Speriment
It turns out, right, that living in squalor is really not where I want to be.
But all our housekeeping mechanisms broke down in the onslaught of 2009 (the construction of the south wing) and the early part of 2010 (my vitamin B12 deficiency), and they're only just beginning to come back.
I still feel at sea. So I'm going to take a leaf out of ailbhe's book and start by keeping track, every so often, on a haphazard schedule and without rigid criteria, of the stuff I do.
I think it may help, at least to pinpoint what's getting done, what areas of work are "mine", what's being neglected, and so on.
Here's today's:
* Breakfast for self, Oyster and Feaster
* Clear breakfast, wipe honey off surfaces
* Empty dishwasher
* Run bath, put Oyster and Feaster in bath while I shower
* Wash down shower
* Clip 20 fingernails (Oyster, Feaster) and 20 toenails (Feaster, me)
* Wash children's hair, towel them off
* Wipe down filthy dusty kid loo seat (has been sitting on shelf for at least 18 months)
* Supervise two peeing attempts (Feaster)
* Dress self, find clothes for children
* Strip peed-upon bed
* Dress Feaster, help dress Oyster
* Open post
* Address choked kitchen, fill dishwasher
* Put load of washing on (from rucksack that came home with us yesterday)
* Nip to Superquinn for essentials (alone(!) after K arrived)
* Scrape out and wash grill pan (yuck)
* Grill pig for lunch
* Change garden-puddle-soaked Feaster (shoes, socks, trousers, and incidentally nappy)
* Serve (rudimentary, unappetising, bleagh) lunch to self, two boys, and K [NB: O got himself pecan nuts]
* Take clean washing out of machine, put second load on (from rucksack and downstairs basket)
* E-mail patchwork admin person about weekend workshop for which I need requirements list
* Bring Oyster to music class, wait outside, bring him home
* Change Feaster's dirty nappy
* Bring basket of used nappies to the bin
* Clear lunch, finish filling dishwasher and run it
That brings us to 17:25ish, when I started writing this. I may come back later and update when I've done some more.
Update:
* Clean washing out of machine, third load on (kitchen cloths and a sheet that got muddy on the line)
* Remake Oyster's bed (stripped on foot of Feaster-pee)
* Make Feaster's bed, neaten duvets on spare bed
* Put stripped bedlinen and dirty towels in laundry basket
* Inaugurate new give-away box
Moar update:
* Make and serve dinner (spinach and poached eggs on toast, raw carrots)
* Hang out first two loads of washing
* Finish unpacking groceries and put shopping bags away
* Hang out third load of washing
* Tiny bit of kitchen clearing
There are mountains of laundry waiting upstairs, and the kitchen backlog will take a while to clear. I want to be doing things like building the new utility room shelves, but clean clothes, meals, and a usable kitchen take precedence.
Maybe I'll get to measure and mark the timber for the shelves this evening. If I can find my effing set square, dammit. I hate it when my tools go missing.
Question: Are you overwhelmed by the maintenance of your living space, or does it feel basically under control? If the latter, what are your top tips?
But all our housekeeping mechanisms broke down in the onslaught of 2009 (the construction of the south wing) and the early part of 2010 (my vitamin B12 deficiency), and they're only just beginning to come back.
I still feel at sea. So I'm going to take a leaf out of ailbhe's book and start by keeping track, every so often, on a haphazard schedule and without rigid criteria, of the stuff I do.
I think it may help, at least to pinpoint what's getting done, what areas of work are "mine", what's being neglected, and so on.
Here's today's:
* Breakfast for self, Oyster and Feaster
* Clear breakfast, wipe honey off surfaces
* Empty dishwasher
* Run bath, put Oyster and Feaster in bath while I shower
* Wash down shower
* Clip 20 fingernails (Oyster, Feaster) and 20 toenails (Feaster, me)
* Wash children's hair, towel them off
* Wipe down filthy dusty kid loo seat (has been sitting on shelf for at least 18 months)
* Supervise two peeing attempts (Feaster)
* Dress self, find clothes for children
* Strip peed-upon bed
* Dress Feaster, help dress Oyster
* Open post
* Address choked kitchen, fill dishwasher
* Put load of washing on (from rucksack that came home with us yesterday)
* Nip to Superquinn for essentials (alone(!) after K arrived)
* Scrape out and wash grill pan (yuck)
* Grill pig for lunch
* Change garden-puddle-soaked Feaster (shoes, socks, trousers, and incidentally nappy)
* Serve (rudimentary, unappetising, bleagh) lunch to self, two boys, and K [NB: O got himself pecan nuts]
* Take clean washing out of machine, put second load on (from rucksack and downstairs basket)
* E-mail patchwork admin person about weekend workshop for which I need requirements list
* Bring Oyster to music class, wait outside, bring him home
* Change Feaster's dirty nappy
* Bring basket of used nappies to the bin
* Clear lunch, finish filling dishwasher and run it
That brings us to 17:25ish, when I started writing this. I may come back later and update when I've done some more.
Update:
* Clean washing out of machine, third load on (kitchen cloths and a sheet that got muddy on the line)
* Remake Oyster's bed (stripped on foot of Feaster-pee)
* Make Feaster's bed, neaten duvets on spare bed
* Put stripped bedlinen and dirty towels in laundry basket
* Inaugurate new give-away box
Moar update:
* Make and serve dinner (spinach and poached eggs on toast, raw carrots)
* Hang out first two loads of washing
* Finish unpacking groceries and put shopping bags away
* Hang out third load of washing
* Tiny bit of kitchen clearing
There are mountains of laundry waiting upstairs, and the kitchen backlog will take a while to clear. I want to be doing things like building the new utility room shelves, but clean clothes, meals, and a usable kitchen take precedence.
Maybe I'll get to measure and mark the timber for the shelves this evening. If I can find my effing set square, dammit. I hate it when my tools go missing.
Question: Are you overwhelmed by the maintenance of your living space, or does it feel basically under control? If the latter, what are your top tips?