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?

Tell you what I haven't done though: the dishes

LOL yeah if I put DD's radiator on it's probably the warmest room in the house so maybe I should tidy it.

Well managed a bit (while DH helped the DCs with my birthday card!) but man it's depressing how you can't do any of the PROPER tidying because you have to get all the mundane everyday stuff done first and it just builds up so quickly. Laundry, washing up etc...

How's everyone getting on? I'm having a brew and watching Saturday Kitchen trying to get motivated.
So a list I think..... Today I Will:

o Fettle our bedroom to within an inch of its life
o Fill one bag with clothes for charity shop & send DP out with it
o Fettle the spare bedroom so that its fit for visitors

There. It's written down now so no getting out of it.

I need to persuade DP to put up some new shelves

Thankfully we're going out for tea as its a family birthday - at least cleaning is always much easier when you don't have a meal to prepare at the end of it.

Well done everyone

I'm chuffed with myself, dp stayed at his dd's in Wakefield Thursday night and I got stuck into the living room. Bought a garland for mantle, ds2 and me decorated the tree and I totally decluttered the living room and some of the dining room. He came home and was speechless Feels so nice now.
Just have to get on with the bedrooms and finish off the dining room but will get there. I just don't care enough really but I should as it's much more relaxing when it's not a tip tidier

Hope you get all your things done today JetLi, where are you from by the way? Just with you 'saying' fettle?

good tidy up and clean up ready for decorations

ornaments, pictures put away

sorted dd's toys, broken stuff and random odds and ends chucked out, new unused bits to school for xmas fair, anything else either loft or charity bag

used up freezer stuff and defrosted that to make room

putting extra food for xmas on top of cupboard and sorted tins out and chucked out of date stuff

On xmas eve all toys will be put upstairs to make way for new ones downstairs

It is amazing what space I have found to stash DD's presents and after xmas will have loads of room to store all the rubbish that we dont use but wont part with!

Well done bossyboop

Wow people are doing better than me very well :o

We ended up being out most of yesterday (nightmare due to ice/snow) but we are staying in today so I WILL do some tidying!!!

Yesterday tidied a mantelpiece (get me) and christmassy-fied it with some ornaments, an advent calendar and a candle - looks v nice now. Also got the tree up with some help from DSs.

Today am going to blitz our room and tidy the hallway.

Keep going FF!

Bossyboop am well impressed

well done abgirl good luck freudian!

I've got washing and stuff to do today might even attack the boys room .....YIKES!!

Well after getting struck down by the dreaded D&V I've done nothing And now there is even more laudry to be done.
Curious I'm near Sheffield
BB Iam most

I'll join in if I may! We were going to my sister's for Christmas but their kitchen is not finished so now everyone is coming here! I like the idea of the empty toy box.

I need to clear out the dining room which is buried underneath piles of paperwork, toys etc. Also need to clear the bedrooms which are also full of paper and junk. Basically our problem is just the piles of paper that are everywhere - any tips for that ?

Well I've done very little... Problem with Xmas is that it's right in the middle of SAD time! Meh.

With the paper problem though, I got a load of those cardboard document wallets and stuffed things in, in categories - phone bills, credit card, kids school letters etc.

May I join too please?

I'm having friends over next Saturday for food/drinks/singstar . The house is always a tip!

It's actually not quite as bad as usual as I've been away and had to tidy up for my Mum and stepdad who came to look after ds while I was away.

I've taken 2 bags of stuff to the charity shop today and plan to take a couple of bags to school tomorrow for the school fete.

We were going to have a real tree this year but I have cancelled that plan as I won't be able to sort that aswell as tidying/decluttering downstairs by Wednesday (am working Thursday and Friday so everything has to be pretty much sorted by close of business on Wednesday!).

I also like the idea of the empty toy box. Ds and I have had a couple of attempts at decluttering his toys and ebaying some of it so I'm fairly confident it'll be tidy before the next lot arrive!

My room is tidy at the moment after my mum stayed in it - though can't quite think where I hid everything .

Anyway, I have a full day tomorrow to get the living room and kitchen organised and get the washing up-to-date. Every time I blink there seems to be an extra duvet cover in the washing basket! Where do they all come from ?

The laundry just piles up SO quickly doesn't it, drives me nuts.

Day off today - it's my birthday

Happy Birthday!!!

Did naff all yesterday - am cross-stitching a sampler for my new niece for her first christmas present and it's not finished yet so i sat yesterday evening and did that for about 3 hours - still got loads more to do though.

Have this arvo off work to see DS2's nativity so planning to get more cross stitching done and tidy DSs room, which actually isn't too bad now as we are v lucky and have a seperate playroom where all the toys are - mainly just need to put clothes away and have a clear out of the baby books that are languishing on the book shelves.

DH is going great guns with our new kitchen - a functioning sink makes a real difference.

Chrysanthemum I find clearing paper with a shredder set up next to me makes me a bit more ruthless.

Found out yesterday we are expecting 15 for christmas tea, was only 8 at the start of the day - just been to amend my sainsburys order...

FS - Happy birthday! You're quite right to take the day off .

abgirl - yikes, 15 for Christmas tea?!

I need a kick up the backside today. I have just faffed about the place this morning and have now said I'll work tomorrow so today is my only opportunity for a good tidy up.

I have the radio on nice and loud so hopefully that'll distract me enough to get some things done!

JetLi thought so my next door neighbour is from there, I recognised the accent

Well loads got done today mainly because tidy dp was off work He does motivate me though, so I tidied the bedroom which is now unrecognisable!

He was so excited this morning when the new fan belt arrived in the post for his beloved hoover We now have dog hair free-ish carpets but that'll not last long.

Happy birthday FS hope it's a good one

Well, I made a start on advance non perishable Christmas food, defrosted freezers etc. Then at the weekend the boiler started to leak (it's on the kitchen wall). Engineer came out on Mon, the heat exchanger has gone after only 6 yrs and annual services. I am really angry as it is costing £965 to repair taking a whole day as they have to take the boiler off the wall and strip it down to fit the new part, then reassemble and replace, do safety checks etc. We will have had no heating for 3 days except a small electric heater and the electric immersion for hot water. It's not that we will struggle to pay, it's just the inconvenience, especially as I need to take a wall cupboard off for the bloody man to do the work. The guy who put the boiler in in the first place managed with the cupboard in situ.

As you can tell, I'm not impressed. I can't do any cooking for the freezer until the kitchen is back to normal, and nothing else as the rest of the house is so cold. Christmas spirit and enthusiasm sadly lacking this week!

OMG girlywhirly! That's so much money :( and not good timing. I thought we were unlucky - the other day (birthday!) our lock broke and cost £170 to fix. It's really freaked me out TBH as we have no savings/safety net, so after Xmas we will be rearranging our finances to put a bit of money aside for emergencies.

Anyway, other than that my birthday was lovely thanks all :o

So, big day today, parents visiting to help out with house stuff, so I'll be moving the bookcase up to DD's room and sorting her toys out (so I can free up a toybox for Xmas!), going shopping for some of the Xmas food, and maybe even a trip to the dump.

BTW if any of you are clearing old toys out, consider your local SureStart centre - I found out they are able to accept donations so I'm taking a couple of decent toys down there.

Thanks Freudian, it's almost OK, all but one radiator working, there's trapped air somewhere, so I'm repeating switching off all the rads and the hot water/heating for an hour and starting up again, to see if it clears. We will take out a repair contract now!

Glad to hear you are warming up again girlywhirly!

Freudian I hope all your plans come off.

DH has gone off to Germany with work for two days so as well as working full time I am doing school drop offs - luckily the PIL live in the next road so they are doing pick ups for me and having DS2 for the day tomorrow.

Managed to clean the bathroom and living room before school this morning and planning to wrap all the remaining pressies and do my cards tonight. Also need to decide what baking I am going to do in the run up to christmas day and make final amendments to my sainsburys order. I normally make a gingerbread house, but think that may be too ambitious this year. Will definitely make some edible decorations for the tree, lots of mine pies and want to try a Nigella recipe for festive muffins for christmas morning this year.

We have family visiting on Sunday so weekend plan is to start some mince pies for freezing and to move all my kichen stuff back into the newly decorated kitchen dishwasher is a very welcome addition!!

Nice and warm again now! Am quite chuffed as I managed to put up the wall cupboard by myself! All refilled and the kitchen cleaned and tidied, able to do the lounge now all that stuff is shifted.

Now we have heat, I can get on with the washing as there was no way of drying it before.

Glad you bday was a good one Freudian

I just take all our unwanted things to the hospice charity shop as it's only up the road. Got another pile to take tomorrow.