How do you manage your time???

[sb34]

Message withdrawn

soak the bread in milk then squeeze it out, and make sure you use enough egg.

Enid I love the 15 mins timer idea! I could do this in the evening, and actually do one room (although I can do the living room in under 10!) I could also train my DH to do it each day too!! Then I could become anal too ;O

Maybe we could start a new section on Mumsnet with our own 'flylady' tips! I'm sure we could come up with a better title than 'flylady' too.

Crumbs? Naaa, the mice will deal with that.

I'm joking! We only have mice in the garage thank goodness.

Having said that about the crumbs, DS1 took all the seat cushions off the sofa last night and I was horrified at the amount of fluff etc. Did I get the hoover out or did I just put the cushions back on? Oh, I'm so slovenly...

I don't know if all you clean freaks made me feel guilty or if I read the Fly Lady website too much but I have just de-cluttered the house - dp groaned when I said I was doing that he's now going through all the bags to pull out half the stuff I've thrown away. I've also dusted the bedroom and we're trying to sort toys for the shoe box thingy at nursery. God I feel so virtuous now ha ha. I think a large vodka is in order tonight for all my hard work. To my fellow slobs out there don't despair it'll take me another year before I embark on this again.

Okay, I think I'm doomed. Have signed up to flylady against my better judgement and now have a shiny sink!! (well as shiny as this one gets anyway)

Going to rebel against wearing shoes in the house though - that's just silly!

Just checked flylady - too much stuff about being in 'zones' and all rather compartmentalised for my liking. One thing I do like about being a SAHM is that I can do want I want when I want. I don't think its Wed so I'd better clean out the fridge (she does this weekly?!) Also I go out first thing most mornings and I only allow enough time to eat and get kids dressed, I certainly don't waste valuable sleeping time cleaning the bathroom.

OK this evening I did get everythign ready - laid out clothes etc but I have to leave early in the morning and I do hate rushing and in reality I'd like to be a bit more organised but not in military fashion.

I also don't iron (except dh's shirts) and if I do iron something for myself I'll often take it off as soon as I get home so that I can wear it over several days. I've got one of those dirt devils for the L/R floor just to get rid of the crumbs. Kitchen sink? Hmmm ... its rarely cleaned properly, certainly not shiny.

I don't really do flylady very well but I find her hints useful sometimes and the people I know who have immaculate homes e.g. my mum, have similar systems.

Tonight I am feeling very relaxed and I'm not sure whether it's because DH and I had a blitz on the cleaning at lunchtime so the house is looking much better or the Reiki treatment I had today (part of a relaxation and meditation class at the gym) or the rather nice refund cheque the Inland Revenue sent DH yesterday which is now filling a nice hole in our bank account

Most likely a combo of the three!

Shall I or shan't I? Flylady I mean? I have always been untidy ... I clean things (bathrooms, toilets, floors) probably once a fortnight (can't stand yukky loos or slimy baths) ... never ever windows, skirting boards or light switches (?) ... but when it comes to clutter and mess I am awful ... And paperwork - aaaaagh! I would much rather go on mumsnet, have a bath, read a book or watch something good on telly.

My SIL, whom I love to bits, is one of the most anal people I know (she knows it and laughs at herself) ... she is like that guy in 'Sleeping with the Enemy'. Her children only ever play with a couple of toys at a time and as soon as they have finished said toys go away and out comes something else ... there is never a speck of dust in her house ... everything has a place ... towels perfectly folded ... she even insists on all her tins facing outward in order in her larder. (I often entertain myself by turning them all around the wrong way when I am there and she is not looking - drives her potty !) ... even her iron has to be put in the right angle in the cupboard.
My best friend's dp is so anal that he has his shirts, ties and suits ordered light to dark in his wardrobe ... he also comes home at night and cleans the kitchen EVERY DAY!
What does it feel like to be like that? Tell me someone ... I want to be like that when I grow up ...

Go on Ghosty, do Flylady then we can giggle together about how bad we are about actually doing the stuff!

Actually, I have just discovered (after removing all the limescale) that I have a leaky tap at the base of the tap (rather than the washer end) which I suppose I need to fix :/ (I think the limescale was creating a natural seal :P) Anyone know how to fix this or do you need to take the whole tap set off?

Just let the limescale build up again!

Seriously, there is probably a washer or a nut to tighten (do not over tighten though, you can strip the thread) at the base of the tap where it joins the pipe. It probably does require you to turn the waer off at the mains (V important!) and take the tap off.

And I say PAH! to shiny sinks.

and SueW, something else your mum has other than a Flylady type system is no small chldren! Mind you, I have a sneaky suspicion that some of the people you mention in passing do...

SoupDragon, my mum was ever thus!! I think that's why I've gone the opposite way.

Damn damn damn! There go my hopes of suddenly becoming organised when the boys leave home in 20 years time...

My mum's house was like a show home, I'm talking about raked carpets (when shagpile was in) and no books or magazines ANYWHERE. My dp is/was like Ghosty's sil and his uncle is the same. When we had friends round to watch the rugby we emptied the fridge (pre-ds) to fill it with beer and dp had to have all the labels facing outwards, we used to wind him up by turning all the bottles round just to snigger at him turning them back again. His uncle has all the tins/spices/herbs in alphabetical order. I have joined Flylady to see if she will improve me but unfortunately have failed at the first hurdle. I didn't have time this morning to shine my sink and I stripped the beds so they aren't made either. Oh well I'll just have some more chocolate to make me feel better.

Just think of all the environmental damage all that bleach going down flylady sinks is doing
That's my excuse anyway!!

Oooh - my herbs and spices are in alphabetical order, does that mean I'm organised after all? Never mind the beds which aren't made (DH & DS were still in them when I left for work), the dishwasher which hasn't been emptied, the toys still out on the floor, the presents which haven't been wrapped and the cards which haven't been written .... at least my herbs are in order!

Message withdrawn

I've got a mantra of my own for you SB34: you will NOT be tidy, you will NOT be tidy...

Message withdrawn

My mother's dictum was "Rather a happy home than a tidy home." And dammit, I live by it.

I'm not sure there is a correlation between Flylady and GF. I've not subscribed to Flylady (put off by the stories of the deluge of e-mails) but I do look every so often at what zone she is covering. it is precsiely because I AM disorganised, but wanting to be get some space for myslef, that I do find some of her principles useful.

I too have been trying to do the 15 minute blitz on a room at time - haven't managed to do it every day, but even every so often is still better than nothing. And I have been trying to keep my kitchen (and the sink!) clean and tidy every night - it makes such a difference going in to a tidy kitchen in the morning!

I also liked the way she re-iterates that it takes 28 days to establish a routine - so every time I relapse I don't feel too bad. My house is now generally more peresentable - I don't panic at the thought of people visiting, even if it's not always as tidy as I would like.

Well, Slug, my home must be very happy indeed...