Chickafinty ~ A Life in the Laundry

Ducks in a row? Check.

I'm am exeriencing something extremely new and unfamiliar.

All my ducks are in a row.  Not some of the ducks occasionally, but all the ducks consistently.

It feels wrong.  This has never, ever, ever happened in my life more than once a decade, and I don't quite know how to deal with it.

Example #1

The Accountant and the Tax Return.

Every year I dread the end of the financial year.  There is always a panic over a missing document or three...the group statement or the NIB paperwork, the dividend certificates or the medical receipts...sometimes all four...are missing.  Thereby follow several days of sifting through piles of paper looking for the document/s.  Generally speaking I end up on the phone or the internet trying to find copies of the necessary pieces of paper.

Not this year.

For the first time in at least 10 years (possibly longer) our returns were done in August.  Not January or March, but August.

When it came time to leave for the appointment, I picked up the folder marked TAX 08-09 and everything as in there.

No panic, no alarm, no worry, just quiet, calm preparedness.

It felt good, but wrong.

Example #2

Taking Gyspy to the Vet

I had to go alone with the kids as Mister Bear was at a conference.  I found Gypsy's lead with no problems.

I found Gypsy's paperwork without panic...put my hands right on it actually.

We got to the vet.  Gypsy was dealt with and I remembered to order more pills for Mandy.

No fuss, no panic, no worry, no stress.

It didn't feel right.

Example #3

The Fundraising Car Wash

We had a car wash yesterday for GFS to raise money for camp.  As a teacher at GFS I had quite a few responsibilities and a lot of things to organise/bring including baking 160 odd cookies for the tea and coffee stand, the mini vacuum cleaner in case anyone wanted the inside of their car done and the advertising material supplied to church for two weeks prior to the car wash.

EVERYTHING that I was responsible for got done.  We went to the carwash and I didn't forget to take ANYTHING that was relevant for the car wash.

There was no last minute panic.  There was no last minute run to the shops.  We arrived on time and with everything we needed.

It feels wrong, but it's the nicest kind of wrong I've ever experienced.

Dot Point

• school going well, especially in the reading department

• have too many books on my "must read aloud to the kids" list...at this rate I'll still be reading out loud when they're grown-ups.

• the laundry is (partly) under control

• the ironing is not

• neither is the folding

• I don't want to be 40 and fat.  I've got 13 months to do something about it.

• am supposed to be getting a new outfit for a wedding in 9 days time...am not feeling strong enough at the moment to cope with changeroom mirrors

• can't work out when I began the slide from slightly untidy to Stage One in three rooms and stage 2 in one room (yes, it's cryptic, no, I'm not going to explain)

• have come to a sudden realisation that this is NOT normal.  So how come it's acceptable.

• I need to stop whining and do something about it.

• The computer needs to go off for a season

Worth celebrating anyway

Homemade lunches 5/5

Homemade dinners 4/5

Homemade desserts 4/5

Take away dinners 1/5 (due to grocery shopping taking forever and it was too late to cook anything)

Take away desserts 0/5

Bills paid 5/5

*other* spending since payday $0...ok, so it's only been 48 hours, but that's still huge for us!!

So, it's not much and at face value hardly worth celebrating, but man alive, in the context of the way things have been for months, it's HUGE.

You have to start somewhere.  Embracing the inner sloth has been costly in more ways than one.  I'm not feeding or cherishing him anymore and one day life migth become so uncomfortable that he'll just push off for good.

Yeah.  Right.

Today the kitchen - Tomorrow...the world!!

I'm starting over everywhere.

Last night I planned a full week of menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Today I'll do some baking for snacks, morning and afternoons teas etc.

I'm cleaning out the fridge and starting anew there and in the pantry.  Anything that we're not going to eat can go in the Anglicare bin at church.

I cleaned out the cutlery drawer in the kitchen as it was getting a bit grotty.  Have been putting it off for months and months.  It took (I kid you not) less than 10 minutes, start to finish, including washing up and drying the cutlery tray.

The saucepan and tupperware cupboards had better watch out...they are next in my sights.  The wobbly handled saucepan is for the chop for starters.

Am feeling renewed and re-energised.

Preparing the schoolroom I

1. clean bathroom

2. clean toilet

3. ironing

4. folding

5. laundry

6. ironing

7. folding

8. laundry

9. lather, rinse, repeat

10. bins

11. vacuuming

12. mop floors

13. deChristmas

14. plan for Preparing the school room II

A fabulous new find!

Long time readers will know that I have long sought after the Holy Grail of home management.  I have tried many of the online organising helps, I've bought e-books on decluttering, joined homemaking forums and yahoogroups, but to no avail.  They all lacked *something* and as I couldn't define what the *something* was, I couldn't find what I wanted.

Last week at Works for me Wednesday hosted by Shannon, one of the Mr Linky's pointed me to Motivated Moms.  There, on my computer screen, was what I have been searching for.  The PERFECT home organiser.

I have bought the week to a page printable chore list and it looks fantastic.  It's downloadable and printable and cost $USD8...worked out to be about $11AUD.

Today's plan of attack

1. "stuff" out of the lounge room
2. deal with the paperwork!!
3. clean the kitchen

If I can get all of that done it will be a miracle.

A flying crisis clean

Having a 15 minute day today.  Each task lasts 15 minutes.  By the end of the day the house should be passable.  Not perfect, but passable.

A new challenge

I am cleaning the house.

Properly.

Slowly.  Oh, unbelieveably slowly.

The kitchen is nigh on done.  The laundry is also nigh on done.

Two down and ten to go.  But I'll not be beaten by it, I'm just gonna keep on keeping on.

Deep Cleaning vs Lick and Promise

For a not-unintelligent person, I sometimes take a while to get to understand simple stuff.

Flylady's jump in where you can/housework doesn't have to be perfect mantra is wonderful, but it is not a get out of cleaning the house free pass.  For the record I have only just worked this out.  I keep looking aorund the house and just seeing mess, mess, mess everywhere and I have been flying my heart out now for 6 years (said that sometimes it takes a while).  Penny dropped today.  I've been giving the house a lick and a promise for 6 years and six years of neglect can lead to a pretty icky situation.

Am in the process of rectifying this now, but it's not a quick fix.