So how is it going?

It has been a little over a month since I started thinking about simplifying life & decided to keep this diary of the changes. So today I decided to stop and think about how things have changed in that time & what is next to change or to change back.

This morning after I had showered and dressed I took 5 bags and boxes to the charity shop. It was mostly things that the children have outgrown either physically ro emotionally. The clothes are still full of possible use but too small for my boys now so I thought they were better going to a new owner than being used within the house.

On the way back I bought 4 new china bowls for £1 each from Matalan. Since we have been having home cooking all the time and I have have to cook under time pressure there is often food which cooks really quick, like stir frys or Thai curry, or really slowly but without my supervision like stews or casseroles. These foods are quite wet & so we often run out of bowls. Rather than run the dishwasher several times a day I thought I would invest in 4 new bowls. I also bought 2 new pillow cases for £3 to cover a large cushion in the sitting room.

After this I stripped the beds and took all the clothes and bedding down stairs to the laundry area to get started. I then wiped around the bathroom & vacuumed the bathroom floor. From there I vacumed the rest of the upstairs, the stairs themselves and then the sitting room and kitchen (not the new bit of the house, that is still a building site). The sitting has a block wood floor so it needs to be mopped as well. I had a mop with disposable 'scrubbers' on the end but I have made a new mop end from microfibre and this cleans far better. I mopped the sitting room and kitchen.After that I cooked a Thai Curry for lunch. I cleared out a couple of baskets of clutter & then wiped around the kitchen and downstairs. Everything looks spik and span. It is very satisfying. A while ago, quite a long while actually, my Saturday would not have been complete without a major shopping session and lunch out. Then a feeling of guilt in the afternoon as I realise how much cash I have wasted and how the house still looks a dump (ofcourse, as I was always avoiding doing anything to it.)

I am feeling better, not sure that I am looking any better yet but maybe. The house is certainly looking a lot better & is a nicer and more relaxing place to be. The old man is not quite as grumpy when the house is neat and welcoming and the meals are tasty & healthy (and never forgotten or overlooked, oops),the children are better at keeping their rooms nice and when the family areas are less cluttered and kept clean then the kids dont make so much mess. I had already heard this was true but couldnt quite beleive it but I think it is true. They are also very pleased with their meals, especially the new dishes I have been trying since my cookery course started. They are also pleased that there clothes are clean and available when they need them. Only the cats and bird dont seem to be too interested but I bet even they are glad when they get fed, all the same.