Snow and Housework!

We've had snooooow! Lots of lovely snow. On Facebook I'm in the minority of liking snow, which I have come to realise is because I don't have to travel to go to work and because I have a child!

The big snow, started just as I'd put T down for his nap, and by the time he woke up it was about 3 inches deep, so we went straight out into it....for 2 hours!

The actual Snowman and Snowdog, they look so like the film ones it's scary!

 



Snuggly winter hats

 

 

Laughing at falling off the slide

 

 

We had so much fun, I was laughing my head off for the most part.

Then when Hubby got home from work he went back out for another hour!

I also thought that I would take some time to share some basic housework tips that I live by. Having thrown myself headfirst into Twitter (@rainbowbryte) this week I have noticed a lot of people complaining about ironing, decluttering and housework in general.

Firstly I'll hold my hand up and say I'm no amazing housewife, but I have some systems in place which ensure that most days the house is lovely and tidy should anyone just turn up unannounced.

Tumble drier: God send, when T was first born I took great pleasure in ironing all his clothes, but then the Hubby wanted his t-shirts and jeans ironing, and once T stopped napping for most of the day I didn't have much time to do it. So we went and bought a tumble drier, as long as you get the clothes out when they are hot and get them folded up, they tend to stay wrinkle free. Admittedly there are days when I don't get there in time, so I pop it on for another 20 minutes, then I forget again, another 20 minutes. So on and so forth!

A-B: This is the easiest and most useful thing I do! It helps that I live in a bungalow, but having a basket at the top and bottom of the stairs will enable the same system. If I am in room A say the lounge, and I need to go to room B, say the kitchen. I look around room A and see what can be taken to room B with me, or dropped off in rooms along the way (they don't have to be put away just put in the right room) there's always something that needs taking, and I'm not going out of my way to do it as I was already going there!

Timed tidy: This is the most stupid little game, but it works. What do you do when you're waiting for the kettle to boil or the beans to heat up in the microwave? I play a game of how much can I achieve in that time. Kettle boiling is usally just enough time to prepare brew and then put the washing up away. Sometimes the microwave gives me enough time to clean all the kitchen surfaces. It's very lame but I was only going to be stood watching it boil/cook, so I can get something cleaned without taking any time out of my day!

4pm Tidy up: I start making tea at 4:30pm for Hubby's return around 5. So at 4pm I do a room walk, tidy them all up, usually it's just the things I've dropped off on my A - B walk.

Toddler Training: (child labour?!) It helps to have a toddler who likes to tidy up. As soon as he was aware what a mess was I taught him how to tidy up. So I am now the proud owner of a 2 year old who (95% of the time) will put one toy away before he gets another out, tidy his jigsaws back into the box and into the right cupboard. He'll even do it if I'm not in the room. He has his own little Hoover so he helps me when I do that, he'll clean up any spilt drinks and put the towel in the washing basket. He puts his own clothes away. Take advantage of that time when they want to help, at first I saw it as a huge nuisance, but then I realised it could have its' uses and it's paid off!

Errands: I have an app on my phone which reminds me of which cleaning jobs I need to do that day. I've programmed it so that I hoover every day, mop every 2, bedding washed every week, dust every 3 days, when the bins need to go out etc. It's great because it notifies you when they need to be done and they stay there till you tick them off. So if you're having a day when you just can't be bothered to do housework you can roll it over to the next day!

Decluttering: I LOVE decluttering, I do it whenever the mood takes me, which is usually once a month. You'll be amazed at what you can make from your junk. Any electrical items we've found www.tradeinforcash.co.uk is amazing. If kids stuff (mainly clothes) is in good nick and has some sort of character or 'label' on it you'll usually get a couple of quid for it on www.ebay.co.uk the rest goes to charity.

So I hope some of these little snippets help someone, they've definitely made my life easier and trust me I used to be a slob!!