Making a New start, Stepping into the New year

[BlackCatinChristmasChaos]

Hi all, After a pretty rough ride last year (2012) I think I feel ready to start again with babysteps
So who's with me for the journey?

Old and new steppers are welcome!

Lets do this one small step at a time!

I'm pretty sure my profile is "public" bessie - must be the ipad
Glad you got so much done. I only managed 1 load of washing but I have been working too!

Adora - you've done loads too. I hope you are feeling better soon.

Nice frame Arti, that looks lovey.

hi everyone
good to see you have been busy in my absence
im soof holidays!

it was half term here last week adn as my netbook is a slow donkey i had to sacrifice logging in to update play on MN in order to keep on top of things!

fridaywas manic.little zoo went a cropper and twisted her ankle when she fell for the 2nd tie in 4days and this time it hurt and was swollen so last day was at home with mumsy..the swelling went down by the end of the day but was tender for walking for a couple of days

we had snow on the monday and tuesday and sat and sun were sunny,so a few outside oppurtunities appeared that were free!
on the cleaning front i have managed to keep on top of the laundry and hotspot everyday as well as keep kitchen under control,wiping surfaces and sink after each meal so we coasted through ok and i come out this week for the first time EVER not having to relocate the livng room floor/kids rooms from debris!

on sunday i had a man come and take away 20binbags of crapulence i had sifted and sorted out!
i then attacked the garden with gusto yesterday and cleared all the neighbourhood recycling that gathers in my gardenand cut dowm all the dead hollyhock stems and brambles.i am planning to put in some edging and some nice coloured stones and pots of hostas as it doesnt get direct light and the soil is thick claggy clay,plus this will be low maintenance and neat

i took little zoo and ds to teh park after school as it was so lovely out and dd2 was at gardening club at school til 4.15-she was a mucky monkey on collection-they had been digging in the allotment

todays tadahs
breakfast for zoolets
make packed lunches
sort zoolets/do hair
school run
my breakfast
shopping
hot spot front room
clean bathroom
lunch
clean cooker top and washing machine
2 loads washing done,dried and put away
hung new curtains in the front room

logged in here for a bit

i have to get skates on as today is girls brigade for dd2at 6 so when i get back from school run its wash little zoo/ds and then do dinner,ready for dp to collect her at 545.she gets back at 745 and will then have a wash and go to bed
as the cats have just wandered in trailing muddy footprints everywhere i shall have to go and wipe that up before collection of zoolets!
see you tomorrow!

Hi Zoo good to see you back hope that ankle is better now.

Ta Da's

Up and dressed
Breakfast - ham and eggs today as OH bought far too much ham and it wouldn't have kept
WM on
DDs emptied DW, I cleared away breakfast things
OH fed dogs
Hung towels out
Took DDs bowling
Shopping - me groceries, DDs tat jewellery and cheap shoes
Back home

Collapsed with a cup of tea. I managed to whack my knee with a bowling ball, it's now swollen bruised and very painfull. Still need to, do dinner, bring towels in, feed dogs, make an apple cake OH bought too many of those too
wash my hair and do my nails.

Decluttering is coming along, last night glass jars were removed from kitchen and DD2's clothes have been weeded out. She sprouted up recently. I've joined the decluttering thread, 40 bags, or boxes, in 40 days.

I have fallen off the wagon and need help back up.

Adora - wow 40 bags/boxes in 40 days is quite a challenge.

Come on Scout - you can do it! You are usually one of the most organised of us.

I have made my bed today! That's 3 times this week . I think making my bed might be my version of keeping the sink shiny IYKWIM!

PS - meant to say Zoo - 20 bags of crapulence ( love the word) is amazing! Well done on your nice tidy half-term too!

I also love the word crapulance fine addition to the language.

My bedsheets are in the WM
DDs are currently emptying DW, one petulantly, the other perfectly happily
OH told me yesterday that he'd left 1 suitcase full (of dirty washing) so as not to have too much laundry at once, it's all on the futility room floor now. Sink was shined last night.

I'll be back later

lovely to see you back zoo & scout (where is cats?)

hope your knee is ok adora (didn't you hurt your foot before your holiday?)

arti I have just admired your mirror & your decluttering from the laptop - am very impressed!

I have been to work this week. That's pretty much it. The girls have friends coming round in the morning to play & my BFF is coming round in the afternoon, so am not sure when I'm going to vacuum up all the fluff the cats have desposited around the house or mop the kitchen floor.

Thanks Bessie and yep, I did hurt my ankle a few weeks ago, that's almost better and of course I hurt the knee of the same leg. Very sore today, but I can still walk

Three loads of washing have been done, dinner eaten, cake in the oven, bed still to be made. I also need to pull a few things out of my wardrobe, old Ts and odd things I no longer wear.

DDs had a shock shopping today, they need grown up party dresses - apparently- and so looked in a boutique and the prices started at £200. I've already told them I'm not paying for these outfits

adora could you try ebay for dresses?

yesterdays ta dahs
breakfast for zoolets
sort pack lunches
chivvy them to dress/do hair
school run
quick stop for bread and milk
my breakfast
wash up and wipe surfaces
s+s bathroom
hot spot front room
tidy out my roompigsty/dumping ground
lunch
2loads washing done,dry,fold and put away
school run
listen to reading
made dinner
washed up
stories
collapsed in front tv!

today is very busy,dp is coming and we are running lots errands

i got up early and did most my chores so that i dont struggle over the weekend dividing time between tasks and zoolets
ta dahs
washing -one load done and in drier,2nd load on
s+s bathroom
hot spot front room and polish/wash laminate
shooed cat off surfaces in kitchenand disinfected
cleaned sink and buffed drainer til sparkling
wiped all tiles and cupboard fronts
washed kitchen floor
fed cats
fed zoolets
made beds

i am now going to chivvy them along to get ready,wash up and make packed lunches.will pop back late if get a chance

scout------> (waves chocolate medals)

crapulence is one of our favourite words
arti well done on the bed!

Zoo they don't actually need the dresses, it's a pre-teen "but I need that dress" thing. I hope you get all your errands done today.

I cleared a few things from my wardrobe last night, after the cake cooked (there's a bit left if I can tempt Scout and Cats out of hiding )

This morning's Ta Da's

Up and made coffee/tea for OH
Attempted to feed dogs but they tried to barge the door
Vacuumed downstairs with dogs watching through front door thinking " what's happened to breakfast?"
Fed dogs once they'd calmed down
Swept kitchen and futility floors
My breakfast

I've realised I may struggle with this 40 bags/40 days malarkey as we've already given away loads of stuff. Lots of no longer loved clothes, from all 4 of us, went to help out after the big earthquake nearly three years ago, and we've given away furniture and some kitchen bits. That sounds like we're living in an empty house but when we moved here we left the house there fully equipped. This meant we re-bought everything here, then we moved everything from there to here. Hey presto, two houses worth of contents in 1 house.

Well, I got up and Did breakfast, WM on, Did lunch and since then- I ain't done nuffin. Dinner was cheese/toms on toast followed by the last of the cake Scout and Cats you've missed your chance

Hello everyone!
I hope that you are all OK this morning. Scout and Cats - we miss you!

I'm having a slow, groggy start morning! However I am about to start some work, I am up,showered, dressed, breakfasted and have done a bit of swish and swipe in the bathroom. There is a load of underwear in the washing machine which hopefully will prevent the pending knicker crisis! (It always creeps up on me that one! One day I have loads of clean underwear, the next, it's all suddenly migrated to the dirty laundry basket!)

OK - off to do a couple more bits and start some work - hang on in there all you steppers!

we had a very productive friday-i now have all but decent weather to sort the front garden-border edging,plum slate chips and some lovely bedding plants/pots.i am not however prepared to slave away in sub zero winds!

the weekend was zoolet time adn we had fun going for a "winter walk" at the local nature reserve saturday followed by snuggles under fluffy balnket and watching toy story 2 on dvd then some board games

sunday was the same except shopping replaced the walk

kids did flybaby rooms and i did 2 loads if washing,hot spotted the front room and swished bathroom both days so i wasnt starting this week on a back foot of messiness!

todays tadahs

up and fed zoolets
fed cats
recycling to kerb
made packed lunches
drew pictures on lunch bags on request
chivvyed kids to get ready for school
school run
visit to see the head
back for my breakfast
gathered up some toys little zoo has outgrown and visited a friend having a baby in july,who has a little one 4 in april so moneys tight.she now has some fifi books,peppa pig house,peppa dvds and a cleaning trolley for her birthday
walked down with her to collect her little one from nursery
came home.emptied washing out and put into drier.next load on
school rang.little zoo needs collecting-she was scarlet and very hot and quiet
come back and eat my lunch
hot spot front room
wash living room floor

must dash now to collect th others
what was meant to be a quiet day has been raer busy

Oh Zoo I hope little zoo is okay, and well done on re-gifting those toys.

Arti DD1 has a weekly knicker crisis, but that's because she doesn't put them in the linen basket, she is learning

I had a lie in today, stayed up way too late trying to watch the Oscars.

So,

Up and showered/dressed
Coffee
Harrassed DDs to take their crap treasure from every where they've left it.
Cleared a bit off kitchen sides
Swept up fallen leaves from indoor plant, and the fly corpses that appear over night.

Need to vacuum upstairs (if I can get to DD's floor space)
Get my head around the week's plans/appointments
Coerce DDs to eat some bleeding breakfast (it's only 12.30, after all)

Oooh my girls would be at all those toys zoo especially the cleaning trolley! Hope DD is ok, they've had a weird virus going round our nursery/pre-school which gives the kids occasional high temps & makes them really tired - apparently the kids have even been napping at pre-school!

Where are the fly corpses adora? We used to find them on our desks at work - it turns out they were living in the ceiling gap & coming out of the lights at night

Sorry I've not been on much lately, there's always too much to do & by the time I get to my MN time, I'm just knackered & go to bed!

The girls & I had a good day today, we put lots of laundry away (DD1 now gets "a shiny penny" for putting her clothes away), tidied 2 bookshelves, vacuumed, mopped, and made a start on some birthday cards for Great-Grandma (90 next week). I have also been very busy cooking: veggie chilli for lunch, nachos for the girls tea & black pepper tofu for our dinner.

I have tomorrow off work (again!) - am hoping the weather will be nice enough to get out in the garden, if not i will have to sort out the dumping dining room

SmallBoy is very poorly.

Scout - I hope he recovers very soon! Poor SmallBoy ( and poor Scout)!

Bessie - never mind enticing old flyers back... Yum!! I love the idea of a "shiny penny"! Make the most of it while it is still viable currency!

Zoo - hope LittleZoo is feeling better.

at a cleaning trolley being a toy! Never heard of that!! Still - if it gets them flying at an early age...!

He's asleep on my bed, cuddled up next to me, whimpering in his sleep.

Last time I moved to get off the bed to get drinks he woke up. So for now I'm staying put, making a file for my first Science & Nature Club.

arti - cleaning trolley. My girls just have a mini broom & brush/dustpan, which they LOVE. Nothing really gets cleaner, but they have fun copying me & DH.

Hope SmallBoy is feeling better soon scout

Today I have listed 4 more things on the for-sale board at work, put some toys in the boot of my car to take to the second hand shop and spent 30 mins in the garden. Have just finished my lunch so had better get up to the second hand shop as mum is going to be bringing the girls back early today.

thanks forthe kind thoughts for little zoo everyone
shes ok.i think its just where there are a constant stream of colds doing the rounds she may have got a couple on top of each other-she still eating had an occasional rise in temp but playing ondd2 ds at mo
i wil send her back tomorrow and see what happens.having her at home encourages me to sit and watch tv!!

todays ta dahs
made dcs breakfasts
fed cats
made packed lunches/decorated lunchbags
sorted little zoo into some clothes
brushed all hair
school run
quick pop shop for milk and bread
cuddle and a sttory with little zoo
nap-cbeebies isnt as stimulating when you are 40!!!!!
hot spot front room
s+s bathroom
washing on
lunch
90mins wrestling with front garden hollyhocks into submission and clearing brambles/grass/weeds.i now have an almost bare patch ready for covering and top with slate chips and the log edging
i got cold and little zoo wanted me to come in...
washing into drier
made beds

i have 15mns to have a bit time to myself

arti-the cleaning trolley was much loved but these days she is happier with a duster/cloth and attempting to use a big girl broom!she is the tidiest f them so i recommend it as an early flying aid!

bessieshiny pennies for clothes put away-i like it!

adoragood luck locating source fly trouble.u have a lot inects to contend with where you are

scouthugs for SB.hope he perks up soon

oh.forgot i also planted up some primroses into a tub and put them under the front window!