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Housekeeping

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Festive Fledglings Flap Frantically Towards A Calm, Clutter-free Christmas!

993 replies

SingToTheSky · 30/11/2020 22:59

OK so clutter-free is a bit ambitious. But anyway, all welcome to join us for a jolly holiday thread, in which we very loosely follow (or at least half-heartedly mention now and then) the FlyLady system of housekeeping.

I’ll be posting links and reminding us all of various tasks up until Christmas Eve, for those who want to follow the system - and if it’s like previous years there will also be some specific extra missions to help us prepare our homes for Christmas. However, we really are just a bunch of frazzled Mumsnetters who will be very happy to welcome you along for chat whether you follow the system or not! We discuss housework, sure, but a whole lot of other stuff too.

We will also continue with the Keep Calm Corner, in which you’ll find various diverting questions, memes etc.

And finally a huge thank you to Foxes who did a fab job of running the thread for the first time in November! 💐

OP posts:
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IWillWearThatGlitteryWoolly · 18/12/2020 14:00

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for personal reasons.

merryhouse · 18/12/2020 15:14

TaDa
did minutes and sent to vicar
exercise class
put darks wash on
wrote tags to send to sis
made lunch: I was running through the checklist "carrots - celery -" and
for some reason my brain autocompleted "forth - tyne - dogger"
took in parcels (squeed at cute cat socks - want some myself now)
H drove to outlet centre to buy Viennese Truffles (shop in town has gone Sad)
wrapped pressies, made up new parcels
H did the postage labels because he already has the app on his phone
took parcels to parcel post box
took whites wash off line
put half of it away (none of it needs ironing... at least, I don't iron the sheets)

ToDo
put away rest of whites wash
hang darks wash
pour brandy over Christmas cake, dammit
iron the last three washes Sad
prepare pizza toppings

Still Waiting
look at stuff for finance committee (should probably have done that before term finished, oops)
get on to the Happy Puzzle Company to find out if they're sorting out the Wrong Puzzle issue (if not we'll just give him the original, it's very similar)
wrap rest of presents
deliver local cards

S2 has arrived home, having survived the Entire Term, and is chatting upstairs sounding reasonably cheery, so that's good. S1 is out of isolation now. (Apparently the Kings Singers agreed to stand in for the television recording, so that'll be nice.)

Mc3209 · 18/12/2020 15:41

Nipping in to say I finally found time to epilate my legs! Hooray to leg defrosting!
Will be back later.

SingToTheSky · 18/12/2020 17:00

Hello! Totally unproductive day here, still stressing over non existent test result (why is it that I can’t focus on anything else when there’s something uncertain to wait for?) and grumpy with period pain.

OP posts:
merryhouse · 18/12/2020 17:14

oh, it's annoying isn't it, sing. It's as if your brain thinks it can influence the outcome if only it tries hard enough...

Have done my ToDo list and am staring disconsolately at my email tab...

Mc3209 · 18/12/2020 17:55

Zoo happy birthday to your DS!
Woolly I hope you are enjoying your festive Muppets! Sounds like a wonderful tradition.
Foxes I second the bathroom. With a lock.
Sing the unknown is frustrating. I hope the results come soon. How are you both feeling?

I wasn't particularly productive today.
Ta da:
🎉LOL X2
🎉S&S
🎉Went for a walk
🎉Bought most of the outstanding Christmas presents

Also, got another bottle and test to try out with McTiny. Let's see if His Fussiness would be agreeable, and not pulling Yuk faces, spitting out and pushing away with his hands.

Mc3209 · 18/12/2020 17:56

Merry well done on conquering the ToDo list!

IWillWearThatGlitteryWoolly · 18/12/2020 18:10

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for personal reasons.

Stilllivinginazoo · 18/12/2020 18:24

Hi all
Thanks for DS birthday wishes
I bought him a small wooden 3d steam punk airship and we've spent most of the day building it!

"D"p arrived and as lil zoo was late back I waited for her and D's and dd2 went short walk local reserve.he bitched constantly about me apparently- I have credit cards to get stuff,but still have to pay it back(whilst going on about how good his £400 phone is)
Anyone still got a fire burning or has the medieval rusty pike/shovel/flamethrower?!dd2 came in with his card and said he said order rest of stuff still waiting.i won't.it will be thrown back in my face how poor he is and can't afford food etc all fecking January.i promised both girls will pick up a few more bits during January if there's anything particular they're after.they big enough now to be ok with that.ive got them a decent haul- they used to OTT dad style so it may be a bit disappointing...
Having said that I chose D's gifts by myself.he got David Attenborough book,steam punk ship to build,a game and some chocolate.hes very happy with that.dad would be aghast at so little,but i wasn't raised lavished in gifts and as result in way less materialistic than he us,so won't harm D's I think.hes now playing on PS3 for a bit til teatime
Requested pasta,pesto,broccoli and cheese for tea.lil zoo will be given the same and hoping she eats it

Very little done today,will need to power thru tomorrow

Hope everyone's ok!

SingToTheSky · 18/12/2020 22:43

Happy birthday ZooDS!

I just spent an embarrassingly long time doing the tesco order. A combination of including presents (I have now managed to fill a whole hamper with nice treaty food/toiletries from Tesco, and found the perfect gin for a relative’s birthday), and planning Christmas food while trying to allow for the last minute fresh stuff shop but also not, because we don’t know when we will be allowed out

As a result it is a very very big expensive shop and I am very glad I could at least do it from the comfort of my sofa.

OP posts:
isawthatt · 18/12/2020 23:46

Hi all. Crazy day here today, having children is so much harder when you’ve not slept!. DD is still poorly, she’s in our bed, she’s been sick a few times today but just isn’t herself at all. I think it may be a bug as I’ve not been feeling too well today and DS1 is complaining of belly ache. Hopefully if it is a bug we can get it all out of our systems before Christmas. Thank you for your well wishes for DD everyone!. I got no sleep last night, as soon as one DC fell asleep another woke up. If it happens again tonight DH will take over as it’s the weekend!.

Thank you zoo, FIL used to cause a lot of issues early in our relationship but DH has definitely grown up a lot and has his priorities right. I am very lucky having that, as I can see from so many posts on mumsnet a lot of people have in law and DH problems!. A massive happy birthday to your DS🎉, I hope he’s had a lovely day. Sorry ‘d’p is being a shit though.

Wooly One can’t wake up without waking the others up😂, it’s a nightmare!. I’ve gotten used to FILs rubbish and I won’t let him stop me from being happy, and DH feels the same. I’ve just about managed to get through the day in one piece, DH can do all the parenting tomorrow!. I hope you enjoy your Christmassy evening. Your Christmas Carol tradition sounds lovely and well done to your DS on his report!

tinselette my lot don’t like the muppet version, DH loves it but the kids think the muppets are scary. I might try it again this year now they’re a bit bigger, maybe they’ll like it.

foxes I can assure you I’m not always calm, but I’m trying to power through otherwise I’ll cry!😂. I think I’m going slightly mad, adding a third child to the brood has destroyed the last ounce of sanity I had left. It sounds like you’ve had a lovely day baking, did you find out what DD’s Christmas things she needed to sort out were?

Love the memes sing😂, sorry about the stress and period pain💐. Well done on getting a big shop sorted, I still need to get quite a bit!.

I’m very impressed with deep cleaning the kitchen up!. DD is still poorly but touch wood hasn’t been sick for a few hours, no sleep was had last night.

I’d have lost my temper if DH had questioned me about how I made mince pies bower, well done you for keeping calm.

Well done on getting the to do list done merry

mc I hope McTiny takes to the new bottle. And look at you go epilating you’re legs! I haven’t shaved for a month, I don’t know if I’ll ever be bothered to shave again, I’m quite liking the warmth😂

Does anyone else struggle using the acronyms? I constantly end up typing the kids’ names when talking about them and have to go back and edit as it just slips my mind!

Not much flying done today. I changed DD’s beds and made food and washed up sick bucket a few times, but other than that we had a duvet day.

SingToTheSky · 19/12/2020 00:19

ta da
🍫early morning convo with friend re presents etc
🍫stripped Cagletini’s bed - think I need to wake her up if I’m awake first as she slept late and I think that’s why she wet the bed (at least she slept through again though!)
🍫reading
🍫rewashed towels 😳
🍫washed wet bedding and got DD1 to add hers for the hot wash
🍫got DS to hang up dry towels
🍫sat with DH and wrote the “WTF do we still need to do” Christmas task list
🍫ordered chocolates to be sent to my parents with a note saying we miss them!
🍫got DH to try on a t-shirt he was sent, it’s too small so need to figure out an exchange
🍫ordered frames for DSD’s present (a couple of Etsy prints)
🍫wrote some notes on a Christmas 2021 list ie what not to do next year and what to do earlier instead of faffing!
🍫ate an insane amount of biscuits
🍫made pasta bake using leftovers as planned - proper adulting!!!
🍫made vague meal plan with DH for Christmas so he could write a shopping list
🍫tesco order including present shopping
🍫ordered presents DD1 chose for some friends and wrote total down to remind me how much pocket/Xmas money to take back
🍫ordered tissue paper for stocking wrappers

Lots of admin type stuff but not much else! Still feel somewhat on hold Hmm (I love your description too merry :o) and PMT definitely not helping Hmm and this evening has been a bit tense - DH had his doctors appt with the pain specialist (can’t remember if I said, they told him to go despite self isolating) and it was pretty rubbish, he’s not really wanted to talk about it yet.

Will catch up in the morning, I need to doze off to Netflix I think.

🍒🎄👋

OP posts:
Stilllivinginazoo · 19/12/2020 02:28

And insomnia strikes again....been awake an hour

isawthatt · 19/12/2020 02:54

I’ll join you zoo not sleeping well at all lately

Stilllivinginazoo · 19/12/2020 04:41

Anything particular keeps you awake saw?

I seem to wake up and my mind's buzzing,not always actual thoughts but just too a time to go back to sleep.my large to do lists plaguing me tonight .

Bowerbird5 · 19/12/2020 05:10

Isawthat I have trouble reading them sometimes, especially here. Yes this is a lovely ,cosy corner no vipers allowed in here. I am appalled at some of the responses at times. Glad you found us.

Zoo DS with another birthday. Sounds quite enough for him. We always went low things like Lego, a book, some sweets, a game then a few bits of clothing like socks. Now they say,”we don’t really need anything.” Sometimes they will chose something for their house or garden but they are not grabby kids. Hopefully yours will be like ours.

Sing love those memes. Elf one made me 😂

Woolly great achievement re drink. I have do%ed off with mug of tea in my hand.

Sorry I was interrupted by DH and then went to 💤 now forgotten other things for people.

You know how it was the kitchen and I cleaned everything down...dresser, wall unit, wiped over cupboards well I needn’t have bothered. Everything covered in fine dust because...I have a NEW door! It looks lovely. Quite different. I will miss seeing the garden as other door was full glass little panes. This one is a stable door.

Dancingtomusic · 19/12/2020 06:21

bower -.thats a really nice way of doing presents. I would really like my 2 fraggles to not want much but Dh (and dh family) buy them too much and they get used to the ripping a gift open then moving onto the next one. I only had 2 gifts at Christmas growning up, my parents couldnt afford much. Its means that I am not bothered about presents at all for me.

Your stable door sounds lovely. Did I say your Christmas advent window sounds so special! Its great that the whole village took part.

Zoo Happy birthday to you Ds ! Hope he had a wonderful day. Insomnia is horrible. Hope you get a few more hours of sleep.

isaw i cant believe how much you get done while being pregnant! Hope Dd is feeling much better today. Its horrible when they feel so ill.

woolly wow that is so much Christmas crafting! Love it!

Sing i love your blanket! !
That is a impressive ta da list.

What did the pain specialist say? Its good they told your Dh to attend the appt.

I ask as my 'D'h is saying his back problems are coming back and making him go dizzy and feel out of it.

I have 'down tools' here for a week. Only minimal flying being done. Kitchen looks good and is easy to clear up after breakfasts.
I am 'On strike' and not switching on the gas to cook anything...(well i will do my morning porridge and thats it.)
Kids enjoy baugette thats what we are eating forever.

Sitting room is littered with Christmas decorations. I have been adding to my mini Christmas village (made from cardboard). I have lots and lots of wooden decoartions for the kids to play with. The tiny wooden trains have been loved!

This week has been eye opening. 6am wake ups, kids getting to school on time. Me having time to shower before taking the kids out to school. Then coming back and getting straight to the supermarkets while they are still quiet. ( i dont like too many people...) esp when they come stand next to you on a queue! I dont say anything- but I shuffle away...

Yesterday I took my dds pushchair with me to town, so I wouldnt exhust myself carry 9 items of clothing and shoes that I needed to return to primark.
In M and S picked up 3 baugettes and some reduced Christmas decorations. While i was waiting in the queue for the tills, a huge older man was very close to me, his trolley nearly touching my coat. I had to put my pushchair behind me to try and keep the distance. My sister thought I had gone crazy taking the pushchair without a child but I told her I dont care as it helped me survive the walk around 3 shops in town. Nobody really batted an eyelid that I had bags in my pushchair and no child.
I was dressed in a Christmas print dress and had my cheap gingerbread man house earrings on - so they werent looking at the pushchair. Lol.

Its been great to get out of the house everyday.
I overhead 'd'h have a call back from the doctor and them was asked to go into the surgery. Dh has asked for a different bp med instead of ramapril as he is getting servere cramps in his legs. Hopefully the doc will have changed that.
Dh was taking 10 different meds for his back and now has reduced it to one or two only.
Sing i recognised some of the meds you mention for your Dh.
Dh was given anti depressants to take as soon as he got this back problem...i hope he hasnt stopped taking them. It may explain why nasty Dh was back.

I might mooch in bed for a bit then get up and have some breakfast. Then try and sort sitting room and focus on Chriatmas decorations.

🍒🎄🖐 everyone, up, ed, foxes, hazel, merry, sherin, mrs tidy, chic, sc . Sorry if I have forgotten anyone. Phone wont let me scroll back.

THATbasicSNOWFLAKE · 19/12/2020 08:34

Morning all Brew

sing does your huge expensive tesco order mean they have scrapped the item limit? 🤞

zoo glad ds enjoyed his day, sorry you are having useless man issues

I need to be productive today but my back is playing up Sad

merryhouse · 19/12/2020 09:51

oh, blush everyone, I just meant I'd done the tiny weeny mini ToDo list I'd posted slightly earlier...

Ta Da
put back on study shelves the stuff that fell off when I retrieved a padded envelope yesterday Grin

We heard yesterday that They have decided to broadcast the pre-recorded 9L&C on Christmas Eve. This is obviously Dreadful and Shocking and Didn't Even Happen In The War etc, but primarily means that...

MY BABY IS COMING HOME TOMORROW!

So first item on the list...

ToDo Today
clear stuff out of spare room (see if can find somewhere which isn't straight back into playroom which S2 and H have been using for exercise)
hoover spare room
make up bed
lights wash
ironing (yesterday's wash, and karate gi that's been there since we went back into lockdown...)
make soup

Next door have moved to their Christmas playlist... Slade at 9:30 on a Saturday morning Xmas Smile

SingToTheSky · 19/12/2020 10:20

🎄❄️🎁 Friday 18th December 🎁❄️🎄

Zone - 3 - bathroom, last day today

Daily Focus - family fun

No missions because it’s the weekend!

✈️ FLIGHT PLAN ✈️

🎄❄️🎁 The Keep Calm Corner Advent Calendar 🎁❄️🎄

I’m loving all the literal Christmas music memes this year.

Here’s a new Christmas song for 2020. It’s quite sweet but maybe takes on a different meaning here in the U.K. given there’s so much uncertainty still 🥺😩😢

🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻

Festive Fledglings Flap Frantically Towards A Calm, Clutter-free Christmas!
OP posts:
TheUpholder · 19/12/2020 10:43

Are you sure you don’t live next door to me Merry? I yelled downstairs to Alexa this morning to play us some festive cheer Grin. Bet you can’t wait for DS1 to get back.

Zoo those presents are lovely. We’ve never done extravagant birthdays.

That hope your back eases up.

Really hope you get a result today Sing. Sounds like you’re getting g Christmas under control.

Yay for new door Bower. But boo at the dust.

Dancing I love the sound of your Christmas village. Taking the pushchair shopping was quite genius and I doubt many people would notice.

Woolly I love your muppets tradition. I genuinely don’t think I’ve seen it. May try DD with it later. Hope you enjoyed your festive crafting. Definitely do the bits you want to.

Yesterday’s ta Das:
⭐️ scrubbed kitchen and utility floor, plus a bit more tooth rushing of bathroom floor. I think I’ve got about 1/4 left so there’s light at the end of the tunnel
⭐️ sorted some bits in DD’s room
⭐️ watched the holiday with a mince pie and coffee before picking up DD from nursery and a tipsy DH from work (they cracked open a few cans at their desks instead of their usual party night)
⭐️ resisted takeaway and settled for frozen pizza and a gin in front of a Christmas concert at the Sage on YouTube.

This morning DH got up with DD and sorted breakfasts. Then I:
⭐️ made Flylady proud and got dressed to ‘shoes’ (slippers)
⭐️ beds made
⭐️ upstairs s&s
⭐️ LOL
⭐️ set off DW/hand washed DD’s plastic bowl and cup
⭐️ organised present drop offs with family.
⭐️ tried to convince DD she doesn’t want to get out her paints, rollers, sponges etc
⭐️ set DD up with paints, rollers, sponges etc Hmm

Have sat down now. I suspect for a while.

THATbasicSNOWFLAKE · 19/12/2020 10:47

Wait, is it friday?

TheUpholder · 19/12/2020 10:49

It’s Saturday That Grin

TheUpholder · 19/12/2020 10:50

Although Sing/Flylady may be on friday. Either works for me.

HillsBesideTheSea · 19/12/2020 11:00

Urgh.

Migraine.

Hideous to do list

Having to brave people and crowds (such as they may be)

transfer of contact day for teen (who always puts up a fuss)

Send snow. Lots and lots of lovely fluffy dry flakes of snow. None of that horrible mushy wet stuff. Tia!