#4 - Hoarding, Sorting, Organising, Friendship, Understanding. All On One Thread.

[Solo]

Are you a hoarder? Are you in a mess, untidy, disorganised? A bit lazy with housework? Are you are ill and not coping with the housework? Are you totally overwhelmed? Are you are emotionally attached to items for whatever reason and can't let them go? Are you unable to just ask someone in for a cuppa at a moments notice or do dread the meter reader asking for access?
Do you find yourself nodding whilst reading any of this? If you have a combination of any or all of these things or something completely different, please come and join us. There is no judging. We have something in common here and we have a common goal. We share our ideas and we share our disappointments no matter how big and our celebrations no matter how small. We cheer one another along and drag the drowners from the depths of despair.

Join us; we don't bite! Welcome to thread number 4.

Belated thanks for your wishes.

I have symptoms of CV. How are you all?

Oh dear @Solo, sorry to hear that! How are you feeling?

I'm full of a streaming cold; well it could be CV but I don't think it is as I don't have a temperature. Cough yes, temperature no! DP had a go at PIL the other day for not taking lockdown seriously - they're both in the 'at risk' category but BIL (who lives with them and is also at higher risk!) is still merrily going here, there and everywhere. FIL also admitted that MIL is still going shopping at least once a week and that their other DGC is staying with them occasionally; ridiculous as one of their classmates has been diagnosed with CV!! I'm too frustrated to talk to them really, we've told them that our DC won't be round at all; they'll be the first to demand ventilators if they get ill as well

Not much home schooling done here as I've just felt too rubbish. Made an effort Monday, felt terrible by Tuesday and it was downhill from there! DP is still working - utilities job so classed as essential work - I'm glad both from the financial aspect and the fact that he won't be under our feet all day he gets so annoyed with the DC and really they are only being little and wanting attention.

Hope everyone else is doing ok in lockdown?

Sorry I missed it was your birthday solo

How am I, well, I really did think it was tonsillitis at first... not so sure anymore. No way of knowing for certain of course. But either way it’s been horrible, and I am now very weak and tired.

I was so looking forward to doing lots of different things with enforced time at home and no rushing the kids around etc - both essential house stuff, and lots of fun things too for myself and as a family. Gutted that I’ve spent most of it so far pretty much unable to even stand up!

I am gradually getting stronger though and I’m only on day 10 so hopefully it’ll improve more.

Ruby and LaneBoy hope you are feeling better?
That's the thing, isn't it? There's no way to know for sure if it's CV or if it's a cold or a touch of flu. My temperature seems to go from being really hot to the touch to being cool very quickly. On top of that though, I am literally getting so cold that I'm shivering.

I used to have an emergency stock of foodstuffs - tins and jars but, at the end of last year, I decided not to add to anything until I had used up what I have here at home. Big mistake. Huge! I'm not running out yet but, I really do wish I'd not done that. I did the same with shower gel (and toothpaste for a while) and ran out of shower gel. I was able to get a bottle of shower gel so, I'm okay there for a while, and I do have tablet soap so, we'll be fine there although Dd doesn't like the bar soap.

Anyone doing any tidying, decluttering at all? My intentions are there...

My new neighbour of about 2 months is drilling. And drilling. and DRILLING!!

No decluttering here @Solo! In fact DP seems intent on bringing the world's largest supply of tins into the house even when it is stuff none of us likes... honestly, I know I had a reasonable stock but at least it was all stuff we'd eat: chickpeas, beans, Peppa Pig pasta shapes...!

Has your neighbour put the drill down now?!

Hope you're feeling better now @LaneBoy. Solo has it, there's just no way to know if what people are suffering with is CV, flu, cold or something else at the moment. I'm feeling pretty rotten - partly because there's no let up in childcare at the moment! - but found out today that a chap I used to work with has died from DV, which put it into perspective - he was only in his early 40s so am trying not to feel guilty about our lack of home schooling and abundance of Peppa Pig watching for now.

Ahhhh! Died from CV, sorry...

Oh, Ruby :( I'm so sorry. It's so scary.

I think my Dd is only watching videos on the iPad. She says she's doing homework but, I'm working and just don't know. I think we've all got to do what we can and not get overly stressed about it all. There will be such inconsistency with learning right now.

Thank you @Solo - it is indeed really scary, and very frustrating when MIL says "oh it won't matter if I just pop out to Tesco" despite her already being immuno compromised I mean I worry about me or DP going to the shops and we are (relatively!) young and healthy...

I'm still feeling rotten though, so not going at the moment - tired, achey, coughing a lot, no sense of smell or taste - could be CV, could just be a cold, who knows! DTS1 has been an absolute horror today, which hasn't helped. The house could do with a really good clean and tidy but no chance of that till the schools are back DP can help with childcare at the weekend. I was hoping to get some boxes down from the loft and sort through them but it's probably a pipe dream with small children around

How is everyone else doing?

Ruby it sounds like you do have CV. The no taste, smell thing. I can still taste and smell things.

Lack of taste/smell affected me too. Zero appetite, I lost over 5lb in a week!

Still not quite right but definitely improving. Day 16ish for me now, but have period pain on top. Fun.

Hope everyone recovers ASAP.

Plan here is to focus on the house over Easter, while DD doesn’t have new schoolwork each day (she does have catch up/homework though so we will give DS a bit of home ed stuff too). Will get kids to pitch in both with helping and with watching the toddler for short periods while DH and I do stuff. I’m going to have to be seriously careful though as it’s like being at my worst again, ME-wise.

I did wonder @Solo but I guess I won't know either way without a test! The lack of taste/ smell is definitely ongoing, I was cutting onions tonight and couldn't smell it at all. I can just about smell my Olbas oil but only faintly!

Hope you are feeling better @LaneBoy? I forgot the Easter holidays would have started this week - partly because the DC's teacher seems to have forgotten too and emailed us some suggestions for work this week! - but it seems a bit pointless when we can't go out and about doing the things they like to (park, swimming, farms etc). Thank goodness I'd already bought a few Easter bits; usually I'd buy them more but they don't really need it, and it seems wasteful in the current climate.

DP will be off for the long weekend honestly, every weekend I look forward to him being around and every weekend he is a PITA and it's actually easier to manage without him... he spent a good hour on Saturday chinwagging to neighbour A and not mowing the lawn. Yesterday it took him two and a half hours to mow the lawn (it is approximately 10ft x 10ft!) including a good chinwag with neighbour B. Then in the afternoon he spent a further couple of hours faffing around sorting out the shed whilst, you've guessed it, chatting away with neighbour C. He then said "I'm exhausted!" and refused to have anything to do with the DC, who were bounding around desperate for his attention

Thanks ruby yes I’ve improved quite a lot. Have managed to get out for walks a few times and feel like I’m in a better headspace and ready to do some decluttering etc. Very very slowly and carefully though and I’m trying to delegate the physical stuff to the DC where possible. Today we sorted out the shoe pile and got a bit of tidying done in the hallway - I’m planning to get everything out of there so we can just have the buggy and shoes (now down to one pair each in a single tub), and use coloured masking tape to make a sensory trail thing all over the floor for the toddler!

Sorry about the manshape being useless 🤬

Glad you are feeling better physically and mentally @LaneBoy your hallway organising sounds awesome! I think it's a Marie Kondo tip to start from the front door and work inwards? Sometimes works for me but sometimes doesn't (if I have one room that's a particular tip, I have to start with that!) - our hallway is tiny though, can't fit much in it at the best of times.

Just realised that DP will also be eating us out of house and home at the weekend he just eats such big meals, the DC & I often have leftovers for the next meal! Last weekend he ate a big curry on Friday night, a full English on Saturday morning, and ham, egg and chips at lunch. Then he decided he'd eaten too much, was tired out and needed a rest away from the DC... that went down like a lead balloon, as you can imagine TBH I haven't been taking the DC out for a walk - they're happier in the garden and I just end up shouting at them not to go too close to people/ touch things/ run too far away - but we may need the respite over the four day weekend...!

Managed to order a Morrisons food box which hopefully will be a great help with DP still working long hours (essential work) and me not able to go shopping because I can't leave the DC. I'll try to top it up with a fruit & veg box too if any of the farm shops nearby have them. I was hoping to set up a Milk & More account but they're so busy round here that they won't accept new customers

Ruby can I ask why you stick with your Dp? It doesn't sound like he makes you very happy.

@RubySlippers77 I hope I didn't offend you; it wasn't my intention.

How are you all doing?

@Solo no not at all, honest!! Just been busy over Easter weekend and didn't get chance to reply. I do ask myself that fairly often TBH if I'd had more money and/ or family nearby, I probably would have left him, but without one or both of those it just wasn't practical. He is slightly better now than when the DC were very small, but just loses patience with them so quickly, and they are only young still (4yo). I thought he would be an amazing dad - he desperately wanted DC and was great with other people's - but he just hasn't been. Sigh.

Hope everyone has had a lovely Easter weekend? I'm in the middle of a horrendous AF, which hasn't helped things, but at least we didn't need to go food shopping; I really couldn't have faced standing in an enormous queue at Tesco or wherever. The car has plenty of fuel and we need a small top up shop of bread and milk but otherwise will hopefully be ok for a few days. I'm not finding lockdown as difficult as I feared but still, it would have been nice to go to a park over the past few days

Still haven't got my sense of taste or smell back!

Hope everyone is doing ok in lockdown? @Solo @LaneBoy @cherrytree63

DP is still working, I'm still at home with the DC. Felt a bit lonely this week as it did get to me a bit that we couldn't even go to the shops. Then the three week extension was announced... sigh. I know it's for the best but still, hard work!

Hi! Doing ok here. Had some low points mood wise over the last couple of weeks but it’s improving. Not decluttered as much as I’d hoped to over the Easter holidays but still getting some stuff done. DH works with some places that needed board games (homeless shelter etc) and that was well timed since it forced us to make decisions about what to get rid of, as well as helping them out. I’ve been sorting toys and stuff too.

Back to “school” time for both the older two on Monday.

Hi, yes, feeling much better, thanks - if very tired. How are you?

I've done very little if I'm honest apart from WFH. Not taken time off as there wasn't much point - can't go anywhere .

How are you all?

Today, my Dd and I (mostly me) cut down a lot of shrubs that had/have got out of hand. Tired. But, we've sat outside for at least an hour a day since lockdown, and it's been really nice having never really done it before.

The house is something else entirely!

Hiya. Well done on the gardening! I’ve not done much at all other than find some more games to get rid of (a different place needs some for patients)

Our gardening is going reasonably well too (although the cat saw an opportunity to use the newly composted pots as large litter trays ) - if I could have an afternoon without the DC I could get it looking really nice, but until then whilst I'm tidying one bit of it, they are making twice as much mess in another bit...

House could do with a good clean but not going to happen unless DP takes the DC out for their exercise tomorrow. I have enough to do with cooking/ everyday tidying/ trying to get them to learn something!

Just checking in with everyone a few weeks into lockdown! The DC & I could really do with a change of scenery - and I could do with a few weeks hours away from them to start cleaning the house again...

Slowly slowly here 😂 but definitely still achieving.

Small bag of clothes left the house the other day for someone who knows a mum in need of toddler clothes 💜 nice to get the space and to know they’ll help her out too.

We are decluttering very slowly but I’m quite pleased with progress despite that. We are using what we have more too - for example playing games from our “shelf of shame” (board games are my thing and we have a lot that I’ve bought but never tried) and enjoying the time together too. Though I must admit lack of time alone is getting to me!

Tomorrow’s aim is to sort through some bags of random crap - due to rearranging some furniture we’ve ended up shoving stuff in bags quite a bit but I reckon a lot of the stuff should be fairly easy to sort, probably while I’m watching this week’s Andrew Lloyd Webber streamed show. This doubles as time alone as well since I can hide away upstairs for it, can’t deny I’d prefer to be sitting in the pub with a cold drink and a book though!

Or would I, actually? Maybe not. I feel better when I’ve achieved stuff. That’s really made me think.

I’ll catch up properly by reading back on the thread (I’ve been awful for posting and then not reading back sorry!) while I’m on the exercise bike tomorrow!