You know when you have such a busy day and you have a package for you on the side that you really want to open but you just don’t get the time? That was today for me. I’m only talking about a long pole duster but I was looking forward to trying it out and seeing how good it was.
In the package I got:
⭐2x Microfiber duster heads ⭐1 x Telescopic mast ⭐1x Brush for cleaning window ⭐1 x Adhesive Hooks
It was packaged in such a small thin box that I thought something was missing…
When I took everything out the dusters just needed fluffing up. I tried it out on some of the coving, ceilings and walls downstairs and it worked really well.
The telescopic pole is supposed to extended 100 inches but haven’t needed to extend it fully yet. I’ll check that feature out when I dust the upstairs hallway, lighting and very high window half way up the stairs.
In the middle of trying out my new duster, my daughters wanted me to play a quick game with them so I stopped. Then my husband decided to cook and needed my help. So, my duster got put on the table with its accompanying parts and then got moved again because we had to eat.
Fast forward to now… as I write this, I know that there are cardboard boxes and shopping cluttering the dining room, and the kitchen is a mess from cooking. It’s my daughter’s birthday in a couple of days so presents have been arriving, hence packaging everywhere and we have a few things left to organise.
I’m going to go out to the kitchen and clean up so that I don’t have to do it in the morning. All and all (including working a full day) it’s been a very busy but extremely productive day today.
I saw this Minky M Cloth (for glass and windows) online and it caught my attention due to the fact that you don’t need to use chemicals and it supposedly gives the windows a crystal clear finish. It was only £3 so I added it to my grocery shopping order and it arrived today.
After dinner I dampened the cloth and thought I’d just try it out on the patio door that leads into the conservatory. I was so impressed that I did all of the internal conservatory windows and the front lounge window (just rinsing one or two times in total). The picture below shows the cloth close up as well as the difference between the smeary window (right) and clean smear and streak free window (left).
Using the Mink M cloth to clean the windows
As months of dirt were lifted, the lounge and conservatory looked instantly brighter. My husband and I were so impressed. It only took me about 10-15 minutes and it was such a transformation, and the cloth was very easy and pleasant to use. Amazing invention!
Why am I making such a big deal about it?
As I cut through this clutter around the house day by day, it’s giving me clarity; however, I can sometimes still feel stuck. I can’t helping thinking that the resulting clean windows will symbolise how clearer we are going to see things as we step into the next phase… whatever that is.
In her book 10-minute Feng Shui Room by Room, Skye Alexander says…
In Feng Shui, windows symbolize eyes. Clean windows help you see things clearly. Dirty ones can cause confusion and limit your perspective.
10-minute Feng Shui Room by Room, by Skye Alexander
I will work on the rest of the windows around the house tomorrow. I might even get the girls involved.
Dusting is next
I have a new long-poled duster arriving tomorrow which can only help clear more dirt away. I really feel that the windows and the dusting could be the start of the new cleaning regime that is bubbling around in my mind. I just needed a kick start. More on that tomorrow.
I’ve been a busy bee today clearing more clutter in the spare room; doing the washing; mowing the lawn, and cooking dinner. It made me think about how much I juggle in one day.
Spare room clutter
I decided to go through two bags of old (or so I thought) makeup from my eldest daughter’s bedroom that had ended up in the spare room.
Make up to sort out
The fact that it’s all in bags in the spare room means that she’s not likely to ever get around to going through them. I did briefly ask her a couple of weeks ago and she said she didn’t want any of it. So, I thought I’d tip the entire contents all over the floor to see what was in there – I know that she’s had some good makeup as presents over the years so I thought I might find something that I might like 😀. As I tipped the bags out, I didn’t anticipate that some of the powdered containers would be open and so everything got covered including the floor (but you know how I secretly like sorting out a mess!)
A messed up mix of make up
I first put everything into categories…
Starting by categorising the make up
… and then wiped each piece down. I vacuumed that piece of floor, tidied it all up and called my daughter in to have a look.
More organised selection of makeup and nail stuff
She looked really happy and thanked me for going through it. I suspected that she would want some of the eyeshadow pallets as they were all closed up and looked practically brand new. She took the following items as they still had use left in them.
What my daughter kept
The bonus was that my youngest daughter took some of the large makeup brushes as well which also looked as good as new in the square glass pots. As she was going to use them we gave them another good clean.
I then packed up all the nail stuff and some perfume to try out for myself. The rest went into the bin.
A job well done!
Mowing the lawn
It’s amazing how just a quick mow of the lawn can make the whole garden look tidier and I didn’t even do the edges
Dinner
2 pies: 1 with diced beef (slow cooked all day) and one minced beef served with veg, mash and gravy.
It went down well and there’s enough leftover for tomorrow which is good news, as less cooking (particularly after working all day) pleases me no end.
I don’t know if it was because I was listening to Source for Happy by Mo Gawdat before going to sleep last night or because I had seven hours sleep or because it’s the weekend, but I woke up feeling really excited about the day.
Then I read on my news app that today has been named ‘Super Saturday’ by the UK media, because some lockdown rules have been relaxed. There must be a lot of people out there very happy that they can have their hair cut or go to the pub. Not us, we are going to continue with lockdown for the foreseeable future.
The weekend agenda
Everyone in the house had a different agenda today. I wanted to continue sorting out the clutter in the spare room. My husband wanted to plan the garden and couldn’t understand why I didn’t have an ideas, and the girls wanted to do a thorough clean of the eldest one’s bedroom (the hallway is full again and I’m hoping it will all be going back in her room by the end of the weekend 😀). Everything is looking good so far.
My husband decided to make a loaf of bread in the bread maker which hasn’t been used for many years. We got it out the cupboard and put it on the side last month so at least it’s getting some use now. He then made donuts with the girls whilst I was busy upstairs, and they tasted lovely with jam or ice cream.
Homemade donuts
My progress today
I spent most of the afternoon in the spare room going through bag after bag and trays of bits and bobs. I’ve actually made it to the wall, ha ha.
Bags and boxes of bits and bobs
I even found a bag of odd socks which I was sure that I’d got rid of once before, but this might be a different one. I’ve still got lots of stuff to go through and make decisions on, but I really made good progress today.
I then struggled to find something in the fridge for dinner. Sometimes it’s really hard to come up with meals day after day particularly when you don’t enjoy cooking. So, I tried to be resourceful and use things up. I cut up the remaining two chicken breasts and rolled them in egg and then breadcrumbs sprinkled with garlic pepper. I added honey to half of them and put the tray in the oven for 30 minutes.
I served them with iceberg lettuce, sliced red peppers, carrots… oh and some leftover grapes.
Today we learnt that we really need to get rid of something before it’s completely worn out. My daughter has been telling me for weeks that she needs a new chair for her desk and I kept saying ‘find one you like online and I’ll get it for you’. She couldn’t decide. This afternoon she called me upstairs laughing that she’d nearly fallen through it! She was in the middle of doing homework so I gave her an old chair that I used for my desk when I was her age (and I’m 35 years older than her). OMG I can’t believe that the chair is 35+ years old, and not really used for anything other than dumpling clothes on in our bedroom.
What to do with the old chair
Monty is currently looking after it in the upstairs hallway until we can work our how to get rid of it. The clutter starts to build after clearing it yesterday…. 😂.
Having a lie down before dinner
I didn’t have any plans for dinner this evening other than thoughts of making myself something and not worrying about anyone else, ha ha. So, I took some time out, had a lie down on my bed and downloaded Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat (recommended by a reader helenps that popped by my site today, thank you. You are my 200th follower 😊).
“Remember, happiness is the absence of unhappiness. It’s our resting state when nothing clouds the picture or caused interference. Remember, happiness is your default state”
Mo Gawdat, Source for Happy
In chapter 1 of the book the author says to pause and write down the things that make you happy. I though I’d share my list of the first things that immediately came into my head. I’m sure I could have made a longer list but I only gave myself a few minutes:
I feel happy when:
I take time out for myself *
I’ve finished work for the day
I’m writing in my journal *
I’m inspiring others through writing, coaching or just listening *
I’m having a laugh with the family
I’m singing *
I’m listening to audio books *
I’m reading and learning about a topic of interest
I’m walking
I’m eating tea and toast, tea and chocolate*, or tea and biscuits
I’m with true friends
I’m talking to my family or friends on the phone *
I’m listening to music from one of my personal playlists *
I’m dancing with my husband on a dance floor or just in the lounge *
I’m hugging my girls *
I’m listening to a meditation track *
I’m sunbathing anywhere as long as I’m not being interrupted
I’m decluttering and organising *
I’m watching a ‘feel good’ movie *
Mo Gawdat then says to highlight the ones on the list that, if you were forced to prioritise, would make you the happiest. So, I marked them with a star as above. He said that this would be a useful exercise in a later part of the book.
After listening to some of the first chapter, I decided to get up and get a takeaway because I felt that we all deserved it.
Fish and chips from the chip shop
When I got back the others had laid the table and we ate as a family. My husband had downloaded Frozen 2 so we enjoyed that together. It wasn’t as good as the first one but still good.
Enjoy the weekend everyone! I will be decluttering and clearing more space.
This beautiful handcrafted rocking horse has been in our lives for about eight years, and today it left our house in true social distancing style. We carried it downstairs this morning and I gave it a quick wipe over and took a few photos as a memory. When the couple knocked on the door, we carried it onto the driveway and after they looked it over and agreed to buy it, they took it apart and put it in their car.
I couldn’t help feeling sad, and I think the horse looked sad in the photo too. I was the only one in the family that seemed attached to it, but the space it’s left in my upstairs hallway is going to cheer me up every day. It had taken up this temporary spot for over three months since we almost sold it at the very beginning of lockdown. Before that it had lived in the spare room for many years, being moving from one side of the room to the other and collecting dust.
An important lesson
Today I learnt an important lesson… that’s it’s okay to get rid of good condition items. We should be seeing our unwanted items as clutter even though they might have many years of life left in them. I always thought that we had to use our belongings until they were old and no use to anyone. This is not the case. Today, a little girl will be enjoying the rocking horse and it will be loved by her for a while until it’s time for it to move on again.
I’ve truly lived up to the my revised wording of my challenge today, creating space in the house. The £90 that we received today is of course my daughter’s as the rocking horse was a present for her when she was seven years old. She seemed happy with that and has plans to buy something for her room.
Other progress today
As we’d moved the rocking horse, I decided to clear some other clutter from the upstairs hallway which comprised of recycling, a basket of washing and other random items. I also vacuumed the carpet.
This space is now occupied by Monty Dog (one of my daughter’s first large stuffed toys).
A place for Monty dog
I’ll never forget the day that my husband bought it. He was walking down the high street with his head poking out of the bag after telling the shop assistant that Monty needed to be able to breathe. Everyone in the house is attached to Monty, even though I’ve had to stitch his belly a few times over the years. I was going to throw him away the other day but I’ve been persuaded that he should stay. My daughter said that it didn’t feel right putting him in a bag, the exact same words that her dad had said when he bought him all those years ago. Monty seems happy on the landing; he’s no trouble there so I’ll let him stay.
There are 182 days in the first six months of the year and 184 in the second. It’s even more unbalanced when it’s not a leap year. So, with there being 366 days this year, by the end of today (1st July, day 183) I will be half way through my 2020 challenge. That’s the maths out of the way, now it’s time to move on to reflecting on the first six months…
Starting without a plan I had no particular plan when I started my challenge, I just made a decision on 1st Jan 2020 to make some sort of daily improvement around the house for 10-15 minutes a day in an attempt to shift the clutter. Most of my followers will know that I spent a lot more time than that each day because I was so determined!)
Writing By writing about my achievements daily, it has held me accountable for these changes
Teens’ rooms My decluttering rubbed off on my teenagers. It took a few months but their rooms are now tidy most of the time and I never once asked them to do it (as I felt that they were more likely to continue to keep it tidy if they did it themselves and organised things the way they wanted them)
Teens’ decorating The girls asked to paint our lounge one day in the May half term holidays (they did a great job). It also gave us the kick we needed to declutter the room as well. We also bought a lovely big house plant for the room.
Garden The garden got a lot more attention than usual, partially thanks to lockdown, and I learnt to grow plants from seed. They are doing really well. We even slept in the garden in a tent last month.
Conservatory The conservatory went from a very cluttered room full of unwanted items, to a much clearer and brighter space, with a new desk which I’ve been working at.
The kitchen The whole family got involved with decluttering the kitchen cupboards and drawers – a few cupboards still left to do.
Spare room I spent a lot of time decluttering the spare room (still so much to do there though)
Garage The garage got some attention even though I always said that it would be last on the list after the spare room. Still loads to do there too.
The second half of this year
I switched to ‘planning’ mode for a bit today in order to work out what’s left. Downstairs: This has had a lot of attention apart from the utility room and a few other kitchen cupboards. Upstairs: Our bedroom needs completely decluttering and organising, although I did make a start on my clothes just before lockdown. And then there’s the spare room which I was leaving until last, but I’ve actually spent quite a bit of time in there in the first half of the year.
I’d like to include the garage into the 2020 challenge but that all depends on how I get on with the rest of the house. I call it my cluttered hideaway at the moment; somewhere to escape. The problem is that if it’s the last place I clear then it’ll probably be winter and it won’t be as appealing to go out there. I’ll see how it goes over the summer.
Self-discipline
I need to be able to maintain my self-discipline for the rest of the year in order to achieve my goal. On Day 134 on 13th May 2020, I reworded my goal to read:
Clearing space in my home, my garden, and my mind
Today, I am going to revise this slightly as follows:
I have a clear and organised space in my home, my garden, and my mind
It’s important that I use the ‘I’ word at the beginning of my goal as if I have already achieved it. It will be my daily affirmation for the rest of the year. I am going to write it down and keep it near my desk where I can see it every day. I might even get my daughter to make me a sign like the one that she did for the kitchen.
Thoughts on a basic cleaning routine
As I’m usually busy juggling lots of things, cleaning tends to take a back seat (I much prefer decluttering and tidying, and cleaning sort of follows in the area that I’m doing). I want to introduce a basic routine so that we all keep on top of things; however, more on that tomorrow as this post is getting a bit long now and it’s late.
I had the most frustrating dream last night and had to type it up as soon as I woke up…
Someone knocked on the door to give me and my husband a lift to a party in London and we weren’t ready, so I said that we’d be out in five minutes and closed the door. The truth was that my husband was asleep on the settee and I was nowhere near ready as I couldn’t find anything I needed. I didn’t know where my make up was (and when I found some, I couldn’t remember how to put it on… it’s been a while); I couldn’t find my contact lenses to wear instead of glasses; my shoes weren’t in the cupboard; I couldn’t remember which wardrobe my dresses were in, and I had no idea if I even had an appropriate handbag or jacket to go with the dress. I felt really unorganised and stressed.
The people waiting in the car weren’t even people I knew which didn’t make sense, but it did feel embarrassing that we weren’t ready.
And then a long time after the first knock on the door there was a second one. I panicked that they would go to the party without us. My husband still hadn’t even come upstairs to get ready; I think he was still asleep on the settee….
I know it was only a dream, but I think there were some messages there for me about putting things away where I can find them. And labeling them if necessary in case I forget in my old age, ha ha. As we’re in lockdown, we won’t be going partying for a while so I think I have enough time to organise my stuff; however, it did make me think about how easy it could be to just put things in their places once and for all.
I didn’t finish my dream so I will never know how it ended. Maybe I went to the party by myself or maybe I just crumpled up in a stressed heap on the floor and cried. All I know is that it was taking me much longer to get ready, because I couldn’t find things that should be easy to find.
When I told my mum on the phone about my dream she said that it must have been playing on my mind about things not being in their place. My husband said that the dream was probably highlighting to me that I’m stressed. No surprise there!
One thing I do know… at least in my dream I would have been able to gift wrap the present because of my new wrapping paper storage bag I got yesterday 😃.
My progress today
I forgot to put the bins out last night so I got up really early, threw some clothes on, crept around emptying the bins around the house, dragged the bins round the back and then went back to bed! Another example of where I could be a bit more organised.
Other progress today…
In my head, I quickly ran through the list of things I couldn’t find in my dream. I think I’m okay with where to find contact lenses, make up, and a dress; however, I would probably struggle to find appropriate shoes and a bag (which I think are in one of the bedroom cupboards that I haven’t sorted out yet… plenty of time for that). I probably wouldn’t bother with a jacket if I was going in the car.
Other things today… I worked and then cooked spaghetti bolognese for dinner…
Spaghetti bolognese
Then I decluttered and cleaned the kitchen sink and surrounding area as stuff had started to accumulate.
Before decluttering and cleaning sink
I put things away, and gave everything a good scrub and wipe down.
After decluttering and cleaning sink
A bit of fun
I was going to go to bed early this evening and then my husband started requesting songs on Alexa. He turned into a DJ and started asking for song requests by email and text. The girls came downstairs and joined in the fun and we danced around the lounge. I got to go to the party after all 😀!
There is no competition between the very flimsy storage bag that turned up yesterday (which I’ll be sending back) and the new heavy duty one that arrived today. Everything to do with wrapping gifts is now in one place and that makes me sooo happy; I do love being organised.
Yesterday, I had everything laid out in the middle of the room in sections hoping that what I purchased would house it all. Unless I got rid of some of it, it had to be a generous size. I had been shocked to count over 60 gift bags which included 22 bottle bags and a few Christmas ones (the rest are with the decorations in the loft… so there’s actually more). This gift wrap organiser exceeded my expectations though with its easy to access accessory pockets and divider. It’s going to make a huge difference when looking for things. I shouldn’t have to buy wrapping paper or gift bags for a while.
It has handles on three sides, two zips that meet in the middle, and can be stored horizontally or vertically, although I haven’t quite worked out exactly where I’m going to store it yet. The main thing is that everything is in one place.
My body clock is all over the place at the moment, not falling asleep until 4am last night and then waking up at 9.30 this morning. I haven’t been exercising much lately so I thought that if I went out for a brisk walk it would energise me and help me sleep better tonight. I also bought a book yesterday called Fast Asleep by Dr Michael Mosley so I’m looking forward to picking up some sleep tips as well as trying some of the 50 sleep promoting recipes included in the book. I probably know a lot of the sleep tips already but I’m just not practicing them.
Dinner drama
After breakfast, I opened the plastic packaging of the leg of lamb ready to slow cook it in the oven for dinner. An awful smell hit me straight away, but didn’t think anything of it at first as I know that meat can sometimes have a feint odour when the packaging has first been opened. It usually goes after a short while though. It was at this point that my husband, who was over the other side of the kitchen, asked what the smell was. It just wasn’t going away, in fact it was getting worse. I decided to wrap it up and take it back to the supermarket for a refund. I didn’t buy another one. We had sort of gone off the idea of having a roast.
My husband asked me to get the fillet steaks out of the freezer instead and I left them to defrost on the side. He was going to try a recipe that he’d seen on the TV for the steak, and also make his special homemade chips in the deep fat fryer (bit unhealthy, but lovely).
Fillet steak, chips and asparagus
The meal was absolutely delicious and I could have eaten the whole thing again. I was also grateful to not have to cook, although I still have to clean up out there.
My progress in the spare room today
Today I wanted to continue working on the spare room as I had the gift wrapping everywhere from yesterday’s organising. I didn’t get very far because when the new storage bag organiser turned up it wasn’t as good as the reviews or the picture. It was a bit of a ‘rush buy’ on Amazon last night. I should have taken my time and realised that the reviews were actually to do with a different size and shape of bag… my mistake.
So, I still have all of the various gift wrapping categories waiting to be organised.
Gift wrapping categories to be organised in an accessible way
I’ve ordered something more sturdy and slightly bigger and it should be arriving tomorrow. I’ll be back then with an update.
Sandra Madeira 