OK - enough of me skulking around feeling sorry myself.........

[ToccataAndFudge]

I'm going to sort this bloody house out once and for all see here for what this is about

There will be before and after photos too (just so you don't think I'm exaggerating about the disaster zone that it currently is)

This moping around feeling sorry myself is doing me no good and I need to get it sorted.

I may end up talking to myself on the thread........don't feel you have to reply.......writing it on here is better than talking to the walls about how I'm doing.

First things first - out for fag and sort something for boys dinner - probably scrambled egg on toast.

I will post on your thread (haven't read other one but will) as we need to really sort out the house so we can sell it and at the moment there is the detritus of two small children and two messy adults everywhere. And various not so clean rooms too. I would like to wave a magic wand and it all be sorted but I have a feeling it won't quite work like that!

well except that the "after" photos will have to wait until Sunday as XH has just rung and asked to use the camera (and because I'm not really feeling up to a fight about it I've aid yes..........)

I will still get my "before" photos done.

Actually - sod it..........job to do over a coffee a little later - look on the Argos website for a digital camera and buy myself a new one, that one is 4yrs old and used and abused anyhow - - he can keep the sodding thing.

I could do before and after I suppose - might inspire me a bit (or depress me completely....)

ok - I've got the dishes done earlier than I would do usually.

Just brought some things through here that belong in here - now heading back to the kitchen to try and sort more of the worktops/box that's still got odds and sods in the bottom of it........

Well done Toccata! If you manage to empty one box then that will give you motivation to empty another box!

no............it's just not happening.

I tried last night, and today, well it's just not there, I'm sinking, and I don't want to

where has your motivation gone?

you worked so hard to get into that house....now you're in!

box at a time,and chuck out any junk! life will be so much easier if you are on top of it all!

I don't know where it's gone.

I just seem to be getting no-where. Feel like I'm sliding down a bloody great hill

Don't really have any junk to chuck, when I packed up to move I left anything behind I didn't want.

I "just" need to get stuff put away in new homes, and tidy up general house mess

ok then stick some music on and get on!!

one room at a time perhaps.....have you got some storage in new place? kitchen should be easy enough...just put it all in the cupboards.

here my problem is clothes!! never enough room...and with 5 dc and uniform,playing out clothes,last nights pyjamas,stray towels and sports kit.....its horrendous!

there's loads of storage, lots of built in cupboards and the landlord left a load of chest of drawers here and said I could do what I wanted with them (so I've sent the condition report back - which was done before he made that decision - with all but a few items crossed off).

I've got most of the main stuff put away, it's jsut the odds and sods, and clothes, DS2/3 have their clothes in their chest of drawers........but my bedroom is nowhere near sorted to put clothes way (I have a wardrobe sat in the middle of it at the moment) and DS1's drawers are still in my room as well.

And there's "stuff" all over the floors, I don't know where to start.

Nothing seems to be in the right room to put away, so I start in a room (usually the kitchen) and just seem to be moving stuff around

DS3 is currently watching the music channels (don't ask - he's not yet 3 and I asked if he wanted Cbeebies or Citv and he said music , not really "my" type of music though.

I spent all of yesterday moring doing stuff and it looked no better than when I'd started.

STILL don't know when XH is going to have the DS's for a couple of hours that isn't "babysitting" (have agreed that rather than £5 a week from his benefits when I need a babysitter for church stuff he'll do that in stead as CSA now accept "payments in kind" so long as the resident parent is happy with it.........which I am). So can't even say "right he's having them X time I'll be child free and I can actually make some proper progres).

T&C I feel your pain (today anyway) I am going to switch off computer and set to work even if its jsut a drop in the ocean. I think its the groundhog day thingy kicking in, everymorning same old crumbs, same old laundry one barely gets to the underlying muddle.

GOOD LUCK. Set to work!!!

oh even shutting the computer off doesn't work - I had an entre week without it when I first moved in, and I tried switching it off the other day. Still got no-where.

I don't even know which room to start in - only DS2/3's room is "sorted"

Start by taking stuff to the room it will evenutally live in, don't try to put it away, just take it to the room. Then work on one room at a time and find a home for everything in that one room. It is hard with lo's around (I've just tried cleaning my patio doors and had my ds following along behind me putting fingerprints everywhere again!!)

Can you start in your room so that you have somewhere in relative order to relax in?

Do 30 mins in any room. Then force yourself to move onto another room. You won't want to, then you will realise you are enjoyng yourself

I'm half way through my Spring Clean/clearout and feel the same.The house isn't dirty, just bits and bobs need getting rid of, and there's too much clutter for my liking.

My Db is moving house tomorrow, so need to keep all my energy for that.lol.

As I don't drive my Mum and Dad have offered to do Charity Shop/ Dump trips for me, but with Brother moving out tomorrow , I didn't want to bother them this week as I know how busy they've been getting his bits ready.

DD's Birthday Monday too, so spring clean has come to a halt with only the downstairs done.

DD's and Ds's bedrooms are small and have loads in there to sort and get rid of.

I run my own business from home as well, so if I do my 'work' I feel guilty cos the house needs de-cluttering, if I de-clutter I feel guilty I'm not working.

I'm one of those people that if I have clutter in the house, it messes with my head

Today I'm just going to focus on doing general housework and getting Dc's bits ready to go to their Dad's for the weekend.

Then from Tuesday onward it's back to the big clean up.

For Today- I suggest we all dissappear off for 1 hr and do something we need to, then we can stop and have a cuppa, Mn for 15 mins then start another job.

We may get quite a bit done that way.

ok I'm just sitting down with a coffee (and god shoot me now - a fag...yes inside - I usually smoke outside in the garden............)

Maybe I should try and get upstairs sorted first, I keep trying to get downstairs sorted and it's just not happening. I think there's less to do up there

Get 3 boxes label one rubbish and line it with a binbag, label one charity again line with a bin bag, label one for other rooms.

Get a timer and set it for 15 minutes and just go for it for those 15 minutes. Then set the timer for 15 minutes and have a break. Then 15 minutes and go for it for as long as you have time.

When the rubbish box is full lift out the bag and put straight in the bin outside and bung another bag in the box. When the charity box lift out the bag and put it in the car to drop off next time you go past a charity shop. When the other room box is full go round and put it in the rooms the stuff belongs in.

DC2&3 help me by putting the things I give them in the in the boxes and get a sticker for doing it for 15 minutes. They are 2.9 and 4.6 yo.

moon.....i hate the clutter too....have freecycled alot of stuff,and have a pile to take to the tip this weekend....but as a lone parent have no idea how i'll load it all in my car. its a 7 seater so i can lie seats flat,but hoping i can borrow a husband or something......and a man at the tip to help unload it all......

will feel better when its done,i know i will!!

Gok - I would do that.........but I sorted out all the stuff I did't want before I moved.........the other stuff I don't want that I'm going to ebay/carboot is still in boxes (Already sorted) at XH's in the greenhous (aka "the shed").

I don't have space in the bin for all the rubbish, forgot to put the recycling bin out the other day (which was full when I moved in) and having to put recycling rubbish in the landfill bin just so I don't drown in rubbish.

I also don't have a car..........

and all empty boxes are crushed (and now soggy as it rained last night) outside my back door.

DS3 is about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to helping tidy up.......he's getting there, but bribes and stickers don't work with him (worked with none of my kids ).

I think I may start in my room..........but shelves on the book case.....put drawers into chest of drawers "cases".......

oh and did I mention that DS3 is 2 going on 13........

seriously he back chats me and is worse than DS1 is

Sorry that I couldn't help with that.

Give Homestart a ring and get some extra support.

tocc (i'm sorry,i really cant associate your new name with you very well!!)anyway,how are you feeling generally now? about being with the boys alone and marriage break up etc?

Okay, two things.

Every time you walk from one room to another, take something that belongs in the destination room. Establish a corner of every room for that stuff (or a big box but I'm guessing it's bigger stuff than that). Don't redistribute purposefully, yet, just do that.

And work on one room. You can do both things; work on one room, and every time you make a cuppa/use the bathroom/check on a child you take something and bring something back.

Do all the bedrooms have beds in them made up? If so, your room to work on is the sitting room. Next one is the kitchen. Third is your bedroom. This way sanity lies. You need a living space to sit down in with a cup of tea and feel ok, and that's the sitting room not the bedroom.

15 minute spurts is fine, as long as you also carry things from room to room as you walk around.

I'm ok about being on my own with the boys again.........been here before, marriage break-up well, actual marriage break-up I'm doing ok...........everything that happened in the last 12 months for me to be here where I am now.......not so great. Just can't get my head round it at all.

Gok - I hope think DS3 is just a phase, he's rather articulate, and a bit too smart for his own good........hopefully once he starts nursery he'll settle down a bit

Although I think I may have just spoken too soon...................he's jsut asked me "are we going to go and tidy up, and can we have the blinds up"

ok - 11 ok I'm going to go and start trying to sort my room out a bit........

have uploaded a few of the before photos I took last night...........some of them are bad

off to try and do something with the upstairs now......will upload the others (and worst ones) when I get back.......