So much to do, how can I stop being overwhelmed?

bossymoo

My tip would be get your kitchen timer. For decluttering, cleaning, whatever. Pick a small corner / pile / drawer. Set timer for 15min and go for it. It's only 15 min. If you only pull out a small corner, you can't make so much mess and after 15minutes you've got a tick off your list. Have 3 boxes (bin, donate, keep) so you have somewhere to put the stuff.

As for kids, well mine are much younger (3&4) but I have them in training. They do "tidy time" which is putting toys away and they put their dirty clothes on the laundry bin. We also battle over getting dressed without a fuss, teeth cleaning etc. One particularly stubborn day, I thought I'd just sit down and whenever they asked me for something I just said "no thanks, I'm having a NO day". I kept this up for about an hour, by which time they were almost begging me to get them dressed Now if they start being "antsy" I just say "oh, are we having a no day?" :rotfl: I rarely get any trouble after that.

I know some families of teenagers reset the wifi password each Friday. Each teen can have the password only when all laundry is in the right place, bedroom tidy and a reasonable start made on homework. Small chores in exchange for lifts here and there.

I'd also second tackling one thing at a time.

Good luck and here's to 2014!

bossymoo

Pitlanepiglet wrote: »

Don't forget you don't do your kids any favours by letting them get away with not helping out. Get them into good habits now.

I agree, independence is an important gift we can give our children.

lostinrates

Bossymoo uses the kitchen timer....

Last night dh and I watched Harry potter. Every advert break we ran around like mad things repairing Christmas damage. Only thing not rectified was the vacuuming.

If you have a television show you like to watch then advert breaks are god sends, they are just the tight amount of time to go FLAT OUT, and I mean running.

And yes, i have been told before on MSE I might be the only person in the world who only has basic tv the has adverts still.

UserX

Some of my survival tips:

Kids 13+ do their own laundry, including bedding (obv I supervised the first handful of times and of course we occasionally combine loads if that's a sensible way to manage part-loads)

4 week rolling menu plan, typed up and rotated onto the fridge with the main ingredients for each meal listed in the plan to make shopping quicker

I don't go in the kids' bedrooms :rotfl:

parsniphead

I feel for you dandycandy as I could have written most of your post myself.

One of the best things I have learnt to do is race the kettle. It's one of my pet hates is standing waiting for kettles to boil which one of my colleagues was very good at. It's amazing how much can be some in the kitchen while waiting. Washing up, drying and putting away crocks, tidying the fridge or putting a wash on.

As for the rest I will leave to the tidy folks.

Good luck with the journey.

dandy-candy

I've manage to write a long list of meals that I can incorporate into a menu, but can everything be frozen safely? Some I'm not sure about are beef stew, chicken and veg curry, mushroom stroganoff and kebabs?
Also I have seen foil trays with lids in poundland, are they any good for the freezer?

y5d

Judi wrote: »

The biggest piece of advice I can give you if you want something done is don't ask them to do it but TELL them to do it.

Not 'will you wash up for me please?'
But 'I want you to wash up for me please'. Say it as though you mean it.

If its not done then you don't go out of your way to do something nice for them that they appreciate.

Can I add to this - don't say 'I want you to wash up for me please.', say 'I want you to wash up for me, thank you!' - The assumption here is that it will get done, rather than being a request that can be refused!

sonastin

If you have been completely out of control then this list is most definitely overwhelming! I would definitely pare this list down to something much simpler to start with and build it up later as you go along...

dandy-candy wrote: »

2
Declutter the attic and garage.
Why do this need to be done? Out-of-sight-out-of-mind works well in our house! I would agree that you'll feel better when its done but are you sure it needs to be top of your list? Unless the clutter is over-flowing to the point where it is taking over your life, I'd make a conscious effort to stop worrying about this until you get the other stuff under control.

Lose weight and start some form of exercise.
I suggest you just start with taking up some form of exercise. Don't add the pressure of the weight thing while you've got other stuff to stress you out. If you get a grip on doing exercise and eating a healthy menu, you'll have a head start on losing weight anyway.

Get a house routine going to keep everywhere clean and a rota for sheets, towels, clothes.
Don't stress about making this a routine. Just make sure that you clean the sheets, towels, etc when you are aware they need doing. Break the habit of procrastination rather than trying to programme when you have to do it. If you remember it needs doing when you're not in a position to do it, set yourself a reminder on your phone to do it as soon as you can. The routine will develop organically if you don't let yourself keep putting it off to another time.

Plan a menu that is cheap but also healthy, DH and I are both over weight and he has high cholesterol.
Loads of great advice on meal-planning already. In your shoes, I'd make this my priority. Once you're eating right, you'll feel so much more ready to tackle the other stuff anyway.

Batch cook so I can have quick meals ready to bung in the oven when I'm having a down day.
As others have said, start with just cooking extra of whatever you're already making.

Get the kids (teens) in a routine for tidying their rooms and homework.
Don't have kids so don't trust my views on this one! But I would suggest sitting them down and treating them like grown ups. Tell them you're unhappy with the way things have been and that you need their help to get things back under control. Tell them you need them to do their part, tell them what you are going to be doing (e.g. keeping the other rooms in the house clean and tidy) and tell them what they need to do (keep their rooms clean and put away their stuff so it doesn't end up all over the house). Then make sure that you keep your end of the bargain if you expect them to keep theirs.
That should work for about a week and then you'll probably have to follow all the other advice you've been given on this one :rotfl:

babyshoes

dandy-candy wrote: »

I've manage to write a long list of meals that I can incorporate into a menu, but can everything be frozen safely? Some I'm not sure about are beef stew, chicken and veg curry, mushroom stroganoff and kebabs?
Also I have seen foil trays with lids in poundland, are they any good for the freezer?

Kebabs may be a little dry if you freeze them when fully cooked - do you serve them with a warm sauce / gravy? If so, freeze them in the sauce and they will reheat fine. All the other stuff will freeze perfectly well in either those foil trays or plastic tubs and reheat well either from frozen or from defrosted - in fact anything with some sort of sauce or gravy will freeze and re-heat perfectly well, including leftover roasts. If you freeze in plastic (such as takeaway tubs) you can usually microwave from frozen - stir often once it gets to a point that it is soft enough to do so, which will stop some areas getting over-cooked while the rest is still cold.

DigForVictory

Two thoughts:
Be gentle with yourself, especially when you Don't get something finished.
You have many hands - put the children to work! If they've the check to complain about unhealthy food, they can get cookbooks out of the library, plan meals (in consultation with you) draw up shopping lists & even learn to cook. (Summer holiday suppers were ace - mum had us three girls cooking & competing - OK, little sis' "signature dish" was open sandwiches & Mars Bars but she was 4 & it gave mum a break.)
It isn't Just You. Make them *all* cooperate & collaborate!