The High-Five Corner

[quizzical]

High five, Krazy Kat, for cleaning changes! I’m EXACTLY where you are in that thinking; for years I was the same way, trying to go ten miles on a single dust rag, or staring at ratty old rags drip-drying over the sink, hanging on to ancient sponges, or using cleaners that simply didn’t work. I didn’t empty the wastebaskets until they were overflowing – in order to use fewer plastic bags….

It’s so un-fun to clean as it is, and with my fear of waste I was heaping all this guilt onto the process. I was saving rags but wasting time, the most precious resource of all. Time to let go! I can save the world a lot more effectively if I’m happy, relaxed, and moving efficiently through my tasks. Not to mention that I was waiting so long between cleaning that I had to use a whole lot more chemicals AND elbow grease to get the grime off!

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[quizzical]

Oh, wow, HUGE load off my mind: I just wrote a long e-mail to get the Christmas plans with the far-flung family in the works. I’d been avoiding that one for a LONG time because I HATE the logistics that are always involved! There’s never a perfect solution to the schedules, the geography, etc. But at least for now it’s in somebody else’s in-box at last! Go, me!

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[Anonymous]

Well done!! My high five moment was remembering to phone the specialist at the time I was asked to! I wrote it on the calendar, then set my reminder alarm on my phone. And it worked!! Hooray

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[trashman]

krazykat ,Ilove the poto of the cat is it your cat. it looks like my cat but mine is not missing.lol

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[Anonymous]

Yep, it’s my cat. He’s such a character, and he loves to be around people.

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[Anonymous]

Well, I managed to accomplish great things this week! Mum is paying for me to go interstate to see a friend for a special birthday (both my friend’s and mine), but she wanted me to let her know what transport I wanted her to book. Well, I had originally planned to fly over with my daughter, as she has never been on a plane, but my son really wanted to come too and I had hoped to find a way of them both coming. But then I looked at plane fares and nearly died!! OUCH!!!

So I spent time researching all our options. Train, plane, driving, bus, and one or two kids. I ended up with tabs galore all open on the computer, and got myself in such a muddle I had no idea what to do. Too many variables to deal with, and a brain that can’t deal with such quantities of info.

First, I told my kids what the flight would cost their granny if they both came with me on a plane. They both then offered to stay home and let the other one go, God bless them. I told them thank you, and said I would see what I could do, but realistically it would probably boil down to my son staying behind, because the cheaper options would result in him missing too much of school, and he has already missed a lot this year.

In the end, I called mum for a bit of guidance and to ground my thought processes a bit, and we narrowed it down to just plane, or a train/plane combo. So back to the internet, and flying both ways, with just my daughter with me, was the decision. Mum was duly informed, and the flights booked.

It was agony to go through the whole process, but the thought of costing my mum more money on flights kept me motivated (for every day I delayed, the availability of cheaper flights decreased). Now I have a holiday with my daughter to look forward to, and my son was mollified by being invited to spend the weekend with his granny while we are away, and the promise of a flight on his own to visit one of his interstate uncles in the next 12 months or so.

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[quizzical]

High five for navigating your way through all those logistics, Krazy Kat! I’m impressed! I’m still working on our family holiday travel plans, and I have a feeling I will be for many weeks to come, so I’m super-jealous that you got that done and, most difficult of all, resolved to everyone’s satisfaction! Have fun on your trip!

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[Anonymous]

If I didn’t have my mum’s budget to motivate me, then I think I would have given up in disgust. Hubby usually deals with much of our holiday plans. The kids think of some destinations (I never really care), and I offer a selection of dates (as it is my roster that we have to work around). Then hubby does some research and, with some input from me, decides on where to go and where to stay, and then books it. He arranges the money side of things, and my role is to buy and pack the food, load the car, and sort the kids out. I am usually a cranky pain in the butt by the time we arrive at our destination, because I have left everything till the last minute and spent the day racing around like a madwoman!!

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[quizzical]

Haven’t felt much sense of accomplishment lately (I may vent about that in a separate post) so it’s good to have something to finally put here: I cleaned out an entire room! Our bedroom has a small adjacent room that’s meant to be a sitting room, but of course it was functioning as a “toss-it-here” space. You had to toss, because you couldn’t walk into the room….

This weekend I FINALLY CLEANED IT. Dozens of old empty cardboard boxes went into the recycler, and things actually even went into the trash can. I put away all kinds of random doohickeys that were waiting to be re-united with their fellow doohickeys in various other parts of the house, set up some shelves for the stuff that was allowed to stay, and found the floor and the chair at last! I even vacuumed!

This morning I put out two big bags and one huge box for charity.

What’s even better about cleaning out that room is that it was a goal I had set for myself six months ago. So while the timing of the cleaning was impulsive, the cleaning itself was already on the mental agenda. Feels really good to follow through for a change.

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[Outoftune]

I remembered my weekend to-do list and today’s to-do list with out having to write 5 million post its (then loosing them all), facebooking, texting, emailing myself or getting my husband to remind me!

But I think the biggest high five should go for the fact that I finally accepted myself for the scatterbrain that I am at 28 years old yes it took a while and am actually for the first time ever truly happy with myself! Despite, no including the fact that I locked my keys in my car while it was running last week 😯 and can never answer when my husband asks me where I put something and at work can never remember if i’ve done something already or not! Pretty frustrating and embarassing but I’m embrassing it!

Yay me!

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[quizzical]

High five Sherri! Embrace your embarrassments! (That’s a tongue-twister for sure!)

I haven’t been here in a while; seems like the honeymoon period is over; I’m still getting things done, but not nearly as much or as completely; the old bad habits are gaining a toehold once again.

For instance, I’d love to crow about my bedroom dresser top, all dusted and decluttered, but there’s a big box of What Used to Be There that still needs to be dealt with….

My weekly household chore system is just barely on track; I’m cutting a lot of corners and falling back into doing lots on one day and nothing the next because I’m too tired….

And somewhere along the line I stopped checking my new dry-erase kitchen calendar, and ended up calling the orthodontist to say we wouldn’t be in, since the appointment was due to begin in 5 minutes….

So I need a high-five more than ever. So I’m celebrating the following:

1) I still do my weekly chores on at least three of the five weekdays!

2) My dresser looks great!

3) My calendar is up-to-date; all the appointments are on it, and not on scraps of paper somewhere!

4) The other day I threw away two of those stupid metal doohickeys from IKEA that they include in the package to assemble the bookcases and such. Because the bookcases and such are assembled!

I actually used to SAVE those little metal doohickeys – God knows why. “I can’t throw them out because….they’re made of metal?” Dunno. Decisions are my worst enemy. Anyway, no more of that, and the doohickeys went into the trash, which was emptied Wednesday, on schedule!

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[Carrie]

Quzzical!! I am on the EXACT same boat as you!! I was just thinking this this morning. September my kids were so organized and well, everything is upside down again! Once my husband did their laundry and somehow got it all mixed up I havent been able to get back on track! High five to you!! You still are an inspiration!

Almost like we are addicts of some sort. We’ve just had a relapse! Its only failure if you quit! This will be an ongoing battle. I am Carrie, and I have ADD. hahahahaha

Well today has been the first major productive day for me. My meds have been adjusted to a higher dose. MUCH MUCH better now. Things are quiet once again! I was able to clean my house with out getting to distracted. I could remember what I was doing and get back on track with it. I started in the kids rooms and put their laundry in their bins and put all their toys on their beds (they can organize their own crap), then I did the same in the living room, kitchen, bathroom. I got myself the broom, dustpan and garbage bag. Then starting in kids rooms, swept everything up put in garbage and repeated through whole house. It worked well! Im so happy my house is clean once again! I think I have found my formula!

Well im going to be late for work now! Good luck! Lets get back on track!

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[Anonymous]

Well done girls!!

Hi, I’m Kat, and I STILL don’t know if I have ADHD But I managed to act as if I have for the last week, convincingly doing nothing much while looking as if I was doing many things at once (ie. I was all over the place, backtracking to try and remember why I was heading into a particular room, fluffing around sorting out things that didn’t really need it, and avoiding the stuff I really had to do!).

But I did end up with some high five moments. My daughter had a birthday party last weekend, and had to dress up. I thought she had it all planned, but she came to me with a brilliant idea about two hours before leaving – she wanted to be Lady Gaga, with a bubble wrap skirt. So I put together a wet look fabric crop top and knickers, bubble wrap skirt, and lace tights. From scratch. In two hours. And then I came home and finished the bag I had been making before her interruption, ready to give it to the birthday girl (as a special gift from me) when I picked my daughter up. Gotta love that adrenaline rush of a rapidly approaching deadline 😉

I was on such a roll that day….until I forgot completely about planning to visit a friend, even though it was on my calendar 😳

Oh yeah, I also managed to shove my daughter’s crap aside so I could get into her cupboard and put some of her huge pile of washing away – then she couldn’t find anything afterwards lol!!! And I have been hanging my son’s washing up too, as he has been keeping his room tidy so that I have easy access to his wardrobe. I worked out that I spend less time putting his washing away than I do helping him find his clothes if they are left in (and overflowing) the washing basket.

Now I just need to find my son’s lost school shoes. AGAIN!!! (It’s the fifth time this year, and we have already had to replace them once, as they never turned up the last time they went missing!). Grrrr!!

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[nellie]

Wow I’ve been looking for this thread for about a week! I typed in high five into the search key but nothing came up. Tried it several days then gave up! I think I forgot the “The” in the title.

Oh well…

It’s like seeing old friends!

So glad to see you back Carrie:-) Love that you let your kids “organize their own crap”! The best thing you can do

Quizical was wondering what you were up too! I swear your dresser sounds like mine! The “stuff to organize later” has been on mine for months! Every so often I actually notice it ! Oh well it won’t kill anyone where it is!

And Kat have seen you buzzing around the forum so nice to see you here too:-) Don’t worry too much about your daughter’s stuff. SOunds a lot like my younger daughter! She is so disorganized and her room looks like a mine field. You can’t walk through it! But it doesn’t actually bother her all that much so I figure I’ll get to it when I get to it it’s great that you adjust to your daughter’s last minute costume changes – that’s the great stuff she’ll remember!

Well, had to high five because despite the fact that I can’t sleep all that well and my actual “real” work is still suffering from a certain amount of well, oh what the heck – I’m hanging on by the hair of my chinny chin chin! But ..

But so excited! I think I can actually live without a cleaning lady!!

Now that’s saying something – never in my 20 something years of marriage has that even been a remote possibility I actually didn’t have her come in this week and the place looks quite presentable.

I’ve conquered Mount Washmore as the FLy lady would say, my kitchen is clean. You could walk into the front hallway and I wouldn’t be mortified. My bathrooms are tidy, beds are made, sheets clean .My basement doesn’t look like an episode of the hoarders. I could actually have people drop in and I wouldn’t be turning off the lights and hiding under the couch! I’ve done my fall chores, Somehow I’ve managed to pull together a routine that is automatic.

That’s what I try to focus on anyway when I think of all the stuff I still need to work on !

There’s still a lot to tackle – such as my paper work which is still kind of a mess but at least it’s all in place and no longer spread all around the house. I’m getting “there” (wherever that is!) albeit slowly.

Most fun of all, I’ve planned a couple of small Holiday parties and am not too stressed about it. I have a plan and know where I’m headed!

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[Carrie]

Krazy!! Nellie! Yay! It is like a reunion!

KrazyKat – yeah thats what Im like without my meds. With them im still scattered but I can get myself back on track and remember what I was doing. That outfit you made sounds awesome! I cant even sew together a little rip in my pants. Husband has to. He knows how hahaha

Nellie – Sheesh! I wish I had a cleaning lady! I wouldnt care if I couldnt clean my house on my own. hahahaha My mom comes over once in a while when im gone and scrubs my whole house down for me as a surprise! I LOVE IT! I can keep it presentable mostly because I just throw everything in the garbage. I dont have anything to make a mess with hahahahaha Congrats on your cleaning success!

I have been incredibly tired to the point where I would just lounge around and sleep all day, and then sleep all night. Couldnt figure out why. Got NOTHING done during that time. But it was just PMS. Now im back to getting things done! Yesterday I told my husband to back his truck up in the front yard and get me a rake so I could rake the yard. So I raked my neighbours… Shes 70, has cancer and her husband just passed of cancer in the spring. She always sends over homemade jam and fruit etc etc. She was at work so I raked her yard into mine then did mine. I actually got it all done too!! I even took breaks and stopped to eat without being distracted and got right back to work instead of just sitting and staying! We still had old pesky weeds… my husband who also has ADD (well working on getting his diagnosis) had a great idea for the weeds all around my rocks that I couldnt get… BURN THEM!! He got the tiger torch and up in flames they went! hahahahaha Have weeds? The ADD solution is BURN ‘EM ALL DOWN! Im glad I live in a small town where no one cares… Well… you can always get away with things once – except murder and those types of things I guess – hahahahahaha

Well off to work with me for my nightly beating! One of our residents sundowns quite bad and yesterday she thought I had kidnapped her and was trying to drug her… bleh! I feel so bad for her! But I sat with her and calmed her down and then things were ok! Once she tried to throw her walker through the window hahaha Work can be entertaining at times!

Good to see you all again!! HIGH FIVES ALL AROUND!!

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[Author]

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