Bye 2011

Another year gone

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas.

Happy Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice.

I was beginning to get better recently. I was making sure that the dishes were cleaned by the end of the night, and the kitchen was looking really good, but after I went out for a meal last week it has been bad since. I am getting better.

My next plan is to clean the bedroom and keep it clean (I think that is the biggest challenge for the whole flat.

May the cleaning force be with me.

11-11-11

All the elevens :)

The bug

Has bitten again

Motivation

It is funny where motivation can come from.

Recently I have had little motivation to sort the flat out. Yesterday though one of the cabinets fell off the wall. Thankfully noone was hurt, but it helped motivate me to do more cleaning than what I had intended on doing.

So instead of just cleaning the sides and floor, I have now relocated the contents of the cupboards. I do not want the other cupboards to fall off the wall. I still have a lot of work to do, but at least I have my motivation back.

october goals

Sort out the flat

Looking much better

Yesterday I decided that I would work on my bedroom.

I was planning on moving the big chairs out into the shed today. There is not enough room for them. However once I had decided to do it I knew I would do it on the same day.

So yesterday I took the chairs out and cleared away the stuff that was on the floor and what had been on the chair. I was working on the room until midnight.

Today I worked on the area around the tv.

The room looks so much better now. I just need to clear out the stuff and the fitted wardrobe and that will be our bedroom done.

It has been hard work, but I am so proud at what I have managed to achieve. The room feels and looks so much better. I like spending time in here again and it is lovely sleeping here as well.

It will be interesting to see what my step-daughter thinks of it.

Making progress

I have started to make progress with the housework.

I am managing to maintain a clean living room and the kitchen is looking much better. I am not making as much progress as I'd have hoped, but at least I am making some.

I will be working on the wee ones room tomorrow and then I will be decorating it.

For the next month or two I think I will be a very busy bunny.

September goals

This is what I want to do this month

1. Declutter the flat as much as possible.
2. Start decorating.

This is what I have done this month

I wish

I think the light bulb has switched on, I judt hope that it stays on.

Today I have been a good girl. While I was not good at controling my temper with the wee ones from dinner time onwards. I have been good at maintaining the work that I did yesterday. If I could manage to keep doing what I am doing, then I can say that That I have cracked it.

I do wish that my partner would say something though, it is like he has not noticed the work that I have done. He normally cooks the meal, but for the last three nights I have done it. Again he has not said anything. I feel so undervalued. I always make sure that I say something possitive when he does something, sadly I very rarely get it in return.

I shall then have to give myself a pat on the back for a job well done (I am especially pleased for once again getting the wee ines things ready early in the night)

I have been a good girl today

I had not managed to get much done this month. Even though the wee ones are at school I have not donr much due to the twins being on half days.

Next week they will be at school full time, so I will have the time to really clear the flat out.

Though today it just started out as doing a bit of cleaning while making soup. Before I knew it I had done a lot of work in the kitchen and the living room.

It is nice to make a start on the clean up, even though I had not planned untill next week.

August Goals

These are my goals for this month:

1. Once the wee ones are back at school start the mad (and hopefully last one for a very long time) declutter.
2. Keep on tidying up the garden.

July Goals

This is what I have managed to achieve this month:

Sometimes I wonder

Why I bother.

My partner took the wee ones to his mums house today so I decided to clean the living room. I am really please with what I managed to get done in the afternoon (I had also spent some time in the morning cleaning the kitchen)

My partner not only did not say anything but was not bothered when the wee ones started throwing things about the room.

It was not that bad but I was annoyed that after spending all the time that I did cleaning to have it treated so badly.

July Goals

This is what I want to get done this month:

1. Order school uniform
2. Start sewing in the name tags.

June goals

This is what I have managed to get done this month

Cleaning bug

At last the cleaning bug has bit again (I am so glad as I have really wanted to get the motivation to clean my home but it just was not there)

New plan of action

Well I did not do that well with my last plan of action...oops. I think I will just have to plan one day at a time this time.

Today I cleaned the living room, though it does not take long for it to get back to a bad state sadly.

Tomorrow though I think I will just work on clearing the new clothes pile that has built up since I cleared the last one (it really is never ending)

Oops

I have not been a good girl. On the Wednesday I had a lie in and when I got up I could not be bothered, then there was no time.

On the Thursday I did put away the majority of the clothes, but I have not sorted out the clothes in the wee ones room.

Today though I have managed to clean the hall and give the bathroom a quick clean and I will be spending my night in the bedroom cleaning that up.

The reason for the work today. Well today I saw some photographs from Japan showing what work they have been doing in the following months since the earthquake and tsunami. They have done so well, it is amazing what they have done. The Japanese are not afraid of hard work and they work well together to achieve their goal. I really think we can all learn from them. that includes me. If they can put in the hard work that is needed to clean up a disaster zone, then I can and will put in the work that is needed to clean one home. It is not much space. I can do it.

So much work

Eek there is so much work to do to get the flat sorted out that it is not funny.

I am going to make a plan of action.

Tomorrow I will start sorting through the clothes. I will put away all of the clothes that are in my bedroom and then I will sort out the clothes that are in the wee ones room.

On Thursday I will get out bedroom tidy and in the evening I will clean the kitchen.

On Friday it will be the hall and bathroom.

On Saturday it will be the living room and the wee ones room.

That is enough to keep me out of trouble. May the cleaning force be with me.

June tasks

These are the tasks that I am setting for this month:

1. Reorganize the clothes in the wee ones room.
2. Clear all of the clothes piles and make sure that I put away clothes as soon as they are ready to put away.
3. Make sure that the dishes are all washed by the end of the day.
4. Clear the clutter out of the house into the shed to sort through at a more leisurly pace.

May Goals

This is what I have managed to do this month:

• Set up a cleaning routine for when I have managed to get the flat clean. (I have not done this)
• Start training the wee ones to do some housework as well (I have started training them, but they are not responding that well, I will need to keep at it)
• Keep the bathroom, wee ones room, hall and the entrance clean (I have done well with this, especially as there has been things happen in the month which made big messes in the rooms)

I have not done too badly this month, especially considering that all my cleaning motivation has gone away.

Stran time to get motivated

It is strange that the best times for me to get motivated to clean our bedroom is on a Friday or Saturday night. I think part of that has been that is when I have cleaned it for my step daughter when she stays over.

Though she is not staying over, the motivation is still there. I have still cleaned it as I just wanted to sleep in a cleaner bedroom. I really should be doing that every night.

I think that it will happen once I have got a system in place.

Cleaning the mess

Yesterday was a big mess to clean up. I started yesterday by cleaning the bedroom.

Today I spent a good amount of the evening cleaning the living room, hall and bathroom. I need to work on the kitchen tomorrow.

I really am going to have to get the wee ones to learn to play without making a mess. I really could do with having a wee playpit where they can keep their Lego, as that would help so much.

While I have accepted that it is a never ending job, I would at some points like to see the home looking nice all at the same time, even if it is just for a short time.

Mess

Eek, I have no idea where it has come from. It is like a mess bomb has gone off.

Neve ending job

I am feeling overwhelmed again. The living room is a mess, the kitchen is terrible. Thankfully I am keeping the hall, bathroom and the wee ones room clean, however my bedroom looks terrible and my wardrobe is full of clutter.

I need a plan of action.

Star Wars day

May the cleaning fourth be with me.

I am not doing too badly for keeping the place clean. It is a never ending job though and it does not help that I do not really feel that good at the moment.

Very tired

I had visitors today and it seemed that was just the motivation that I needed. I started last night when I cleaned the living room and cleaned some of the kitchen (well the visible parts)

In the morning I decided that I would clean the living room, hall and entrance. In the hall I moved the bookshelf that had been in the living room, took the books out of it and that is now where the shoes will be kept before moving the old table into my bedroom. After I had done that I was in a cleaning mood, so I cleaned the wee ones room (and I took the wee feet of the toy box as they were not much use anyway) once I had done that I continued to make sure that the living room was kept clean and I then did more work in the kitchen.

I did manage to get a little rest before I went into my bedroom and folded up most of the clothes (I only left some of my clothes, but if I do not put them away before I crash then I will do it tomorrow when I will finish off the room) I have also swapped the old tab le that was in the hall and have not put the TV on top of it. I think it actually does look nicer.

I am really proud of the amount of work that I have done today. Now I need to make sure that I work hard to maintain it. While my partner is good at cooking the dinner, he is not good at helping keep the place clean (in fact sometimes it is like having a fourth child)

It is so nice seeing the home looking clean. When I was looking at the clean living room, kitchen, hall, bedroom and entrance I could not help but feel good about what I had achieved. It was just like what I had seen with my visualization board.

May goals

These are my goals for this month:

1. Set up a cleaning routine for when I have managed to get the flat clean.
2. Start training the wee ones to do some housework as well.
3. Keep the bathroom, wee ones room, hall and the entrance clean.

 I think that will do for this month.

April goal

This is how I have managed with  my one goal this month:

• Clean the flat and get it all clean at the same time - I have not really managed to do this. I have been cleaning all month but while I have managed to get rooms clean, I have not managed to keep them clean for a variety of reasons.

I think that until the wee ones go to school I will not be able to get the whole flat clean at the same time. So I think that this goal should be saved until September when the twins will be at school full time.

Keeping clean

I seem to find it easier to keep things clean when my partner is not in the house.

Clean living room

I was really busy last night and I continued working today, but the living room is looking really good at the moment. I just need to make sure it stays like that. I have got the computer desk outside and I have moved one of the book shelves into the hall.

I also did some work in the kitchen as well. I cleaned the sides, sorted out some things that needed to be got rid of and cleared the recycle corner.

Though I do always seem to be good at doing this part, it is the maintaining that I need work on.

Busy bunny

I have been a really busy bunny getting the living room and kitchen sorted out. Well I must confess that I have not had much chance to get the kitchen sorted out yet, but the living room is looks so much better.

I have changed my computer desk, so that takes up much room. I just need to find somewhere to put that (I think I will put that out in the morning) and I have moved out one book shelf (I need to work out what to do with that as well)

I have cleaned up though and moved clutter (as well as putting away clothes. I just need to work on keeping it like this as it looks so much better. It will just be difficult as it is one of the most used rooms in our home.

More motivated at night

I have been trying to get myself motivated all day to get work done, but not a lot has worked and I have found myself easily distracted (like finding new Visual Kei bands to watch on You Tube)

But since the wee ones went to bed I have really got stuck into cleaning the living room. I even found the TV remote that had been missing for two days. It has also helped that my partner has spent the night on the computer in the bedroom.

I will see what work I can get done on the kitchen before I crash.

Making progress

I got off to a good start. Almost all of the rooms look not too bad. they are neither really messy, though they are not really tidy either.

I am struggling the most with the kitchen. That is the room that is used the most and it is the place where things are dumped.

Now that the wee ones are back to good health and will be at school and nursery I will set about finishing what I have started.

Changing around

I have managed to find a way to change the bedroom around. I am pleased with how it looks so far. I am also happy with the new computer table. I just got the old dining room table that my partner used to use when I first moved up. I takes up much less room though and I have managed to make it work pretty well. My partner was even happy with it (he was skeptical about whether it would work out)

Getting there

I have been a busy bunny today. I have been cleaning my bedroom and I think I have found a way that I can change it around.

Busy bunny

I have been a busy bunny cleaning and rearranging. I have cleaned and rearranged the furniture in the wee ones room and in the living room.

I am hoping to do the same in my bedroom, but I am not sure how I can change things.

New furniture

We have been so lucky recently and we have been given lots of furniture. I now need to find the room. I have been given a wardrobe (my clothes have been hung up in there) for the wee ones they too have got a wardrobe (Yay somewhere for all of the wee ones school clothes to go) a toy box and a chest of drawers./

I really do feel blessed when I get this stuff. we need it but we cannot afford it. I really am grateful for getting it (I think it is lovely that others think of us when they offer us stuff)

Busy

I have been so busy today

April Goals

I will only set myself one goal this month as it is a big one.

• Clean the flat and get it all clean at the same time.

I think that will be enough to keep me out of trouble and it will be challenging to get the housework done while the wee ones are off school.

March Goals

This is what I have managed to achieve this month:

• Work on getting the flat clean again - Done (though I still have work to do, it is getting better)
• Start reading my cleaning books - I have done this

I did not give myself many goals, though the one was a big task.

At least I have made some improvements. Though I think I will set myself a challenging goal for next month.

Keeping rooms clean

Getting the flat clean is only half of the battle. Keeping it clean is the other half.

In some regards my partner is like having a fourth child. While he does wash the dishes, that is about all that he does. He leaves dirty dishes and wrappers on his desk, he does not put his coat and shoes where they should go (which makes keeping the hall clean challenging)

I just would like to get the flat clean so I just have to deal with maintaining the flat rather than trying to clean the flat and maintain the rooms that I have done.

I have found out one of my cleaning books. I will read that tonight before I go to sleep. I just need to find my ten minute housekeeping book and I will be set.

I think I might write down the most useful tips out of the both of them for easy access.

Busy bunny

I have been a really busy bunny cleaning the flat. Yesterday I manged to clean the hall, bathroom and the entrance. It looks so much better and it feels great as well. I need to make sure that it stays like that. I think it is important to keep that area clear.

This is what it looks like now:

Today I have cleared out the clothes that I either do not fit into or that I have not worn for a long time. I managed to get rid of a bags of clothes and a couple of coats that my friend had given to my partner but he did not want them (I thought he would not like them but I thought I would offer him the chance to say no)

I have spent the evening working on the living room and kitchen trying to get them into a semi-presentable stage.

Though as things normally go, I now need to work on the bedroom again after I hauled all of my clothes out of the wardrobe.

It really is a never ending task.

Clear out day

Here is is once again. It is that time of the fortnight when I clear out like a mad woman.

All I need to do is do my best to be like this on other days and before I know it the shed will be clear of clutter (I them just need to find a way to get the stuff up to the tip)

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I have had enough of the clutter.

Moaning

Well my partner has been moaning again today (still not doing anything about it though)

He will wash the dishes, but that is about it. It is really frustrating. He moaned about a pile of stuff in the kitchen. I worked hard and I got it cleared. The kitchen floor was cleared, did he compliment me about it...not at all.

Grr.

Been busy

Even though the wee ones have not been out I have managed to get a lot done around the home.

I have cleared some of the clutter out of the kitchen, I have cleared the clothes mountain and even though my stepdaughter is not staying over tonight I tidied up our bedroom. I find that I am most motivated to do it on a Saturday night (I think that is because I have got into the habit of doing it then)

I also thought it would be good to sleep in a tidy room. Now I just need to make sure that it stays like that.

I have also jazzed up a water bottle today. I have started drinking more water, but recently I was told that if I am to drink out of a plastic bottle then it needs to be a proper hard plastic bottle that is designed to be reused. I found out the bottle that I had got from the school and after finding some stickers to put on it. I think it looks really funky and pretty.

Working on the kitchen

I think that until I get on top of the kitchen I will end up spending a lot of time in there every day. I think that even when it gets to how I would like bit to be, I will be working every day to make sure that it stays that way.

It is looking so much better now though. The sides are clear and clean. There is still stuff on the floor and there is clutter where the old fridge used to be and by the washing machine.

I will get working on that tomorrow.

Busy today

I have been a good girl today.

In the morning I worked on the kitchen. I did not make as much progress as I would have liked but the sides are looking much better.

In the afternoon while my partner took the wee ones to his mums I cleaned the living room.

Finally, in the evening I cleaned our bedroom (a lot of stuff got piled on the chair to be put away tomorrow) but it seems that I get the best motivation to clean the room when my step daughter stops over. It looks much better and I wish that I could keep it like that all of the time as it would be lovely to sleep in a nice clean room. I will have to make sure that I work harder to keep it like that.

Not done as much as I would have liked

I had hoped to have got much more done today than what I have actually done. Though at least I have done something.

I cleared the clutter of the couches (though that seems to be like fighting a never ending battle as by the end of the day they have got stuff on them again) and I have sorted out a black bag filled with soft toys. I will wash them and give them to a charity shop.

I will make sure that I do not go to bed too late tonight though as I would like to get more done tomorrow. I do not have to do the school runs so that will help me, though it will not help me if I do not get up to take advantage of it.

Clear out day

Tomorrow the bucket goes out so I have been through the shed seeing what I can get rid of.

I have brought through a few cuddly toys and I am going to go through them, put a lot of them into a black bag and after I have washed them I am going to get them to a charity shop.

I have had enough of having too much clutter. I feel bogged down by it. I really need to get rid of it.

Tomorrow I am going to work on clearing out the bedroom.

Reusing

For valentines day I got two heart shaped candles. I thought they looked nice, but I mainly thought that the glass containers were lovely.

I was not sure how to get the wax out once it was finished. Thankfully my friend told me a great way. All I had to do was pour some hot soapy water into them and let them soak. The wax came out really easily.

After I had cleaned them I put my stones in them. I think they look so pretty.

Bedroom

I spent some time in my bedroom today clearing out some of the clutter. I have managed to organize some of the drawers and put my partners games in a proper place to keep them safe. So even though it is not really looking how I would like it to do it is a lot better than what it was and the stuff that is hidden from view is looking better.

That will also mean that finding things will be hopefully better :)

Starting working again

Here we go again. The work starts again. After the work that I did on the kitchen at the weekend it is still looking good, so there was not much needed to be done in there to get it looking good. I sorted out the place where the old fridge was kept, so that looks neater now.

I did some work on the living room but I will finish that off in the morning.

I think I need to set up a system in the next few days. I am just going around in circles, without really achieving anything. I think that once I organize myself, it should hopefully make it much better.

March Goals

This is what I want to achieve this month:

1. Work on getting the flat clean again.
2. Start reading my cleaning books.

Hopefully I will manage it better this month.

February goals

This is what I managed to achieve this month:

• Get the flat clean again (While I have been cleaning, I have not managed to get the flat clean at the same time)
• Set up a system to make sure that I am able to keep on top of the housework (I have not done this)

I am getting frustrated. I seem to be doing so much work, but not getting anything done. It does not help that my partner does nothing to help me. Well not nothing, he washes the dishes and he will clean the toilet. He just does nothing else. He will not keep his desk clean, will not clean up after himself when he gets himself something to eat.

I am also most frustrated that when I have worked hard on making the place look clean that he never says anything good about it, though he moans when it looks a mess.

Very busy day

I have been a very busy bunny.

Need to get clean

Well the flat that is

Back on track

I really need to get on top of the houseworkl agian

Much cleaning

More cleaning has been made for me.

Getting tidy again

I have been working hard and while the rooms are not up the standard that I would ideally want, they are looking so much better.

Our bedroom is looking much better. The chairs are free of clutter and it feels so nice in there.

My step daughters friend did not spend the night as I thought she would so that took a lot of pressure off. However I would like to live in a clean uncluttered flat for me as well as for when others visit.

Time to start making the housework plan.

A slow start

To the big clean up operation. Though I have got a plan of action. Tomorrow morning I will work on my bedroom and then onto the hall and entrance.

Friday evening I will spend most of the time in the kitchen whiel the Saturday when my partner takes the wee ones to his mums I will work on the living room and bathroom. Hopefully I will have enough time to get the bathroom done as well.

Rest time over

I have had a break from the mad cleaning, but that is not a good thing as the place is looking a mess. I really have to start the mad cleaning again. I am working on getting the living room good in the next day and then blitz the kitchen before cleaning the hall, bathroom and the the wee ones room. If I really do well I will be able to get this done in the next few days. I will have to spend time on my bedroom tomorrow as my stepdaughter is stopping over.

I have started using my visualization board again.

Changing one of my 2011 goals

I have decided to change what I would like to achieve with one of my goals.

The following goal will be changed from:

• Write out a list of what DVD's are where for easy access.

To:

• Write out a list of what type of DVD's are in which case.

I was thinking about it. When my mum made out a list of what videos we had, the list was so long that it made finding things difficult.

I know that I would have had a lot of smaller lists, I still think I would have had problems. The main one being that when we add DVD's the only way to add them onto the list would be to put the at the back. If I wanted to place them somewhere else in the disc I would have to write out the list again.

It would be a lot easier to make out a list stating which case has documentaries, chick flicks, comedy films etc. It does not take long to look through them to find the appropriate DVD and it gives me the freedom of being able to change them around whenever I like without having the extra work of making a new list.

Bedroom getting better

It has been slow progress, but I am eventually being able to see the bedroom improving a lot (though I have been cheating by putting stuff in bags and putting them in the shed)

I did that as I just wanted to get the stuff out of the bedroom. It will be so nice to see that room clewan. It feels so lovely and calm when it is tidy.

Working on the bedroom.

I managed to make some good progress in our bedroom today.

February Goals

These are my goals for February:

1. Get the flat clean again.
2. Set up a system to make sure that I am able to keep on top of the housework

Although it does not seem like I have set myself that much to do, the tasks are more challenging (especially as I will be doing it on my own)

January Goals

This is what I have managed to achieve this month:

• Take down the Christmas and Halloween decorations - I have done this
• Clear out the kitchen - I have done this
• Clear out my computer area - I have done this

I am really happy with what I have managed to achieve. The flat looks so much nicer. I have struggled to maintain it, but I think that is because there is only so long that I can maintain the level of work that I needed to put in to not only clean out the rooms, but also maintain what I have already cleaned (made even more challenging as I have had nearly no help from my partner)

I did not elaborate about what I wanted clearing out of the kitchen when I first wrote the goals, however I meant that I wanted the sides and floor cleared. I have not done the cupboards. they are not too bad, but I will sort them out next month. I want to stick to goals that I know that I will be able to achieve.

I think I have got it

I have figured out one reason why sometimes I am not good at cleaning.

My partner went away today for a bit, but I managed to get so much work done while he was not in the flat.

Here we go again

The cleaning that is.

Even though I have not managed to get the flat clean all at the same time I am having to start work again on the living room and kitchen (It is not like I have to start from scratch again but it does feel a little like that)

The rooms do not look how I would like for them to look, however they look much better than what they did last night.

I am going to start a plan of action tomorrow though. Maybe that will help me crack it this time.

Getting orgnized

I rea;lly need to oraganize myself as what I am doing at the moment is not working.

May the cleaning force be with me

For I will need it.

Very frustrated

I am really, really, really frustrated at the moment.

I have been working really hard to keep the flat clean. though I feel like I am fighting a losing battle. All the work that I have done in the living room feels like it has been undone, the kitchen is a mess and the bedroom is showing no sign of getting clean either.

I am still determined that I will get it done but it just feels like the battle is too tough. It will get easier once the twins are at school but at the moment it is like climbing a mountain.

Busy, busy, busy

the wee ones went out for a good amount of time, so I really got stuck in with the living room.

Really not happy

With my partner that is. I had the treat of a lie in today but when I got up he had done nothing to help with keeping the flat clean. No wonder I am struggling to keep on top of things.

Stale energy

When I got back after walking the wee ones to school I noticed that the air felt stale. Thankfully it was not that cold as it gave me the opportunity to open all of the windows and the front door to let in some fresh air.

Tired, but

carrying on.

I almost had a day off, but when I was thinking about getting ready for bed I noticed the mess beginning to creep up. So while I have not done a proper clean tonight I have made sure that the work that I will need to do tomorrow will be less. I have done the essential cleaning.

I do know that I need to get the wee ones cleaning more though. When my sons friend was over he was so good at cleaning up after himself. He did it without being asked as well. Mine need to be more like him.

Sorting through the stuff

I find this the most challenging part of a clear out. I am good at getting the big parts done, it is when I get to the sorting through the stuff that I have put into bags that I get stuck.

I just seem to stumble over what I should keep and what I should get rid of. I then get get easily distracted and the job gets put off.

I need to keep focused to get through this instead of taking the easy way out and putting the stuff into the shed. I have got two areas to sort through. The chair in my bedroom and the corner in the kitchen where the old fridge used to be.

Sorting through the pile

today I spent quite a bit of time sorting through the clothes (well when I was not being distracted by the wonderful documentary South Pacific)

I have managed to get rid of the clothes pile though and the room is looking so much nicer (I am looking forward to sleeping in there tomorrow night, I would tonight but my step daughter is staying over)

Cheating

My step daughter is staying over tonight so I decided that I would like to get the bedroom into a decent shape. I did not have the time to do it properly so the clothes that I scattered when I was looking for my daughters missing present got piled up onto the chair where everything gets piled.

Even though I was cheating it took me hours before the room looked good. The whole room looks good (apart from the chair) I will be sorting that out. I have a feeling that tonight will be another long night. The living room and kitchen are not looking good.

As I said yesterday. It feels like it is a never ending battle. I do hope that one day it gets easier for me.

Like climbing a mountain

Keeping the home clean is a huge job. It feels like I am faced with an impossible task at the moment. I know I will win but I would like some help.

All it takes is me not being around for a short time and the mess piles up before I know it and when I get home I have got another big job to do. I got home today after being at my photography club for a few hours when I saw the mess in the living room and the kitchen. My partner had not done much to help me while I was out. I made sure I did as much as I could before I went out. When I got back there was stuff on the sides in the kitchen, the bath was not even emptied and he had not even picked up the towels that the wee ones had used.

I know that I will be working for a few hours to get the living room and the kitchen looking nice again.

I just feel so frustrated. I did not want to have to tell my partner to help me out. He uses the home so he should do it without being asked. I had just hoped that he would have enjoyed being in a clean home enough to want to help me maintain it. It is great that he makes the dinner and he washes dishes, I just wish that he would pick up after himself. He is just making my job so much more difficult. It is really beginning to get me down as well.

It has not helped that the job that I have got to do in our bedroom is a monster job.

May the force be with me.

Eek

I think it is definitely going to take a while to get our bedroom sorted out. I have made more progress today though and I will make some more progress tomorrow.

I have found a place where I can put the new Christmas tree.

Starting on the bedroom

I am on the final room that needs to be sorted out (it is also the messiest). I have a feeling that this one is going to take the longest. However I am not bothered if it takes me a week to do as long as it gets done.

The reason why that room is the messiest is that a lot of stuff has been duped in there while I sorted through the other rooms. I do not want to then shift the junk to the shed as I know that it will have to get sorted through eventually. I am going to take the tough option and sort through it now.

I can understand how easy it is...

For the place to become a mess again.

I was relaxing in the evening when I thought I would have a quick clean up. I then noticed that the clear sides had become cluttered and I noticed how the stuff seems to creep in quickly. thankfully as I have noticed it now I have got rid of it. But all it takes is me getting fed up of the constant work and before I know it the place will be back to how it was when I started.

I have to make sure that it does not happen.

Cleaning while aching

I am facing the challenges of keeping the flat clean while my back aches.

I seem to ache more in the morning (I look like a zombie when I am moving about) but it does get better throughout the day. My back now does not feel too bad so this is the best time for me to get the housework done. While I am delaying clearing out our bedroom until I feel much better I need to make sure that I keep the place clean otherwise it will be a big job once I feel better (though I am not lifting the couch up until I have recovered)

I overdid it last night

I decided to clean the living room last night while my partner was at his friends. I put on a couple of films and cleaned his desk and the rest of the living room (I have not really done much in the living room over the last couple of days and it does not take long to build up)

Lifting the couches up to get the stuff from under has not been good for my back (that on top of the work that I did in the kitchen earlier as well)

When I woke up today though my back really ached. It was as bad as the day that I did it, well actually I think it was worse. I have really struggled to get around today. I am glad that I did not really have many jobs to do so I could rest it (my partner took the wee ones to his mums house for a long time and my step daughter will not be staying over, so I will be able to really rest it well)

This evening I decided that I should start sorting through the DVD's. I have sorted them out into a good order now. All I need to do is write out what DVD is in which case and then mark the cases so I know which one is which. I think a good way is to get some different colored buttons to put in part of the case.

I have ordered more cases tonight. They are a good price on E-Bay at the moment and I really like the wee round cases that look tyres (They store 40 DVD's)

These are the cases that I ordered:

Never ending

I am determined that I will win, but it really is a never ending task.

It does not feel like I am getting much help from my partner either. I should not need to ask him for help to keep the place clean. He knows how much work I have put into doing my best to maintain the work that I have done, but I have to clean up after him as well (sometimes it really does feel like I have got four children)

While I think my cleaning mojo is taking a break, it has not helped that I fell on the ice this morning and really hurt my back (It is still aching as I type this) I still did manage to get some work done in the kitchen though and in the living room to make sure that they stay clean.

I hope that tomorrow goes better. I need to start work on the most challenging room soon (Our bedroom)

Bathroom today

I did not think I would get much done today as I am feeling shattered (I have not slept well over the last two nights)

I cleaned the hall, porch and the bathroom. I also did some work in the kitchen to keep it clean and I will do some work in the living room before I crash. I need to make sure that I get a good sleep tonight as I will be up early tomorrow to take the wee ones back to school.

Cleaning like a woman possesed

I have got my cleaning mojo.

Today I cleaned the kitchen and my desk area. Though i must confess that while I spent a lot of time cleaning I did put a lot of stuff into bags that I will have to sort through at a later time (though I have to make sure that it is not too late)

Decorations Down

Well that is the decorations down. Part of me is sad that the decorations down as I really have enjoyed them being up. However another part of me is happy that they are gone as not only do I actually enjoy packing the decorations away, but I get the enjoyment of putting them back up later this year.

It was a big job though. It took me about two hours to get the decorations down and packed away. That was when the cleaning started.

Over the festive period I have not been the best with getting the living room clean (especially over the last few days (I think that was what inspired me to put the decorations down as I knew the room needed a really good clean)

Even without doing the computer desks it took me nearly three hours to get the room clean. I am really happy with how it looks now and I am glad I put the effort into cleaning it. I will work on the desk areas in the next couple of days so that all of the room is tidy. I think even my partner will notice how clean it is in the morning (well he had better notice as it is a big difference)

This is what the living room looked like after I had cleaned it (Well the p[art that I cleaned)

January Goals

These are my goals for January:

1. Take down the Christmas and Halloween decorations.
2. Clear out the kitchen.
3. Clear out my computer area.

Goals for 2011

This is what I would like to achieve in 2011:

1. Get rid of all clutter
2. Get the home to a standard that I am happy with.
3. Sort out the DVD's into order.
4. Write out a list of what DVD's are where for easy access.
5. Get the wee ones helping with the housework
6. Start making more home cooked meals (and a better variety of meals)
7. Develop my home crafts.