Lightening Online

I’m not the world’s best housekeeper.

I’m not the world’s worst either.  Not by a long shot.

But I do wish I was better.

My biggest downfall?

Clutter.

I’m not real great at parting with things.

And neither are my children.

*sigh*

And I get easily overwhelmed so if I get behind, I’ll procrastinate.

I find the hardest times are when we’re busy.  You get busy so you get behind.  You’ve been busy so you’re tired.  You’re tired so you feel more overwhelmed than usual and no idea where to start or where to find the energy to start.  So you procrastinate, then feel depressed because you’re tired, overwhelmed and down on yourself for feeling this way.  Not to mention depressed because the environment you’re in is out of control (I always feel better when my house is clean, tidy and clutter free - well less clutter anyway, not sure I’ll ever reach “clutter free”).

Before I got pregnant with Trailer Boy (who is almost 6 and a half), I got right into Flylady.  That worked really well for me.   She breaks things down into small manageable chunks.  And routines so you always know where you’re up to.

Until I got pregnant, and sick.

And I’m pretty sure the supposed “post natal depression” actually started WHILE I was pregnant as everything seemed to stress me out more than I’d ever experienced before.  I remember feeling like I wasn’t “normal” in my reactions to things.

Then of course, we moved house, I wasn’t well and eventually had my nervous breakdown.

None of which are conducive to managing a house well (except for the decluttering while moving part which I didn’t do too badly at - in fact, I got rid of some stuff I wish I hadn’t).

Over the past 18 months, I’ve worked hard on “decluttering catch up”.  Years of stuff not being gotten rid of.

And finally, in the past couple of days, I feel like I’m almost getting back to my “flylady days”.

I don’t follow her anymore.  The constant emails (especially the testimonials) annoy me.  Some of the “system” doesn’t work for me.

So, I’m using some of what I learnt in those days and modifying to try and suit my own situation and personality.

Some of the things that are working for me:

1.  Write a List

Each morning, I’m starting a list.  I have a pink diary with a page for each day that I’m using for this.  I’m even writing in it in pink pen.  Because that makes me smile. 

I don’t fill the page first thing in the morning.  I just start with a half a dozen things and add to them as the day goes on.  That way, if I have a rough day, I don’t end up with a list that doesn’t get completed and can modify what I’m doing depending on my mood and energy levels.

2.  Limit Myself to 3 Things at a Time

I’m a “feast or famine” type person when it comes to achieving things.  I’ll either overdo it and burn myself out or I won’t do anything at all.  So my current system is 3 things on the list followed by a break (usually computer time).  I’ve been seeing a Naturopath who is trying to get me to stop and rest BEFORE I completely run out of energy.  For someone who doesn’t get bursts of energy very often, it’s hard to be disciplined and STOP when you feel like you could keep going.  I’m hoping though that this way might mean I can still be more productive over the course of the day rather than getting a heap done by 10am and then nothing.

3.  Use a Timer

This is one flylady idea that has worked really well for me.  I’m now trying to teach is to my daughter who has similar issues to me (procrastinating, getting overwhelmed, not being able to get rid of things).  I use a combination of 5, 10 and 15 minute increments depending on the task.  It means you don’t have to get it ALL done.  Just what you can in the time period specified.  I tend to find I’m more efficient when I use the timer as it’s almost like a race.

4.  Routines

This is something that I need to work on getting back into.  We have a few routines that are kind of “unofficial”.  I wouldn’t mind sitting down and writing down what they are to make it easier to follow on days when I am feeling tired and overwhelmed.

5.  Theme Days

This is something that I have managed to keep going even with everything else that’s going on.  They do need refining and refreshing but it’s helpful for me to know that on certain days, I have certain focuses.

Mine are currently:

MONDAY - CLEANING DAY (I do some cleaning Saturdays if I’m home to make this more manageable.  Last Saturday I actually did all the cleaning which has meant this week I’m actually getting to some of those tasks that always get left).

TUESDAY - OFFICE DAY (paperwork, pay bills, tidy desk.  This happens better some weeks than others)

WEDNESDAY - TOWN DAY (piano lesson, banking, grocery shopping etc)

THURSDAY - KITCHEN DAY (clean kitchen, baking)

FRIDAY - DAY OFF (a lot of extra things tend to happen on Fridays so I’m not always home but I do try to do something for me Fridays if I can)

LAUNDRY - I try to wash at least 1 load every day.  Doesn’t always work but it’s one of the jobs I find hardest (particularly hanging clothes on the line as holding my arms above my head is always a challenge for me) so I try to break it down to manageable parts.

At the moment, I’m trying to work on monthly focuses as well, to help get some of the deeper cleaning and bits and pieces achieved.  They’re the things that just aren’t really happening at the moment.

So, what about you?

Do you find keeping house easy or challenging?

What sort of tips have worked for you?

Last week my focus was on farm work.  This week, I’m back to “housework”.  Next week is crazy busy and then it’s Easter so I want to get on top of things before then.  Princess Singstar is also at camp for the next 3 days so it’s an opportunity to work on her room.

I’m on top of the “basics” (other than the washing which is todays job) and the house has had a “basic clean”.  So, it’ll be more about the “deep cleaning” and “decluttering” this week (at least, that’s the plan).

To help keep me on track, here is my week’s plan:

MONDAY

Washing, Washing, Washing!!!!

Strip Singstar Princesses bed

Ironing

Decluttering Area - Laundry plus 1x 15 minute stint in Singstar Princesses room

Deep Cleaning Area - Laundry

TUESDAY

Office Day - update accounts, pay bills, deal with mail etc

Decluttering Area - Office

Deep Cleaning Task - Window Sills (and maybe some windows if I’m energetic enough)

WEDNESDAY

Decluttering Focus - DD’s room (plus remake her bed etc)

Deep Cleaning - Skirting Boards

THURSDAY

Decluttering Focus - Built In Cupboards

Deep Cleaning - Cupboard Shelves

FRIDAY

Make sure washing is all up to date

Pack for camp

Take some time out for me before a busy weekend

No idea how far I’ll get with this plan.  There’s only so much energy I have each day.  But at least it’s a starting point to help keep me on track.

My decluttering goal this week is the equivalent of 4 garbage bags of stuff OUT OF THE HOUSE.  I already have 2 nearly ready to go (1 with rubbish and 1 with stuff to give away) so it’s not that lofty a goal really.

Hopefully posting this will help keep me accountable to my goals (and spur me on a bit).  Will update later in the week.

What sort of things do you do to keep you on track?

I don’t think I actually got around to posting some completed pics from our back verandah project.  So, here you are:

Front View of House:

This shows the front angle of the verandah up a little closer:

The stoney area to the bottom right of the picture is going to be paved (not sure whether pavers or slate yet) and turned into a bit of a potted garden area.  We’re also thinking of putting a small tank in here to make watering easy.  You can just see at the top that this section has no covering.  The plan is to grow grapevines over this section of give shade in summer and allow the winter sun to hit the lounge room window.

And this is the view from the “backyard” (our backyard is along the side of the house really).

We purchased a cheap dining setting from Kmart before Christmas and “Christened” the back deck by having our Christmas lunch out there.  It’s become a popular eating spot over summer (when the flies aren’t too bad).  It’s taken DH a little while to get the painting done but he’ll be glad it’s all done now that we’ve had so much rain (past couple of days have been very wet here).

It looks a bit different to this:

It’s almost hard to picture what it looked like before (thank goodness for photo’s!!!).  It’s really made a HUGE difference to the size of our house.  Basically we have a whole extra living area now.

NEXT PROJECT:

Most urgent is the paving of the area where the car goes.  The pavers are ordered and Farmboy just needs to pick them up and lay them (well, we need a Dingo here to dig the area out first).  After the rain we’ve had the past couple of days, all we have is a huge mud pit at the moment.

It all takes time (and money) but our house is slowly becoming more of a “home”. 

New Year’s Day is a day often filled with hope (and hangovers).  A New Year, a fresh start.  A reason to celebrate the opportunity that is offered by the beginning of a New Year.

What colours will be painted on the canvas of 2010?  Joy.  Love.  Pain.  Sadness.  The emotions both positive and negative are what makes up the brilliant colours painted on the canvas of life.

Whether we like it or not, difficult times are character building and make up an important part of our life painting.  Yes, at the time we’d rather be anywhere but there.  But on reflection, those difficulties can be character and strength building if we will allow them to.

Am I setting myself up for a difficult year?  I hope not.  But I will admit that it’s concerned me how many people have been eager to see 2009 disappear and embrace the hope of 2010.  People who really feel 2009 was the worst year ever.  At times we really do have years that are more difficult than others.  Sometimes though, I think it is what we focus on that affects our perception of how bad things really have been.  I can’t help but wonder how many of those will say the same thing at the end of 2010?

Of course, that’s easy for me to say.  2009 was a particularly wonderful year for us.  How could it not be when we spent a quarter of it on our big trip? 

Still, I have hope that 2010 will be just as wonderful, in a different way.

I’m generally not one to make New Years Resolutions.  However, I do like to take a moment to consider what my goals and dreams are for the New Year.

2010 Goals and Dreams

House

1.  Continue to declutter (I think that’s a never ending job!)

2.  Paint all of the inside walls (with the exception of the 1 room I actually managed to get done in 2009)

3.  Finish our back decking (it’s not far off now)

Garden

1.  Build our permaculture style vegie garden

2.  Plant 2 or 3 more fruit trees

3.  Buy 2 large pots for dwarf lemon and dwarf mandarin trees

Health

1.  Continue to exercise.  Aim for 6 sessions per week of 30-60 minutes duration

2.  Focus on healthy eating

3.  Try to shed 10kg slowly

Kids

1.  Continue involvement with P&F at school

2.  Holiday swimming lessons during the year (given we’re missing the January ones)

3. Continue to develop Lleyton’s passion and ability with tennis (have finally got him into a week long clinic in Adelaide to help develop and refine his skills)

4.  Go away in the caravan at least twice during the year

Finances

1.  Work on gradually curbing our current spending spree

2.  Save $2000 toward our planned 15th Anniversary cruise

3.  Continue to save toward a new laptop for myself

4.  Increase our acreage to earn money for our house renovation projects (means I’ll be doing a lot more hours this year - effectively making me a working mother)

That’s about all I can think of for now.  No doubt 2010 will be filled with unexpected surprises and challenges.  All I can say is “bring it one”. 

Happy New Year everyone.  Hope 2010 is everything you  hope for and more!

P.S.  I actually wrote this on New Years Day but forgot to hit publish.  DOH!!!

I have numerous post ideas rolling around in my head at the moment and just can’t seem to get them out on the screen.  So, instead, I’ll post about how HOT it is.  Because, really, we all need to read another post complaining about the heatwave don’t we????  LOL

And, if I was smart (which I’m clearly not), I wouldn’t be sitting here typing this right now.  I would be rushing around like a madwoman trying to get the days tasks done before it gets even hotter.

However, our wireless modem thingy has decided to go to sleep for a little while (who can blame it in this heat?) and I don’t want to be stuck in the HOT office later trying to get my melting brain into gear writing another blog post (which have been a bit thin on the ground lately - particularly on my other blogs - I blame the “post trip” jelly brain).

So, my question (yes, I’m eventually going to get to my point and stop saying the word HOT over and over again), is how do you cope with the heat?

Do you continue on as “usual” getting stuff done?

Do you melt into a blob while the house disintegrates around you?

Do you get up at the sparrows fart and get all energised and get everything done before the sun has barely hit the sky? (one day I’m actually going to try this….one day…..)

And while I’m at it with all these questions…

Will someone please reassure me that if I keep getting rid of clutter, a bit at a time, I will eventually find light at the end of the very black “clutter tunnel”?????  I feel like I’ve been decluttering for weeks now with no end in sight.  WHY do we have to accumulate so much stuff?  And why is it so hard to part with?????

And what category do I put this post under?  And does anyone even care anyway????

*sigh*

I better go vacuum the lounge before it turns into a sauna in there!!!!!

Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement after my last post.  Things are going better now that they’re not quite so busy.  And I’m making some decisions about what I am and am not going out to.  Not always easy but obviously necessary.

I’ve had a horribly sore throat on and off for about 6 weeks now and I imagine that’s not helping (my body trying to fight something).  I feel kind of silly that I haven’t gone to the doctor but it’s one of those that seems to get better and then all of a sudden flares up again.

In my energetic moments, I am finding the decluttering bug has stayed with me (yah!).  Normally I’m a bit of a “hoarder” but when we got back after living in the caravan for 3 months, I found myself a little overwhelmed with how much “stuff” we have.  I will admit that I’m getting used to it but I’m relieved to find that the desire to get rid of stuff hasn’t waned completely.

Farmboy has gotten the “bug” too and finally decluttered a heap of clothes he is NEVER going to use.  Stuff he has kept for “farm clothes” that sits in his drawers while his other clothes get worn until they fall to pieces.

It’s scary how much stuff has left our house in the past 2 weeks and yet you cannot see where it has come from.

I think I’ve done a lot of the “easier” stuff now.  Hopefully I can continue with the “bug” and do some of the “hard” stuff.  The stuff we “might” actually use but could we do without it.  I still think we have too much stuff and would like to cut back a little.

My particular focus between now and Christmas will be toys.  Something I LOVE and so find incredibly hard to give away.  But the amount of toys we have is a little ridiculous and there are only so many that the kids can really play with.  I’m hoping there’ll be a charity toy drive in the lead up to Christmas.  I think it would help to think they might be going someplace where they might still get played with.

What about you?  Are you a declutterer or a hoarder?  Anyone else trying to “pare back” at the moment?

After a massive baking session yesterday, I think I might be all “cooked out”.

I started the day with the jelly cups, knowing that they would take all day by the time each colour set, ready to add the next colour.  I made 31 in total.  30 to take to the kidz klub sleepover we’re helping with tonight and 1 for Trailer Boy who is too young to go to the sleepover.

I couldn’t believe that I ended up using 11 packets of jelly!  So 5.5Litres of jelly!!!!  Sounds like a LOT of jelly to me!  And the cups aren’t even full (which is fine because they’re yet to have a chocolate frog and a scoop of ice cream added to them).

Here’s the final product:

I made 2 batches of soy & linseed knots rolls in an effort to use up my breadmix before we go.  I think I have enough left for 1 more batch which I’ll try and make next week.  I make the dough for these in the breadmaker (takes 2.5 hours) then shape into the rolls.

Generally I only have time to do 1 batch in a day but I got started in reasonable time so just scraped 2 lots in before having to head off to training.

I’ve been researching different recipes of late in an attempt to use up some things that aren’t getting touched.  Rice Bubbles was one such thing.  So, I found this Honey Bubble Crunch recipe and have been playing around with it.

The first batch I made (Wednesday), I topped with melted chocolate/butter.  Yummo!!!

Then, I had used up my chocolate, so when I made another batch yesterday, I put sprinkles on top instead.

I also made a batch of cupcakes for supper tonight:

Then realised that I’d done nearly all my baking for other stuff and should make *something* for us.  So, I made these white choc and macadamia biscuits:

I think I’m finally getting there with using up ingredients in the cupboard.  Not that I don’t still have quite a bit there but the bits and pieces and opened packets are now mostly used up.

I did spend a bit of time yesterday while I was in the kitchen just sorting the cupboard out and putting a few things into airtight containers that are normally just sitting in open packets.

I guess it’ll be my last “baking day” before we head off.  I may bake a few bits and pieces next week but not a big day like this one was.

Time seems to be flying by.  I have no doubt that before we know it, it’ll be time to leave.

Of course, for the kids, it’s dragging on.  Trailer Boy keeps asking how many more sleeps.  When I tried to explain to him 30 more sleeps, he thought I meant 3 and got all excited.  LOL.  The poor kid must feel like it’s taking forever to get here.

I’m now up to week 6 of my week “get the house sorted before we go” rotation.

Last Week

I didn’t really achieve much at all.  We did finish getting the seed in the ground so that’s one thing to tick off the list.

By the time I drove the tractor Monday and Tuesday and went out almost every day this past week for one reason or another, it was hard enough to keep up with the basics, let alone any extra stuff.

Plus, sickness has entered our home again.  I came down with a cold on Thursday.  Farmboy came down with it Friday.  Saturday the 2 boys came down with their own varieties (one with croup and the other with tonsilitis).

I did, however, manage to get rid of a large bag of books and toys early in the week.  The toy cupboard hasn’t been completely sorted but it’s better than it was.  I have done the book cupboard but whether or not it remains “done” until we go is another matter entirely.

This Week

The focus this week is the office.

Our most feral room in the house.

For a couple of reasons:

1.  There’s no need for visitors to go in there.  I can shut the door and not have to worry too much about it.

2.  The amount of paperwork that comes through this house is phenomenal.  The post office has indicated that farmers get more mail than most of the businesses in town.

Plus, the fact that I HATE sorting paperwork and sometimes use it as a dumping ground for stuff I don’t know where to put certainly doesn’t help either!!!!

I’m not too worried if I don’t get it looking wonderful but I would like to get it somewhat “presentable”.

So, my goal this week is to spend 2×15 minute sessions a day in there Mon-Thurs.

We have a big family weekend coming up over the long weekend so I suspect that Friday I’ll be busy with everything I need to get done for that.

Surely, though, 2 hours (which is 30 mins times 4 days) should put a reasonable dent into it.

Keep an eye out for my post next Monday which goes on about how busy my week was, how I had sick kids and a party to plan for and didn’t get anything done! 

Last night over dinner, we were discussing how many weeks we have left until we go.  Two of the kids guessed 6 weeks and 1 guessed 7.  While I thought it was just over 6 weeks, I went to the calendar to count and check.

I counted 3 times and could still only find 5 and a half weeks until we left.   Which totally mucks up my perfect 9 and a half week plan I devised.

After muttering “this doesn’t make sense, I’ve lost a week”, Farmboy decided to check out the calendar himself.

He found my lost week.  Bless him. 

I was counting by Sundays and the 31st was at the top of the month (as calendars sometimes do) so I was not counting that week.

PHEW!!!!

Panic stations off.

My “perfect” plan is still intact.  LOL.

And so, I am now up to the start of the second rotation.  I’m really pleased with how the house is starting to look after each “zone” has had 1 pass through.  Particularly given the fact that I’ve been driving the tractor and dealing with sick kids in the past couple of weeks.  Of course, a lot of it is the culmination of last terms decluttering efforts finally showing.

Last Week

The only thing I didn’t get done in the laundry was to sort and declutter the linen cupboard.  It does need doing but if I don’t get it done before we go away, it’s not really going to matter.  So, if I get to it in another week, I do.  If not, that’s okay.

Now all I need to do with the laundry is maintain it.  Sounds easy but isn’t when it’s such a busy room in the house.  Still, I’ll give it my best shot.  As it falls into the 3rd week of my zone rotation, I’ll be able to give it a “once-over” in the week before we leave if need be.

This Week’s “Zone” : Bedrooms

Last time I was in the bedroom zone, I focused on under and behind the boys beds.

This week I want to focus on under our bed and decluttering our wardrobe.  I won’t get too carried away but even a little will make things a little tidier.

Singstar Princess decided she wanted to change her room around on the weekend.  I cringed because she made a HUGE mess in the process.  And she’s wont to get halfway through a project like this and run out of puff.

This is what her room looked like just after she’d started:

It was actually tidy BEFORE she started but she decided to drag everything into the middle, out from under the bed and clear off her tallboy and bedside cupboard.  To her credit, she cleaned and sorted and tidied and arranged until eventually the room looked like this:

It’s not as streamlined as I had it but it’s her room so I’m happy for her to set it up how she likes it.

The main thing is that under her bed has now been sorted and cleaned so that’s another job I can tick off the list.

The other job I’d like to get to is decluttering some of the boys toys in their wardrobes.  But we’ll see how the week pans out and whether or not I get that far.

Anyway, best I get off the computer and get started. 

Last week turned out to be a rather busy week.  You may have guessed that by my  not posting as often as I usually do.  I had sick kids home from school 4 days out of the 5.  I was busy doing shifts on the tractor on top of trying to deal with sick kids, general housework, preparing for a busy weekend and so on.  Oh, and trying to get the washing done at MIL’s (that’s Mother-In-Law for those not familiar with net-speak) and deciding what to do about repairing or replacing our broken washing machine.

Suffice to say, I didn’t get anywhere near the amount of “extra” housework stuff done I was planning to.  I did try to do a couple of smaller jobs, so that I could at least feel like I was making some progress toward my goals.

Family Room

DONE:

• Cleaned out kids drawing drawers.  I swear our textas are breeding.  Must get the kids to go through and chuck out whatever doesn’t work.

TO BE DONE:

• Toy Cupboard sorted and decluttered
• Kids books (which are currently in the cupboard) sorted and decluttered

Kitchen

DONE:

• Re-sorted and cleaned the cutlery drawer.  I don’t understand how something holding CLEAN dishes gets so dirty!!!!
• Cleaned the dishwasher.  Farmboy wanted to know how I got it so clean (he’d run a cleaning cycle through recently).  “”With a cloth” I told him with a roll of my eyes.  LOL.  He’s of the opinion that dishwashers should be totally self cleaning.
• Cleaned and resorted medicine cupboard.   Oh my!!!!  That was well overdue!!!!  No wonder I couldn’t find anything!
• Cleaned the top of the fridge and freezer.  Not too much clutter up there but boy were there dust bunnies breeding happily!!!!

TO BE DONE:

• Plastics drawers
• Corner cupboard

Other

While the washing machine was out of the laundry, I cleaned under and behind where it goes.  Also cleared and cleaned the window sill while it was easier to get to (the washing machine sits under the window).

One less job to do now that I have a new washing machine - don’t need to clean the old one! 

This Week’s Plan

This week is the final on my 3 week rotation.  The focus is laundry and office, both of which are the more neglected (hidden away) rooms.  I’m going to focus completely on the laundry this time around and see if I can get it completely decluttered, tidied and cleaned.  It’s a job that really only needs doing about once a year so once it’s done, I should be able to maintain until we go away and can focus on the office on the next 2 rotations.

TO DO:

• Empty freezer, defrost and clean
• Deal with stuff stashed on top of freezer
• Deal with stuff that’s been accumulating in the corner (mostly stuff that needs some decisions made about whether it’s being decluttered or not)
• Deal with stuff that was on top of the washing machine
• Clean tumble dryer
• Sort through linen cupboard
• Sort through cleaning cupboard
• Sort through cupboard underneath sink
• Clean sink

Will see if I can get through that list this week.  No sport on Saturday so I can put some time into it then if I don’t get it all done before then.