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.