Getting the house ready... Tips/Support thread anyone?

[FreudianFoxSquishedByAPouffe]

Anyone else a bit snowed under with all the preparation, getting the house in a reasonable state for Xmas? I am. Hard enough keeping up with the regular housework ATM due to DH being injured

I am excited too though, I'm free from studies for a while and as DH is off work with the injury I will actually have more time for sorting stuff out. And this year it'll be actually sorting stuff not just moving it all to a different room

We have until 22nd as that is when DH's kids stay over for the first of 3 celebrations (we are just us on 25th, then my relations come on 26th)

So far my main priorities are:

Have ALL toys upstairs to allow space for presents to be played with

Clear table/under it as that's where our tree is going this year due to inquisitive toddler

Move bookcase upstairs for more storage in DD's room

Create more room in kitchen somehow

Generally clear up all the random crap especially in the living room and stairs

Tidy the bathroom as it's an embarrassment... Much like the rest of this house really!

Sort out DC's toys and get rid of useless/broken bits, organise what's left to make room for Xmas presents

Anyone else?

No, I'm studiously ignoring the filth. In fact I've got a pile of rubbish behind the christmas tree

Lol! Although you must have been fairly organised to have your tree up already.

Hang up your cards somewhere as it is easier than dusting around them - Lakeland do some sticky ribbon stuff that you can hang and then plonk the cards on.

If you normally have some decorative objects about, put them away for christmas as normally there will be enough with decs up and again it saves on dusting.

I got my dh to go through kitchen cupboards the other day and have a sort out. He's very anal about dates (ie best before) and just chucked a load of stuff that I would have been dithering over.

HTH

We are snowed in so are eating the contents of the freezer and making new stuff for Xmas and freezing that in the newly created space.

yy to hanging cards, I use poncetastic silver raffia and attach the cards with eeny weeny fely Christmas tree pegs I got from Paperchase a few years ago.

We are having a big party the Sunday before Christmas so I shall clean and tidy madly the two days before, any further in advance is futile with this family...

felt not fely

DH and I decided that for us the best place to start is DD's room. It's not too bad ATM but we need to make room for other toys in order to move them from other parts of the house!

We arent quite snowed in but we will also need to eat up freezer/cupboard food as local shop is empty... Good point about that leaving space for Xmas food!

How do you the Xmas smileys?

scroll down past the other emoticons

its just an "f" before the usual

Ah thanks

They havent come up on mine yet (mobile version)

I have a length of black wool running along a black beam year round and they hold birthday and then christmas cards, this is the extent of my organisation

We never bother with Xmas cards!

You have my sympathies! My house is a bomb site atm. I'm planning on sorting the bedrooms tomorrow then the living room in prep for the tree going up on saturday :-D

We agreed to forget/ignore our own bedroom as it's a tip! Everywhere else is the priority.

Not bothered about the tree yet, we might put it up on 7th as a tradition, as that's my birthday

Depressingly, all the bedrooms need doing here - DP's family are coming day after boxing day & will be staying over Every bedroom is an absolute tip.

I'm cleaning during/after decorating this time though - trimming up seems to create so much dust! Seems pointless doing it twice.

DH currently fitting kitchen which arrived yesterday (thank heavens before the snow) so am waiting till the bulk of that is pretty much finished before having a top to bottom house clean up. We too have open house on 19th so that's a good motivator to get everything cleaned and then just top up for Christmas Day. The dust at the moment is dreadful but having a new kitchen with a new dishwasher and oven in time for christmas will definitely help...

Dishwasher?!

One year I had a massive toy declutter at the beginning of December. My aim is/was to have an empty toy box per child by Christmas morning, so that Christmas presents can be partially cleared away when we have visitors. (the mess doesn't bother me so much as small pieces going missing or getting trodden on etc)

I declutter year round, but have a really ruthless one (of everything) about now.

Do you need all the toys? I got rid of a load of ours and dss didn't even notice.

It is a pain trying to sort stuff. But you know, visitors won't see it. They're just happy to be there, so if I were you I wouldn't stress too much. It's a home anyway, not a showhome I used to wear myself out over stuff like this but not now.

Ooh having one free toybox is a great idea!

It's actually the first time I'm really bothered about clearing up. My parents arent at all bothered by the mess (I've inherited my slatternness) but I want it tidied for ourselves really. I'm completely sick of having a messy house so Xmas is providing a good incentive/time limit.

Totally agree about the little bits of toys getting lost too, that always happens, and this year most of dds presents are board games

I read it on here I think, about 2-3 years ago (the having an empty/free toybox ready for Christmas morning!)

DD's storage is the trofast thing from ikea so we can just free up a drawer or two. Am also glad that DS is now 15m and we can therefore ditch some of the baby toys. Bit sad though really, end of an era... No must be strong!

Love the empty box idea, definitely going to use that one. Am quite ruthless with toy clear outs during the year but think I may sell on some happyland toys we still have that aren't used as much as some of our older aged toys.

FF I think the dishwasher will be the thing that changes christmas (and life) the most this year, have never had one before and am SO excited!!

I was supposed to be doing housework today while DD is at preschool but it's SO FRIGGIN COLD I just want to hibernate.

Can I join? I stuck this on my watch list the other day but only just read it :)

today during dd's nap I moved a whole lot of stuff around from room to room. It created a bit of mess in the short term but will have a decluttering effect long term, as well as making room for the tree, which I think (hope) will go up on Sunday.

Also threw out/recycled two black bags' worth of stuff, and cleared the hall bookcase surface so the advent calendar can go there.

unfortunately there is still lots to be done...

Very good progress DM, FF I think you need to look on housework as a warming exercise