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Forum THE LOUNGE How do you keep up with housework? Laundry, Dishes, etc

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    • BinkyBunny
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        How in the world do people keep up with housework?  How do you do it?  After all these years of struggling with it, I figured I’d break down and see how other people do it…or not.  LOL. 

        I admit, my husband and I do work a lot, but I’ve been doing better about being done and in the house by 6:30 pm at least 4 days a week.  One day a week I usually have to work late. And I now try to limit how much work I do on weekends – (try to keep it to 4 hours tops).  With that said, you’d think my husband and I,( we don’t have kids, and we only have one bunny) would be able to keep on top of things. But I feel like we are always behind.  

        By the time we get home, put our feet up for 20 minutes, then cook dinner, and eat dinner,  it’s like 8pm.  Then we have to clean up. (and we have a dishwasher), so after dinner, we together or individually (depending if one of us is more exhausted than the other) , put away the clean dishes, then we put in the dirty dishes from cooking and dinner, clean off the stove, and counter tops, and sweep the floor quickly with any crumbs.   So it’s around 8:45.  But that’s just the kitchen. There is still laundry that needs to be folded that I really don’t want to do that late, but will make an effort  sometimes to get some of it done until around 9:15, so it has a tendency to pile up.  The table in the dining room has by husband’s brief case, my sweater, mail, papers and bunch of stuff that just piles up.  We both just come home and want to rest for a second first and gab a bit.  Then after dinner, dishes, some laundry, tidy up, there isn’t much time to just enjoy life — just cleaning up after it.   And while both Steve and I are not OCD and can handle an untidy house, we don’t like living in a mess either and so we take care of it if it really piles up.  

        We also try to squeeze in a walk here and there for exercise if we are not totally exhausted.  I just can’t believe that keeping a tidy house should take us so long!  Especially since we don’t have kids, and my bunny is litter trained so I just have to change her litter, feed her and give her some lovin. 

        When I go to our friends/neighbors houses, their places are always tidy.  And because we are all such close neighbors, we drop in on each other often — for a favor, returning a dish, borrowing an egg, or just to chat, whatever. Their places are always CLEAN!  (and I’m not being hyper-critical of our place).  They may have dishes in the sink and a few things on the dining table, but their couches and floors are free of laundry and shoes, dishes etc.   Their places always look tidy.  

        If someone came to our house right now – the kitchen would be clean, but the bathroom would have dirty clothes in the corner – care products all over the counter, the dining room table has stuff on it, and the living room couch has a pile of clean clothes on it, with a laundry basket full of clean clothes right next to it. A rocking chair with a huge pillow that doesn’t belong there that needs to be put away.  The living room floor has 3 pairs of shoes, and a few dirty socks, a basket of folded socks, an empty glass and bowl,(I thought I got that when I did dishes!)  and an exercise ball.   

        I think our main issue is having zero energy by the time we get home.  We get through dinner, and some clean up, but then the evening is almost done and we just want to put our feet up and relax for a couple of hours watching TV, surfing the net or reading a book before sleeping — otherwise we’d be working on laundry, cleaning up until right before we sleep. And I’ve done that plenty of times before too.   Otherwise how do you get everything done? 

        So how do you do it?  If you do!   


      • jerseygirl
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          How in the world do people keep up with housework?  

          I don’t.
          And Im a one person household! I think that is part of the problem, to be honest. Ive let my standards go.


        • jerseygirl
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            BB, do your friends/neighbours have outside help that comes by couple times a week? Or some clever storage where they can put all the unfolded clothes etc until it can be dealt with.

            Re bathroom products, one thing I did recently was put everything I use regualry in a caddy. Then I can get the whole caddy out to use the products and just as easily put it all back in the cupboard out of sight. Having the vanity top free of products means I’m more likely to give it a quick wipe over.


          • Azerane
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              I don’t either

              Just us two, a parrot and the bunnies. But even before the pets it was still a struggle. I’m exhausted from work because my job is physically demanding, hubby doesn’t do a great deal of housework, so I just do what I have the energy for. Now that bunnies and bird are here I make sure I do certain things more often like vacuuming. But I’m usually too tired to care how tidy the house is. I hate that the kitchen always gets away from us, but it’s just how it is. Real life Don’t get me wrong, because I absolutely love a tidy house and it’s so relaxing. It’s just not something that happens very often or for long periods of time around here. I just have too much stuff and not enough discipline for putting things away straight after I’ve used them.

              For me it’s about priorities. The toilet and bathroom get cleaned, the kitchen gets cleaned, floors get vacuumed and pets get cleaned up after, clothes get washed. Anything beyond that is a bonus really, lol. The junk on my coffee table and kitchen table are not an urgent matter and my life will not get interrupted by it being there (until I can’t find something that I need urgently).


            • jerseygirl
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                Yeah, those surfaces that attract junk are a biggie for me. My kitchen bench is typically cluttered.
                What i really need to do is train myself not to place things there that don’t belong there. But..old dog, new tricks and all that.

                I think it does help to deal with things right away. For instance, if unloading clothes dryer or taking washing in from outside, fold it then and there. Then take basket straight to wardrobe etc and put the folded clothes away. This rarely happens btw. Lol. But generally, if I tell myself “I’ll do that later” it’s not going to get done.

                ETA:  Energy is a big factor. So eating well and exercise certainly would help. I recently started taking a vit B12 supplement and I did notice some days I was more inclined to get things done. I think this also coincided with some nicer weather.


              • Vienna Blue in France
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                  Motivation. Definitely a factor. On the ‘always’ wrappers for a while they had “interesting’ womanly facts… one of which was that the best time to get something done was during the first week after her period… the hormones are right. So use them to our advantage !!

                  Ps. I am a nightmare living on my own, but as soon as I have a lodger (a paying one or otherwise lol) everything has to be in its place in the communal areas. My bedroom remains an obstacle course though…. LOL.
                  Just think of Monica’s secret cupboard in Friends !!!! Lol


                • jerseygirl
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                    “Always” is sanitary napkin brand, right? At first I was thinking it was a candy (lolly) wrapper like Fantails or Minties.


                  • Vienna Blue in France
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                      Yup!! It gave you some reading material whilst on the throne !!!! Lol….


                    • Vienna Blue in France
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                        And nope, not edible… though Kyra used to have a penchant for them if there was one lying around…. ripped to smithereeens it was!!


                      • Marie
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                          I live on my own and so untidy.  When my husband was alive i made sure everything was tidy and put away.  Now if i use something i leave it were it is, every time i make a drink it’s a clean cup and spoon, so for one person my dishwasher is always full of cups.  I can never find anything because i don’t put it were it should go and then curse myself because i can’t find it.  I can only live with it for so long and then it gets on my nerves so i vamp through the house ready for next time.  I have what i call junk draws full of items i have used and thrown them in because it’s too easy.  My friends house is so tidy i don,t know how she does it, must be a system.


                        • Vienna Blue in France
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                            Some people cannot live in a mess. I see my mess and go, mwahhhhh it can wait – no hassle. Friends of mine wuold look and freak if it were thri mess.
                            However I don’t like to give the inmpression that it’s messy if I’m expecting people.

                            My parents are coming to stay for a week this weekend, oh my good god, Friday night will be frantic tidying and cleaning !!
                            And then I hear “your brother is not bothered about tidying away – you’re so tidy……” if ONLY she knew !!!


                          • Q8bunny
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                              I’ve always embraced the “ship shape and Bristol fashion” approach to living (and yes, I do sail). But I usually work from 6:30 to 8:30. And now that my partner and I are not together anymore, the stuff he used to do falls to me as well. So I have a housekeeper. She’s lovely and my flat is livable thanks to her efforts. I do things like laundry, dishes (by hand), shopping, and Chewie chores, but she does all the hard work.


                            • Ava
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                                Motivation is key.

                                I live in a building that may receive drop in guests at any moment, thus I’m motivated to keep the first two floors and half the third floor looking decent and in order at all times. Basically I just eyeball it and if something looks out of place, dusty, dishes need doing, or trash needing emptied I try to do it right away. I also try to do the dishes as soon as I finish a meal. It’s tough at times since it’s just me and my dog (no bunnies currently), but the ‘fear’ of someone dropping by motivates me to get stuff done.

                                My individual room is a different matter. I admit it’s not the cleanest of rooms. I also keep my door locked when I’m not there just in case of said drop ins. I do try to keep stuff straightened up and do my laundry once a week.

                                Forgot to add: I work from home and so have time through out the day to do house work if it needs to be done.

                                 


                              • Sr. Melangell
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                                  There is only me and my Boy here so the housework is up to me, I keep saying I’ll get a cleaner, I’ll tell her the place is such a mess and it must be cleaned up right now and to look at it, its a disgrace, I’ll show her round, walking about in my fluffy bathrobe and slippers, hair rollers in my hair, a cup of tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other, then go back to my cmputer shaking my head, saying. “What a mess.” Then as I hear her leave run my finger through some dust and shout in a very posh voice. “Speck of dust.”


                                • Odette
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                                    I surface clean and throw clutter in a closet. Nobody ever looks in neighbor/friends’ closets.

                                    Of course that means that we have a closet that’s a disaster zone. Whenever I lose something, my fiancé asks if I’ve checked the closet and laughs because if that something is in the closet, it really is lost.


                                  • LongEaredLions
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                                      I can’t say I keep up with housework either.
                                      We both get home from work at varying times each day, so it depends on whether we make dinner or just scavenge, LOL. One of us does the dishes, the other sweeps as needed and that is pretty much all the chores we do consistently. We try to keep at least the downstairs neat by not really having anything down there. As soon as we bring shopping, mail, etc. home, it goes straight upstairs. We do have a housekeeper that does things like dust, vacuum, clean toilets, etc. Anything else that is a mess I blame on the bunnies.


                                    • Sr. Melangell
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                                      • Paradigm
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                                          I’m terrible at house work. I blame the ADHD. My wife works long hours. It’s definitely a strain because my wife hates living in mess but until, if ever, we can afford a cleaner I suspect it will stay that way.


                                        • Paradigm
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                                            Though the day we get a dish washer will likely help. Also, we go on a cleaning rampage when we have guests – so if you came to ours and found plates in the sink, you can almost guarantee it was a disaster zone before hand.


                                          • Vienna Blue in France
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                                              Posted By Q8bunny on 8/10/2016 11:39 AM

                                              I’ve always embraced the “ship shape and Bristol fashion” approach to living

                                              Hmmm, somehow could tell that from your photos…. all looks far too clean and organised…. 

                                              It’s funny how people tick though. A good friend of mine in Paree (Paris to you English speakers!) is very very particular about her speck free clean flat with every last speck of dust not even exisiting… Yet her car…!  OMG, a dustbin !!!!

                                              Curious creatures we are !


                                            • Q8bunny
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                                                Hahahah! My car is super dusty and unwashed too (no rubbish, just dust) because I hate it. It was a last minute replacement for my poor darling Poppy – the VW Beetlebug that I lovingly restored with my own two hands only to have a deranged illegal taxi driver total her right in front of my building. So I got stuck with a souless Peugeot with a jerky hybrid transmission, so I refuse to wash it until the lease is up and I can get something tiny and a bit more fun again. :


                                              • Paradigm
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                                                  Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 8/10/2016 4:57 PM

                                                  Posted By Q8bunny on 8/10/2016 11:39 AM

                                                  I’ve always embraced the “ship shape and Bristol fashion” approach to living

                                                  Hmmm, somehow could tell that from your photos…. all looks far too clean and organised…. 

                                                  It’s funny how people tick though. A good friend of mine in Paree (Paris to you English speakers!) is very very particular about her speck free clean flat with every last speck of dust not even exisiting… Yet her car…!  OMG, a dustbin !!!!

                                                  Curious creatures we are !

                                                  My MIL is absolutely obsessed with having a clean house. She truly has a lived in show home. I admire her persistence but also think she’s more than a little bit nuts! They’ve recently got carpet grass (so it doesn’t upset my autistic nephew’s feet) and she hoovers the garden at least once a day now. o.O


                                                • Reesebun
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                                                    To keep the house clean, while our mom is at work and we are on summer vacation, our mom gives us a “chore chart”…


                                                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                      I struggled with this mystery as well before I had a kid. Now I have an almost 2 year old, 2 rabbits and a cat. I’m pretty much screwed. I stress about it a lot and I keep telling myself that I have to accept that my house will never be the way I want it. At least not till Evi is in school. At best, I can only maintain the current state of disorder and mess. It’s really impossible to try to get ahead. I just follow Everly around and clean up her mess. And there is always hay everywhere but that’s the price you pay for having house bunnies I guess. Obviously, totally worth it. 

                                                      I always wonder how my sister does it. She’s like this amazing Martha Stewart type. 3 kids and a full time job and her house is always immaculate with a homecooked meal pretty much every night. Witchcraft???


                                                    • LuvFurBabies80
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                                                        @LPT: My daughter is 14 and my husband is 50 and I feel like I am always following behind them and screaming I just cleaned that!! lol…add a 80 lb double coated german shepherd and now a bun….lets just say for my own sanity I have learned that a home looking “a little lived in” is acceptable. This was hard for me as I grew up with an OCD mom that would make my sisters and I clean everything everyday as it was never clean enough….

                                                        I was spending an hour or so a day taking the couches apart and vacuuming them….(not sure how the dog hair and crumbs would get stuck to the underside of the cushions but it did) I finally went out and bought fitted washable fabric couch covers…now once a week I toss them in the laundry.

                                                        We have a small 2 bed 1 bath rancher not much room and it seems all flat surfaces become cluttered quick….so I had to come up with some “use every inch you got” storage (like under bed totes under all beds and even a couch….shelving units in closets to make more use of the otherwise unusable space…but no matter how hard I try it seems that I am lucky if I get about an hours worth of “Wow this house is clean” before it starts to look like nothing has been done

                                                        Like I said I am now a little more laid back…if I didn’t learn to relax I would be in a padded room by now!!! lol


                                                      • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                          I do feel there’s a little bit of something missing, something a bit sad for complete clean nutters obessed by this cleanliness bug

                                                          @Paradigm, your MIL must be quite stressed out by it all… hoovering the garden – rofl (sorry!) !! and I’d prefer to be happy go lucky as I am with it (in every day life! NOT in 48 hrs when my parents arrive ! ) with other things to do in life.

                                                          @LFB – I watched a thing about dogs on the tele the other day, scientifically provena dn tested by dog groomers, LIVE on tv !! LOL and I confirm that GSDs came out top of the list for hair shedders !! Congratulations! Prepare as well for ‘Big Sage’ to shed loads too, Zou this year has never been quite so bad and the little fluffballs float everywhere !!

                                                          @LPT – I hope you’re ‘training’ Everly already to put her stuff away – it starts young you know !! Even if it is popping her toys in a toy box or carrying her plate to the sink.

                                                          @Reese – what a sensible mom ! It’s all good training for the real life !!

                                                          @Q8 – you must have been absolutely gutted….. I can just imagine !!


                                                        • Q8bunny
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                                                            Yes! Whaaa! I still whisper “Cousin!” every time I see a Beetle on the road.


                                                          • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                              LuvFurBabies- Ha! Yes, I forgot to mention I also have a husband. “Clothes go in the hamper”. “Garbage doesn’t go on the counter, put it in the garbage can!!!” Yeesh. Like having 2 kids sometimes. I also grew up in a house where my parents were obsessed with the cleanliness. It was nice to grow up in a clean house but I remember my Mom spending her entire weekend scrubbing the house. I’m just not willing to do that. I believe life is to be enjoyed. And that means fun hobby time and family outings even if that means my house is a bit disheveled.

                                                              Vienna-Yes, I try to get Evi to help clean up her stuff. Sometimes she helps but it’s always takes a lot of convincing.


                                                            • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                Ahhh clearing up is a fun game….. timed to count down from 10 before it’s done….very exciting once you get to three, two and a half, two and a quarter….. lol. And a fab reward afterwards. Just as we adults do…. I’ll have a cup of tea and a sit down after I clear this away…

                                                                or else, and I’m sure you, as every good parent knows…. bribing always works !!!!


                                                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                  Yeah, I’ve done the “clean up song” and all kinds of tricks but she’s pretty smart, the little bugger, she knows cleaning up is really not fun…..It’s much funner to make the mess.


                                                                • Reesebun
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                                                                    Everyone thinks our house is super clean, because before company comes, we “deep clean” the whole house. (besides the basement, no one goes there)


                                                                  • LuvFurBabies80
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                                                                      @Reesebun:…lol that is what we (or should I say I…lol) do here too!! I get notice company is coming and I go full on crazy!! Although I have to do the basement too since that is where the laundry is so my guest do venture down there 

                                                                      (the only guests we usually get are out of town, stay for a bit family visitors)


                                                                    • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                        ReeseBun- Same here, although I wouldn’t say “super clean” would ever describe my house. But I go into crazy clean mode when I know of company coming. That’s why I hate the pop-in.


                                                                      • GeorgieTheBunny
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                                                                          I’ve learned a few tricks:
                                                                          1. Out Smart Yourself
                                                                          2. Magical Storage
                                                                          3. Start even if you don’t want to
                                                                          4. Declutter your Life
                                                                          5. Everything Should have a Place

                                                                          1. Laundry as an example, if I don’t fold it right away I know I won’t. Now Me can’t count on Future Me to do the folding-no excuses; I fold
                                                                          I have 2 laundry bins with 2 compartments each, I put them where I undress so that instead of on the floor I put them in the bins AND they are pre-sorted

                                                                          2. I have a secretary style desk, it has all of my, hair, skin, and makeup stuff inside. Open the door: access to everything – close the door: posh tidy desk. It’s a hidden mess.
                                                                          In the bathroom, have a medium sized basket on the countertop for all the little things that accumulate. It’s easy to pick up and wash around and keeps the vanity looking tidy.

                                                                          3. Motivation is a tricky beast; the secret is to start anyway and commit to 10 minutes of “in the moment” focus to your task.
                                                                          If you’re truly focused on your task you aren’t clock watching or thinking of the future or worrying , 10 minutes painlessly becomes the completion of you task in whatever timeframe it requires. Just Start.

                                                                          4. Declutter means: donate, give away, shred, recycle, use up, garbage or otherwise rid yourself of stuff.
                                                                          When is the last time I wore these shoes? Donate
                                                                          Pile of mail: have a filing cabinet and a shredder next to it. Every item you have goes into one of them
                                                                          Many open Somethings of the same variety: why!? Which one has the least- use it first. That is a rule
                                                                          This frees up the mess that overflow creates

                                                                          5. “Everything has a place and should be in its place” ~my Grandmother
                                                                          I don’t have that level of discipline, but I do know that if an item doesn’t “belong” somewhere it will sit out and be part of the mess.
                                                                          Decide where things should belong and “pickup time” becomes easier.


                                                                        • BinkyBunny
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                                                                            I loved all the responses. I am glad I am not alone in this, and at the same time appreciate the tips for those that seem to keep things in their place.

                                                                            Since I posted and then read everyone’s responses, I decided to relax a bit on some aspects and on others, I took the advice offered and implemented it — I decided to just will-power my way through even if I am exhausted to just at least put one thing away – so I stay in the habit. And all week, Steve and did the dishes and a little bit of laundry each day, (we had a lot of laundry folding to do!).

                                                                            And on one of the days he came home from a horrible commute, his commute is always bad, but this one was horrible (almost 2 hours), he said he just needed to chill and had zero energy. So I got dinner ready, did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen and in the meantime I gave him a big pile of aundry to fold so he could sit and watch TV, chill out and match socks. He was fine with that.

                                                                            Then every time I would go from one room to another, I would grab something that needed to be put away or thrown away. And if I was in the bathroom, I just put something away. I didn’t get hyper-focused to get it sparkly clean at that moment, (which can happen if I start cleaning one area), but day by day, it’s getting to where I like it. And now we are almost caught up on Laundry. The living room is almost ready for a vacuum. (eh…. I hate vacuuming/sweeping, partly because of my back issues, but mostly because I hate it).

                                                                            Now that we are getting on top of it, I am hoping we can make a permanent habit out of it, even when we are tired. (That’s when things all fall apart). I am also making an effort to be done with work at a reasonable hour and that should help. So we will see how successful I am at that – sometimes there is not a huge choice unless I want to get behind with work. But if that happens, I hope I can just get it to a point of untidy, not ridiculously messy. I can relax in untidy for a while, but messy is not relaxing to me. .

                                                                            I think I am somewhere in the middle of messy acceptance. It doesn’t have to be spotless, but I can’t stand it to be very messy for long either. Ironically, two of my best friends are on opposite ends of the spectrum. One has a really messy house, I’m lucky if I can see the floor! (J/K but not that far off). We were roommates in college and I was happy she was not ocd about being tidy, but she sure was messy. LOL. Didn’t matter to me then though, nor does it matter when I go to her house. It doesn’t affect me good or bad. I am always just relaxed around her as she is such an accepting loving soul.   My other friend’s house is immaculate — it is so clean, and everything has a special place. I see her nudging the salt and pepper shakers over just slightly when I put them back during a lunch visit. And that doesn’t bother me either– maybe because I have known her since from before Kindergarten and I used to always be in awe of how she would organize her toys, then later as teenagers, her make-up and clothes were all in a very particular order.

                                                                            So I guess we just find what is good for us – -what makes us each relaxed in our own home. I just hope I can keep up with my own expectation – which really aren’t that high. LOL.


                                                                          • Azerane
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                                                                              I’m also glad to know that I’m not the only one that does the run-around clean the day before someone is due to visit. I hate pop-ins too But I really hate that it can be stressful if someone does pop in.

                                                                              My brother in-law is coming tomorrow to stay for 3 nights, so I’m just tidying things up today. It gets my diningand coffe table de-cluttered, the kitchen cleaned and the bathroom cleaned. Vacuuming was getting done anyway because it’s due so I’m not counting that.

                                                                              Really the mess doesn’t bother me that much, it’s more that it’s much more relaxing for me if the house is tidy, and I’m much less self-conscious about it.


                                                                            • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                My parents are arriving in 5 hours and I should NOT be on here…..SOOOO much to do in and around the house – but I wanted to post on Tisha and got waylaid….
                                                                                Bizareely though I am able to plan for things outside my superwoman BLITZ powers (ie washing machine times (no matter how much you stare, it WON’T get finished sooner!) and drying times) – so the laundry is done and drying in the sunshine and should be dry when the doorbell goes drrriiiiiing.
                                                                                Mum can help wrestle the quilt cover on the quilt whilst Dad puts the kettle on.

                                                                                They also have been pre-warned that their 5 day stay WILL be 80% a house clearance project, and any excuses I make to not do it MUST be quashed and ignored ! Mum can lay on the bed like Cleopatra ordering ‘THROW!’, ‘CHARITY SHOP’! SELL !! and Dad can paint a few doors and skulk around the house with hammer and screwdriver fixing stuff!! Perfick !

                                                                                Now, I just have to log off from this site and make the house semi-welcoming ! As BB said – in a visitor’s eyes, it’s not whether your house is spick and span or messy that makes a house welcoming, it’s the homely feeling that the inhabitants give it !!


                                                                              • Azerane
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                                                                                  The bunnies certainly give a house a lived-in feel with hay strewn everywhere


                                                                                • Q8bunny
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                                                                                    Just like in the old days, when people would sprinkle sweet-smalling hay on the floors of their cottages or castles or whatever – rushes, I think was the name.


                                                                                  • vanessa
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                                                                                      ousework always competes with animals. I have a lot of animals. I have 4 rabbits, 2 dogs, 1 cat, a fish tank, and 40 birds. In the mornings, I feed and water the animals before I get ready for work. If I get ready first – then it’s too easy to say :you are ready for work, do the animals later. When I get home from work, first thing – I feed and water the animals again. If any fo the birds are in cages (rather han the large aviary), I change their cage paper. Change the rabbit itter boxes. Then I do dishes and laundry, and cook dinner. My boyfriend helps me with dishes and laundry. Sometimes I do it, sometimes he does it. We do have days where we don’t get to the laundry. I also have quite the flower garden – so if the temps fot into the 90’s, or if it didn’t rain the day before, I water the flowers in the front yard, and the back yard, and the vegetable garden. Some of my flowerbeds are 60ft long. Once a week I sweep and hose out the walk-in bird aviary. I try to find time to vacuum over weekends. Now that Lancelot has suspected EC and can’t walk and is in a diaper, Much of my time is spent changng diapers, giving butt baths, and trimming hair. I pay a maid service to come over twice a month and clean. I couldn’t do it without them. I just have too much goign on. That is without hobbies – building bee boxes, taking care of my bee hives, getting ready to build a new aviary, building rabit houses for the bird/bunny room, making wine, making beer, making kombucha, making dehydrated chicken treats for the dogs, baking rabbit cookies, and spending time with the tame cockatiels. I make lists. Everyday I have a list on the whiteboard on the refrigerator. When I get home from work, after I have taken care of the zoo, I start on the list. It might include laundry, dishes, feed bees, sweep rabbit room, make bird foor for the fruit eaters, etc. I think the two things that help me the most, are LISTS, and hiring a cleaning service. I know not everyone has the luxury. It’s somethign I got use to when y mom was living with me. She had terminal cancer, so I was taking care of her. I couldn’t manage her medical needs, housework, and masters degree at the same time – so I had a care giver come over and help with her care during the day, and keep her living space clean. I got use to having help cleaning her bedroom, the kitchen, her bathroom, and the lounge. So after she passed, and I got uper busy with animals and hobbies, I hired a cleanign service to come by twice a month. I love it. It’s like a spa day for my house. And me. Lists. Lists are amazing. I woudl forget what I wanted to do if I didn’t have it on a list. I coudl literally walk around the house for an hour – wondering what it was that I had wanted to do.


                                                                                    • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                        M&D arrived TWO hours early yesterday –
                                                                                        I saw them coming up the road as I was hanging out the window shaking a duster, and I shouted out “Go around the block again, the bride hasn’t arrived yet !!!!’ – they didn’t…..

                                                                                        We only got 3 small bags filled for the charity shops today, but it’s a start !!

                                                                                        I found an old cassette walkman (younger members, Google it!!) with a car cigarette lighter adapter… and Mum said (wait for it, it’s going down in history this sentence…) she said, “well you don’t need that, you don’t smoke !!!” Oh my tummy hurt I laughed so much, especially as she was looking bewildered at me wondering why I was laughing !!!!


                                                                                      • Bam
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                                                                                          Vienna, just read what you wrote about GSDs and shedding. I’m not just imagining things then. My GSD is shedding right now and it’s just crazy. She sheds twice a year and it’s 6 weeks of hair everywhere each time. But worth it of course. She’s a lovely dog
                                                                                          And oh Vienna, your mum’s comment is hilarious


                                                                                        • LuvFurBabies80
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                                                                                            @Bam: I am right there with you!!! Walker sheds like crazy!  I will get 3 grocery bags full of hair out of him in one brush session and the next day I still have (what I like to call) hair tumbleweeds blowing across my kitchen floor!  I received a forced air blower (the kind the groomers use) and I will take Walker out back and blow his coat out…. omg the hair clouds that float away!!!  

                                                                                            Walker also lets me vacuum him with the pet adapter and that helps too

                                                                                            I would think he would be bald with all the hair I physically remove and the stuff he leaves behind on every surface!! lol 


                                                                                          • jerseygirl
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                                                                                              Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 8/14/2016 4:35 PM

                                                                                              M&D arrived TWO hours early yesterday –
                                                                                              I saw them coming up the road as I was hanging out the window shaking a duster, and I shouted out “Go around the block again, the bride hasn’t arrived yet !!!!’ – they didn’t…..

                                                                                              We only got 3 small bags filled for the charity shops today, but it’s a start !!

                                                                                              I found an old cassette walkman (younger members, Google it!!) with a car cigarette lighter adapter… and Mum said (wait for it, it’s going down in history this sentence…) she said, “well you don’t need that, you don’t smoke !!!” Oh my tummy hurt I laughed so much, especially as she was looking bewildered at me wondering why I was laughing !!!!


                                                                                            • Azerane
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                                                                                                @Vienna, that is just too funny Back when I had my ’91 mitsubishi, it only had a cassette player so I actually found an adaptor that worked from my ipod to the cassette player.

                                                                                                Edit: Took out irrelevant text, thought I was posting in the chat thread


                                                                                              • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                                  Thought you guys might appreciate this little magnet I just made. He will be in good company, for sure.


                                                                                                • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                    Very cute ! You could make hundreds with what Zou is shedding !!


                                                                                                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                                      Haha, yeah. I didn’t think of it, but I should have stuffed him with molted Bindi hair….


                                                                                                    • Q8bunny
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                                                                                                        Hahah! Cute!


                                                                                                      • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                          Oops, I thought that was what it was….


                                                                                                        • Odette
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                                                                                                            That is adorable. Those would make cute ornaments or gift bag tags too.

                                                                                                            I thought of this thread when I overheated the vacuum sucking up hay yesterday. Luckily, I just triggered a shut off mechanism and the vacuum was fine after cooling off.


                                                                                                          • LittlePuffyTail
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                                                                                                              lol, no Vienna it’s made of felt


                                                                                                            • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                                LPT, Cute!!
                                                                                                                The felt does look like Zou’s Blue also.


                                                                                                              • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                  LPT and Jersey – Luckily I’m not as stooopid as I look….

                                                                                                                  I knew the outside was felt (dur), I thought maybe you’d stuffed the INSIDE with Bindi and Sterling’s contribution !


                                                                                                                • Reesebun
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                                                                                                                    Thats a great idea! thanks Vienna!


                                                                                                                  • Azerane
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                                                                                                                      Technically felt can be made from wool or animal fur, and was traditionally done so.

                                                                                                                      I’m all house worked out this week, we had a rental inspection so was just making sure I thought to clean the things that I wouldn’t normally, haha.


                                                                                                                    • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                        “Rental inspection” – what a good idea !! That doesn’t exist in the UK or France I don’t think – certainly not in France – once you’re in, you’re in.
                                                                                                                        The landlord has no legal access to it to see what you’re up to or check on cleanliness…. outrageous really… but then not all landlords are perfect either….


                                                                                                                      • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                                          I HAVE to share this video I just watched. So uncanny to come across it!

                                                                                                                          Note the French theme music and Zou colour dust bunnies also.
                                                                                                                          btw, I had heart in mouth watching this. LOL

                                                                                                                          http://vimeo.com/175740928?ref=fb-share


                                                                                                                        • Love4Bunny
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                                                                                                                            Posted By LittlePuffyTail on 8/25/2016 12:55 PM

                                                                                                                            Thought you guys might appreciate this little magnet I just made. He will be in good company, for sure.

                                                                                                                            Lpt, you should sell those on BB. I would buy one from the store with my next order. I just saw this and thought, “where can I buy that?”. I love the design and the humour.


                                                                                                                          • Vienna Blue in France
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                                                                                                                              Jersey !! Loved it !!! Where do you find these things?. Now I’m late for work….oops.


                                                                                                                            • jerseygirl
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                                                                                                                                Posted By Vienna Blue in France on 8/29/2016 1:43 AM

                                                                                                                                Jersey !! Loved it !!! Where do you find these things?. Now I’m late for work….oops.

                                                                                                                                haha, you’re welcome/ 

                                                                                                                                It came up on FB feed, shared on a rabbit page I had “Liked”.

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                                                                                                                            Forum THE LOUNGE How do you keep up with housework? Laundry, Dishes, etc