2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

balabooberlies

Mrs S.D.  and all other kind souls (I have many posts to respond to)

We manage.  There is a lot of love.  My nephew about a year and a half ago (it was definitely summer) decided to confide his diagnosis of ADHD to me.  This was huge.  A massive step in our relationship.  S'alrite I told him, I've got it too.  We then had a funny discussion over whether his Mum has it so I ploughed in with 'Well my Mum's definitely got it !'.  Giggles abounded.  And then he told me he loved me.  First time ever.

And now I'm late.  Told ya.....no focus !

 

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Floss

TC77 said:

Liverpool Anne - have you come across APD - auditory processing disorder? my 17 year old referred - dyslexic but struggles to hear and hearing test 'normal' but still struggles. Audiologist was very terse and just said its not a hearing problem you have a listening problem. She works really hard to concentrate so was quite upset. 

I sympathise with both your daughter & the whole family, its hard to live with. My 21st Century ex-husband had APD - if you can get a diagnosis it is a recognised disability so employers, schools etc must take it into account & provide support where possible. I went through years of being "shushed" if I commented while we were watching tv, he could hear one voice but if more than one or background noise he couldn't hear anything. It has been classed as the hearing form of dyslexia.

https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/medical-information-0/auditory-processing-disorder/

https://apdsupportuk.yolasite.com/

-taff

TC77 said:

Do other people find you declutter bedroom for example, to make it calm but then things migrate there again - maybe this is more tidying and showing up my natural struggle to keep tidy  - I work so hard at it

I think if you have decluttered your room [ it could be any room] ,if at the end of it, you find it keeps being recluttered, it's likely to be you either have more decluttering to do, or different organisational strategies. If your stuff won't fit in what you have to contain it, like a chest of drawers, or wardrobe, then you either have too much stuff or not enough drawers/wardrobe...

For us, we don't have enough stroage in the living room so stuff is everywhere. We do have enough in the bedroom so things are getting better there but still need a good declutter, using my determined head...

TC77

      Thank you Bala, Taff and Floss,

DD although at school too old for GOSH but as I'd googled GP referred her to UCLH which I think is one of the few places specialising in APD - she has dyslexia (only diagnosed at 15) and there is an overlap.

I am doing like with like so have 2 shelves of stationery, and a box of cables and continuing with these and others. Sadly, I think there is enough storage but either not right place or accessible, so I get distracted and clothes don't get put away or wander off to do something else....I will persevere ! it is improving through all the motivation and support from everyone here.

And having looked in shops for a jumper to take away (and they are all odd shapes at the moment) had a look for things for trip - found jeans I can fit in but need taking up, a slim handbag with the label still on it (last year xmas sale?) and 2 tops that I had forgotten about. Tried them on and DD1 (who has high standards) said ' you look like a nice mum'. I have now changed back into trackies and scruffy top but there is hope and a standard for my new year declutter!

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

2. JUST DO ONE THING EVERY DAY (courtesy of bit_by_bit) OTHER THAN DAY TO DAY CLEANING & DECLUTTERING 

3. ONCE A WEEK LEAVE THE HOUSE (e.g. Go into city centre for bank & butcher;  go to local town for cs dropping off or buying; visit the pub with DH 😉

4. CLEAN & EMPTY SURFACE AREAS - DAILY

I have already done better today - I am actually dressed 🤣 Saturday is very dark & also rather cold so heating is on. DH has managed to order 7 LFTs for pick up on Monday 👏 Several more Christmas cards received & hung up. Now though I am trying to summon up the enthusiasm to tackle anything at all from my extensively long To Do list 😔 I am not really a fan of Christmas at the best of times but discovering that DH’s London based niece has Covid has rather knocked me for six ☹️  However I have had a little flurry of activity - dismantled 2 cardboard boxes; wrote the last Christmas card (finally got the address 🙂); located 3 Christmas crackers 😉; tore a newspaper into strips as bedding for the worms 😉; sorted a bit of paperwork including filing.

2288 - 2290 Two cardboard boxes, newspaper - recycled

TC77 I get around the memory thing by having the same thread open twice (one to read & one to write) & flitting back & forth 😉 A lovely post with lots of useful & interesting information 😊 👏 Well done on the decluttering 👏 Btw your new target was 2250 😉 so you have every chance of succeeding 🙂 You are now safely seated on the ‘Electric Train for Declutterers’ High praise indeed TC77 😊 Great work on starting to plan your 2022 Decluttering Campaign 👏 & 💡 I now have the title of next year’s thread 

“2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN”

Great post balabooberlies 👏 and I agree that if one can manage the ‘like with like’ method it can be a godsend 🙂 As to your 2nd post thank you so much for such a heartwarming story 👏 I loved it so much that I am awarding you a Gold Star ⭐️ PLUS I am awarding a Gold Star ⭐️ to your nephew 🙂

Floss thank you so much for that very useful & interesting information 👏 One medal 🏅 on its way.

-taff, what great observations 👏 I quite agree that the journey to a clear & tidy home comprises both decluttering AND suitable storage 🙂 My problem is that I often get into a complete muddle trying to decide which comes first - declutter & then adapt storage OR sort storage & then declutter 😱 A conundrum indeed but as long as we plough on it will eventually sort itself out 😄

Hugs to everyone 🤗

MrsSD   🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🥇🥇🏅   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    2290/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £675.00 to end of December 

mothernerd

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

1. KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

2. JUST DO ONE THING EVERY DAY (courtesy of bit_by_bit) OTHER THAN DAY TO DAY CLEANING & DECLUTTERING 

3. ONCE A WEEK LEAVE THE HOUSE (e.g. Go into city centre for bank & butcher;  go to local town for cs dropping off or buying; visit the pub with DH 😉

4. CLEAN & EMPTY SURFACE AREAS - DAILY

Friday has been a dry day & for me a complete slob day 😉 Spent the entire day in my fluffy dressing gown watching TV 😂 DH fed the worms. DH & I finished the hm soup for lunch. One of our neighbours brought round a Christmas card & a box of fancy biscuits 🙂👏 Dinner was salmon fillets for DH & me, lo chicken for DSis with boiled potatoes & peas. Wudupa.

2284 - 2286 Kitchen recycling, newspaper, glass bottle - recycled 

2287 Kitchen detritus - binned 

You are welcome Proofread100 🙂 & I am pleased that my brief guide has proved useful. Also thank you so much for sharing the information about perimenopause 👏 Good luck with clearing the kitchen island & getting the other members of the household on board 🍀 I see a couple of our fellow declutterers have already explained ‘frogs’ 

Thanks for the printing information wort 👏

Hope you can catch up on your sleep vulpix 🤞 As to your family gathering, good for you 👏 as you say if it is good enough for the ‘muppets’ then it is good enough for you 😉 Well done on the decluttering & I see more £s in the pot 👏 Hopefully your ‘nap’ has replenished your energy levels 🤞I am keeping everything crossed that your DH will surprise you this year with thoughtful & wanted luxuries 🤞

Oh balabooberlies how very sad for both you & your brother plus your nephew 😞 I would like to thank you very much for sharing with us. Hopefully the rose hip tip will work 🤞

mothernerd, sounds like you had one experienced cleaner & one declutterer rather than 2 cleaners 🤔 However it does sound like you got a lot done 👏  Medals all round - 🏅for you, 🏅for DS3 & 🏅for Beloved. So sorry to hear that your body is rebelling & I am sending get well wishes & gen

We had 3 cleaners and they were fine doing the cleaning part. The youngest was the one who helped Beloved, after she had cleaned the small bedroom (I'd done most of that so it was probably the straightest just the bits I can't reach or find difficult). Beloved can only take so much and then retreats - that's why I was told not to go twice last week (second time I was already on my way, so didn't get the message). I understand, when you are feeling wretched and not coping, someone else trying to direct and help sometimes has the opposite effect. I find it difficult because I'm having to push myself to do things anyway.

I kept saying bag or box and then label, but DS3 thought labelling was too bureaucratic so today he's saying "where are my t-shirts" because we know they've been kept but he can't see which bag they're in. I've asked them to look over the contents of eg one set of cube shelves as there wasn't much on there, just a few items on each shelf. None of it's mine, I don't know what most of it is (multiple tech bits in black boxes - could be vitally important or just the spares like the way printers come with a cable for a pc and a cable for a mac). I did say to DS3 that I couldn't decide for him which were important and which were trivial/ broken/ ood and the cleaners certainly wouldn't. The bits that were parts of kitchen gadgets could have been put with the machines (or even taped on - I did this with the pedal control for mum's sewing machine when she was moving and labelled things that were to go to the bungalow).

The kitchen was the worst room in the house. I'd got most but not all the stuff off the floor (some bits were stuck on from when we had an under bath leak which brought down a bit of the ceiling and leaks under the sink). I have had the dishwasher and washer going for the past 10 days - 2 weeks but the kitchen table was piled high with stuff and the cooker and small worktops either side were disgusting. She had to clear stuff in order to clean the surfaces but I'd have cleared the table and then put anything to be kept on there, bagging the rubbish and recycling at the same time. There were quite a few pots with stuck on stains, but I've been soaking those overnight in buckets of strong detergent and then running them through the dishwasher.

A lot of stuff needed to go and I was happy to let the difficult cleans go - I've done the kitchen sink on at least 8 different days and it still had gunge in places. I'd already thrown one of my steamer baskets and a sieve which had obviously been used by Beloved and DS3 to sort out the gunge/ slow draining sink (did try soaking one first) and I did grab DS3 and told him to go round grabbing all the clean stuff and go hide it in one of the 'done' rooms.

Today I sat in the kitchen and made a list, looked in the mostly empty cupboards to see what we had or needed. Both of my 10l stockpots were there, 2 stainless steel pans, 2 le creusets, 2 stainless steel mixing bowls. We have enough plates and bowl, some glass/ pot oven dishes. My le creuset mug (brought back from America by DS2 when he went to be his friend's Best Man) and a lot of cutlery was found under chairs and bed and various nooks and crannies.

I have a kettle and a cooker which is more than I had when I first lived here. Bought the house in 1980. Moved in in 1981 after having it rewired, a bathroom installed made of second hand fittings and many hours spent nitromorsing doors and skirtings to remove layers of paint (including black, purple and deep turquoise). Finished paying for it in 1982 (and repairing and rebuilding ever since).

So we have enough to manage with. DS3 has said things cannot be brought back in and is prepared to replace all Beloved's gadgets over time (but with more consideration over which ones she will actually use). It's actually much nearer the sort of kitchen I like to work in. I was worried that I had the attachments but not power unit for the stick blender (found it in a different drawer. I appear to have at least some of my stainless steel tools, slotted spoon etc (must check for the masher).

I wrote an 'essentials' shopping list - wooden spoons (non-cooks never understand that the curry spoon is supposed to be coloured by the curries it's cooked over the years), a chopping board (my butcher's block is much too heavy and wasn't coming clean properly (I have been intending to take the sander to it for several years, but it hasn't happened), a pyrex jug and a box grater.

We have started to defrost the tall freezer (started because it's been turned off/ door left open a couple of times and there are more layers of ice than contents and it's going slowly). We've decided to bin the contents (low value or high risk). I've triple bagged (bin bag in a rubble sack inside a bag for life) some and brought it back to mum's as she has plenty of bin room. May do the same again tomorrow when hopefully there will be more individual bits rather than solid content/ ice lumps welded to the drawers.

About 1 pm DS3 and I went to the Hospice shop to buy a bed. They had 3 but only one with a mattress. That's being delivered on Tuesday (it was priced at £200 but he said he could do a deal at £165 of which £15 is delivery). Whilst DS3 was paying for the bed (delivery men need £15 cash on the day) I noticed they had a toaster for £4 (plain white 2 slot but it's all I need) and a round solid wooden chopping board which they said was £2 so I paid for both of those.

Gave DS3 my purchases to take home and continued to Will Co. Three wooden spoons, one balloon whisk, dishwasher tablets, more ibuprofen, (thought about getting a roasting tin - we still have Beloved's Madeliene tin and yorkshire pudding tin but remembered I bought a pack of foil ones for mum 2 -3  years ago (and she keeps washing smaller ones for re-use) so will use them for now (may be 1/2 price after Christmas), a pack of oasis (Beloved had some tall thin purple candles but nothing to hold them, rest of the pack will be filled with ivy for the window sill decorations), small and big pyrex jugs. May go back for a 'custard' jug which would make a great utensil jar. noted they also have stainless steel utensils so can buy any replacements we need (will check exactly what we need). Other items were unavailable/ not suitable (box grater was tiny). Called in at the YMCA shop on my way home as they often have 'kitcheny' things. Paid for 2 strands of tinsel for 50p and a book of paper decorations (another 50p).

I moved the cube shelves in my room, DS3 and I wrestled one of the wardrobes through from the other bedroom (one wheel broken off). Cleared the floor space, dusted the top of the wardrobes, moved one of the wardrobes into the space formerly occupied by the other wardrobe. Measured at least 3 times to see that our plans will work (much easier than lugging lumps of furniture about). 

First thing I wrote 3 cards (bit cross about that - known them nearly 30 years and agreed not to send cards and then they do) and none got taken (mum cancelled one visitor because she was feeling ill and didn't want to pass it on). Decluttered my beard (keep telling myself the mask hides it but I'm kidding myself), managed to wash my hair as well as showering, must attempt to chop back the longer bits.

Various categories of rubbish binned or gathered (some will go with me to the town centre recycle point, leaves extra space for other things). I ate about 3 pm and have had an additional snack. I've got decisions on 3 bags of bedding (2 keepers, 1 to go to textile bank - could have gone the other day if DS3 had stuck a label on) and labelled all the items to go to the food bank on Monday. Really couldn't do any more so phoned for a taxi. Not yet counted the bags outside. Will be picking some bits out - larger cardboard boxes which can come here and go in mum's bin and possible adding a few bits that need to go asap to the waste wizard pile. He will take bags if he has space but some things are more urgent (don't want them hanging around another 4 or 5 years (last time I had a skip, following batch of long overdue repairs and improvements - had to save the money first). Everything must go.

Will think about a total - sure there's lots more I've forgotten.   

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all
@TC77, I have come across APD but only during training, I have no experience of working with a pupil with that diagnosed. Having said that many of the pupils I did work with probably did have it as things such as following verbal instructions were difficult for many of them. One of my mantras was give simple, clear instructions and allow processing time. This applied to all pupils with ADD, ADHD and AS as well as dyslexia. By simple, clear instructions I mean things like "put your books in your tray" rather than "put your things away". "Things" is much too vague, children have lots of things. Processing time should be measured in minutes rather than seconds. It is amazing how long 5 mins can feel when you are waiting for a child to respond In a mainstream school class there is always lots of background noise and verbal instructions tend to come thick and fast so a child with any of these difficulties is still processing the first instruction while the teacher is onto the10th. There are strategies that can be employed but the first step is to get the diagnosis and then get the school or college on-board. This is not always easy, as I am sure you know. I don't know how feasible it would be but maybe if your daughter could record things so she could listen to them again might help, especially with homework instructions. The same type of strategy, simple instructions, could be used at home so saying, for example, put your socks in your draw would be easier to process than put your things away. I expect you have already worked these things out, Mums are usually streets ahead of knowing what their child needs. Another of my mantras, ask the parents
On the subject of things migrating back into my bedroom, yes they do but I found once I had decluttered and found a a place for everything it was much easier to keep it tidy I knew where things should be and a quick tidy up sorted it. Having said that I currently have a couple of boxes of stuff brought in from downstairs from when the flooring was done that have not yet been rehomed but I know it's sortable rather than being overwhelming again. I do think most housework is repetitive, that's why we struggle with it, it's boring doing the same thing time after time and we would all rather do something different but I have realised that to have the space, time and energy to do things like my craft stuff I have to make the space so what I hope will be short term pain will lead to long term gain  
Today I have posted the last of my cards that need to be posted, just the local deliveries to be made. I have been to the chemist to collect enough meds to see me into the new year and made a start on sorting the bomb site that masquerades as my kitchen hopefully it will be finished tomorrow unless I get side tracked by wrapping , much nicer job
Take care everyone

balabooberlies

Thanks Mrs S.D.

A gold star, how wonderful.

big kiss

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vulpix

 I don't know how I do it but by just existing I make the house a mess every single day. So every single day I tidy up and put things away. If I didn't I would quickly get overwhelmed.

 When I was young I worked in a very large kitchen. Our boss had a mantra which she used at home with her 5 kids. "don't put it down, put it away". ( say that to yourself in her very thick Brummie accent )We used to laugh at her but it is oh so helpful. It takes the same effort to put some thing in the right place as the wrong place. These days with arthritis I compromise and have piles on the stairs to go up next time I am going.

 I have been thinking about next year. My decluttering will be much less, as I have over several years reduced "stuff" by mountains. It will be very difficult but I will concentrate my efforts into ( deep breath) not buying clothes ,jewellery, shiny trinkets and unnecessary stuff. This is probably a topic for a different thread but you all know me here and I like you lot.

 I will put more effort into getting some weight off. I will also concentrate on using stuff up. This is at the point of madness already, but I don't tell anybody what I am up to. I have only used the same biro for a year and it is still going strong! I have always consciously not wanted to be a consumer to do my tiny bit for the planet. We are starting this year by doing secret Santa within the family at my suggestion. None of us need stuff. Well except DD2 who needs a kettle so that is what she is getting.

 I will also not get involved in storing or rehoming other peoples stuff. I cannot store anything here until the right person comes along as I used to. Not my monkeys ,not my circus.

 So sign me up for another year please Mrs SD.

 Vx

balabooberlies

Vulpix you wonderful woman,,,,,,,,

I  like you a lot tooooooo

bala

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