Tuesday Tornado

[Ramblinrose]

Harmony...
You may not be formally trained, but you sure are one of the most smartest women I know. And you sure are no dunce. You are wise and head smart and that makes you number one by me

[lucylee]

DAY TWO of doing The Right Stuff first is a mixed bag.
I did s2s first thing, before ever stepping out of the bathroom.
After that, I sorta started spinning my wheels.
Literally, for that matter -- I went to the post office, then came home and looked at the magazine our electric company sends out each month...
Ate and ate and ate... for no apparent reason... so now I'm having that sugar-slump and feeling kinda like I want to go back to sleep.
I did do a quick s/s of the bathrooms.

I WILL NOT DO THAT, however... but I'm struggling to get my day planned.
First of all, I had thought I would vacuum while dh was playing golf... and I still may do that... but so much else is jostling for space in my head.
Maybe writing it down will help.

I need to/want to
[ ] finish laundry
[ ] do Bible reading
[ ] spend time in bedroom zone * question about this later
[ ] go to Wmart to get glasses repaired * found them in floorboard of SUV with one lens lying there beside them
[ ] look for some "dressy" pants at Wmart or maybe Cato, in shopping area next to Wmart
[ ] call dmom

ZONES
I'm trying to follow our zones here this round. I didn't seem to make much progress doing it my way, so I thought, what the heck? Do it THEIR way. And I made myself a card with the zones listed and numbers 1-4 beside them, to keep up with each one as I went through the year, so I'd see if one was being seriously neglected.
The question is -- I don't see how I can do justice to the bedrooms if I lump them all three together in one week.
And maybe I need another card to keep up with which one I work in and how much? But y'all see where this is headed -- I could spend days just playing with cards and trying to get the PERFECT list written down. It took three tries to do this master zone card. And it is lacking something b/c it doesn't have dates on it, LOL.

My house is like this:
Back entry/laundry, closet
Kitchen
Dining
Baby room (ds's old bedroom), closet
Bathroom connecting two bedrooms, closet
Guest room, closet, hallway, closet
Study, closet
Front entry, closet
Den,
Master bedroom, two closets
Master bath, two closets
Computer room, two closets
PLUS
Carport
Large front porch
Patio
Two-story detached garage (pool table upstairs)

Dividing all this into 11 areas is a problem for me.
I don't want to sound like we live in some kind of mansion, but we do have a lot of square footage. There is nothing fancy about our house at all, but we were so cramped in the rental house we lived in when we first married, that we went overboard when designing this one. Of course, we have filled it up too, now, and I guess if we had one twice as big, the clutter would expand to fill it too.
The kitchen/dining/den area is semi-open -- there are no doors between any of them, but there is a hallway that divides the areas from each other, and the kitchen cabinets provide separation of that area. The dining area & guest room never need much attention at all, but I can easily spend an hour in any other room, if I do "focused" vacuuming/dusting, etc. -- so -- lumping "baby" room together with master bedroom seems kinda overwhelming. And that doesn't even mention what if I decided I needed to wash all the bed linens, etc. I can't remember when I washed curtains, for that matter. * sheesh *
Harmony -- I saw your posts in the decluttered home thread, I think, and I am nodding in agreement. It is so difficult for dh and myself to get on the same page re: decluttering. It is easy to see how we raised a borderline-hoarder... shaking my head. That closet in the study? There is no way I would EVER venture into THAT territory. It is packed completely full with sports programs, teaching materials that date back to the 70s, who knows WHAT all dh has packed into it???


But before I get myself really overwhelmed, I'm going to organize that list for today, above, and get started on SOMETHING.
As blessed keeps saying, even 15 minutes will be more than I would have done otherwise.
I will
* start laundry
* do Bible reading
* do 15 minutes minimum in baby room
* go to Wmart

[blessedw2]

I don't do my house blessing like a lot of people - I will share that later

I also do a once a day toss (I could never do the toss a bag a day because it would make all of us uncomfortable)- de-junk - declutter except Saturday, Sunday and holidays : a pencil, a piece of paper until it got easier - it is still hard but it is getting easier even for dh. Some one said start out small and it becomes easier. today I got rid of a magazine that's all but it was something.

zone: 10 - 15 minutes (no weekends any more unless I feel like it) - remember the all or nothing thinking is really hard on ones thinking.
A zone is a whole week - but those 15 minutes or ten minutes over time does build up. don't be so hard on yourself. You are out of your home a lot - doing so much for so many - it's okay.

A MUST FOR SIDETRACKED PEOPLE LIKE ME: A TIMER - look at diane in denmark when she is in a zone

example for me for my bedrooms (because they became a problem)

this was my beginning re: bedroom zones

Monday - 15 minutes in our bedroom (I use my timer because many times it takes less time than I think or more time than I think (which means I am being too hard on myself)
Tuesday - when dd younger isn't here 15 minutes in that room
Wednesday - dd olders room 15 minutes
(Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: vacuum, surface swiffer dust, wipe windows, swiffer dust the doors and woodwork trim (they won't get clean overnight - the dust does not build overnight)
thursday: put clutter into a put away box that you can run to once a day and do 5 minutes of put away

I will say when I first started I had to do a major garbage and dishes run but now that[b] I/dd younger/or dh check for garbage and dishes daily it takes so much less time. [/b]

I do the zones of 15 minutes in designated areas harriets. (sometimes I only get 10 to 15 minutes in - today I did 2 - 15 minutes)
this week: bedrooms (our zone areas) - haven't done because my family room needed it more) I do not do Saturday or Sunday anymore. Sometimes I only do one 15 minutes in a week but I pay for it later on with frustration.

this week FL Front room/Family room

Later after you go through your zone the next 2 times you may be ready for the heavy duty stuff

in the back of my card file I keep all my heavier work zone cards rubber banded together - kitchen with kitchen, etc. I pull out the packet from (this week) I look through and see what I think I can get done during the week. If you look at the zone thing you can see that 15 minutes one day and another day during the week add up to 30 minutes of work etc.

A plus: remember when you enter that room - say to take a shower -
1. don't let an item (say a wet towel) out of your hands until it gets to where it belongs - we have a wire basket for towels (after everyone hangs up their towels to dry on the hook).
2. I grab some clutter (one thing or two while my shower heats up and put it where it belongs.
3. when you leave the room (everyone of my born organized family and d friends have given me the same tip - so it must work) look back and see if you left something out.

Do I like doing this stuff - not at all - it goes against my free nature but I know I suffer with embarrassment and frustration if I don't do anything (I used to say Like normal people... I suffered from chaos all the time and that isn't fun! I don't like the consequence that happens when I live like a gypsy out side of my home. I have a ball but then I don't want to come home. When my uncle and d mom in law was sick and dd younger needed me or summer comes my zones go out the window but that's okay- I get back to them (lol eventually)

[blessedw2]

home again. I stopped at home de pot and was not happy they got rid of the knobs (I bought last year) and had to get one knob (that kind of matched but not). I bought the one to have the drawer workable again but won't get all new knobs until I paint that room - (then I will get a couple extra just in case)
I bought number stickers for our address for our compost bin - it disappeared last year and suddenly showed up again in spring.

I am going into the garage for 10 minutes (part of my daily round robin) Monday through Friday where I touch one room/outdoor spot at least once every 4 weeks. done - swept stairs and swept that area and threw out the debris from that part (hasn't been done since Fall) - rinsed stair - not great but got some of the crust off from winter. swept where dh's car is usually.

hope you are having a great day.

More animal routines done.

[Ramblinrose]

I don’t have a set schedule anymore, although I do still follow what I did for so many years doing P&P.

My house is 2430 square feet. In my younger years I would attack the entire house on Thurs. Laundry as well. Now because I am so regular with removing footprints my home is easier to keep up with. If I take something out, I put it away when I’m finished. And since I spent a week last year reorganizing all my closets and drawers the house ends up looking great. Finding the proper home for every thing has made an enormous difference in my home.

I knew when I planted my flowers I would clean my patio and furniture. Temputures are changing and I need to switch closets... that usually takes me a half a day. Not ready to do it yet but as I wear a winter shirt and it’s been laundered I fold it up and place it in a pile on my closet floor. Cuts the time it takes me to do my closet.

My front door walkway tends to get bird droppings on it... my door is recessed and the birds hang out there so I clean it every few days, more if it looks gross. I grocery shop when I get low on produce so that’s not a set day. In the past I did it on Friday.

Now that I’m retired I don’t have a set schedule like I did in the past. If I see something that needs to be done like dusting I know I’ll need to vacuums as well cause to me they go hand in hand. I don’t completely mop my entire home every week, but I do damp mop areas that need it.

Sweetie is really good about picking up after himself and when it comes to his stuff like his office, garage or our pool he is definitely a BO so that makes my life easier. However if left on his own he would wear one set of cloths for a week and go for months without dusting nor vacuuming lol.

Learning how to use the “box” in my younger years was really such a life savor for me... just getting up in the morning with a already written plan in hand taught me well.

[Nancy]

Back in after a walk and doing hen chores. Did a sketch of the hanging camp cooking stick that I am carving just for fun but it in my sketch bullet journal.
Did my end of month review.

[lucylee]

CI:
I've only done about 30 min vacuuming -- and not in the "zone" but just doing the main/public areas of the house. Figured I could do baby room after dh gets home and not bother him at all, but no way I could do den with him sitting there trying to watch a ballgame.
So -- so far --
[/] finish laundry -- 1st load hanging to dry, 2nd load in washer, that will finish laundry for the week -- except for the throw rug in the den. Not the "zone" but if I don't do it now, who knows when I'll get to it, and it looks rough.
[x] do Bible reading
[ ] spend time in bedroom zone * question about this later
[ ] go to Wmart to get glasses repaired * found them in floorboard of SUV with one lens lying there beside them * SEE BELOW *
[ ] look for some "dressy" pants at Wmart or maybe Cato, in shopping area next to Wmart
[ ] call dmom

Talk about side-tracked... this sounds just like something from P&P's book:

Go to closet for vacuum
Think -- this closet is ridiculous, that baby carseat needs to go to thrift store
Think -- I could hang up that casserole carrier that is sitting in the carseat
Hammer a nail in the wall, hang up casserole carrier
Take another nail and hang up picture in kitchen that has been propped on countertop forever
Go back to closet
Think -- that child's lawn chair needs to go to the outbuilding for future trip to the dump
Go to the key holder by the back door
Think -- Oh My Goodness -- I have lost that key --
Go outside -- try key that I know is not the right one --
Go to dh's dresser... key not there
Search purse (which sits below key holder) ... key not there
Find lens from sunglasses which I had given up for permanently lost long time ago
Put that lens with lens from regular glasses that I plan to carry to Wmart later
Think -- I was wearing jacket when dgs and I went to pool room last
Search jacket pocket... find key
Think -- I'm not going back outside now, laundry needs to be flipped
Hang up jeans and shirts
Get another load
Start second load
Get vacuum, vacuum main areas of house

Now... to flip second load of laundry, put vacuum in baby room, and go to Wmart. * whew *

[blessedw2]

rah rah rah d lucy, d nancy and d rose

d rose

Laundry as well. Now because I am so regular with removing footprints my home is easier to keep up with. If I take something out, I put it away when I’m finished. And since I spent a week last year reorganizing all my closets and drawers the house ends up looking great. Finding the proper home for every thing has made an enormous difference in my home.

wonderful!

[blessedw2]

20 minutes in laundry room - missed it yesterday as I did not have energy
painted a a piece of trim as it was looking really bad.

spoke to d neighbour who lost her sweet mom the other day.

going to go to project area and work on wallpaper.

when I cook dinner I will do my weekly blessing (small one) in the kitchen

[Harriet]

I can't understand how I just lost a post.

But, I think I said... ...

Our little tornado was here for first 6 hours of the day.

During which I still got morning dailies.

HRH came home with oriental take-out and I had a small meal.

I made out the church deposit and took it to bank, skimming through the healthy-foods-store near that branch. Got a more substantial meal from their cafeteria-style area.

At one point I thought tomorrow might be my Rudolph Day this month but HRH is hoping we can go together to home improvement store, so it may be put off even more.