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!

(sorry, i try not to link to blog too often, but these were so damn easy & tasty I had to share!)

sounds like you had a lovely weekend adora! I think it is all too easy to get bogged down in 'doing stuff' when really we should be enjoying stuff. A difficult balance to find.

DH did all the cooking today, so I got to do laundry play & read books with the DD's - my mum came round for tea & biscuits in the afternoon, so I really have done very little other than sort books this morning & drink wine update the online shop this evening!

Hmm - I did do some batch cooking plus food shopping over the weekend, but not much else!

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything to be honest! Need to get on an make a plan for the day I think!

Glad you had a nice day Bessie, here Mother's Day is in May.

My morning Ta Da's

Up and dressed
Roused DDs
Cofee - Breakfast for family
Assembled packed lunches
Shoed family out the door
Stripped beds to wash
Vacuumed throughout downstairs
Cleared away breakfast things
My breakfast
Second breakfast for OH post school run

Currently having a break before taking a nice loooong shower, will update again later

Hi all, I went to doctors and he said it is probably a strain/sprain type thing and all I can do about that is rest it and take pain killers. --not much chance of that then--
Taking a coffee break now before I cook tea.

Cats I know it's not easy but try to rest your arm as much as you can, I hope it heals quickly.

So much for my lovely shower, water is now only tepid after being scorching yesterday. And I left the DW and WM until after my shoower, so it's not that I've used it all. Getting annoyed now as I haven't been able to get my hair properly clean for a week" went to the nearest hairdresser but they were busy taking a break, so I'm going to a larger salon in the morning.

Been shopping
Back home and put that all away
Had a spot of lunch
Sheets are washed and on the line
DW on

Off to do the school run, drop friend's DCs home
Buy fruit and veg - supermarket too expensive and fruit was covered in fruit flies
Get a dog comb from vets, Teddy Bear's fur gets the better of the brushes
Wash dogs
Dinner
Iron name tags onto DD2's school skirts
Tomorrow's packed lunches
Vino
Sleep

I agree with what adora says cats - dossing taking it easy for a week now to give it chance to hear is a much better idea than it not being right for months & months.

I have my penultimate day-off-work-without-the-kids tomorrow & it's sodding snowing, so I won't be able to get out in the garden & driving out into the sticks to the 2nd hand shop could be "interesting" - can't believe that this time last week we were bouncing on the trampoline without coats!

Out most of this week so not much flying. House currently smells of cabbage thanks to a science experiment for the science and nature club I'm running on Thursday. Blurgh.

hello!

we've had quite a bit of snow here causing some road chaos which meant my childcare was late arriving today, (the girls left here at 11:30!), so I'm having to re-prioritise my list of what I want to do today. Interestingly, I saw this yesterday & will be thinking of it while I decide what I want to accomplish today

First things, first though - LUNCH!

I like that Bessie

My morning routine is done, but I can't shower yet as the puppies chewed the pipes coming off the solar panels. We think OH has fixed it, looks like the header tank hasn't cracked despite the safety valve blowing. I'm having to monitor it to see if it's heating the water tank properly. And I need to wash my now greasy hair before meeting for a friend's birthday lunch. And there's a bloke on the roof. I've had better mornings. I shall update later. DW is not going until I'm sure we have hot water.

Hope you are coping with the snow Bessie and anyone else who has snow.

No snow here other than the existing dusting.

Just back from roller skating. I fell hard and my wrist & elbow are still throbbing/tingling. Gah. This is not a good week to have limited arm usage due to pain.

Can I have a little scream please? Okay?

AAAARRRGGGHH!

That's better. New estate agent today. Same old OH's crap all over the place and she said we really need to get rid of the clutter, ha ha. oh look, are those my marbles rolling away?

On to Ta Da's

Morning routine plus making sandwiches for packed lunch, no time lat night
WM on, towels used to mop up after I dropped a pan of half cooked rice then kicked over the mop bucket
Emptied DW and cleared breakfast things
Showered
Faffed about tidying up & making beds
Showed agent the house
Chatted with OH about agent's comments
Sat down with a coffee, biscuit and TV

chatted with OH about agent's comments adora?

Perhaps you should start doing the black bin bag thing people do with their kids with him?!

Tempting Bessie, very tempting, but I need to get him to get rid of stuff because if we do sell we'll be downsizing considerably and I can't bear the thought of listening to him whinge about there not being enough storage space.

plus if it's in plastic bags/boxes I'll just put in the dustbin and be done with it

Anyhoo, Ta Da's

Morning routine completed
DW emptied and reloaded
Showered
My breakfast
Sorted laundry, removed clean, ironed but not used items from DD1's linen basket, 1st load on, hand washing in soak
De-limescaled downstairs loo hand basin
S&S'd my bathroom, downstairs loo
Lounge is looking show-home perfect after we changed things around last night
Emptied a huge bag of things I've been searching for, maid must have stashed it atop the wardrobe - because I never put things up there. Clothes need to be washed, stinks of fumigant, and handbags wiped.

Currently having elevensies

Scout hope you are okay today, and how's that science project smelling progressing?

Cats I hope you wrist feels a bit better

Zoo how are those zoolets ? and what about you?

Where is everyone

I have more Ta Da's to report

All the laundry, 5 loads plus 3 lots of hand washing
Decluttering and sorting of paperwork relevant to UK
Research also relevant to UK
School run and dropped friend's DCs home
Shopping and snack with DDs
Got their Easter treat and lied through my teeth about them, DD1 thinks it's for my friend.
Back home, cooked and ate, plus prepped tomorrow's packed lunch, before leaving for parent/teacher meeting at school
Left OH in charge of pudding and clearing away
Attended meeting
Refulled car
Back home and tucked DDs up in bed.

DD2 has developed a fear of spiders and doesn't want to sleep alone but she's keeping DD1 awake when they share so I've sent her back to her room with reassurance that not only are spiders good because they eat the flies and mozzies, but we don't have any here following the fumigation anyway. I don't know what else to say tonight to help her sleep.

First at home day all week. PJ day for us while SB plays and make things and I go on slow motion going jobs.

That should be "slow motion doing jobs." Stupid fat fingers on small phone.

SB's watching CBeebies and I'm pottering on the computer, and then back to putting away the Science Club things from yesterday. Then to do other things while watching CBeebies with SB.

We need this pj day after being on the go all week. I don't even care if we spend half the day curled up on the sofa watching CBeebies.

I don't have a to do list today, am just taking my time and not stressing.

Glad you're having your PJ day Scout hope you enjoy relaxing with SB

My morning routine is complete, plus

Washed my hair
My breakfast
Sorted dogs out
Prepped drinks for next week's packed lunches, I freeze half full bottles of water and then top with fruit juice on the day, by lunchtime it's defrosted.
Thought about doing DW, had another coffee instead
More hand washing
Put away yesterday's clean clothes and towels
S&S'd my bathroom and downstairs loo

I have a boot full of recycling to get rid of which I can't put off because we need the boot space for shopping tomorrow. Off to do that DW now as evidently it won't empty itself it is BU

helllooooo?

I've been relaxing at the spa today. Came home to discover that DD1 had drawn all over the sofa, beanbags & table with my highlighter pen while DH was making their lunch! Luckily the sofa & table are old so we don't care too much, but we haven't told her that!

Glad you had a nice day at the spa Bessie, as for the home decoration, yep - got that T-shirt, mine was bright red lipstick. DD1 got it as a toddler, sneaked in quieter than a mouse so as not to wake me and had heaps of fun scribbling everywhere

Well, Ta Da's to report today - Loads of stuff

Meals
Decluttering
Nagging
Laundry - DD2 is trying to get round me with her laundry but I'm hard as nails
Got DDs to declutter, well they wanted a day at home
Bit of TV time with DDs while OH ran an errand
Helped OH remove the central light fitting from the lounge, he was surprised to find no earth.
Got DDs to clear their crap excess shoes from a cupboard and then forced OH to accept that vacuum cleaners must be removed from our bedroom, vacuumed newly vacant space and put vacuum cleaners away at last
Decided on packed lunch for tomorrow, just haven't prepped
DW on twice
Items rescued from recycling for school art project.

Made tea and flopped down to catch up on here

Ooooohhhh, spa day.

Only day home until next week so hope to make the most of it. I also have packing to sort out. Ack!

Hope you get everything done that you need to Scout

Done my morning runtime, plus prepping the packed lunch that I CBA to do last night.
Turned off DD's lights
Had a coffee but not hungry so breakfast will be a bit later
DW emptied
Cleared breakfast things away

Still To Do

Sort dogs out, OH didn't feed them but he did cooperate with the decluttering yesterday
Wash towels
Remove huge rubbish bag from DD's room, need to double bag it
Brush dogs
School run
Food

Not neceasseraly in that order

Glad to hear DH is helping with the decluttering adora & hope the packing goes well scout - are you going anywhere exciting?

My spa thing was just at a local golf club, so nothing very swish, but 2hrs relaxing in the sauna/steam room followed by a 30min back/neck/shoulder massage does the trick for me! Of course DD2 was up ALL night (or at least that's what it felt like) so it feels like all the good work was undone!

Did manage to get the usual stuff done today. I'm managing to keep CHAOS under control, but am failing to make things much better. I have been lurking on the minimalist thread & am feeling inspired, but lacking the time (or energy) to get stuck in right now.

Wine & chocolate have been decluttered, so I had better try to catch up on some sleep now as at work for the next three days

I didn't get time to declutter any wine last night bleeding kids & dogs

Had to go into town to renew local tax disk type thing, had lunch with OH, picked up groceries as I was there and then came back and picked up DCs. Then it all went wrong. Delayed leaving school as a classmate didn't get collected, DM works and had organised a lift but they forgot. I couldn't fit another DC in but waited with her.

Then I dropped friend's DCs off, one of mine said "oh, you know that stuff I need that I vaguely yelled at you about last week while you were in convo with someone I need it for tomorrow. So shopping we went. Then DD1 was supposed to study with friends but one ended up coming here, so dinner was late. DDs were late to bed, I had had the foresight to pick up lunch while shopping, empanadas which they can microwave in school.

So this morning I feel like I need a rest!

Morning routine complete
Dogs fed
OH put dustbin out
WM on
Breakfast cleared away
Coffee

I need some breakfast, but I'm finishing this coffee first. Jobs to do today include making calls and organising the maestro odd job man when he arrives. I'm sure there's other stuff but I can't think what right now.

How's everyone doing?

Still trundeling along here, morning routine plus shower and school run done, breakfast eaten, my sheets in the WM. DW still needs doing and I have towels to folld and put away and some light duty general cleaning. Yesterday I was running around hither and thither doing errands so today I'm taking it easy.

Will update later, TTFN.

Morning all. Having a stressful day here! My dad is in hospital following a hip fracture and he is not getting appropriate personal and nursing care! (A bit too close to the North Staffs situation to be honest!) so I've had to phone the duty Matron at the hospital who is looking into things! A bit waiting on tenterhooks for return call and finding it hard to focus on anything else. Also rather tired as I didn't sleep at all well - feeling too upset and angry!