Things To Make Housework Easier (Which I Often Forget To Do)

Cute enamelware bucket above available from Donkee House on Etsy



I’ve been thinking a lot of about housework today. You see, for the past few months, since our trying period with Sophie, once a week, I’ve had someone come and do a bit of housework. Paul suggested it just before Sophie ended up in hospital, when I was exhausted and frazzled.  I was ever so grateful to him for being so understanding. Don’t get me wrong though, with little ones in the house, I am forever tidying up and cleaning each and every day, but the one and a half hour a week of help meant that I knew my floors were vacuumed and mopped, my bathrooms were clean and a spot of dusting had been done. However with things getting easier with Sophie now, such an expense has become money we could be saving and so as of next week, it’s back to me cleaning again. I’m still nutting out how and when I will do so but I’ll save that for another post.

For now, I’m focusing on the small things I can do each day to make things appear tidier. Things that if I hopefully make a part of my daily routine, will actually get done… if only I could remember the following, keeping our house presentable would be so much more manageable…


• Wipe down Grace’s little table immediately after she’s eaten. The longer something like Weetbix sits there, the harder it is to remove and the more muscle is required.

• Fold the washing as soon as I bring it in off the line. I do this quite a bit, but on the occasion I bring it in basket after basket and dump it on the lounge, it makes it all the more difficult to sort through later and leads to unnecessary ironing.

• Make the bed as soon as I jump out of the shower and get dressed each morning. Often by this time Grace is up and desperate for breakfast which means I usually have to find a moment later in the day to sneak off and make it.

• Make it a weekly task to sort through the ‘clutter basket’ that sits on the end of our bench. I’ve been letting it pile up too much lately which makes it harder to file and leads to bills being misplaced.


Which task do you need to focus on doing to make staying on top of housework that little bit easier?

The A to Z Of Me

A few weeks back I noticed some bloggers posting an alphabet list of ‘get to know you’ type questions. I always enjoy learning more about the people behind the blogs I read so when I saw this list again over at Jane’s during the week, I thought it would be fun to join in myself. Here goes…


A. Age:
30

B. Bed size:
Queen 

C. Chore that you hate:
Cleaning the bathroom (in particular scrubbing showers) and hand washing, although I’m learning to use the ‘delicate cycle’ on my washing machine more for this

D. Dogs:
Asha, our lovely natured Blue Heeler

E. Essential start to your day:
A quick shower to wake me up and help me start the day feeling refreshed

F. Favourite colour:
Definitely blue, pale ‘Donna Hay blue’ in particular or aqua.

G. Gold or Silver:
The jewellery I wear every day is gold (yellow and white) although I do have some silver pieces too

H. Height:
163cm

I. Instruments you play:
Nothing these days except a few simple songs on the piano for Grace to sing along to

J. Job title:
Stay at home Mum - prior to babies I was a primary school teacher

K. Kids:
Grace (who’ll be three in May) and Sophie who just turned 5 months this week

L. Live:
Perth (south of the river) - driving to Fremantle or Perth takes us virtually the same amount of time

M. Mother’s name:
Diana

N. Nicknames:
I don’t really have any, apart from my cousin who has always shortened my name to ‘Mand’

O. Overnight hospital stays:
A procedure to drain fluid from my knee when I was six, stays when I had both girls and a few days with Sophie in the paediatric ward before Christmas

P. Pet peeves:
People dragging their sick children out in public eg. to playgroup and school. If your children are ill, keep them home people!! This particularly annoyed me when I was teaching.

Q. Quote from a movie:
‘That is going straight to the Pool Room’ (The Castle)

R. Right or left handed:
Right

S. Siblings:
A younger sister, we are five years apart

T. Time you wake up:
Generally around 6.30 or 7am - I haven't had a sleep in for a very long time, but I don't miss doing so as these days I'm definitely a morning person

U. Underwear:
Simple Bonds hipster bikinis

V. Vegetable you hate:
I don’t really hate any – my least favourite is probably eggplant

W. What makes you run late:
The girls! Someone always needs a toilet stop or dirties their clothes or misplaces something just as we’re heading out the door

X. X-Rays you’ve had:
Hips, knees, wrists, fingers, teeth - I had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis as a child so have had many x-rays

Y. Yummy food that you make:
Ginger fluff sponge - I shared the recipe here

Z. Zoo animal:
I love the otters – they’re so playful and cheeky and full of life


And that's it folks!  If you haven't already, play along... I'd love to learn a bit more about you...

Finding A New Rhythm

As those of you with children know, the early months with a baby aren’t easy, especially when it comes to getting out of the house.  Simply managing to have your nappy bag packed and everyone into the car feels like a task that takes hours of planning. Back when Grace was born, it was no trouble at all to have her nap in the pram as I window shopped or to strap her to me in the baby carrier as I went for a walk. I’ve found doing so with two little ones however not to be as easy.

My biggest fear has been interrupting Sophie’s naps. While I know that my daily life cannot be totally controlled by this, after all those unsettled months we experienced, sleep time has become so precious that I hate to disrupt it. As my wise friend Jane advised me, ‘this is a time for being, not a time for doing’ and to date, I have been strongly adhering to her advice. Consequently, most of our outings have been brief ones, popping to the grocery store to get a handful of items or to feed the ducks at the park down the road. Grace doesn’t seem to mind our latest pattern of quieter, simpler days at home. In fact, she adores just pottering around in the yard more than anything. However, I feel that it is time for us to get back into the swing of short morning outings for her sake, especially seeing as I want to make her last year at home full time, before she starts kindergarten next year, a memorable one.

So, I’ve come to a compromise. While I never spent all day every day out and about pre-Sophie anyway, Grace and I did tend to have regular morning outings. I’ve decided now to alternate these with days spent at home. Two or three mornings will be outings such as going for a babycino, dropping by the library or visiting friends for play-dates. I am also thinking of taking Grace to a little dance class nearby or to swimming lessons so she can start socialising a bit more with children her own age. The remaining two or three mornings will be spent at home and during this time, I am setting aside special one on one time for my big girl. In the morning while Sophie has her first nap of the day, Grace and I have been doing a fun activity together like painting or baking, something out of the ordinary that involves something other than her usual playtime activities. It is nice to have time for just the two of us and I feel better doing something constructive with her that she enjoys. As for the afternoons, we do another activity together, usually outdoors when it has cooled down a bit. Or, if we’ve had a morning at home, we might head down to the park for a play. The rest of our days are taken up with meal times, chores and of course, free play.

A few weeks back, one of our outings was a visit to the Pickled Fairy in Fremantle, somewhere I had promised to take Grace to many moons ago. I let her wear her fairy costume as a special treat. We stopped at a café on the Cappuccino Strip and perched ourselves on the stools along the window where we enjoyed our babycino and cup of tea and played ‘Spotto’ as the traffic passed by. Then we headed to the fairy shop. Grace was in awe. Every corner of every wall and every inch of ceiling space was covered in fairies and butterflies and other such prettiness. We spent some time looking at all the cute things for sale, put a coin in the wishing well, did some colouring in at the fairy table and chose something to buy with the few dollars I let Grace have (she chose a three dollar fairy figurine). Miraculously Sophie fell asleep in the pram and while her nap was shorter than it normally would be at home in her cot, it was manageable.

One day last week, for a morning at home activity, we made fairy bread with cookie cutters. Grace enjoyed punching out stars and butterflies and was excited to be allowed to use a knife for the first time to spread the butter onto the bread. A simple activity, but something that I know Grace loved doing.

Gradually, I realise our current routine will probably change again as Sophie’s gets older and as the weather starts to become chillier. For now though, this feels right and I am happy that we have a rhythm to our days, one that suits all of us in our little household.

Denmark 'Dream House'

The quiet little town of Denmark in Western Australia's south west has always been our little 'home away from home' town.  Paul grew up there as a young boy and I've always felt drawn to this gorgeous spot where the forest meets the sea. Since we've known each other, we've made time to take a trip down there each year to escape the fast pace of daily life to somewhere more quiet and tranquil.

Paul will often send me an email with a link to a new property for sale in Denmark, usually with the words 'your dream house' in the subject line.  Last week, one such email landed in my inbox from him, the subject being 'your dream house... and this time I'm serious'.

While it wasn't the weatherboard cottage I've always pictured, this one was definitely a beautiful home (albeit with a hefty price tag).  It had a unique look, but to me, it definitely appeared warm, cosy and homely, so much so that I had to share some photos of it all with you.  I love its surrounding gardens, wrap-around verandahs and use of timber throughout the interior.  While I would modernise things with more fresh white inside, it definitely has the potential to be a stunning rural property...

All images courtesy of Denmark Real Estate for realestate.com.au

'Round Here...

Here are some snippets of our week…

… the cross-stitch owl I finished for Sophie’s room (Grace has a matching one I made her in blue)

… Grace’s first piece of art that was actually recognisable – this is her water colour painting of three flowers under a blue sky

… the play tent we bought off ebay which has been getting LOTS of use by Grace and her stuffed toys - there have been tea parties, books read and colouring in sessions held in there

… Sophie enjoying being close to her big sister in her new Bumbo chair – she is so eager to be part of the action

… Grace at the river last weekend - we headed down for an early morning splash on Sunday after another 40+ day had been forecast

...Grace's little cupboard which is still yet to be painted - I tried last weekend and it was so hot the paint was drying quicker than I could brush!  While this colour is not quite right for Grace's bedroom where I'd prefer a pale blue, it is growing on me... a colour option for those kitchen stools of mine perhaps?


We don’t have a lot planned here this weekend although I had thought about taking a quick visit to The Boutique Markets for the first time on Sunday if I get a chance... we'll see... I'd prefer to tick off a few furniture painting projects first.

What are your weekend plans?