Sunday morning reflections

What went well (yesterday!)

Oh we had a fantastic family trip to the theatre. We went to see a remaking of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Theatre Royal.

We had front row seats in the gallery  -which was very very very very high up and exciting in itself! Millie was played by Joanne Clifton from Strictly, and  - she was really good!  The music was fantastic the show was funny and had a surprising twist at the end.  And Mrs Meers was a man.

Such good fun.  Proper cheering and standing ovation at the end and everything.

I took on cleaning the kitchen doors.  They were splattered with plaster and dust, and in fact had never really been properly cleaned since the house was painted, so there were teeny tiny splatters of charcoal coloured paint all over them as well.  But I did it.  They are done.

What could go better.

We seem to have an impasse with the whole 'tidy house' thing.  Its just overwhelming to me and to Hub and - I'm not sure we can every get back to tidy.  Hub got all  - there's no hope ever - about it.  Which doesn't help.  He pulled himself together and devised a 15 minutes a day, generally, plus a 15 minutes focused area plan, which must include 5 minutes of actually planning.

We have very different working styles which is a problem.  He likes a plan.  Or, he likes to be in charge.  (see how I am taking this?) I like to just get started and what needs to be done is self evident in my eyes.

Also we need a really bigger picture plan, more like a project plan to get the back room back into play.  It was gutted and decorated, but not finished, which has meant that my 'office' is now distributed around the house.  And the back room still needs to be.  1. decorated  2. carpet fitted 3. bed bought, 4. aquired 5 shelver aquired.  (these last things also need decisions made around what size, kind and where they are to go.

Pictures are in there, which need to be put up in the kitchen.    And all the pictures from the hallway need to be re hung.  Its not a little task.  And once all those things are in place, we may have a better chance at keeping the place tidy.

And then there is the garden.  ALL OF THIS.  requires time and effort and decisions and planning.  And Hub and I do not work easily together.  And because its so huge, its easy to get overwhelmed and then nothing gets done.

So - I think the best thing to do will be to have a planning session using the blank playing cards.  What needs to happen when etc.  The priority I think is to get the back bedroom into play as Hub's office and a spare room.

The first thing that can be done today is to rehang the kitchen pictures.

We could also do with a shed in the garden.  For the guinea pigs.  But also for all my art stuff. Which is grown enormous.  It feels really overwhelming I must say.  This is on top of all the general day to day cooking, cleaning and tidying. Work and parenting as well

No wonder we feel overwhelmed.  I think we need a master list and a plan.