2 and a half years later..........

So, we are 2 and half years, 1 and a half children down the line and how far have I got??? Not very!!!

I can't believe it's almost 3 years now since I was forced out of paid employment into my housewife role and really, not a lot has changed at home. May 2010 saw our beautiful daughter being born so my role changed into including stay at home mum too. And soon I will be a stay at home mum to two children, which has led me back to this blog.

Nesting has well and truly kicked in these past couple of weeks, and in that a ruthless streak which is putting my hoarding down at a lower level! I don't think I will ever lose my hoarding completely as I am far too emotionally attached to some things that I really shouldn't be. But first pairs of shoes, paintings, school reports (mine!) and various other bits and pieces from my childhood, and now my own children I will always feel the need to keep.

In the next 3 months we have a bedroom to decorate, another bedroom to make alterations to in order to accomodate a 2 and a half year old girl instead of guests, and the third bedroom to once again become the nursery. But in order to make those changes a whole lot of decluttering needs to be done as well as a way for me to find how to keep on top of housework with two children. I don't manage it very well with one never mind two!

I have signed up - via Facebook - to a page called The Organised Housewife.  Although she speaks of pantries (I wish!) and other such items I can only drool over seeing as I am in the UK and the writer is in Australia - but I have signed up to her 20 days to organise and clean your home challenge which starts next Monday..... Hopefully this will aid me in my decluttering aims!

So here goes - few months to get on top of things, have a lovely well run home before number 2 comes along and our routine changes - for the better!

Rubbish!!!!

This isn't going to well to be honest!!!!!

This week my husband has been on nights and I have either found myself crawling back into bed beside him late morning and sleeping for a few hours, or I find myself thinking I can't do stuff as I don't want to wake him up!! But it's excuses, excuses, excuses isn't it???

I did sort out quite alot in the "junk room" though - but now I have various different piles - car boot, ebay and charity piles!!! All the rubbish I have managed to bin although I do have a few bits I need to go to the tip to get rid of - could do that tomorrow morning.

I need to get my arse into gear though - time is quickly running out for us to get these things done. Effectively we have about 8-10 weeks to get this house in order and decorated - so next week I really really really have to make an effort. - Yeah right I hear you say - but if I don't do it this week I never will will I??????

Motivation starting to kick in......!

So I am still no good at this new career...but I am trying!!!!
Last week I did manage to get through a fair bit of the ironing pile. I first split the pile down though into things that I knew we both wore regularly - and in my case things that still fit me!! No point ironing stuff we won't wear is there?

This weekend my husband decided to invite round a couple of mates to spend Saturday afternoon watching football and playing on XBox with him - aaaggghh!!! So Saturday morning was spent quickly tidying the downstairs of the house. Husband did join in thankfully and he did the hoovering while I popped out and bought the beers (!) Was quite nice seeing everything downstairs all neat and tidy!!

On Sunday I spent the day at Mum's. I went through boxes of my old stuff. A lot of it is going to hopefully earn us a few pennies by being sold at a car boot sale but think we'll have to wait until the weather is a little bit warmer!!! But at least that's done.........well, apart from the stuff in the garage that is still to go through, but again that will be when the warmer weather comes!

So this morning I got up and after walking the dog and having some breakfast I cracked on!
I have decided not to write To-Do Lists anymore. I don't stick to them in any way and then I get annoyed when I haven't completed things on the lists......or I end up writing new ones before finishing the old ones! So instead I have a new book (3 for £1 in Poundshop!!!) and I put the date at the top of the page and then I write the jobs I do during that day beneath it. Today was Day 1 in the new book and looking at my list this evening makes me feel like I have had a good day - I am also shattered!!!!! Today I have completely cleaned the fireplace! It's a gas fire but inside it was covered in dust so I took off the front panel and completely cleaned it! It looks so shiny!!!! I also sorted out the bathroom cabinet, dusted lounge, hoovered downstairs and the stairs, and I washed all the skirting boards, windows and banister in the hall..............phew!!!

And the funny thing is I can't wait to get going again tomorrow!!!

Wow - I'd have been sacked by now!!!

Ok ok ok - so I am terrible at my new job!!!
We were away from 23rd December until the 2nd January. I was so so knackered when I got back it was unbelievable!!! On Sunday I took all the Christmas decorations down while my husband was at work......took me hours and we hadn't even put them all up this year seeing as we were going to be away!!

Yesterday was a weird day. I had no motivation to do anything. I tried to do a few things but we were out in the afternoon for an appointment and then in the evening I had to do the food shopping after dropping my hubby off at his pool evening.........then had to pick up him.....

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

So today - Snow day!!!!!! After being out for over an hour in the snow with the dog I started in the kitchen. I sorted out loads of bits and pieces and completely turfed out the cupboards throwing away anything out of date (which was a fair bit!) and completly cleaning the cupboards. Thought ran through my head that I must be getting a head start on my spring cleaning which isn't a bad thing!!

Took me quite some time to be honest!!!

Now about to cook dinner for me and the hubby - then a bath to soothe my sore back which I seem to have pulled somehow while walking the dog in 6-7inches of snow this evening!!!

I really need to sort myself out though which I know I have said before - but tomorrow's mission is to have downstairs completely tidy and as organised as possible...........
Thursday is ironing and putting it all away - our ironing pile is a mountain range - as this weekend we are sorting through all our clothes and getting rid of what we no longer fit into or wear.
Friday may still be ironing but will have to see how I go!!!!!!!!!!

Day 3 - nothing wrong with a bit of me time is there???

OK - so I hardly did anything today - but is there anything wrong with that??

After yesterday I was shattered today. Woke up at 9am. I haven't started to set an alarm yet....just getting up when I wake up which has been between 8am and 9am most days. I don't know whether I should be setting a routine come the new year and setting an alarm or not....but is sleeping until I wake a bad thing?

I walked the dog and we went via the Post Office today to drop the cards in the Post Box and get some more stamps as I had frustratingly not bought enough for all the cards we needed to send out. We ended up having quite a nice walk and being out for about an hour!

After getting home I decided to have a bit of a pampering - a nice long shower, a facial, a proper routine almost.......then I did some ironing!! Shock horror! Of all the things I could have done I did some ironing!!!! Making tiny progress on my quest to concquer the mountain.

I had some lunch then had to get ready as I was meeting my hubby in town to finish off the Christmas shopping and maybe have some tea. So I did my hair, put on some make-up, painted my nails........stuff I very rarely do!! Thought I looked alright..although later my hubby said he hadn't noticed!

So - I did nothing really today - but is that so bad???????

Day 2 - Proud even if I do say so myself!!

Considered day 2 to be quite a good day really. Today was singled out as sorting out the smaller of the spare rooms. There was boxes from the wedding in there with all bits and pieces in them, a suitcase in there, lots of clothes that needed ironing (!) in there along with various other bits of rubbish/junk!

The door to that room has remained closed for quite some time! We would go in and get something if we needed to (like the Christmas decorations from the cupboard last week!) but otherwise the room isn't really used.

I took a deep breath before I opened the door and then cringed as I saw everything I needed to sort out - but I had to get to it!! So I set the TV in our bedroom to Radio1 and turned it up so I could hear it while I worked.......then I got to work. As I went through the wedding boxes I probably did take longer than I should have as I read each card before putting it neatly away and read through the guestbook again! I managed to put 3 boxes down to 2 then I put them away in the cupboard. I moved all of the clothes onto the official ironing pile (in the other spare room!!) but that is being worked on gradually and my husband decided we would go through it this weekend and decide which clothes we don't want anymore so I don't iron them unnecessarily...How thoughtful!

I actually impressed myself with the work I did and before I knew it it was time for some lunch. And that was all I did - came downstairs and made myself a sandwich and a cup of tea, ate and drank while watching TV then back upstairs to hoover and mop the newly cleaned room! The room sparkled as once again I was stood in the doorway admiring my work! I had got rid of 2 bags and a box full of rubbish.......which was now sitting on the landing!! So that was my next job. I cleared the rubbish from the landing and a few other bits and pieces which has just seemed to gather there and put them all in their rightful places (bin - laundry basket - Christmas present pile....) then I hoovered and mopped that floor too. (our house has wooden floors everywhere except the stairs which are carpeted - not through choice but because that was what was here when we bought the place)

I was actually shattered but that didn't stop me! By 3pm I was on the park walking the dog and by time I got home my husband was home. As he relaxed I then cooked a leek & potato soup - from scratch not from a tin!! - baked a loaf of bread (OK in the bread maker) and then cooked pie and mash for tea (not homemade pie - just a frozen one) by the time tea was done I was knackered and spent the evening writing the remaining Christmas cards so they could all be posted/given out tomorrow.

Phew - I was quite proud of myself today!

Day 1 - went well but could have done better

Yesterday was my first full day as a housewife.
Well OK - I have sat on my arse feeling sorry for myself for the past two weeks and wondering what was going to happen and stressing about various different aspects of life. But in order to make things better for myself and stop wallowing in self pity I need to get some sort of a routine and motivate myself. So Monday 14th December I decided would be the day I had to report for duty in my new career.

After walking the dog I decided to have a shower to start the day. Once out of the shower I got to work with the towels still wrapped round me. I cleaned every inch of our bathroom!!! I scrubbed and polished, dusted and cleaned everything in there including sorting out both the bathroom cabinets and throwing away those shampoo bottles with a tiny bit left in!! I then finished off with mopping the floor. I stood at the doorway admiring my work. Even if I do say so myself the room was sparkling! I can't remember the last time I had job satisfaction as I did after the bathroom. WHen my husband came home he told me he was impressed that the bathroom was spotless!! Praise from the boss and job satisfaction!

The rest of the day was spent sorting washing out, cleaning the kitchen and dining room - then I sat at the newly cleared table and wrote all our Christmas cards, and embarrassingly I also wrote all the Thankyou cards that we still have not sent out since our wedding in May this year. Yes, I am very ashamed - but now they are all written and awaiting my husband to put his pawprint on them all then they can all be stamped and put in the postbox!!

Tea was ready by the time my husband arrived home from work and then I spent the evening relaxing and watching the soaps = well that's what everyone else does after a day at work isn't it????