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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

New Start November - in which the Friendly Fledglings Flutter and Fly!

451 replies

Cagliostro · 01/11/2016 02:06

Hi all!

Welcome to a brand new month in which we (in a very casual way) follow the FlyLady method to try and banish CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome), and to declutter in order to remove an excess of STUFF (Something That Undermines Family Fun).

A daily BabyStep, plus missions, daily focuses and weekly zones break our time into manageable chunks - all helped by lots of supportive chat and a Naughty Corner stocked with goodies.

All welcome!

OP posts:
Sweepingchange · 29/11/2016 17:42

Hello, sorry to briefly hi-jack thread, but have a question for those of you who have recently had babies if I may? Where do all of you buy baby clothes nowadays please? (On-line recommendations preferred pls because I am abroad.)

It just so happens that I have three baby outfits to buy before Christmas for colleague, neighbour and friend. They are all quite traditional/classic in their tastes. I don't want anything as posh as Trotters or Cyrillus because they are not practical/ won't get worn. On the other hand, I do want something that is a bit special. We have a Petit Bateau here but their pricing is extortionate!! Not very inspired by Boden or Joules atm.

Any ideas please? Ta very muchly!

foxessocks · 29/11/2016 18:22

SC I like John Lewis , Marks and Spencer and Next for nice baby clothes but not sure if you can get those where you are? They are all online but not sure about delivery options. Oh and JoJo Maman is nice too.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 29/11/2016 18:57

SC I agree with foxes about all those shops. I also like mothercare, Sainsbury's and Tesco clothes. JoJo Maman Bebe does free UK delivery and has a fab website.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 29/11/2016 18:58

Forgot to add, if for some reason you're struggling to order from abroad for some reason JoJo also have a really friendly telephone order / advice service.

Newchick · 29/11/2016 21:51

It's a long time since I did baby clothes shopping, sorry can't help with that one!

Ta das:

Shined sink
Swept kitchen floor
5 mins hot spots
10 mins bathrooms
Mopped kitchen floor
Swept outside back door
2 loads laundry on and dry laundry put away
Weekly shop done

CotswoldStrife · 29/11/2016 22:21

The daily summary for Wednesday (also available on the Flylady website at flight plan which should update automatically each day.

**
Two for the price of one today, special offer…

Baby-step no 30 - check the calendar for upcoming birthdays

AND
Baby-step no 31 - graduate from the baby steps to the emails (not always recommended due to the number of emails you may receive).

Last day in Zone 5 this week: the living room

Spend 15 mins decluttering in Zone 5.

When you have finished decluttering, the detailed cleaning list (if you are at that stage) for Zone 5 is here

Mission for Wednesday dust the decorative items in the living room

The daily focus for Wednesday is: anti-procrastination

The monthly habit for November is menu planning!

Super Cruise Christmas mission (after saying yesterday that it hadn’t changed, it did!)

fromwesttoeast · 30/11/2016 00:06

Didn't get much done today. By the time I remembered about the downstairs loo it was gone 11:30pm but have managed to throw away a few items and give it a first round vacuum in there (ceiling, walls, tops of tnings) Starting to see the floor.
Have been working on the habit of putting the washing machine on timer at night so it's ready to hang out first thing in the morning. For the first time ever I'm actually hanging stuff outside after the clock change.

Cagliostro · 30/11/2016 00:17

I have had a total fecking waste of a day and I'm annoyed about it. Arranged childcare etc to go to the council drop-in. Got there and they wouldn't let us in as too many people there already. Given a phone number, they will reply in a week. Then still had to travel to collect the Caglets again so no time to go home anyway as DD had a club in the evening.

LAST free day for DH before inspection. Did nothing. Except ranting (and ranting again when the hot water wouldn't work Angry). I'm grumpy.

OP posts:
Sweepingchange · 30/11/2016 08:28

Good morning all!

Toostressy and Foxes (and Newchick!) thank you very much for the baby clothes advice which is much appreciated! I had forgotten about Jo Jo Bebe Maman; they have some lovely things!

Haven't caught up with thread, but I hope everyone is ok.

A bit stressful here still. October to March is traditionally the busiest time of year in the office; there is so much work to get done it is insane. For the first time ever, we are having to turn clients away and everyone is flat out. Dh is here this week but I have barely seen him and he is understandably a bit tetchy because he is so under pressure. Even I am working about 25 hrs a week.

And bureaucracy of property transaction still goes on. Spent Tuesday in yet another load of meetings; spent 2 hrs just filling out forms for insurance for mortgage which is tiny part of it. Another meeting this afternoon and it should all be complete. This process has been so complicated and stressful (and has threatened to fall apart so many times) that I don't think we will be doing anything similar again for a very long time!

House here still a complete tip. Dh "helpfully" pointed out last night that we have this weekend coming, next weekend, the following weekend, and the one after that is Christmas weekend!! Yaaaaaargggghhhh!!!

As usual, we have guests coming and there is still so much to do! But I can't seem to focus or concentrate with everything else going on. Not helped by the fact that dd has exams between the 12th and the 18th and she is really struggling. She has at least 2.5 hrs hwk every night and as a result, is being quite difficult to live with poor thing. (She was up until 11pm on Mon night doing maths equations and 10.30pm last night as she has to give a presentation on Captain James Cook this morning. I now know more about Captain James Cook than I ever wanted to know.)

It's ridiculous when I have so little 'work' work to do compared to everyone else on here - and only one teen child - but I don't seem to be coping very well with everything atm. Feel as though I am in a bit of a black fug; very tired and can't control my temperature at all must be my age . Keep staring at things that need doing urgently but can't quite summon the energy to do them. Then I waste a lot of time stressing about them not being done!!! Pathetic behaviour! Aggggghhhhh!

Right; must take the advice of Flylady and slow down and go and do the minimum stuff required this morning. On-line grocery order arriving so need to hoover hall floor and clean out fridge!

And on the positive side ... with Christmas being so close .... most bits of cleaning or prep that one does now will actually count towards the actual event ifyswim!

Good luck to everyone else who is feeling stressed or has that rabbit in headlights feeling atm and big wing flaps to all!

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 30/11/2016 08:51

Morning all, was firmly in naughty corner last night as I went out with some work friends (the ones I actually like!). Had lovely time eating a nice meal and not worrying about controlling any children Smile.

It did make for a proper shouty morning today though as nothing was ready for school and was doing homework with DD1 when we should have been getting ready :(.

Cag, that sounds really rubbish about the meeting and so incredibly frustrating when you had arranged childcare.

SC I have been reading a bit about procrastinating as I do it a lot too, mainly by faffing on my phone which I am reducing I hope. I don't know how to link but if you search Mumsnet for procrastination there is a thread called "procrastination is ruining my life" which I am reading though.

Bus just pulling into work so will be back with list dump later.

CotswoldStrife · 30/11/2016 10:03

Will post another reminder tonight, but I've set up the December thread here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/2793015-Cruising-towards-Christmas-and-the-New-Year-its-the-December-Flylady-thread?

Work avoidance you say? Wasting time searching for Christmas smileys? Umm - guilty as charged Xmas Grin

Afreshstartplease · 30/11/2016 11:15

Morning all

I have been AWOL!

I have been doing stuff but just not getting around to posting on here!

So far the dryer is on and I've emptied the kitchen bin

Need to sort the rest of the kitchen to reasonable level of tidy / clean (last nights pots still knocking about, piles of washing clean + dirty, general clutter) and then I have the task of oven pride!

foxessocks · 30/11/2016 13:16

SC don't be so hard on yourself you have a huge amount on your plate by the sounds of it! I totally relate to never quite getting round to stuff and the fug!

Ta das
Dishwasher loaded
Lunch made
Rubbish out to bins
Picked up parcel

To do
Absolutely loads ! Cup of tea first though...

I forget...does anyone else here have a 3 year old?! I'm finding the age rather challenging (well dd isn't even 3 yet but she is nearer 3 than 2!). I went into town today to get some star stickers to try a reward chart type thing but couldn't find any anywhere so have put that idea aside for another day!

Sweepingchange · 30/11/2016 13:38

Thanks all.

I'm quite good with my routines - animals/laundry/kitchen sink/s&s/hotspots etc - it's all the other stuff I procrastinate over!

If I have lots of time to do something I can also settle down to it very well.

It's where there are tight deadlnes - or lots of things piling up in the calendar - when I seem to come unstuck. I guess I am pretty hopeless under pressure and far too perfectionist about things (which is bound to fail in this household for a start!). But the ridiculous thing is - compared to most people - I know the pressure isn't that great ifyswim! Not like being up all night with a baby and working all day for example! Although there are other pressures I suppose, like constantly having to take time to translate admin, and school stuff; ridiculously mahoosive levels of hwk supervision, and a big old house which has lots of stairs and bits dropping off and a dh who leaves a whirlwind of mess in his wake!!

Anyway, I have slightly redeemed myself this morning by doing the following:

Ta da:
ironed shirt for dh
animals
filled dw
dog walk x 1 combined with coordinating with local fish van delivery from Ostend!
tidied and wiped down kitchen surfaces and shined sink
cleaned bin lid and washed down bin with Dettol
tidied up hall and downstairs loo
replaced soap and towel in loo etc
hoovered inner and outer hall hall
cleaned dog drinking bowl thoroughly
took receipt of mahoosive on-line grocery order
triaged grocery order
started taking some of it upstairs/some of it downstairs - still loads to do
gathered up dirty laundry
put dd coloured wash on
put dh sock wash on

What really helped was the Flylady mantra of slowing down, focusing on one thing at once. Used the "power of three" technique. Once you actually get stuck in and stop faffing - the stress actually diminishes hugely - I should know this by now at my age!

Still to do:
on-line parcel returns
meeting for signing of documents
dog walk x 2
find Christmas file!!!
write list for Christmas cake ingreds (horribly late with this!!)
clean out fridge thoroughly (might start again on this tomorrow)
cook fresh plaice and veg for supper
on-line present buying!

Tally-ho everyone!

Afreshstartplease · 30/11/2016 13:39

I am owner of a threenager foxes

She is almost 3.8 years old

Some days she lovely others she's super wingey, then there's the attitude! She's very clever and vocal but can be an utter cowbag

Luckily she's DC 3 so I have perfected the don't mess with me look. And on the rare occasion that doesn't work my threatening to count will

Sweepingchange · 30/11/2016 13:47

Cotswold Thank you so much for the shiny new thread! Particularly good of you to run it at such a frantic time of year. Proffers Cake for sustenance! I actually intend to follow zones properly in Dec.

Foxes could your 3 yr old being playing up out of jealousy of the new arrival do you think? Personally, I found 4yrs to be a much harder age but they do talk about the "terrible threes" don't they? Something about becoming aware of yourself as a separate entity and testing the boundaries by saying "no" etc. I know you can buy reward stickers and gold stickers on line if that's any help. Paperchase normally have plain gold stars! Good luck with it!

Good luck with the oven cleaning Afreshstart [bows head in profound
respect]

Good luck with lav of doom Fromwestoeast!!

Will look at that thread, thanks Toostressy! Although musn't get stuck procrastinating on it Grin Grin

Well done re: v solid list there Newchick

Cag how annoying about the drop in centre! Good luck with last minute clean/declutter for inspection. I hope it goes well! And well done on getting the Christmas shopping done!

Waves to Purpledaisies and everyone else!

Must dash and gussy myself up for meeting now!

Keep going everybody!

Afreshstartplease · 30/11/2016 13:54

Like SC I found 4 years old the hardest with my eldest two! the fucking frustrating fours

PurpleDaisies · 30/11/2016 13:55

I was about to say how daft it was to start a December thread so far in advance and then realised it's tomorrow... thanks for the new thread. Grin

I've had a running around day so far. Dh isn't home until late so I'm planning on doing some freezer cooking. Christmas seems to be looming and I'm nowhere near sorted so I think a good list making session might be good for me.

Ta da's
Guinea pig to vet (routine dental)
Cleaned out cage
Bank

To dos
Big list for Christmas
Pick up guinea pig
Living room hotspots

foxessocks · 30/11/2016 14:17

SC probably already been said loads so sorry but what is the power of three technique?! You've had a really productive day by the sounds of it! I'm the same I'm good with routines but never get round to the rest and perfectionism may well be the answer. I kind of think what's the point if I can't do it perfectly or do it all?

I haven't read the rest of the replies yet just got to deal with a crying baby!

foxessocks · 30/11/2016 14:27

You mean it's going to get worse when she's four??! But she isn't even 3 yet! Sob. Yes could well be the new sibling SC she may have realised he is here to stay and a teensy bit boring at tbe moment...(obviously not to me!).thanks for the link I'll check that out.

Afresh I think I need to work on my stern face. I do the counting to five and that does work most of the time. I just wanted to try a reward the good behaviour approach but not sure it will work!

Ta das
Dishwasher on
Washing on
Washing put away
Decluttered a kitchen cupboard (I know I'm in the wrong zone but my living room is relative decluttered at the moment!)
Emptied bins
Room rescue upstairs bedrooms

foxessocks · 30/11/2016 14:28

Of course dd is being a delight this afternoon so I feel mean complaining now!

Afreshstartplease · 30/11/2016 14:32

You are generous counting to 5, I only count to three lol

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 30/11/2016 19:39

DD2 is a threenager. She has particularly strong views about clothes! She also poos in her pants constantly so I have loads of laundry all the time Sad.

Ta das:-
Presentation done Smile
Exercise DVD

To do:-
Get DD2 to go to sleep
Laundry
Dishwasher
Birthday card
Get bits together for costume for DD2's nativity
Book extra shift
Reply to party invite
Before bed routine
Remind DH about doing drop off tomorrow as I have to be in early
Go to shop as we have no bread -I constantly end up having to do this type of thing -has anyone got any tips as to how to not run out of food all the time?

Text childminder

start Xmas shopping list.

Thanks very much for starting new thread Cotswold

Sweepingchange · 30/11/2016 22:02

Well done re: getting the presentation done Toostressy. Your mention of a nativity play costume has made me feel v nostalgic!

Foxes power of three is simply an expression to describe taking just three small or essential tasks to do and doing them - it's a good technique when one is feeling rabbit in headlights/overwhelmed and the 'to do' list looks impossibly long - then, once done, if you are feeling up to it, you can do three more. (When very stressed I have been known to divide the first of three tasks in to three to make it less daunting!!)

This apartment therapy woman has set it up on rather more established lines [[http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-house-that-cleans-itself-the-power-of-a-weekly-cleaning-schedule-198949 here in her cleaning schedule]]. (See part II and III of article as well.)

Btw, the name was nicked from one of Davina's McC's fitness DVDs or some such I think!

I think some Mumsnetters have a cleaning routine that is based on three main basics : floors, surfaces and laundry or something (not sure but I've seen threads where this sort of thing has been mentioned.)

Purple I have the Christmas yips too atm! It has definitely come around much faster this year for some reason!

Survived another tortuous meeting this afternoon which was the last one I think - yay!. The bank had made yet more errors in the contract which the notaire had to sort out [sigh] requiring endless discussion and corrections and initialling and signatures etc. Thank heavens we are through all of that now!

And as for Flying and Christmas prep: definitely turned a corner and yanked my ostrich head out of the sand today!! Loads to do but I am at least I am back on course ... .

Cheery wing flaps to one and all!

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 30/11/2016 22:11

SC I think everyone has moved over to the new thread Grin. I did the same thing myself, posted on here then realised they had all gone into it!