Help! How to get this all sorted? In such a pickle!

[JenniferJen]

Right will cut this as short as I can.
Having major building work and they are starting much sooner than planned (long story)

By Friday morning I need to have: Emptied out some of my kitchen cupboards ready for my new boiler, Created space in my girls bedroom which is a total bombsite and soo cluttered and over filled with new toys for him to remove the water tank from the most awkward place in the room. Clear the cupboard where the boiler currently is, so he can remove it. This cupobard is full to bursting and has full chest of drawers in front of it.

That's challenge number 1.
Next there is the challenge of Emptying the entire upstairs, half of downstairs and the entire loft. Completely, furniture and everything all needs to be gone. We then need to be able to live (6 of us, including a baby and toddler) in the living room and kitchen for approx 1 month.

How on earth am I going to get all this done? I was trying to sort my room today (before I knew about what is happening on Friday) but I have baby wanting to be picked up every 2 mins and toddler just creating more mess than I can clear. I have achieved hardly anything and made loads of mess.

Can somebody a bit less stressed maybe help me prioritise or something?! Just gone into panic mode and can't think.
I also have things on most of tomorrow so won't get much spare time which really doesn't help!! !

I am in a similar situation, except mine has been going on far too long.
The only thing I can suggest at this point is self storage. Do you have any help? could your Dp/Dh take time to help sort out?
Why have you such short notice?

Get your partner to take a day off and help?

Can you get the DCs looked after for a couple of hours?

1. Storage. You need boxes and storage space. Have you identified this?

1. Time. You need a babysitter to enable you to create time.

1. Help. You need your DP to arrange to assist you do this.

1. Prioritise and identify. Identify the items and equipment you will need in those two rooms and move them in quickly.

Good luck.

Thanks. OH Works nights 7 days a week. taking one day off never helps much as he is still pretty much nocturnal. i will talk to him though.

Jennifer, he needs to help, or arrange for another adult to do so. He can't just opt out.

Hire a skip? Not too expensive in the grand scheme of things (and you're quite likely to have one for the building work soon anyway) and any rubbish can go straight in with no ferrying about.

What are you doing with the furniture? Storage or something else? If storage get that organised.

Any furniture you want to sell, one option is to put it on ebay on BIN at a bit under the market value. It'll attract a buyer quickly if you price it right, they will collect, and relatively little hassle.

Linerunner is right. You NEED help AND a babysitter.

Also cancel other commitments. Stick older children in front of films after school. School dinners and sandwich tea. Are they old enough to play with toddler in a nearby room?

I think your fastest method would be to use removals boxes and skip (see above). Stuff you're keeping with you or storing goes straight into boxes. Taping them closed is important as they then stack fine, you can put heavy on top of light without crushing. Label each with room it's come from (which will reallyhelp you find stuff) and brief contents. Don't try to reorganise too much now, you'll waste ages re-categorising when what room it used to be in is a ready-made filing system. Quick decision to keep out, store or bin and get on with it. If you are not putting anything in storage maybe boxes aren't ideal, but thenfact they stack so flexibly is really useful.

I think I'd make a list of everything you will need in your remaining rooms. Suitcases for clothes, bedding, kitchen stuff, baby stuff, one box of toys per child, takeaway menus, microwave, wine! Then stick to your list.

And

Unless you have a huge living room and your baby and toddler are amazing sleepers, is it realistic for you all to live in one room?

My OH isn't just "opting out". He is working his arse off at work because we need the money from all the overtime to pay for the build

we have no choice but to live downstairs. it will be tough. Both youngest 2 may wake bigger 2 up. It may be a nightmare. But what else are we supposed to do?

i achieved a lot today and feeling more confident about being ready ish for the plumber on Friday. still a bit overwhelmed at the rest. particularly as my daughter is having friends over next weekend for her birthday

being really ruthless about what we actually keep and i think that's helping. OH has dropped the stuff to the charity shop for me regularly. The bank appointments haven't helped this week either. It's been one thing after another and he spent the entire afternoon there this afternoon and needs to go back on Friday.

Well done on your progress. Not being funny but how on earth will your DH cope with one room living and the noise of building work all day, working 7 nights a week? Could he crash at a friend's house, or rent a caravan and keep it on the drive? Or premier inn £29 a night rooms are on offer at the moment.

I know cash is short but he needs to sleep somehow.

flomple - he can sleep at his parents house.

had some child free time today. including a couple of hours with my partners help. got rid a car load to charity shop, 2 carloads to my mums for storing and one carload stored in my sisters shed. lots binned/recycled. I'm so tired. but it will all be worth it in the end!

oh and my partner slept through workmen/plummer fitting a new boiler today. including lots of drilling and banging.