In Crepey Remembrance Of CremCat Past

[GiddyGiddyGoat]

Hope that's an OK unilateral decision!

I love dachshunds, Crem, but do your research. Appaz they can have ishoos. Mind you, what dog doesn't?

We have some rather expensive art. Which is piled up in the hall, and kicked over frequently, to much swearing. We have a pile of Fulani blankets and random pieces of African cloth in the bedroom, piled on a cardboard box, containing more pictures, which topple over frequently. We have boxes and boxes of records and piles of books everywhere in the sitting room, Apart from a small pile of books, none of this stuff belongs to me. I would happily throw it all out. And there is a pile of boxes, containing more records, in front of my chest of drawers, which means I can't actually put any of my clothes away, apart from pants into the top drawer. We also have packing boxes piled up in the hall, optimistically purchased "to put stuff into storage." They have been there for months.

And we also have the tatty curtains and a long haired cat that sheds fur everywhere.

Dachshunds were always our "family" dogs - GPs had a succession of them. Most were fine, but some were vicious little blighters. DAunt had one called Dougal who could spot a cake in a small person's hand at 20 paces, and would fly through the air with a snap, and remove it. Sometimes taking the small person's hand with it.

I think a "grown-up" house is one as nice as the one your DPs live in, or you were brought up in. When you can invite your DPs to stay, and they're not "slumming it" versus their own home. I think I'm just about there.....or at least I will be once the DCs move out with all their crap.

MrsS, you need to Do Something. I couldn't cope with that, personally. I find any sort of disorder and clutter makes me very stressed.

Stuff you can't accommodate right now really needs to be banished to storage or flogged on eBay. And maybe you need to throw some money at getting things like the shower and wardrobe sorted. It sounds like you can't depend on DH to assist you, so set aside a weekend and just do it. Present him with the key to his storage unit so he can go and caress his records and books whenever he feels like it.

My house is disturbingly similar to my parents'. Though warmer.

MrsS, I agree with CV. I think it will be adding to your stress and it is a form of control. Get a man with a van to put it in Big Yellow (I think there is one ear you?) and then move what you want back in gradually and get rid of the rest. Or join us in our new hobby: early Saturday morning runs to the reopened dump that - drum roll - takes actual rubbish! Get someone in to fix the shower and build the wardrobe. Then when the excess stuff has gone you can have a look at the larger jobs like kitchen and bathroom.

My recent triumph is to rent some space in Big Yellow. I feel much better for it - I do recommend it, MrsS - loads of the dc's crap is now there not under my nose. Only rented for 8 weeks, then we'll review, get dc to dispose of some, then re-rent for 8 weeks, thus getting the heavily discounted rate again. So I am making progress, hurrah.

Stropps, glad your dd appreciates her calendar. i'll see if I can get one for dd.

Thanks CV!. I will keep it this year. I'm stupidly excited about it. 'Wrinkles and shit' HaHa!

Bit like a visit to Lakeland or Robert Dyas when I think that I'll find the gadget that will literally TRANSFORM my dull existence, I'm hoping the advent calendar will reveal a potion that will turn me into Kate Moss. Or similar. I'm not fussed.

Mrs S I discovered Marie Kondo about 18 months ago, and have rid this house of a heap (OK about 8 boot loads) of stuff. I plan to repeat it early next year. There are a few threads on MN and FB groups. It literally transforms lives. There is a sequence you go through to rid yourself of stuff, and it really seems to work.
It just gave me a bit more headspace, and made the house a bit easier to clean.

Actually if crepeys could support me in my quest for a grown-up house, I'd be most grateful. Bit of a delicate thing though - I don't like being condemned for my slatternly inadequacies, it has to be praise for whatever slivers of good behaviour you can discern. Also my course has priority over the house, so until June the house is not top of the list. It'll have to be inched along at a snail's pace.

Cocoa - but it is not me who needs Marie Kondo...

Perhaps you need to Kondo DH? Lock him in a Big Yellow with all his crap.

I've just had to do a late night wash of white school shirts

I've got a grown up house, but it's full of crap and dust and dog hair! I'm slowly going through rooms and chucking, but it could take some time!

Ds has a job, pot washing at the local pub.... he's earned £61 in two shifts. All good news but he hasn't done any homework... still he has work experience!

Yes, Mrs S - there are people who seem to decide in the process that it's not things that need to go, but people!
Can't say that's happened here, though

Am loving the decluttering ideas for MrsS and anyone else who needs them - I am reasonably good at decluttering, but the DC's piles of school stuff all round downstairs, and their millions of pairs of trainers seem to spoil it somehow. I'm with CV on getting overwhelmed by mess, though it's pretty much impossible to avoid with DD 2 teens.

MrsS, it IS you who needs Marie Kondo - the clutter/mess is driving you mad, even though it is not yours. Don't remain powerless for the rest of your married life! You are not a doormat. If you can't stand it, don't stand it!
Could you not just do the Yellow Storage thing on all clutter on a day off work and get a man in to fix the shower, etc and tell him that it's part of a move to improve things between you both and that if he doesn't like it, he can get his own place for himself and all his clutter?

BD, thinking of you

Give him notice (a week or two) that Big Yellow, and/or shower fixer, and/or Marie Kondo is/are coming, and if he doesn't sort, stuff will be going in storage, or shower will be fixed, costing money. Then he can't reasonably object to your plan, and you will have not one sliver of a reason to feel guilty.

Yes, BTM, same here. I have decluttered a lot of our stuff but ds' school stuff takes over living room (his bedroom is tiny) and when dd comes home to her already full room with another room full of stuff.....

Molly, I am pretty slatternly too but we all seem healthy so have stopped caring - if someone else wants to clean the bathroom more often they can fill their boots - is there a particular area you would like to sort?

Atm I am forcing myself to declutter. I am slow (sometimes) because I dither. One of the best things about Big Yellow is that they have a massive container of charity bags, and you just leave the full ones in their reception for BHF to collect. Our Big Yellow is on the way to Sainsbo, so no excuse for not dropping stuff in there, plus staff are adorable.

So maybe I could report here on bags delivered to them for charity? I am worst about books - I dither about those in a quite insane manner. So I need to stuff them in BHF bags and drop them off at Big Yellow before I completely change my mind and keep 'em all.

Sorry, I meant to say, but was in delirium having to wash so late, that I was much heartened by Stropps post and her lovely pictures of fb. It must have given both you and her a big lift, just what you need as days get shorter and shorter.

Addle, I really hope that today and this week are peaceful. I agree with whoever said, it's really not the person suffering from MH issues who can determine if they are 'better' - it's an easier conversation with a child than an adult, but trying to tell someone that they are actually ill, without them thinking you're ganging up on them, is a really delicate subject.

I know I haven't worded that correctly, but I hope YKWIM.......

Ds off today - he had a date with Brian last night just after I washed ALL his shirts

Oh no Beachy - did he miss Brian?

Molly, are you doing one thing (Kondo stylie) at a time or one room at a time? I prefer the one room at a time approach because then you can see you have achieved something.

Not he made Brian, but I needn't have stayed up late for the washing machine, if he is lounging around here today in his pj's today . Still, at least they are done now!

What I hate about decluttering is the allocation between 'charity shop' and 'should be selling this, but not sure how/where, so I'll just leave it'.....

I'm going to visit a just above junk shop this week, near Rose's favourite spa, to see if I can flog some of the tat that the in laws insist on bringing to the house!

Beachys house is very grown up and not at all messy ........ mine is full of piles of paper - dp's, and books - ours, and the boy uses the floor to store stuff....

I have to say having BTM's lovely cleaner has made a huge difference to our house.

MI, she is fab, isn't she?!

In decluttering news, I have cleared half a shelf for DD (to add to the shelf she already has) in the kitchen. But will it stop her storing on the sitting room floor? I think not!
AND she has said that she is wanting to declutter her wardrobe/drawers in prep for uni next year. I have offered my services... If it happens, there may be a bin bag or two of petite teen clothing up for grabs!

Please can everyone add their name if they can make it - I am going to book (Covent Garden) asap

MU Sat 26th
BTM
Stropps
Monty