'd like my house to be and now that I'm on the mend I might start doing a few of the small jobs.
Thanks for reading my ramblings. I look forward to getting to know you all!
x

alec_eiffel

Hi Cats!

Glad to hear you're on the mend, don't do too much and set yourself back though. If there's anything you can do sitting down then do that and don't worry about what you can't do. When you're ill you're ill.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hi Messies.
Catslovelycats.. thanks for sharing your `ramblings` with us, and glad to hear you`re getting better - but as Alec E rightly says don`t try to do too much till you`re right again.
I know just what you mean about wishing you could transfer your organisational skill from one area of your life to another.
I work long hours on a busy ward, I`m very well-organised there because I HAVE to be! I`m fairly organised about planning meals around shifts too, and I mostly cook from scratch. Other areas of life are pathetically dis-organised though, except for short bursts. I`ve found that lists don`t work for me, and the attempts to de-clutter here don`t last long either. There MUST be a plan ...I`m working on it...

sonastin

I've been resolutely ignoring the dirty pots piling up in the kitchen this week in an effort to train OH that if I cook, he can sort out the washing up. Its kinda been working... most of the pots have been washed and some have even been put away in the right places again. Kitchen has never made it to "spotless" but there's usually more than a d/w load-worth by the time he gets round to it.

Anyway... this morning I got told off for putting my breakfast pots on the side instead of the d/w. And then he noticed it was still full of clean pots and commented on how he'd have to empty it again coz that's all he's seems to be doing this week. I just said "tell me about it" and left for work

Do you think he's getting the message?:T :rotfl:

bearcub

Afternoon messies.

It's been a bit quiet on here recently, hasn't it? I thought I was going to have loads of posts to go through. Do you think everyone's gone into hibernation early?

Welcome, catslovelycats, and take your time, as others have said. There are some nasty bugs about atm.

Sonastin, I think your OH would drive me nuts, so well done for keeping on making the point. It worked with our DD2's bf, so hopefully yours will catch on eventually.

Emms, I can understand why you have to be organised, but I'm always impressed.

We have DD2 with us atm, until tomorrow afternoon, and it's been lovely. There was a small panic yesterday when there appeared to be a bit of paperwork missing re DD2 and bf's house buying, but it turned out to be a muddle over surnames. Because DD2's here, minimal de-messing has been going on, although I've kept up with the bathroom cleaning. She decided she'd rather sleep on one of the sofas, so this room (2nd bedroom) didn't get cleared, and is full of boxes of 'stuff' - all useful, mostly in use or to be used in the next couple of days. Ah well.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Hi Messies!

Sonastin - keep it up, it does sound like you`re getting somewhere. Your OH does sound a bit like my DS (think I said this before too). I`ve long been moaning about my DS`s trashing of the kitchen, but recently I`ve noted that IF I leave it `clear` he doesn`t trash it as badly....I`ve thanked him when I noticed this, and that bit of acknowledgement seemed to go down well...he`s been away at his GF`s for a week, so I`ll probably have to start all over again!

Bearcub, you WOULDN`T be impressed if you saw my house! I`m glad your DD & BF have got the house-buying panic sorted, and glad you`ve enjoyed having her stay, though you`ve been missed on here!

Well, I`ve just had 2 days off and again feel I`ve done very little, or at least there`s little evidence here of me being busy. (We ate most of the evidence, Ha Ha!! Except the big jar of pickled eggs I made, but they`re not ready yet.)
Today I went shopping (mostly for DD) and took her a big box of fruit/veg from farm shop and some nice freezer stuff from Lidl, so that`s taken up a lot of the day.
I`ve also got tonight`s & tomorrow night`s food under way, as I`m on long-days Fri & Sat. Chicken curry now `festering` for tonight, chips peeled & cut, bit of salad made, defrosted YS lamb in oven for tomorrow night, we`ll have steamed baby spuds & sprouts with it so no prep. The Great News is...
SPROUTS ON THE STALK!!! The first this year. I refuse to buy loose ones as I hate picking over /trimming them, but on the stalk you just pick them off, rinse & steam. Yum. I do LOVE my farm shop. Saturday night after work it`ll be leftover lamb, bubble & squeaky leftovers, and grilled aubergines. Sunday I`ll have a lie-in then start all over again!
I`m really looking forward to next rota,(a fortnight to go) when my hours will get reduced. I have an idea...I will try to spend those 7 & a half hours per week doing `stuff` that I don`t normally get around to. A bit vague at the mo, but I`m thinking about it, that`s a start!
Have a good weekend all xx

bearcub

Hi Emms! The bit that impresses me is your love and prep of meals, I think, with me being decidedly unkeen on cooking. I've apparently brought the DDs up well, though, as DD1 loves cooking and is very inventive with her recipes, and DD2 has turned out to be a pretty decent cook, too. Her bf is a major carnivore and doesn't like fancy food but, despite DD2 being a veggie, she cooks him some pretty good meals. Got him to eat more veg, too.

I'd love a farm shop nearby, too, but our nearest is now over 12 miles away. OH does call in every week he does voluntary work in that area, but that's not every week. It's where he bought the leeks we're having to tonight - a particular receipe that DD's always liked. OH and I will add some ham to ours.

gilly1964

I am back to work on Monday, with some trepidation :eek: after being away for almost two months, but also pleased :j that I did not need the full three months off to recover from my op.


Today I am going to declutter our CDs to Music Magpie, there are many we do not listen to so even though they may only be worth 30p each, we do have over 1000, so if half go that is £150 towards the wedding fund:j

May also look through the DVDs and games as well. DSS did this with some games he does not use and sent 10 off to them for £10.40, not quite as good as trading in at the shops, but that would have needed fuel to get there, parking charges etc, so he is pleased with the return.

Have a good day all - it is looking incredibly dark outside so not sure that washing will be going on the line.

alec_eiffel

Morning everyone,

Next week I'm going to do a deep clean in every room so everywhere is delicious and done for when our guests arrive at the start of November. Doing it next week means I know I have loads of time to do things and the following week I won't be rushing around and feeling frazzled when they arrive.

Today I'm doing the usual Friday stuff to get everything straight so I don't have to think of anything other than washing up and making the bed over the weekend.