GTFTS - a summer dilemma!

Tonight's theme has been:

I love that one of our most well-known children's show hosts is reading it. Although it does seem to have confused some conservative dills, as you can observe here.

 And there is also the enjoyable Samuel L Jackson narration.

And me? I'm going to make an effort to wear out said children tomorrow OR get them to get a daytime nap so that they indeed do Go the Fuck to Sleep!  

Today also included a hot tip about budget organising using google docs....must update later!

Happy New Year

The past weeks have been a time of celebration, but also for me, a time of great changes. Adjusting to life without my adult-life-long companion has been emotional. We've also had 2 groups of helpx backpackers now, both absolutely wonderful experiences.  And then there is a Christmas with Dad that we never expected to get, twice over during the past 12 months. And he's seen in another year, 2014 is here, and so is my Dad, against all the odds. Bless him for hanging in there for me and the children.

Today was an excellent opportunity to reflect on the changes I've made in 2013.  They are not noteworthy perhaps, to anyone but myself, and my noting them here, I may not convey the importance or relevance that I feel these changes have, but I'll give it a shot.

Today started off on the wrong foot. My husband and I were not seeing eye to eye and together were on a collision course to ruin each other's New Years Day.  So instead, as soon as we both realised the futility of trying to stay in the same place and be civilised, hubby went off to check on Dad and look after him this morning.  We've done this before, it is the perfect solution in our household to those moments of stupid bickering that lead nowhere pleasant, and fast.  Rather than  bicker, we separate and go in different directions, each doing valid constructive work, so that when we are reunited, we are both grateful to the other for their contribution and any bickering is forgotten. It works a charm.

So while hubby was gone, without interference from a second opinion I launched into a quick cleanup, with a timer from UFYH giving me some structure - cleaning each room for approximately 1/2 hour, allowing me a little time to manage children around that. In two hours I had swept downstairs, finished the Christmas present devastation cleanup and made a tiny dent in the laundry.  The important thing was that it felt good, the house felt cleaner, more loved and I felt calmer than I had in days. 

I feel we have also perfected the 'visit to Grandad' with all children now responsibly behaved in a very boring nursing home, and a habit of watching kids TV with Dad in his room. 

Beneath these changes runs the vein of having first changed my whole attitude to a single-task focus, doing one thing at a time, enjoying and living in the moment. I'm still working on it, but it does make a more hassle-free existence.

In 30 days I will mark 12 months of blogging, something I never thought would happen, I am grateful for all I have learnt from the blog this past year.

What will 2014 bring? Firstly I'd like a magical ability to make a budget from my very unrealistic finances! 

Organising tools ahoy!

Hello, a quick update today about yesterday's shopping trip to Officeworks. I was out, child-free for a change and while in Officeworks found these funky tools that I'm already getting great use from.

This little A5 zip-up folder is to put in my handbag as a portable office. I am too cheap to pay freight for FlyLady's "Office in a Bag" so I'm having a go at the version for under $10! It already has some medical bills for my Dad in it that need to be delivered to Medicare.

This groovy little sideways piece of plastic is to go on the wall beside my computer. I'm going to store current bills in it. Previously they went into piles, which grew and grew towards the ceiling. With this slender wallet on the wall there will be a limit to how many bills fit in at once, so I'll be forced to keep up to date. I really need this kind of visual reminder.

These very boring looking magazine holders are already seeing use. Back in December I photographed my cousins's sorting system where she kept these all decorated up as sorting systems for school and extra-curricular activities for children. At the moment I've already stocked 2 of them, one with my daughter's school notes, tuckshop bags, and other important documents relating to school. The second one is what I call "home and motivation" and it contains my dreams workbook, housecleaning notes and other nifty house organising references.  Once I have the system working I will decorate them and re-post.

I'm doing well with side-ways pictures today! These labels are for storage in our fridge. We are often confused about whether food has been 3 days or 5 days - which can make a difference. If we label the leftovers I figure thats one more part of life we've saved time and made easier. We both share cooking so its easier to be able to open the fridge and see whats in it. Especially good for my husband who finds it difficult to think about anything once it is inside a container unless there is a label.

And these little beauties are re-useable labels for anything. I figured my husband who loves labels can find a use for them.

What organising tools do you use?

The Big Routine - What do I need?

Vegetable gardening week has thus far been an abyssmal flop.  I did have one day of planting, and managed to acquire some cuttings of Nasturtium, that are excellent for keeping away pests.  So instead of updating on the nonexistent veggie progress, I’m taking sometime out to review my month’s blogging to see what kind of routines that have been on my mind.  Hopefully it will give me some idea of a daily cleaning routine that I can then experiment with next week.

A personalised summary of routine cleaning and organising from previous blogs shows the features my cleaning routine needs to have:

1.       Using the electronic diary in the phone for all family commitments works

2.       I like to make cleaning fun, with games, aps and fun sounding things like 27 fling boogie.

3.       I can’t clean ‘all the things’ at night late, it leads to insomnia!

4.       Focussing on one area a week works well to remind me to prioritise cleaning

5.       It would be beneficial to have regular visitors to keep a level of cleaning frenzy going

6.       Whenever possible, always leave every room brighter (eg pickup rubbish/junk) throughout every day

7.       Regularly cleanout the fridge before bin day, pay bills as soon as they arrive (I’ve had some disappear into the paper piles!), upload pictures at least monthly, send greetings quarterly.

8.       Spend at least 2 hours everyday on cleaning until the chaos is controlled.

9.       Have 2 days in a row alone in the house to clean every fortnight at least, again until it is controlled.

10.   Keep on top of my teeth and hair care to keep me feeling presentable to the world

11.   Make effort to have some ‘emergency’ supplies to be prepared for changes.

 How to apply these criteria is coming up in part 2 of the big routine!

Keeping up with correspondence and other paper issues!

Or, paper is my nemesis! I find paperwork the single biggest cluttery mess of all time. Recently, cleaning out a box that had been sitting idle for 3, yes THREE years, I managed to reconnect with a schoolfriend, who'd written me a letter and included her email address. With the wonders of facebook we were soon chatting online, just as we used to in primary school :)

Which leads me to posting about what tips and tricks I have learnt about keeping up with paperwork and correspondence. Its absolutely a work in progress, as I'm still learning!

1. My first tip is to find somewhere to store all the 'outgoing' correspondence stuff. Thats the stamps, envelopes, notepaper and cards. I love cards, and like to keep cards for all occasions on hand. A large part of my difficulty with corresponding is the sheer volume of child-unfriendly stores I need to visit to successfully send anything! Here's a pic of my storage box for correspondence. You might prefer yours labelled.


2. Write seasonal birthday greetings. I started this a few years ago, and it has been my most successful method of sending greetings yet. Instead of writing a card the week before individual birthdays, because of my organisational challenges, I send 3 months of cards at one time. I still phone or email, or whatever is normal on their birthday but at least then they also get a bit of a bright card too, because its nice to receive letters in the post. Its much easier to sit down once to write to a few friends and family than to find the time every week. You might find it perfectly easy to do weekly, or perhaps once a month is a good time. For me, its every 3 months. I know I can fit it in 4 times a year. I use a recycled Elephant Poop Calendar to keep track on a perpetual calendar for all birthdays. You can get something similar, minus the poop here. Or you can make your own, using a funky free download from the lovely Avie Designs Stationery




3. Incoming mail. I always open the incoming mail and immediately sort it into a. rubbish; b. filing and c. to pay - I no longer have a 'to read' pile, as the one I started sat 6 months unread and growing. In the minimisation effort that is my house, as I open it, into the bin, filing cabinet or 'bills' pile it goes immediately. I have even taken to paying bills when I open them in order to have all paperwork immediately in the filing cabinet or bin!


4. information from schools, doctors etc is my current disaster when it comes to paperwork. Generally these things need keeping for reference. Many people find a decorated magazine holder for each type of information e.g. school, doctor. works for them. I am beginning to go paper free - I answer school notes immediately, just like opening bills, and I use my phone's calendar to immediately enter in any important appointments or dates and even reference information so that I no longer need the note from school in its physical form.

5. Birthday cards and mementos - I have a single box at the moment for each child as their memory box. At the moment its small and plain plastic because its a relatively new addition to my organising regime. After display on the birthday, the cards go into their box. Achievements at sport go into an album, as do school reports and other school related certificates. At the moment school certificates and awards for my daughter are in a simple binder from Officeworks.