End of October

Once again it has been a few days since I last posted. I have been super busy during that time. Hosting our Halloween party. It was a great evening, I must say I was very proud of myself and how everything turned out, I did all the decorating and cooking myself and it was brilliant. The next morning everything was down and tidied away, my house getting back to normal. I still need to press forward on a few things, the items that were moved during the party need to be put back and A's drawers need a bit of tlc were her clothes havent been put away quite so well, but overall it has been fairly easy to keep ontop of it all, and thats with the school half term and being ill too.

Mid week

Its Wednesday today, a few days since I last posted.
Its getting all exciting here, I'm getting prepared to decorate for Halloween. Allthe deorations are down and I'm making plans to put them up next week. The Halloween party is next friday evening. I have a gazebo and tent to erect and decorate too. Its good to be having things to focus on. The house is coping well, its not so easy to clean when decorations are added to spaces and walls. I re-arranged A's room yesterday, vacuumed loads of beads from under her bed. I am thankful though as she tries really hard to keep her room clean.

Being community spirited

I love our village, I just wished there was more of a community spirit. Today my two girls and I went daffadil bulb planting in the village as part of a community project. We had great fun, only apart from the organisers there was only myself and one other family joined in, the other family was my dear friend I run the baby and toddler group with. How can you belong to a great community when there is no spirit. I joined the FOMS, friends of Manea school on wednesday to get more involved with the primary school that my eldest goes to and the my youngest will also, thats another ten years of being involved. I thought the best way was to get in there and become part of the team. Yet, only 1% of the intire school parenting population turned up. Thats such a let down, it seems that its a rarity to have pride in your community and your home. Why would anyone want to live in squaller and not care about the area they live in. What joys are there in life then? I do not know the answer to that and Iam glad I dont, I'm glad that we join in wth the activities and try new things, I am glad my home looks precious from the outside and people comment on its appearence. I care and I'm glad it show. So, Take pride in where you are and help in as many ways as you can. It will make the difference to so many people.

Keeping on track

I had a easy day yesterday. It was my weigh in and then lunch at the cafe, by the time I got home it was time to do the school run. This is why I love to keep on top of, it means I can have a day off and not worry. I had a load of laundry that didn't get dry and I will have another load to wash today and seeing as rain is forecast I will use to dryer today. I would hate to get behind on the laundry. Today I will be in waiting for a parcel (if the post office is not on strike) and with that will get caught up and have all the doors washed down. Its a challenge from the Happy Housewives club. I love that site, so many caring women, I've never met any of them, chances are I never will, but that doesn't mean we cant help each other. I love the feeling of everyone having pride in their homes and families, its refreshing.
There is something I would really like to do. Classes. Classes in how to keep house, showing people, mainly teenage girls, different parts of how to keep it looking great. Simple things like making beds (yes, there I go again) how to do laundry, (no girls, you can not just lob it all in and hope for the best). I think it would be a lot of fun to do. Highly impossible for me but a lovely thing to think of. Yet, I think it would be a handy class to attend myself. There is so much I don't know, I am learning, I read and ask the HHWC girls, I am managing my home so much better now. They should bring back a better Home Economics curriculum at school.

Weekend fun

I enjoyed myself so much yesterday, its funny how great doing the housework can make you feel. The house looked brilliant yesterday so when Andrew phoned to say some friends were coming over I took it in my stride, no rushing around and hiding things, just a quick check on the bathroom, make sure there is enough toilet roll and a spare nearby if needed, no problems there. I'd just brought some fresh flowers when I went shopping and displayed them in a lovely clear vase. The only thing that was not as I would have liked was G's bed, I'd just washed all her linen (bed linen day remember) and her cot bed things were not dry, but that's hardly a problem in the grant scheme of things. (I was able to remedy this at nappy changing time).
I was highly embarrassed at some points though, the compliments ( I think they were compliments) on how clear and clean the kitchen was and how organised the house was were repeated regularly, I struggled to take them well, I mainly replied, "Thank you, its sometimes hard work but I love it" I have minimal to do today, Sunday lunch is at my grandparents house today so even that's something I will not need to worry about today, leaving me to do the lunches for Monday and the school uniform. Sounds a delightful end to a lovely weekend. We hope to entertain again next weekend, I hope that it goes as well as yesterday.

Hard work pays off.

When you have worked so hard to keep the home as perfect as you can its lovely to see something that makes it all worth while. The praise from someone can make a big difference. The biggest boost is the boost to yourself. I know that somethings seem a little crazy and boarder on obsessiveness, but its how I want to keep things, I want to be guest ready at any time, not making excuses for the whys and why nots. I want my family to be able to enjoy the space and all the nice things they have, they would not be able to do that in a mess. I know I need to still do things with my home, the organising of some parts and the being ruthless when it comes to getting rid of things. The best thing today was my daughter saying that she'd picked up all her toys so I could vacuum while she was at school. She also wanted to watch perfect housewife before she left, maybe that is slightly worrying but I think if she sees that living like this is so much better than living in a mess and in a dirty home. I did clean the notice board up too, all the important bits put away and the rubbish mainly recycled. I emptied my baking cupboards out, gave it a wipe and a clean before only putting the good things back in. Its easy for a space like that to get untidy, bags split and flour spills, so its nice to clear it all out. I also now know that apart from the beds tomorrow big day will be much easier.

When the day gets taken away

Thursdays are usually quite busy for us as a family, I run the baby and toddler group in the morning and usually meet up with friends in the afternoon and today a dance class was added into it for the after school routine. So what does that mean for the housework. Well, nothing, my routine stays the same, just gets done quicker and earlier. Keeping on top of the housework really helps when a days grace is needed. Dinner is normally a simple affair, this evening it was oven chips, baked beans and chicken breast. Doesn't sound overly nutritious but everyone has a good breakfast and lunch, this one meal really wont hurt to have. A fantastic DVD arrived for me today, the Perfect Housewife season 2, its 3 discs with a Christmas special too, I am looking forward to watching some, it really inspires me. Looking up now though I do notice that I need to tidy up the notice board. Funny how just taking the time to look around can help to see things differently.

Shopping for your home.

I love to participate in a bit of home bonding, I do it everyday while cleaning and taking care of the home, the extra bit is the part I love. Shopping for the pieces that go in my home, decorating a room and dressing it. A few of my favourite real shops are Dunelm Mill http://www.dunelm-mill.com/ Next http://www.next.co.uk/shopping/homeware/ and others, even Tesco and other supermarkets do some lovely things to add to your home. Its not something that I do (or can do) very often but its something I love to browse and take ideas from. We have only decorated the hall and stairway and the living room since we moved in, a few additions are still needed I think but they are fabulous rooms as they are. The next room I'd like to do would be the kitchen, I feel the bathroom and the kitchen are the two most important rooms in the home, as they are both concerned with cleanliness and organisation. Which leads me to thinking about how to decorate and dress the kitchen, our new dining table and chairs should be here by the end of October, oak and brown leather, currently the kitchen is a terracotta colour but I am not over keen on it, but I am not sure yet which way to take it, it must look clean and be fresh and bright. Maybe a nice cream with the colour coming from the accessories. There is one blank wall completely where the heater (unused) runs, I wanted to remove this heater but we have to think along the lines of the benefits when it comes to reselling, which means that I need to work around this, the table goes along that wall too which practically masks it. I think a nice trip to research ideas and colours is needed, a trip to the diy store to collected the latest colour charts and an in depth research outing for the accessories. A well decorated and thought out room gives the area a better feel and boosts pride in the home.

Menu planning.

I do my food shopping on a sunday (I find that this keeps the lunch box foods fresher) and then make weekly menus. If anyone has something they would like this can be worked in, if we have a school friend over that is added to. Its something that makes life that bit easier. Everyone knows what we have having for dinner each night, its easier for me to prepare everything, to defrost foods and to organise my time. It helps to keep the freezer and cupboards rotated and the foods used. The shopping list and the weekly menu work very well together. It saves so many "what are we having" "what would you like" conversations. I'm also blessed in having a small dishwasher, its a slimline one but it really helps to get the dishes sorted out. Everyone can load it and its so simple to just slide a plate or a cup in. I love an organised kitchen, granted my baking cupboard needs a little more help and I do not have the space sorted out for all the pans yet, but I will, it will all come together soon. Its all part of being a homemaker, its impossible to do it all in one go but it is always possible to make changes. Of course there are days when I just think my kitchen is too small, not enough storage, not enough natural light loads of things I can often dislike, but then I think of how lucky I am to be able to have the things I do in my kitchen (although I am still missing a coffee maker!). Its about making the most of what you have and getting it organised.

My day Monday

Today is my day, I go to my slimming world meeting and then out for lunch at the local garden centres cafe. That doesnt mean I dont do anything, I have two children and a husband, doing nothing is never an option. As soon as I was up the beds were made the upstairs vacuumed and the bathroom cleaned. A load of washing was put on and breakfast served. It makes me happy that the rooms are clean and tidy before I go out. It means less stress for later on when I get home too.