Gobnait prepares to respawn

[Gobnait]

Respawning seems to be a theme right now.  Maybe it has to do with overambitious New Year's resolutions?  For me, January sucked, and it took longer than a month to recover from the sheer panic of being convinced that hubby's work was trying to kill him before he could leave.  Since I make New Year's resolutions in the spring (not necessarily April first) because that's when my energy picks up again, I'm not planning anything too ambitious until at least then.  No points this challenge, just getting things accomplished for the benefits that result.

 

I'm wanting to start with building a routine now that our life can support one.  There is a bit of a problem since I don't wake up at a consistent time.  Sometimes I'm awake at stupid-o-clock, sometimes I stay asleep until after dawn.  I refuse to do much of anything useful before dawn, especially if hubby is still asleep.  That means that some days require goofing off first thing if I'm being stubborn about the dawn thing.  Idealistically, I would wake up, make tea, maybe a little goofing off in the form of checking wecomics while I flex my feet.  Then I'd go through my kitchen checks, know what I'm making for dinner, and possibly do whatever prep-work I could before doing less-critical things.  I want to add to my daily list, but I'm going to start with the very basics. 

 

I re-read challenge seven about doing dailies, I still don't have a good rule about when dailies reset.  I could clean the kitchen in the evening and double-dip on the "done" because I can consider the counter wiped if nothing got on it between me cleaning it and noon the next day.  Other than going on a 36-hour schedule, it just means I got to follow the intent of what I hope to accomplish.  Basically there are going to be some days when I don't do my dailies and it doesn't count as a negative because I cleaned in the evening and didn't mess it up until next evening, meaning it was clean during the day, even if I cleaned in the morning as well.  Darnit, I'm confused again, but I know what I mean.

 

Do the dailies: What I'm trying to accomplish is to always have the kitchen be "ready" and not an overwhelming mess.  Hopefully I can spread to my craft room, the living room being in similar states of readiness, and even have the storage rooms be clean enough to be able to mindlessly wander in and grab something.

 

Be intentional about downtime: I want to do crafts, draw and color, play with toys.  Right now I'm just poking around online and waiting for things to be better, probably the definition of collecting underpants?  With the mess right now, it's probably less-ambitious to set aside time for video games and reading stuff on the kindle or real books.

 

Check in just about every day: Not being aware of what day it is was a relaxing coping mechanism, but it's really past time to reject paying attention to time.  Mostly I'll be talking about how the day went, what I accomplished, what I made for dinner.

[Gobnait]

My daily task list:

• cat water changed, cat feeding area tidied
• make a pot of tea unless there is tea that's only 24 hours old, try to drink tea
• Eat something first thing, or drink some Soylent

 

Kitchen checklist:

•     cutting boards clean
•     knives clean
•     main counter wiped
•     drain-trap dumped
•     dishwasher status
•     frying pans ready
•     large lid useable

 

Weeklies:

• Garbage and recycling
• Fishtank maintenance
• Wash the bedding

 

Explanations and details:

•     cat water changed, cat feeding area tidied
  • I don't toss the can right away, I shove aside dirty dishes and forget to grab them when I'm loading the dishwasher, she doesn't know how to tell me she wants water.
•     make a pot of tea unless there is tea that's only 24 hours old, try to drink tea
  • If tea is more than 24 hours old, or even if it's just cold instead of the warmer being on, make fresh tea.  If I adamantly don't want tea, use either the cheap stuff or the disgusting stuff that I won't throw away.
•         cutting boards clean
  • There's one I leave on the counter for cheese and it can just be checked for grossness, the others should be washed and put in their holders.
•         knives clean
  • The sharp knives should all be on the knife-magnet
•         main counter wiped
  • or at least visibly clean of dirty dishes and food scraps
•         drain-trap dumped
  • there is a chance that it's not going to release any crud while tapping it into the garbage, but go through the motions anyway
•         dishwasher status
  • unless the dishwasher only has a few glasses in it and nothing else waiting, it should be completely empty for a few seconds every day.  Exceptions are if something needs a second trip, or I accidentally load dirty into the bottom before finishing the top.
•         frying pans ready, large lid useable
  • sometimes there is room for the frying pans in the dishwasher, but usually I need to hand-wash the big one.  The cast-iron are hand-wash only
•     Garbage and recycling
  • Recycling is bi-weekly and I can only skip if I'm truly caught-up.  Garbage needs to be taken out on recycling weeks unless I really only generated one bagful of trash.
•     Fishtank maintenance
  • the current tank of fish is used to being neglected and seemed stressed-out last time I tried to put more effort into the habitat.  This is going to be more of a non-chore for the time being.
•  Wash the bedding
  • I'm thinking an average of every ten days rather than a strict schedule right now, but who knows.  It is a big production that requires both of us to wake early, so I want to be flexible about the schedule.

[Gobnait]

Well, I wasn't really prepared to do much, and I didn't do more than necessary but I surprised myself with how much I did do.  What I really wanted to do was curl up and make the world go away.

 

Two pots of tea today, got the counter wiped.  I think the dishwasher was clean > full cycle > clean again... basically empty it and then do two loads. 

 

I was late with getting started on dinner.  Basically hubby got home, I offered him a bit of chicken, some leftover fish, he finally settled on a hot pocket.  I'm not sure how much I should blame myself if leftovers are handy snacks and he rejects them.  I made a roast with sliced onions and he pointed out the baby sweet peppers, suggested stuffing them with cheese and bacon, I put cheese in a few peppers but put the bacon in an apple since there was room in the pan.  Also boiled potatoes because I had three boiling potatoes.

 

Added "eat breakfast or drink some Soylent" to my list because I'm bad about eating.

[Gobnait]

I don't know what I did yesterday save for having a bad day.  I was texting hubby at noon to pick up food, then changed my mind because of the snow and put a lasagna in the oven.  He did stop at a store for orthotics and got me some for my new boots.

 

Added "wash bedding" to my weeklies since I should have done it recently.

[Candace Koller]

Popping in out of the snow. Sounds like things are a little rough. Hope they can get better for you.

[Kareesh]

Returning the follow. 

 

I always have these grand plans and dailies and lists for housework, but then I'm too lazy or something to actually do them. Part of the baby steps I'm trying to work on with this challenge.

[Gobnait]

Popping in out of the snow. Sounds like things are a little rough. Hope they can get better for you.

 

 

Returning the follow. 

 

I always have these grand plans and dailies and lists for housework, but then I'm too lazy or something to actually do them. Part of the baby steps I'm trying to work on with this challenge.

 

So much nope this week.  I'm getting frustrated with how little I'm getting done.

 

Part of it is getting up at stupid'o'clock, then I pass out on the couch while trying to watch tv, and I like going to bed earlyish, so there's more getting up at stupid'o'clock... urgh.  I'm giving this until Monday to correct on it's own, then I'm going to try Melatonin since it helped during the really sucky time.

 

I managed to make tea.  I'm calling today good since I woke up around three.

[Gobnait]

No tea today, but I managed to stay asleep until 6-ish.  Hubby wanted to drag me to the grocery store and I can't remember when was the last time I showered, except that I've been meaning to do it for several days.  I blame the cold.

 

I did shower and didn't want to go out, but I got hungry and decided I was sick of my own cooking.  I said that he could drag me to grocery store if we got burgers too.  He ended up dragging me to the place in the gentrified area since my only protest was that it was in the gentrified area and I didn't want to drive that far.  Burger place sucked because it was still on breakfast at 1:30 in the afternoon, we went to a really good chain a block away, then I ended up buying three pairs of titanium scissors for $9 in the closeout store.  Getting groceries afterwards was overwhelming for both of us because it was too crowded.

 

I think I need to add "shower every four days" to my list in the future, maybe more frequently but with my hair wrapped up.

 

Hubby's got a line on a second car that actually works... he figured out that the old one would cost too much to repair.  Scooter was a nice idea, but I wasn't confident enough to take it out when his schedule was horrible, and it probably needs repair again from sitting.  My point with this is that I should add "have more adventures" back into my goals, it just was hard when we were sharing a car and I had to decide three hours before anything opened, and then be ready to end the adventure at a moment's notice.

[Candace Koller]

I could probably use a "shower more frequently" goal myself as well. Are there adventures you could have within your neighborhood? Maybe a nearby park or taking a walk every now and then? I know some neighborhoods are crap for walking and it's really not an option but if that's a possibility it could help you get out of the house without needing the car.

[Gobnait]

I could probably use a "shower more frequently" goal myself as well. Are there adventures you could have within your neighborhood? Maybe a nearby park or taking a walk every now and then? I know some neighborhoods are crap for walking and it's really not an option but if that's a possibility it could help you get out of the house without needing the car.

 

I have a walking neighborhood, just the local hardware store is the only interesting place within my range.  I kinda wish I had supported the corner grocery more, but their vegetable selection was meager and expensive, the meat was okay, the dry goods were a few cents more and not as much selection, and the freezer section was similar with bad crystallization.  Basically the only reason I went there was because I could walk there, and I only bought what I could easily carry.

 

I think I have a bad 7-11 within range?  I haven't had the courage to cross the street so I don't know.  And I think there is another on an easier-to-cross street, or there is another in the opposite direction.  I think it's 7-11 that I have a bias against because they didn't have a gas-can to loan me for my scooter.  (Can't remember why I can't pump directly into its tank.)  Using Ingress and Geocaching, I think I have four points worth visiting infrequently.

 

I could bike leisurely to two different Wal-marts on back-roads, plus a bunch of other shops, but I don't have the courage.  (Especially since we're having winter in a place that doesn't have winter.)

[Gobnait]

Not doing so good on the checking in part.  Tea goal is so-so as much as I can figure.  I am not doing good on housework, and I probably should have gotten professional help by now.

 

We needed more paper in the printer.  I could point to where I thought there was paper, but it took some acrobatics to actually get it.

[stealthstitcher]

Using Ingress and Geocaching, I think I have four points worth visiting infrequently.

 

I've never tried Geocaching - is it fun? I assume it must be or people wouldn't do it, but I've wondered.

 

I could bike leisurely to two different Wal-marts on back-roads, plus a bunch of other shops, but I don't have the courage.  (Especially since we're having winter in a place that doesn't have winter.)

I wish biking places was easier! My town is supposed to be "bike friendly" but all that means is that they have a few scenic bike trails. Charming if you want to go for a bike ride for no purpose, but absolutely no use if you want to actually go somewhere. Is it the traffic that worries you?

[Gobnait]

I've never tried Geocaching - is it fun? I assume it must be or people wouldn't do it, but I've wondered.

 

I wish biking places was easier! My town is supposed to be "bike friendly" but all that means is that they have a few scenic bike trails. Charming if you want to go for a bike ride for no purpose, but absolutely no use if you want to actually go somewhere. Is it the traffic that worries you?

 

I miss my mother's area with the bike trails, even if I couldn't actually use them to get anywhere useful.  (Actually, with the amount of abandoned rail-lines being converted, it might be okay, especially if they widen some roads or add sidewalks.)

 

I'm afraid of traffic in the car or on the scooter.  For the bike, I'm just afraid of getting a break-down, or getting worn out, or having an anxiety attack.

 

For geocaching, I haven't done it seriously/deliberately since tagging along with some people.  I did notice a cache and sign the log once.  I would recommend a wooded park or simply an isolated area for your first forays... Read up on the subject.

[Gobnait]

I haven't done anything.  I'm at the stage where I need someone to be in the room with me and poke me to keep moving, but hubby never has the time.  He was supposed to help me this weekend, but he got sick.

 

I went to get groceries at 2:am since I happened to be up.  I like the traffic during that time of day.  I didn't like that there was someone who was batty as a belfry standing in the bagging area and talking to me while I was checking out.

[Teros]

and I probably should have gotten professional help by now.

+

 having an anxiety attack.

+

I haven't done anything.  I'm at the stage where I need someone to be in the room with me and poke me to keep moving, but hubby never has the time.

 

Do you mean in terms of a therapist?  What seems to be going on?

 

Also:  *poke*

[Gobnait]

The anxiety attacks are old news... I'm fine when I'm distracted.  Consider them as violent rumination.  I start and argument in my head that I get pissed about losing; I always lose because I'm always wrong.

 

The professional help I need is just to have someone standing there and telling me what is garbage.  I'm better than a typical hoarder in that I can let stuff get thrown away, it just itches.  A "normal" hoarder would pull usable stuff back out of the trashbin.

 

I wasn't going to admit to deciding to take a nap in the backyard.  I had boots on, but I was still in my pajama bottoms.  I took a blanket with me, I locked the door and didn't take my keys, (combination lock) the neighborhood is mostly retirees, and hubby was supposed to come home sooner than he did.  It was crazy, but at least I went outside and got some light on the back of my calves.

 

I also don't know how I broke my chair, except that I have a gift for destroying things.  Hubby had me sit in his new chair, which is rated for 400 pounds instead of 300, and I was reluctant because it was too comfy.  My chair broke at the back, so I probably just braced myself too hard when standing up.

 

I spent the morning crying because I concluded that my husband had died in that adversity that happened last year, and the guy that looks like him just kept me from realizing it.  (Basically I was left with someone who expected dinner, wanted the kitchen clean and the laundry done, but would just cocoon himself in his office when he was awake.)  Then he started healing enough to be a bit like the man I married, which was a little spoiled because I wasn't done with my temper tantrum about it.

 

I got the one counter cleared and scrubbed, which is good because I ended up smashing the recycling overflow inside and some of it bounced that high.  I still need to mop to get it all up, but at least I can make a piecrust without worrying about eating anything worse than an eggshell.

 

BTW, I'm still not done with mourning Jim Henson.  I can't deal with Terri Pratchett right now. 

[Gobnait]

One of the games on facebook gave me infinite lives.  I think I spent a solid eight hours doing that with barely getting up to grab leftovers.

 

 I did drink my pot of tea plus an extra cup.  Today I had the weird sensation that my brain would rather crawl out of my skull and at least one of my other important organs would have rather run away with it.  Hubby had an absurdly blah day as well.

[Gobnait]

I need my mommy.  Or rather, she can do what I need, which is park her butt in a chair to point at problems, and create a filing system if we can get hubby on board to watch her do it this time.  (Need to be able to find things, ideally without a phone-call, definitely without video because it doesn't work anymore.)

 

One of the problems that we've had in this house for a while is that instead of putting things places, we remember where we last saw them.  I'm the master of most of the stuff, which is difficult when we run into a need for something that I know we have, but we haven't seen for a while.

 

Hubby did do things today, just some of it wasn't specifically useful, but some of it was.  I did a bit today, but only a little was because hubby was in the same room.  He just can't directly motivate me beyond "dishes, laundry, dinner."

 

I made pie crust for quiche and then rebelled against actually going any further, so dinner was cheap freezer pizza with extra chicken and cheese. 

 

Soylent 1.3 tastes better because it needs masking flavors, but it gave me heartburn.  I could choke down 1.2 without problems, and they're already shipping 1.4, so maybe I'll try to use it again.  (Basically the refinements are removing a little protein and fiber, both still in tolerances for "normal" people who weren't adding extra powders anyway, and they mixed the fat into the powder instead of including a bottle of oil to mix in so you can't cut it anymore.)

 

I made pie crust on pi day, forgot to by more frosting dye so hubby can't do soylent green on Irish day without making a special stop.  (I had frosting dye, it was just gross because a mouse had chewed on the box at least five years ago.)

 

Gah, the store where we get soda stream canisters was out AGAIN and we're running low.  Hubby uses a stevia-colaflavor base while I couldn't stand it without a bit of agave syrup.  There's also a honey-lemon base I use since straight lemonjuice base is an acquired taste.  My mother got a a soda stream because of the honey-lemon mix.  (She needed ginger ale. We had ginger ale mix but just didn't realize it, but she needs to avoid sucralose anyway.)

 

I also learned that there are classes of hoarder.  http://www.post-gazette.com/local/north/2010/12/02/Levels-of-hoarding-some-guidelines-for-recognizing-the-problem/stories/201012020349 I'm somewhere above a class one, maybe drifting into class two territory.  I wonder if "rooms devoted to clutter" include declared storage rooms.  If so, I could make a goal to be a class one, which I interpret as "can't even see the problem."

 

I had hubby drag on of the comfortable straight-back chairs up to his office.  Instead of bugging him to come down, I have someplace to sit with varying degrees of obtrusiveness while he does stuff.  Plus there wasn't room for both down here.

 

I had tea today. 

 

Last night, one melatonin tab wasn't enough to keep me asleep, it just made me too lethargic to get up when I woke up.  I have very bizarre dreams and I like to pay attention to them.

[stealthstitcher]

I forgot all about pi day ... 

Knowing where to find your stuff is good. I have a three stage filing system - messy pile on the table, which gets moved to messy pile on top of the filing cabinet which, eventually, when it threatens to fall over, two hours of paper sorting, shredding and filing. I feel like there might be a better system out there somewhere, though ...

[Fearkiller]

http://zenhabits.net/simple-systems-clean-your-house-as-you-go-with-an-added-burst/

 

tl;dr There was an idea in Zenhabits that when you notice something amiss, like dust motes in a corner,

or that a cup is dirty after a meal, you clean things as you go along.

The small, little things done often prevent things piling up into heaps and creating stress.

Ideally, this would leave only half an hour for more laborous cleaning once or twice a week.

 

Longer, the most relevant quotes if you got interested:

 

 

1. Clean as you go. This is merely the habit of putting things where they belong, instead of leaving them somewhere to be cleaned later, as well as cleaning any little messes quickly, instead of letting the messes build up. More on this below.
2. Burst cleaning. In my house, we call this a 30-minute cleanup, and it’s something we do on a Saturday when we don’t have much time for cleaning (which is almost every Saturday). The concept is to do a quick clean, in addition to the little cleaning you’ve done throughout the week, leaving your house (fairly) spic and span.

-- --

 

• Wash dishes when you’re done with them. Obvious, I know, but too often we leave dishes to pile in the sink. When you’re done with dinner, everyone should pitch in to put away leftover food, wash dishes, and clean the table, stove and counters. Takes about 10 minutes.
• Keep counters and sink clean. If you cook or prepare food, wipe down the counters real quick when you’re done. When you do anything in the sink, rinse and wipe it down. Takes less than a minute.
• Keep floor clean. I find that most of the house needs sweeping or vacuuming only once a week, but the kitchen needs sweeping every day (I have six kids and a cat). We share this duty (although I often end up doing it), and it only takes a few minutes.
• Put away clothes when you take them off. If clothes are dirty, put them in the hamper. If they’re still clean, put them away.
• Put other items where they belong. Instead of laying something on a counter, table, or floor, take a few seconds to put it where it belongs. This is a simple habit that will save tons of time.
• Pick up before you go to bed. I like to do a quick pick-up before bedtime, of stuff that the kids left around. This leaves the house beautifully clean when I wake up in the morning. Only takes 2-3 minutes.

 

Keep swimming.

[Gobnait]

http://zenhabits.net/simple-systems-clean-your-house-as-you-go-with-an-added-burst/

 

tl;dr There was an idea in Zenhabits that when you notice something amiss, like dust motes in a corner,

or that a cup is dirty after a meal, you clean things as you go along.

The small, little things done often prevent things piling up into heaps and creating stress.

Ideally, this would leave only half an hour for more laborous cleaning once or twice a week.

 

Longer, the most relevant quotes if you got interested:

 

 

Keep swimming.

 

Hey Fearkiller, sorry I forgot to find you this challenge.

 

Yeah, part of my problem yesterday was that hubby didn't put tools away and I don't want them to be my problem.  He woke me up this morning because I mentioned last night that I knew where his colored pencils might be, though last night we both were probably too drunk to stretch that way.  This except with one hand on the floor.

 

I should have kept up on the kitchen, but the monotony of just being able to do that, sans having the stupid crockpot take up counter space, then not being able to do anything except futilely poke at the messes and hope I could get enough moved to have room for fun...  It got to me.

 

Once I get that pile of dust swept up, I want to start purging the floor of the storage room so that I can comfortably use it to store stuff... or get to my bookcases so I don't have to stretch to get a book out and then not have the leverage to put it back.  Really, the only things that should be on the floor are hubby's brewing buckets since they take up so much room.  At least we got that stupid 55 gallon fishtank behind the couch instead of sitting where it doesn't belong.  We want the fishtank, just in a way that we can put fish in it.  I just didn't know that the sale actually happened semi-regularly.

 

I've heard of KonMari without reading too deeply, but a lot of this stuff only "sparks joy" when it's in-use.  I only like the crock pot when I'm making chili or a potroast.  I only like my handkerchiefs when I need to wipe my nose.  I only like my books when I have the sudden urge to go diving at the bookcase, especially at four in the morning.

 

And somehow I tweaked my ankle while unloading the dishwasher.  I'm usually stopped by pain in either that ankle or two spots on my other foot, but this is really bad.

[Gobnait]

Ankle is still tweaked, but getting better.  I had hubby take out the trash.  I made quiche and it made me kinda sick.  I made the mistake of opening a 1000 piece puzzle I had lying around, but I was bored after doing two 100 piece.  Assuming I get the 1000 somewhat put together, I'm going to package it in sections because I don't have the room for the full spread.

 

I spent way too much time thinking about fishtank ideas when it's going to be a couple months before we can set up.

[Gobnait]

Haven't had much to check in about.  Writer's block, lack of writer's block, feeling trapped by my own house...

 

I never got around to making that second quiche; the blender was always dirty from hubby making soylent.  The pieshell was just sitting in the fridge until I accidentally dropped it when trying to grab the pizza.  At least my pie dish survived.

 

 

[Gobnait]

A big thing that's bothering me is that I can't plan ahead.  A few years ago, I gave up on even knowing what was going to go on week to week.  Now it's a matter of not knowing where we'll live next xmas.  Maybe we'll be here for three years, maybe we'll be someplace else.

[Gobnait]

It's been months since I've rode into work with hubby so that I could have the car.  I think since last summer, the only time I took it was when I would have it for more than 48 hours.

 

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home... so nice to have one that's open at dawn.  Then I came home, put stuff away, had breakfast, went out again.  I took the old lawnmower battery to the auto-parts store just to get rid of it, they gave me five bucks for it so I bought some junky tools from the impulse trays.  I was near the one thrift store that smashes its unsold glassware on Monday morning... I didn't get too stressed-out, but I would have liked to browse in peace instead of having to compete with them by snatching things up ignoring whatever they were sorting through.  I did get a cool jacket at that store, dropped off old shopping bags at the other and got two new wineglasses and some other junk I didn't need.  I forgot to drop off that old lamp though.  (I almost threw that one lamp the 20 feet to my driveway because its only value was as a thing to make a lightbulb work.)

 

I came home again because I didn't want to go to the hardware store and worry about what hubby wanted from it.  Then I forgot what time I should pick up hubby (and wasn't up to looking at this mess anymore,) and ended up doing more driving than I should have.  Instead of going home, I window-shopped at the petstore.  I managed not to buy a really cheap tank that was off 50% because of a bad light, or the other one that was on sale.  Their fish didn't excite me, but they did tell me about a store that would take my goldfish.  All I got was water-treatment tabs and catfood.

 

I still went to pick up hubby too early, but I wandered away from the car and found a jogging path.  I had to stop walking because my feet really hurt.  Then we decided to go to the hardware store, and hubby got what I wanted him to buy plus what he wanted.  (Proper storage for his beer stuff.)  We also tried to buy lawn furniture, but our car wouldn't take it.  I got worn out, and the bottom of my feet feel like blisters.  I ended up throwing convenience food at the pan instead of making burgers like I planned.

 

We don't NEED need a second car, but I think that it would really help.  I feel better despite my overdoing it.  The problem is that I have to plan on leaving the house, and then be able to have my wanting to end the day not be sooner than his pickup time.  There's also a bit of angst at the only place being open at dawn is the grocery store, meaning I've got a couple hours to kill and not willing to drive that far, nor wait in a parking lot, nor come home and go out again.  He's got a line on a junker that runs better than it looks, so once I have that I should earn it by having adventures.  (Yes, I do things backwards, like buying the nice electric kettle and justifying it by making a tea goal.  BTW, tea goal not going well.)  Basically what I want to do is once or twice a week, just get out of the house.  Nine seems reasonable for a leave-by and One in the afternoon seems like a lower limit on how long to stay out.  I might make box lunches part of it, or I could go to having junkfood only be allowed on adventures, meaning I have to take care of dinner from scratch.