26 Weeks + 3 Days to go

OK, so I've heard it many times before, and I know it's true.....but even so I've just spent the last hour doing it!

YOU CAN'T ORGANISE CLUTTER!!!!!

Sheesh Woman, get it into your head, it just doesn't work!

One of the reasons - and it really is a little reason - one of the reasons our house is always such a pigsty is thatit's such a LITTLE house, really only made for two....or two and a baby at a push. There are 5 of us living here.
Even with minimal belongings it would be a bit of a squash.

But we are NOT minimalists.......far, FAR from it! All 5 of us - even my husband who always declares none of the mess is his (on account of never being here! Lol!) - have WAY too MUCH "STUFF" !

There's.....

School "STUFF" (Me and Sprogs 1, 2 and 3)
Guide "STUFF" (Me and Sprogs 1 and 2)
Camping "STUFF" (All of us)
Travel "STUFF" (DH)

Not to mention all the usual household "STUFF" like bills, toys, decorations, clothes too small for one but too big for another, the DVDs/CDs and even videos, the cameras and photos and all the rest of the "STUFF" !


I once found an acronym for "STUFF" on a blog somewhere -

                                          Something 

                                          that

                                          undermines

                                          family

                                          fun

And I have to say, in our house (notice I said "house" and not "home" sigh!) it really does. 

Just now, as I tried to tackle one of the MANY, MANY bags of 

"STUFF" in my living room, without throwing anything away, it occured to me.... The ONLY way I'm going to get rid of this "STUFF" is to first SORT it (Teaching, School x3 Sprogs, Guiding - me x2, Sprogs x2, Kids x3, household and DH) and THEN thin it out one area at a time.

So, Plan .....ohh, must be U or V by now! (because I have it on very good authority that "Plan B" is always 'go to the pub'!!), is to hit the new idea this evening and tomorrow,

We'll see!

However, today I've ........ cleaned the kitchen sink, done (most of) the dishes, done a load of washing (though it does still need hanging out), spent some time with Sprog 2, home with Chicken Pox, chased a few emails for Guides (....and got sidetracked by the computer!) and found some bits and pieces ready for trotting to the bank tomorrow.......so it's not ALL bad!

AM

Trying Again!

...for about the 5 millionth time!

Sigh

I just SO need a kick up the Bum......but I think I've had it..... (no I'm not going to go into details....yet...it's a bit personal).... AND as my Boss has just given me two weeks "off" (not a holiday, cos I still have some paperwork to do, and of course I've still got all my other commitments, NOW is as good a time to start as any!

It's goodness knows how many weeks to Christmas now......I'll find my diary and have a count up at some point in the next few days......but here's the plan.


1)  Do ALL the ironing  (not just the smalls things and leave the rest for DH and Sprog 1 to do)
2)  Make some headway in my bedroom....taking a rubbish bag in there for one, and also bagging up all the kids old clothes to take to the Salvation Army bin for another!
3)  Clear off the stairs and landing.......it's a SMALL space, and I need a quick fix to spur me on!

Extra's - if I get chance:

a)  Blitz the bathroom (beyond the usual "keep it clean")
b)  plan my next few blog posts so I'm more focused....AND remember to have photo's! :-)


Oh - and here's a few things I HAVE to do.......

A) Iron the smalls school uniform (before bed, they need it tomorrow!)
B) Plan Brownies for tomorrow night (I have 3 girls making their promise)
C) Plan the next few sessions for the Toddler Music group I have on a Tuesday!

.....Best get on then!

Oh Dear!

Life - and illness - has rather got in the way of me doing ANYTING lately....which is EXACTLY how we got into this mess in the first place!

Sigh!!

I really DO need to get my act together and concientiously work through all the problem areas in the house.
There are now only 40 something weeks til Christmas and I am DETERMINED (!!!!) to be sorted by then!

So, new motivation - Organised Junkie has a challenge running throughout February. I think I might just take part.
Now, which should I tackle? The living room - where I might make some serious headway, or the Kitchen/Diner which is causing chaos?

Arrggghhhh!!!
Decisions are NOT my strong point - another reason why we're in such a mess!

Oh Dear!

51 weeks to go (just!)

For lots of reasons I'm running late with the weekly post this week (it's Wednesday...so I'm already over halfway through! Eekk!) And - for lots of reasons....I haven't really done any more work on the situation since the last post!

What I HAVE done:

• Found my Home Management Folder
• Printed off some new calendar sheets
• Bought new ink for the printer so I can re-print the calendar sheets! (sigh!)
• Spent a day in London (when I SHOULD have been sorting out the folder!)
• Had a tea party with my youngest girls
• Downloaded the photos to the computer!

Oh....AND come up with a "plan of action" for the rest of the year!....Which I'll have to post later because I need to find some web addresses before I do!

So, I'll leave you with a photo of my favourite afternoon so far,  and head to bed. If I'm going to get caught up tomorrow, well, I need my beauty sleep!

Our Fairy Tea Party!

52 Weeks to go!

Ok, so I'm a little late getting started this week....but come on, it was Christmas! :-)
I've been having a little fun!

My middle daughter (Sprog 2) is quite arty...this is how she spent Christmas afternoon! No playing with the new toys and books for her!

Now though, it's time to get back to work....I'm trawling the net for ideas and inspiration for my "Mom Binder" / "Control Journal" / "Home Notebook" ...whatever you want to call it! ....I've got one that I used for about 3 months in 2009.....it worked brilliantly and I was on top of things, but it slipped and I have't used it since.

So, Job Number 1 is to get it found, cleaned out, re-organised.....AND USED!! :-)

Bags and Boxes!

Ok, so still no photos.......I will get to them, honest! But in the mean time I have a confession, When I "clean up" what I really do is "Stash and dash"!

After yesterdays mamouth session in the living room, I discovered that I'd actually run OUT of bags! eekkk!
(Mind you, there are several in the boot of the car currently hiding presents!)

Stashed in the kitchen I have, at present, 23 Bags and 11 boxes of "Stuff" to sort through.....along with a mountain of ironing that will probably spend Christmas Day sitting on my bed and a basket of washing sitting infront of the machine!

...So there's one target for next year....NO IRONING in the way on Christmas Day! Lol!

Anyway....23 bags of stuff......that's an awful lot (though one is my Guide bag, so it doesn't really count!) and that's without counting all the ones in my bedroom! Even doing one bag a week, that's going to take me until June to sort out! Blimey!
....Still, slow and steady wins the race, so lets go with the target of 1 bag a week.....BUT it has to be emptied and put away, thrown away or given away.....not just redistributed amongst the other bags! lol!
(Although that could be difficult for a while, because I know there are quite a few things that need to go in my closet....that I haven't been able to get into for the last 3 years!)

I'll be back later with an update, some pictures and a "proper" plan of campaign!

Grinding Halt

UPDATED 04-01-12 With Photos.

Well, it's a bit later than the last post, and once again I've come to a grinding halt!

.....In the same place I always do! :-(

See, when I'm clearing the living room I start at the door and work anticlockwise. By the time I get to my chair in the corner I've had enough. I've run out of steam, usually run out of time, and definately run out of space to put "Stuff"....and I've done it again.

See - up to the chair it's looking SO much better!

When I started this last weekend I had the brilliant idea that if I went the OTHER way round the room I might actually get it cleared....only that means starting with my desk......

.......and it didn't work!

....But then you turn round and are faced with this mountain :-(

Oh well. Must go and re-heap the piles in the kitchen so we can make some lunch. Sigh!

...The remnants of the "tidying" Sigh!