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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Part 2: New year, new organisation! Fledglings fly in 2018.

436 replies

HillsBesideTheSea · 23/01/2018 08:44

Chatty month. It continues here from the original thread: here

OP posts:
foxessocks · 28/01/2018 20:03

toostressy wow your kids sound really energetic! My kids certainly have bundles of energy but I think they'd be tired after all that so not sure what advice I can give ! (Sorry!) Do they like quiet activities like colouring? Maybe some wind down time so chill them out a bit!?! Sort of approaching the problem from a different angle I guess...

Yes ds nearly 18 months and dd very nearly 4. I posted a newborn pic of ds to this thread just after I had him!

Anyway...ta da this evening I have e-mailed sofa company about the water marks on my sofa as I'm really unhappy about the state of it when nobody ever told us not to use damp cloth etc...I know still our fault but I do think they should give SOME advice on cleaning when you buy. And I only found out the problem after loads of my own googling and research. Humph.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 28/01/2018 20:17

Yes, super energetic! They sound very similar zoo! Actually foxes, I think it is worth trying that angle too. I find it much easier when they get showered and ready for bed early as then they are much more likely to have a bit of downtime before bed. That often falls apart in spring and summer though with the lighter evenings.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 28/01/2018 20:24

I remember that pic foxes Smile. Hope that doesn’t sound too stalkerish!

LINKS

**
Here is the daily summary for Monday (also available on the Flylady website at flight plan which should update automatically each day).

We are in zone 5 this week which is
the living room.

Please have a look through the information on the website at the relevant zones as I know Flylady is keen that we do look at the website.

Spend 15 mins decluttering, or whatever you can manage, in Zone 5.

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

daily focus

missions for the week

Flykids mission

January’s habit is shining your sink.

beginner babysteps.

old holiday clean up missions

Happy flying everyone.
**

Afreshcuppateaplease · 28/01/2018 20:31

I find mine wind down better with warm milk and carbs Grin

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 28/01/2018 20:41

DD2 not a fan of warm milk Hmm but DD1 loves it at bedtime Smile

Stilllivinginazoo · 28/01/2018 21:06

Mine eat lots carbs at tea and have an hour before hand doing quiet things-colouring/drawing,reading,baths.no TV or tablets etc

Afreshcuppateaplease · 28/01/2018 21:06

How about with a teeny sprinkle of hot choc powder?

HillsBesideTheSea · 28/01/2018 21:13

Small child need exercising 3 times daily - particularly if boys.
Ds is setting himself up for another night HmmAngry I am pissed off now because he is making himself ill and will try to get out of going to school tomo. And I (me) am very very very tired and it is making me ill.

ta da
finish washing the item I left soaking in bleach over night
3 massive batches freezer
2 lots of bread - in various guises
bread and butter pudding (milk)
Rice pudding (milk free)
clear up the kitchen from under all the mess
sort out the meal plan for the week
sort out the building work schedule for feb going to be exhausting

right now I need to get ds to do his homework and make him go the fuck to bed. before I face plant. So so so tired. Just one more week of sleep med break that'll teach me to make sure i put the request in in time HmmBlushSad

OP posts:
Bowerbird5 · 28/01/2018 22:37

Hi
Late but I'm back.
Yes kitchen did smell amazing and it meant I had to sample some.just to check ...re quality control!
Thank you ginger cakes came out perfectly. I doubled recipe and made a dozen. The Victoria sponge had rasp. Jam and cream well nearly butter. I put it on and put message on here then thought to check and just as well as another minute I'd have had butter. Actually it meant it spread well and didn't move while travelling. So to the coffee cake. Sorry zoo. I visited sick neighbour ( same as me) and then had my soupDH phoned and then settled down to midwife forgetting Vera was on at 8 pm not 9pm.
Anyway coffee cakes went down a storm none left. I just use basic Victoria sponge recipe and add a couple of teaspoons of coffee and hot water to make thickish paste and add in. I sometimes make coffee Icing Cnut as I had cream I took the top off and put cream in.
I'm dropping off here. I guess the steroids finally kicked in! Now gone flat zoom!

HillsBesideTheSea · 28/01/2018 22:55

A couple of teaspooms. Shock i use 5 in 2/3rd mug of water for cake and icing - 2/3rd of that mixture goes in the cake

Guess you can eat more than one piece of your coffee cake and still sleep bower

glad you had a nice time and the steroids are finally kicking in

ds is still fucking up and currently kicking a wall Angry

OP posts:
Subtleconstraints · 28/01/2018 23:04

Sympathies Hill (and good luck tomorrow morning)! DD is turning in to a night owl (I know it is not on remotely the same level as your ds ) but she looks white with fatigue. Has to be up 6.30 am for school to be out the door an hour later. She has always livened up in the evening though, to the extent that, from quite early on as a baby, I changed from bathing and reading to her in the evening, to doing bath and book routine her in the morning, because it used to send her in to over-drive! (I remember her getting extremely excited and animated over stories and asking for another, then another, then another, then eight books later she was impossible to put to sleep!)

Do agree with Zoo though about once lively children turning in to sloths (during the day anyway) once the hormones strike! Fwiw Toostressy (although your two are probably past this stage) I did find that when dd was very young, if she was over-tired, she would get even livelier, and the paediatrician used to say it was the adrenalin kicking in resulting in a vicious circle. And I remember not believing her but giving her the benefit of the doubt and putting dd to bed before she got really really tired ifyswim and I was surprised to find that it did work! Anyway, having bored for England waffled on, not sure if that is relevant to your situation at all really!

And ahhhh yes Hills I do, upon reflection, remember that thread now but discretion being the better part of valour and all of that Wink Grin I'm afraid my lips must remain sealed Toostressy ... Grin.

Cag Cagletini is utterly gorgeous and just at the perfect stage of squidginess!!

Hope sofa situation is resolved happily Foxes!

Thanks for links Toostressy for once my Flying will coordinate with the actual zone we are in tomorrow!

Speaking of Flying ... I am in the doldrums. As you know I have been in Blighty/wreck2 a lot of late with dh away travelling, and have been doggedly turning a blind eye to the mess which has been building up here, even though I have tried to do bits here and there. I am now back here for a bit (apart from quick three night hol in another country) and coming through the door yesterday, my eyes rested on all the crapola (boots and bags) that have built up in the hall and downstairs, and the washing pile that was already of truly mammoth proportions and hadn't recovered from the fortnight over Christmas when I did no washing at all, has just been added to x 5 with all the stuff I bought back from the country yesterday (mounds of bedding, table linen, dog blankets, riding kit, sofa covers) and that's leaving aside all the work needing doing in the boudoir and the home office. I did very little about it today because I was at a church event most of the day and cream-crackered when I got back but I did rally a bit tonight and helped dd sort out her corner hwk desk downstairs which had become so cluttered she wasn't actually using it, and her hwk has consequently spread across two dining tables ... Teetering piles of books and papers await me in the morning ... .

Anyway, the other thing I did today was rather extravagantly (given that I am trying to have a no-spend January other than standard grocery shop and bills) buy myself two baskets of bulbs (crocuses and daffodils) in order to motivate myself to tidy up some surfaces on which to put them in the dining/sitting room tomorrow!

Mahoosive wing flaps to all!

Subtleconstraints · 28/01/2018 23:16

x posts Bowerbird I love a good coffee cake or coffee and walnut! Yours sounds delicious!

For anyone who is interested this article is a good summary of all the various methods/recipes.

Cagliostro · 29/01/2018 00:20

Just signing in with a quick list before falling into my pillow
ta da
✅all washing done dried put away (really pleased with this as so often I get the Caglets to do theirs and we don’t get round to our own)
✅tried new soup maker - quite nice, will need to experiment a bit with seasoning and liquid amounts, but OMG so so easy. The fact I can bung it in and then leave it is just amazing, not least as it also keeps it warm for an hour so if I get stuck feeding it won’t burn or go cold. Yay! I also made another batch for the freezer.
✅did about 80% of tax return
✅updated payment info on Tesco for delivery saver thing
✅watched fuckloads of catch up telly
✅updated diary with DH

I feel a bit crap this evening TBH, eaten loads of rubbish food which I think is a massive vicious cycle in itself, I need sleep and hopefully a healthier day tomorrow all round. 🤔

Goodnight x

Bowerbird5 · 29/01/2018 03:30

I'm going to print that off. I do the creaming method. I didn't get to eat any of it hills it was quickly eaten. Someone who knows me asked which was my baking and then proceeded to tell her friends and they were gone within minutes😃
I use Stork soft margarine and free range eggs( of course) and zoo gave me the dairy fre recipe I followed it exactly just added some chopped up ginger which was lovely in it. I did get one of those and a few left over which means I had one last night and one for break today.😃 the Victoria sponge I make the same as coffee cakes. Cream well first, add eggs one at a time and beat well.if it curdles add a couple of tablespoons flour and mix in. Then gradually fold the rest in slowly. It is always light and fluffy. Not traditional but I find the butter version heavy and greasy and people prefer the Stork one. I am experimenting with dairy free recipes. I love baking. I actually like mixing by hand but have arthritis in my wrists then had a bad fall a couple of years ago and broke one and tore ligaments in other. They thought I had fractured both at first. So one in plaster and one in splint. A broken nose too. A bit later we had a cheque from Single Status( pinch the HLTA moneys to pay for bottom rung pay rise.Lost 7.5 % of pay) as someone miscalculated. I got £200 back so spent it on the mixer I wanted. I love it and far quicker. I had that VSponge in the oven in 15 minutes from start( getting ingredients out of cupboard) to finish.😃

Ta dahs
Swish and swipe
Baking
Tidy kitchen , wash up
Didn't get floor washed cos I went to Mass, later station and at night DH phoned then ate tea and watched TV. Love Sunday night TV.

_Plan for today.____
Empty dishwasher
Go to work
Return by 1pm? Tidy kitchen a bit more and wash floor. Do not let hen get in to shit on it.
Tidy sitting room, vacuum.
Sort and prep school work. Make cards.
For tea...corned beef hash 😄 fruit
Quiz night

Oh it is blowing a gale and rain thrashing at the window😒
Wing flaps to everyone. Have a good day. Going to try and get back to sleep. Slept solidly from 10:30 till 2:45 but then wide awake. Feeling a bit sleepy now.

Stilllivinginazoo · 29/01/2018 05:49

Morning all
I've been awake since 4 with throat that's horribly sore-rough as a badgers arse. Damn kids.never share anything consistently but germs😒😒😒😒😒
Hope you successfully evict D's from his dungeon to school hills
Cag super maker sounds perfect to help you out.yat on the washing put away
Bower have to smile when you say not to let chick in to crap on the floor.

SC I do love spring bulbs.read link n copied recipe.fanx.goid luck try regain control.is it at "shovel and a skip" status?!

Winds whistling horribly.my day dep on if I can send in lil zoo.see how her remote and throat are.syrprisingly she's not up yet-not a good sign😢
Be heading CBT if she's not off
Dd1 popping over later.shesasked rifle through my recipe hoard stash for some healthy snack bakes and is bringing her hoover so I can tackle stairs and we may well bake💖

Stilllivinginazoo · 29/01/2018 05:53

Ok.howlers aplenty.ckeay cag have a super soup makerGrin
Yay,not yat
not sure why it's turned temperature into remote?!(not as good as horrible wraps but interesting)
Funny thing is it's fine when I preview!!
Me and technology just repel each other!!

Stilllivinginazoo · 29/01/2018 05:54

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH
Last try.....
Clearly cag

Stilllivinginazoo · 29/01/2018 05:55
Grin
Subtleconstraints · 29/01/2018 06:36

Grin Zoo (hope you can get to CBT)

Morning all! Just coming on here to say "aaaaarrrggghhhhh" but for different reasons ie prospect of today's to do list!

Snooze well Bowerbird!

Great list Cag - is soup-maker easy to clean?

Have a productive start to the week everyone!

Stilllivinginazoo · 29/01/2018 06:53

Lil zoo is up.she looks like c*
Alternating fever/chills.throats very painful,voice dodgy.i can't send her in,can I?Sad

Afreshcuppateaplease · 29/01/2018 07:03

Oh dear zoo sounds like she needs a sofa day.

Terrible night. Took ages to get to sleep because of stupid cough, then ds was up 12-230, and dd was then up for 5.

House is pretty tidy downstairs anyway!

Bowerbird5 · 29/01/2018 07:14

Zoohad to read it twice thought you were leaving her home with remote and throat which kinda made sense. Sick in front of telly. 😌
Then re read and wondered why she was taking the remote to school LOL! I get them to on IPad. It looks right then sneaks and changes it while you are typing the next word.
zoo🐓 yes, I'm another one that doesn't care for poonarmi.🐓 She hears the door and sneaks in. You have to watch you don't catch her feet trying to close the door.

Scjust had another hour and a half but feel fine now. Blooming steroids had me buzzing yesterday. I was making conductor and pianist laugh in the car when describing how I felt. He is half my age and probably feels like that all the time. He is a bit hyper. Love him though.

Yes, home Bleugh day. I might be able to do a bit of home Bleugh since I am coming home early. Thinking if I get up now I could do dishwasher and maybe wash that floor , leisurely hot breakfast , get ready as I don't have to leave until 9am. My 1:1 isn't coming in today. Oh no, I have started sneezing. Just did nine! Aaaaaghh!i'm not even out of bed yet😳 it better not be starting again.
Next doors have still got it. She said she went back too early. Can't do phased return😳 I thought every one was allowed that privilege ...she works for the NHS!

Well can't stay here any longer. Needs must! Will pop in later hope you all have a good constructive day or just ENJOY yourselves.

Cags do you want to PM your children's ages and a couple of spellings that they do and I can look those out for you today. I haven't forgotten but some were at school. Can get them today? Someone was parked in my room last week so awkward to get at. I can either pm a list of words or post you the actual sheets because apparently I am not going to need them any more. So they could write straight onto the sheet if you didn't mind me having your address. I understand completely if you don't want to do that. It's ok.

Stilllivinginazoo · 29/01/2018 07:14

She's in residence on sofa with D's sharing his duvet(cept she's half hanging out to accommodate be too hot then too cold)

Bowerbird5 · 29/01/2018 07:16

So I was right the first time.
Stick in front of the telly with remote! Put a lovely old favourite children's film on. Secret Garden ooohhh!

Afreshcuppateaplease · 29/01/2018 07:16

Every time i get any form of cough cold or sore throat it gets in my ears. Its fucking awful

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