I'm Learning Tidiness!

Cleanliness is next to godliness, so they say. And I've (almost) always enjoyed cleaning. I've had a few cleaning jobs in my working life as a cleaner all of which I really enjoyed. However, I married someone who likes things TIDY, and doesn't notice the cleanness so much. I'm not so good at tidy....

That said, my husband and my mother-in-law have inspired me by their example to work at this weakness of mine, and with the help of some organisational blogs I follow, I am excited at my improvement in this area. I actually enjoy getting in and tidying up now instead of all the procrastinating I used to do.

My kitchen pantry, my containers/tupperware cupboard, and the toy area have been my 'tidy up' projects of late. I (finally!) bought a couple of tray basket things to put my small containers in - round in one, square/rectangle in the other. So my containers are now, well, contained, and they are accessible - I can easily pull the basket out to find what I need rather than rummaging through the cupboard. The girls' books and toys are now in 2 shelving units (from The Reject Shop), with a small table ($10 from IKEA) with a bucket of small toys underneath in the corner of the lounge; previously they were in a big container chucked in any old how and whenever Abigail was after something the whole lot came out to find it! Oh, and my kitchen table is CLEARED and has been staying that way! Yes, it (for the most part) is not a home for all those bits and pieces that like to find there way there to stay.

I am feeling very pleased with myself so far in this 'conquest' of mess. And I hope to maintain the tidiness (there's hope - all our clothes shelves are still in order after I tidied them up a while back).

Two tips I've learned:

1. Pick a small area to work at a time. A sense of accomplishment is important.

2. Pull everything out/clear off the area and start with a clean slate.

When things are tidy, they look so much cleaner. So it's a win/win for both personalities in my marriage :)


Now to tidy my desk!

New Zealand Visit

After 2 1/2 years we finally returned to New Zealand to visit my family and show off our girls. It was so nice to be back with my side of the family for a little while and to catch up on all the changes that have happened since I left (a marriage, a birth, a courtship!).

The whole trip was marked by sickness - Jon and the girls all came down with bad colds, which still continues for Abigail and Sarah. All those foreign NZ bugs :) For my part, I only got a mild dose occasionally rearing itself. We have gone through an awful lot of tissues (nearly 3 boxes!)! :) The warmer weather back home has certainly made us all feel a bit better (Jon experienced his first frost and sub zero temperatures during our stay in Timaru).

Sickness aside, it was a great time. We had quite a social calender! Loved visiting my sisters' homes, and meeting my brother's girlfriend's family; I got to see my nephew for the first time. While in Auckland we stayed with my parents - didn't have to do any cooking or cleaning (thanks mum!). Such a treat! And Abigail loved all the toys and books, and the cat!

We stayed in Auckland 9 days before flying to the South Island. We landed in Christchurch a few minutes after another major aftershock, so were delayed on the tarmac for an hour. Finally got our rental car and headed south to Timaru. It was cold! We had very long hot showers while there and the fan heater got a lot of use; the electric blankets were kept on most of the night! We visited my Nana and she enjoyed holding her great grandchildren on her lap. Sarah quite enjoyed chewing on her beaded necklaces :)

The girls weren't very well so we didn't get out as much as planned to see people, but it was nice to have some quiet time together as a family. There was a great playground where we stayed and a big jumping pillow; and we went for a trip to The Shearer's Quarters where we played a (cold) game of mini golf and got to see the farmyard animals (donkeys, chickens, ducks, goats, deer, and pigs - Abigail loved this). I was quite keen to be home again by the end of the trip and was very happy that our flight wasn't delayed by the ash cloud. It was a full flight home, so we only had 2 seats for the 4 of us, but we managed fine.

Now for the challenges involved in settling back into routine :) :)