sorting all my problems for a new year start can it be done ?

ragz_2

I think you are aiming for too much too soon. You'll get overwhelmed and give up within a week. Aim for little steps at a time, you can't learn that many new habits in one go. (Things like Flylady and Organizedhome.com can help but may be overwhelming) Maybe try getting the house sorted first, one room a day. In the evenings you can meal plan if you like. Start exercise small too, like a walk every day for a week, or one class/swim a week. Organisation can't be forced if you aren't naturally inclined, you need to teach yourself a new way of thinking. Get a good calendar/diary, get a notebook for LISTS which are essential but don't forget you have to actually DO the stuff not just write about it.
Weightloss - Join us on the Old Style weight loss forum, I'll be running a New Year weight loss challenge starting next week that you are welcome to join ior just join in the thread for the tips and support

School clothes - I have a plastic storage box on top of each of my kids' chests of drawers where school clothes go so they aren't mixed up with normal clothes. For ease I now keep socks and pants there too (not all of them, just enough). When the washing is done (I am one of those people who has no trouble doing it, it's just the putting away I seem to get stuck on!) I take out school clothes first, fold them and take them to the boxes. That way at least I can find uniforms and underwear, even if the rest of our clothes are in various piles around the house! This system works so well for us, I am never running around looking for clothes in the morning now (well, not theirs anyway, mine are another story!)

Rosie - I do that library book thing too

rosie383

Cross-posted with you Ragz while I was editing mine....... school uniform thing really does work, doesn't it? Takes a lot of the early morning stress away.

karenrel

Baby steps!
Set VERY little tasks/goals and the satisfaction you get from achievement spur you on!
Don't think about sorting the whole house or even a whole room - start with one corner, cupboard or drawer at a time and the sense of achievement from finishing a small task will spur you on to the next. Trust me, just one extra small task a day and this time next year you'll be sorted. Make your initial aim to get on top of everything and like 99% of diets it wont last, you'll have given up by February and the house will slowly undo all your January hard work over the following year.
Start with the uniform (I bought one of those clothes rails and keep the kids uniform all together on that - Soooooo much easier) and aim to wash/iron/label that this week and resolve to ALWAYS put it in the same place. Next week, tackle child no 1s clothes, the week after child no 2s and so on.
Good luck and trust me, there are plenty of people feeling just like you right now !

PipneyJane

A trick from my husband to cut down on the ironing: his work shirts get hung on hangers the moment the washing machine stops spinning and hung to dry over the curtain rail in our bedroom. Do this in the morning and they'll be dry by evening, in the right spot to put away and won't need ironing. HTH.

monnagran

Don't aim for 'perfect', aim for 'better'.
Boxes. Cardboard if necessary. One for school clothes, one for underwear, one for paperwork, one for things to be dealt with ASAP, etc etc then you will have everything in one place. You can put them away into drawers etc later.
Kitchen Timer. Set for 10 or 15 minutes and focus on one area to be cleaned/ cleared. It's amazing what you get done.
Never go to bed without leaving the kitchen tidy and clothes put out for the morning.
Launch pad. A place where you put everything that has to go out of the door with you the following morning - homework, PE kit, letters to post.............
All these ideas are from Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley (Flylady)

Diet, Exercise, Healthy Eating ..... On no account follow my example or listen to anything I have to say on these subjects.

2012ismyyear

Hi everyone thanks so much for all the tips and advice it's fantastic. Now today i have become a little sidetracked but have managed the following -
-freecycled 12 old toys/ boardgames and moved the new toys into the toy cupboard (under the stairs)
-toy cupboard now tidy
-done 3 loads of washing including all uniform all dry now and in the new "uniform drawer"
-i now have a large box full of what looks like odd socks but i am sure a few in there will match!
-put a sanctuary face mask on whilst doing toy cupboard so now my face is as soft as a really soft thing:D
-kids caught the bug and tidied there bedroom spotless now apart from there beds (bunk beds how do you make them look neat?)
-stuck a million stickers on new toys and i have a stray one stuck to my leg:rotfl:
-got sidetracked by my hubby declaring we were having a games marathon today and played all there board games but had a great time and loads of fun so thats ok:T
-started writing a list of favourite family meals and checking out how fattening they are and seeing how i can tweak them:)

Now i will see what i can get done between now and 7pm thats my cut of point and I yes ME am going to pamper MYSELF while hubby sorts kids.

see you all later xx

Libretia*

I think it's important to not put too much pressure on yourself. Any step in the right direction is a good thing, take baby steps or it may become too overwhelming.

oldtractor

I think instead of trying to get it all sorted FOR 2012 NYE,getting it sorted DURING 2012 is more realistic. Start by decluttering,15 mins at a ime per room. remember to take breaks for a drink of tea and sit down. Enjoy the process and form a weekly cleaning routine. Try to do at least 1 washing load per day,rather than lots at once. Make it fun and enjoy yourself.

**Patty**

Like Aligerdie, my husband works away 3 weeks out of 4 .....and i'm the same:o

So today, i have washed & dried all *dark* underwear & socks... mostly prompted by the fact that the kids (there's 3 of em) have no socks & it was a struggle to find clean undies.:o But....they do have now:D

I have also washed & dried ( drying as we speak) 3 pairs of school trousers (amongst other things) and tonight i will iron just the 3 pairs. Tomorrow will be shirts. So at least by the time they go back to school, they will have at least a full set plus 1 spare ironed & ready to go. Anything else is a bonus.

The washing isn't an issue.......cleaning the inches of dust off the iron however is......the ironing pile still has stuff in from september. And i know it's from then cos it's shorts :eek:

Emmala

I iron in my bedroom, so I keep a little wicker basket (on DH's bedside table!!) which all the socks go in when I empty the clean wash basket. Then they get paired up and any odds left in the basket till their pair joins them!!! It means that you can quickly see how many odd socks you have, and you know where they are!! It also means that when you find the odd sock under a bed etc, you know that the other one is in the basket waiting for it's buddy......

Good luck. I'm exactly the same as you - when I was teaching I was MEGA organised, and my husband thinks it's hilarious that it hasn't quite translated to being a SAHM!!! (though I'd like to see HIM do better!!!.....actually, no I wouldn't!!)