Is there a market for it? (good housekeeping guide for hopeless people)

[pebbles]

ha ha ha - you don't need to be worried about me, all or nothing!!!!

loving the new name

gussy - do we have to soak wooden spoons to get rid of bacteria? don't even want to think how old ours are and certainly never been soaked - ugh - a bit of bacteria never did anyone any harm! - i hope :)

i have to say i'm sitting here smiling, we're off to stay with fil for weekend and normally it's a manic pack first thing and we leave the house in a state and then come back to it and i get all depressed however this time, kids bags are packed only ours to do and house is looking pretty good - pat on back!!!

am definitely going to check out pickle's recipe thread - any help needed with cooking over here

[Belle]

new name is funny, as was just thinking this thread indulges the same part of me which loves to read my mum's Gd Housekeeping...

Pebbles - one thing I do always try to do (much harder since becoming a mum) is tidy the house before going on holiday. Really helps combat the post holiday blues if you come back to a neat and tidy house. This is a completely out of character habit btw.

Off to check of flylady. There's somethign I never thought I'd say on a friday night.

[Fuschia]

Another useful site: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

old school money saving

[dully]

Thanks for all the kindness, excuse me if a little shy on the subject I rarely think on it.

littleEDF I have exactly the same weekly menu in my house. I tried to branch out with the economy gastronomy book but it just seems I pick up fads and drop them.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Best thing for wooden chopping boards is to wash in hot, soapy water and let dry in strong sunlight. Oil occasionally (olive oil).

Since there won't be any strong sunlight for a few months, I'd forget about it and daydream of male, Brazilian cleaners and baby oil instead.

[Fuschia]

I am also missing the direct sunlight to get the tomato stains out of children's clothes!

[gwod]

I too struggle with "homemaking" but Ive come up with a plan which really works. I have a cleaning buddy. I have found a chum with a similar mess threshhold to mine, and each week, we do at least one morning at her house, and one at mine. Its genius, we work really hard because we are together (no sloping of to EDF or cash in the attic while cleaning together) and are able to offer good 3rd party advise to each other (like...this playroom is really not working for you - every week its ankle deep in detritus, lets rethink the storage and get rid of loads of the stuff) Also if the houses are relatively tidy we move onto other jobs like garden or loft storage or taking stuff to charity shops. Big jobs like changing the beds (big for me as we have 4 kids) takes no time with 2 of you working chambermaid styley (...that sounds much more titilating than it asctually is!)

I genuinely look forward to my cleaning days. We chat as we work like ladies cleaning their front steps did in the olden days, we have music on while we work, we have a good lunch together, and afterwards most of the house is tidy (instead of one room in rotation as before!) I advise you all to find a cleaning wing-man (or woman probobly!).

[pebbles]

gwod - that's amazing, i love that idea, do you have similar aged children?

anyone out there fancies being a cleaning buddy with me just shout - what an amazing idea :)

[Gussy]

Yes Gwod sounds a great idea! What do you do with the kids while its all happening? I can't take my eye of my littlest for a second, not unless someone else is sitting with him....

[Ruth_Baldock]

Same with me, Gussy. Yesterday I cleaned the kitchen floor with Seb 'helping' with his jaycloth, total miracle.

I managed to scratch our ceramic floor tiles in the kitchen yesterday. Husband practically wetting himself he's so distraught. There aren't any big gouges but the top layer of matte black seems to have come off. Apart from paying to have these tiles replaced, is there anything else I can do to get rid of the scratches???

[ClareC]

Sounds a great idea, my daughter wouldn't let me do that unfortunately :-( she is only just 1, maybe in a couple of years.

Sink and washing machine both currently bleaching ;-)

[Fuschia]

Gwod, what genius!

i do actually have a couple of hours free on thursdays and fridays, or at least I just have the baby! So if anyone fancies it... 10.15>12

[gwod]

Some of our children are the same age, and now its easy as they are all in some school for some of the time each week. When they were younger though, we did it with the kids as well - they would come with us from room to room, or we would take advantage of a fortuitously timed sleep, (ie walk back from school through park with babies in prams try to get the babies asleep in their prams so we could get going on the house) or we would take turns to play with the babies while the other hoovered - an extra pair of hands to help can only be a good thing however many children are around - or whatever age they are... Even now in the school holidays it is more of a challenge with 6 children of different ages in tow, but we find a way because the house (and we) need the help even more when the kids are around messing everything up every day!!

[The Nappy Lady]

I love this idea of a cleaning wing-woman. My problem is that I now work 4 days a week so only have Friday plus weekend free. However, once smallest starts school I could imagine doing a Friday cleaning exchange with a friend, one house in the morning, one in the afternoon, it would work brilliantly.

I can imagine it is so much easier to get motivated with a friend at your side, and making beds etc. would also allow a good old gossip, how lovely!

It does remind me of something I did years ago, where a neighbour and I used to put a film on, and do our ironing together. It does mean hauling iron, ironing board and all the stuff from one house to another, but again make the job seem less horrible.

[Yorkie]

re meal planning, we have a blackboard in the kitchen & I chalk up our meals on a Sunday. Makes it so much easier when I get in from work. We have about 10 meals that I just rotate. Dull but manageable and makes Shopping (Sainsburys online so you just go through your usuals list) much less stressful. As a child we had the same thing every week day, I'm one of 4 so imagine it was one of the things that kept mum sane.

Night night room, I have just cleaned my bathroom sink & bleached all the plugholes :))

X

[Pickle]

Two things I've learnt this weekend:

1. Having your mother-in-law (with whom relations are, let's say, strained) to stay for the weekend makes cleaning the house suddenly seem very attractive. Excellent distraction technique, every room of the house has had a bit of a clean (generally the room she's not in)

2. A Zhu Zhu hamster makes an ideal cleaning aide. Set if off under the sofa in your kitchen and it will emerge covered in things you never realised were there.

[Fuschia]

Rofl re the hamster.

Me, I cleaned the dishwasher and washing machine this morning.

[gwod]

Molly - sahm's in our street sometimes do the ironing in the garden in the summer and chat over the fence ..keeping the shirts from dangling on the ground is a challenge though! - it was an extension of admiring each others laundry on the line. We (like the saddo's we are) compete to be the first to get our washing on the line on a good drying day, and if it rains - and one of the others is out, we would hop over the fence and take their washing in for them. I'm beginning to feel like I live in the 1950's...but i like it!!!

[littleEDfamily]

You ladies still keeping the shiny sink dream alive?

I did mine for the first time with baby oil today. Maximum satisfaction ;-)

[ClareC]

You can see your reflection in mine :-)

(doesn't mention our fantasic cleaner been today ;-) )

[Pickle]

My cleaner came yesterday, and was told she didn't need to clean the kitchen as I'd already done it (she nearly fainted with shock). Sink remains shiny here, although I don't have baby oil, must get me some of that.

[Ruth_Baldock]

If we had a cleaner, she'd probably die of shock from the state of the bedrooms/living room. bathroom and kitchen okayish. we have a surveyor coming over on Friday. Then visitors at the weekend. DREADING it. Won't clean, shan't, refuse to. Am pregnant and can't use products. *lies*

[Gussy]

Hmm, sorry I'm struggling to keep up with shiny sink. (but I did descale kettle, cups, steriliser and washing machine yesterday?).

When it comes to sinks I have a real pet hate. It's when items get left in the sink that have previously had some kind of tomato-based sauce on them and it gives the water and everything in the bowl a lovely greasy orangey film. Husband always does it with dinner plates! I think he thinks he's 'soaking' them. Grrr.

[ClareC]

Ooh yes, I am with you there, or a personal hate of mine, when "helpful" sorts empty the tea pot / tea cups down the sink but don't run the tap so you end up with a brown sink!!! grrrrr

I made soup this morning ..........

[karter]

Hi. New to this thread, we will be needing a cleaner aswell if there are any recommendations and availability.