You know, i actually really love gardening. I adored having my own real garden and i miss it. So its quite pleasant to do “something” to the one here. We’ve been here a year today, longest we’ve been in the last three houses!
Anyway, today is short but sweet really; cleared the other flower bed, planted peas, tomatoes, Nasturtiums, a load of reclaimed bulbs and a shed load of seeds to hopefully fill a bed full of colour and stop the weeds from taking over.
All the pots are cleared and filled with compost now – so i just need to decide what to plant here and what to plant in the allotment. i cleared out the walk in kitchen cupboard so i can have seed tray in there and did a bit of reorganising in there too.
Girls have helped, played Happy Street, run about, done colouring of geo-designs, watched David Starkeys Henry VIII, helped make my IKEA mini-cupboard to hold Montessori paper materials, entertained Josie who still can’t roll over but can hold up her head nicely while on her front, and generally enjoyed themselves. Playdough colour mixing was a big hit, maddy was thrilled by a fleece and chair tent.
I was trying to think how things have improved in this house and how it is i spend less time hunting for things, so especially for Amanda, here are my Top Five organisational tips :~D
1. Box for shoes with low level coat rack and a hairbrush and face cloth that hang on it, with a mirror above. All kids can see to get themselves presentable.
2. Boxes on shelves for toys – biggest success ever, i couldn’t live without them and it more-or-less works throughout the house. Its not perfect, cos we aren’t perfect but basically the kids know where things should go and its easy to do, so no excuses.
3. Clothes go in tubs, not drawers. easy peasy. Never iron. Ever.
4. Tubs in a cupboard that hold a) armbands and swimming nappies, b) gloves and hats c)shoes awaiting the next pair of feet to grow into them d) socks without a pair. Not only can i always find those things but when i find a random one, i know where to shove it. Does rely on having more than one pair of these things per person though so you can await the arrival of awol other halves…
5. Foldable crates. Crates for clothes awaiting the next child, crates for craft stuff. Everything needs a box to lay its hat in. Otherwise i end up with heaps of stuff everywhere that i have to move about.
I’d have to say though, i don’t care about cleanliness (my carpet edges are full of breadcrusts!) , on even exceptional tidiness (giggle… oh how my mum would laugh….) but i hate everything being everywhere cos it takes so long to do anything. So i have a changing bag, a skating bag, a ballet bag, a going away bag all packed separately so i am not constatly emptying other stuff on the floor to use the bag its in.
Me time? Lol… you’re having a laugh aren’t you? Eventually a bath that no one else gets into is enough…
Carol… erm…. i’ll get back to you on having it sussed with 4 kids… i think i may have oversold myself if that is the impression you have!
