The Ramblings of my Disorganised Mind

Mind Crisis Over

Thank heavens. Of course, as usually happens after a meltdown, I dealt with my terminal apathy by catching up with the housework.

Now, I am going to say right now that no-one can call me a cleaning freak. I'm not a Virgo. However, with six children in the house, if you go for a couple of days without at least doing the basic maintenance, then you're screwed. Royally. If I don't vacuum the lounge at least once a day then within 24 hours it looks like I'm some sort of slob who never ever vacuums. Like, ever.

I will sometimes do the just-do-the-basics thing (usually when I'm exceptionally busy, which is... er, all the time actually), but never for more than a couple of days. By "basics", I mean a load of washing, getting the washing up done (the kids do that), keeping the food chain going, that sort of thing.

But I've been down for a week. After a week of "only basics", maostly because I'm moving kids around. I looked at my house on Thursday night and thought, "Hell's bells." And this time of the year is a BAD time for the apathies. Christmas, and all that.

So, in the last 36 hours (including to 2am this morning hehe), my task list:

* Shopping. Actually I did that Thursday night after another emergency call to the ex. he fed the bairns for me. That was nice. Of course, he also allowed the littlest to urinate on my just-washed carpet and the five year-old to draw on the walls, but there you go. He doesn't multi-task, poor dear.

* Fed cats. Treated cats' flea problem. Treated carpets and bedding. Swore furiously at both cats and fleas. Disadvantage of living up here: spiders, fleas and lice don't have a winter hiatus, making them more difficult to keep under control, even with a clean house, hair and kids. In Canberra they died back once per annum. Frosts, you know.

* Move oldest (Mr 14) to his own room downstairs (with his help), the room that used to be my office. Make huge mess in downstairs area. Look at mess, go "oh, well" and close door. Set up new bed.

* 17 loads of washing. I'm not kidding. In 2 days. Of course, I was washing some curtains, and all sheets & towels, and a couple of doonas as well.

* Go through clothing for kids for hand-down roster. Hence some of the washing. Stored clothes don't always smell too good. Realise I don't need to buy as much as I thought this year, due to the fact that I received a whole bunch of size 14 boy's clothes a few years back, mostly brand new. Woo hoo. While in storeroom, make half-hearted attempt to clean out some of it. Cleared soem floor space. Yippee. Now I can fill it with the junk that came out of my office. :-)

* Find Christmas decorations in storeroom. Realise that small children have been in them sometime over the last year. This is a Bad Thing. Make note to buy some new decorations.

* Clean bathrooms.

* Clean toilets.

* Wash walls in mine, and daughter's, and Mr 14's bedrooms. And bathrooms. I'll do the other two rooms next week. Take down spider webs.

* Cleaned and mopped daughter's (age almost 8) room thoroughly. Discovered source of unusual smell. Ewwww. Used copious amounts of lavender & tea tree oil. (Lavender for the smell & antiseptic & anti-viral qualities, tea tree because it is 5 times as strong an antiseptic as carbolic acid and is non toxic. And repels fleas, lice and mozzies, just fyi). Set up daughter's new mattress. Old mattress will go to three year-old, as I expect he will be wetting the bed for a couple of years, and I won't give little kids brand new mattresses. That's just silly.

* Make mine, daughter's beds. Will get to younger boys when I get to their rooms. Mr 14 is old enough to make his own.

* Replace two light bulbs.

* Replace one light bulb. Break new bulb in process by dropping it because the power was on and it startled me. Clean up broken bulb. Put in another new bulb. Turn on light. Bulb blows. Sigh and leave it be. Who really needs two hallway lights anyway?

* Clean kitchen.

* Clean some old stuff out of the fridge.

* Vacuum floors, dust surfaces.

* Clean dripped candle wax off TV. Decide falling asleep with nearly spent candle burning a bad idea.

* Fold 12 loads of washing (five still on line). Leave ironing for later. Less than an hour to do, actually, due to my "fold everything off the line" policy.

* Shower. Decide against dyeing hair right now.

* Large bags of rubbish to the dump: 7

* Number of overs of # 3 son's cricket played before game washed out: 15

* Number of mental plot changes made to my Epic Fantasy novel: 2


Listening to: Evanescence Fallen. And Gladiator. And Last of The Mohicans. And Best of 1927. I need the energy!

Mood: Pretty good. I have a birthday party to go to this arvo and then some friends are coming over afterwards for DVDs and slothfulness. All standing invitations still apply. :-) Except I've run out of yummy candles. Bummer. Fortunately I must've sent out psychic distress signals 'cos Damon called and will bring some.

Lunchtime. The hordes are hungry. Well, at least the 3 bigger horde peoples. The 3 younger ones are at their dad's.

Bye. :-)

posted by Heather @ 12:25 am