I got up a bit earlier this morning to clear the utility room so that our new boiler could be installed. The engineers from Drips Plumbing & Heating spent the whole day removing the old boiler and installing the new one. They did a fantastic job and due to lockdown rules etc., we just left them to it and stayed out of their way when they had to bleed the radiators etc.
Turning the gas off was a challenge
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Our gas boiler packed up last night and whilst we knew that it was probably on its way out anyway, due the noises it was making over the last couple of weeks, we didn’t think it would grind to a halt at the coldest time of the year.
Thankfully the plumber/heating engineer who renovated our en-suite a few months ago was available to come round at lunchtime today to have a look at it. To cut a long story short we need a new boiler as our one is so old you can’t get parts for it anymore. He’s ordered a new boiler for us and will install it on Wednesday this week. We’re lucky and very grateful that he can fit us in so quickly.
So, we have a couple of days where we have to find ways to keep warm. I’m used to being cold during the working day as my office is in the conservatory; however, the rest of the family aren’t used to it. Here are some ways that we’re going to try and keep warm over the next couple of days:
Continue readingSince starting The Organised Mum Method (TOMM) for tackling my cleaning three weeks ago, I’ve been religiously ticking off my tasks on the #teamtomm app and getting a smiley face at the end of the day. As mentioned in my last post the method includes daily tasks as well as cleaning set rooms Monday to Thursday. There is also a Friday focus where one room (on an eight week rotation) gets a deep clean. Last week the focus was bathrooms.
The bathroom checklist included some tasks that (embarrassingly) I hadn’t done for a while. I couldn’t start on them until Friday evening as I was working late; however, it was actually a light relief (after sitting down at my desk all day) to be scrubbing the window sill, window, floor to ceiling tiles, shower attachment and shower screen. I threw away so many empty and unused toiletry bottles away. It was very satisfying and took my mind off the challenging week I’d had at work. Later in the evening I had a bath and it felt wonderfully clean and the bathroom smelt fresh.
That was just the main bathroom, so I set myself a target to tackle the other bathrooms over the weekend by using the other feature of TeamTomm… the bootcamp section. This has no time limit.
Continue reading“Progress is one of the most motivating feelings for the human mind. You need to have some way to visualise that; some way to see that you’re progressing.”
James Clear, on Dr Chatterjee’s Feel Better Live More podcast #145
Just wanted to jump on here and update you on my current home projects for this year which are going really well and making me feel quite calm and organised. In the past, I’m not sure if I would have used both of these words in the same sentence, but that just goes to show how I’m feeling right now.
By writing down in words the progress I have made to date it’s definitely going to help me to feel more motivated.
Project 1: Cleaning
I have been using The Organised Mum Method (TOMM or #teamtomm) for cleaning since Monday 4 January (I can hear a cheer from Vikki Thompson – selfcare365 😀 as I know she’s been using the same method but has been doing it for a lot longer than me).
Cleaning is something we all need to do whether we like it or not, but in the past I’ve focused on the tidying up and decluttering rather than the cleaning. I never really had a routine; I’ve tried but always given up with it. For this reason, I decided to start an already established routine and TOMM is working for me.
I will be treating cleaning as a project for a couple of months and then once embedded it will become a way of life. Certain areas haven’t had my attention for a while and I need to get them under control. Every day has daily tasks that need to be done as well as certain rooms getting done on certain days. All rooms including the outdoor areas are also on an eight week rotation.
Being only on day 13 at the moment, with more focused cleaning on Fridays, it’s only the lounge and the kitchen that have had the most attention so far (although I have used her Bootcamp section of the app to do additional cleaning in other rooms). This should mean that after a couple of months I will be able to relax a bit more… I hope.
The TOMM app costs £4.99 but it was well worth it just to see the smiley face telling me that I’ve done my cleaning for the day. The weekends are also pretty free because you only have to do the 15 minute light clean each day. This keeps the weekends free for my other projects, and to rest.
As at yesterday I am on a 12 day streak (yeah!)…
… and apart from the hard work of cleaning the kitchen kickboards last night so that I could tick it off the app, it’s not been too bad. I had to get on my hands and knees and scrub and it certainly was a workout in itself!
How can I see that I’m progressing? I’m able to track my progress on the app. The highlight for me so far is that everyone in the house has noticed how clean the main areas are looking and I am so up to date with the washing (and this includes towels and sheets). There have been days where I have actually had to go looking for some washing (e.g. bathroom mats) in order to tick the task off the app. I really don’t think that will be necessary going forward as I may just give myself a day off washing once a week or use that time to do come decluttering of clothes. Now, that’s an idea!
Project 2: A Year to Clear
I mentioned Stephanie Bennett Vogt’s book Your Spacious Self quite a few times during my decluttering blogs last year (click here to see the post that sums up my 2020 decluttering challenge). When I discovered that she had two other books I researched which one I should read next and ordered a copy of A Year to Clear. I made a start on this at the beginning of the month and it has been a life changer so far. It’s also achievable to read and absorb the day’s contents as it’s only a half to one page each day. Sometimes I want to read more, but instead I spend that time making notes and draw my interpretation of the day’s message – example below from day 2.
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I had no idea when I wrote the post Thirteen Days in Decluttering Mode last year, that it’s more difficult to clear the clutter when you’re not balancing it with lots of self-care.
I got better at the self-care towards the second half of last year; however, I was still crazy busy all the time. This year has been very different in terms of making sure that I have ample time for myself every day.
Stephanie Bennett Vogt has taught me a lot in her book A Year to Clear which I’m working through this year in an attempt to eliminate more of the clutter. On day 13 of the book she says…
Compassion is the feel good principle of clearing. When we feel safe, supported, and good we are more likely to let go.
A Year to Clear, Stephanie Bennett Vogt
Whether you are struggling to clear the clutter, or just busy all of the time, have a think about how you can add more self-care into your day.
Until next time…
Sandra
We’ve done loads to the house lately in terms of renovation and decorating but sometimes it’s the little changes that make me smile the most.
As I took the tea towels out of the dryer today and folded them up, I thought about the basket I organised the other day and it made me smile.
I used to just roughly fold up the tea towels and throw them in the basket, as I didn’t think I had time to do anything better than that. The basket got filled up quickly causing an overflow situation which meant that the spare tea towels got left on the side.
Now I just fold them lengthways twice, roll them flat and pop them in the basket. I was shocked that the small basket was able to hold 15 tea towels, and this whole process gave me the opportunity to take out the older looking ones and use them as rags.
As I said, it’s the little things 😀.
Until next time…
Sandra
In an attempt to get through the stack of jigsaws taking up space in my house (so that we can see which ones we want/don’t want to keep), I got out the second jigsaw so far this year. We started the first 1000 piece one on New Year’s Day (Starting the New Year With a Jigsaw) which only took us around 3-4 days.
This zodiac jigsaw was one that I received from my mum and dad in 1979 when I was just a 10 years old (I’d written my name and the year on both sides of the lid of the box 😊). You might wonder why I still have it… well, my mum and dad are like me, they keep things and they gave it to me with a bunch of books and other memories a year or so ago. I think it was on one of those socially distanced days out to see them in Herne Bay last year.
As we’d only just put the other jigsaw away a day or so ago, I didn’t think that the rest of the family would want to do another one so soon. How wrong was I? No sooner had I tipped the pieces onto the table, they gathered round to make a start on sorting the edges from the middle bits; however, this jigsaw was very different to the standard ones. It was round for a start and had different sections and it was quite difficult to get the edges to stay together at first. They almost lost interest.
We all persevered and actually had quite a bit of fun, and you’ll never guess what… we finished it within a few hours. All 499 pieces of it! That’s right, it had a piece missing, but as the jigsaw is 41 years old, I’m not sure if we’ll find it now 😂.
So, the questions is… should I keep the jigsaw or get rid of it? I can’t give it away with a piece missing… or can I?
Until next time…
Sandra
