Priorities!

in #writing5 years ago (edited)

The other day I read a post from a single mother of four girls discussing how she couldn't seem to find a way to keep on top of her laundry. It just got everywhere, never seemed to stay in drawers if it reached them and socks and undies always went missing. She even had a clean undies basket where all her daughters undies got put, once clean, and the girls would ferret through to try and find their size. This inevitably led to arguments over whose was actually whose and some wearing undies ready to split at the seams.

I knew another mother who always had a pile of clean laundry which grew on the couch and I could never fathom how they put up with it. If laundry comes off the line or airer in my house, it gets taken straight to drawers and cupboards and put away. The only time it sits in a pile for a bit is in my daughters’ rooms if they don't put it away straight away. They're big girls now and I'm no longer going to do it for them. If the pile gets out of hand they're under strict orders to get it sorted.

There I was, not understanding how they could not take those few minutes to stop it getting out of hand, when I realised we all have those things that get on top of us. I'll admit that with regards laundry, for me the build up can be at the dirty end. Everything gets chucked in the laundry, so it's out of sight and out of mind. I’ll suddenly remember I haven't put anything in to wash yet, halfway through the day, then realise it won't be done in time for me to hang out to dry before I have to go out. So I write “laundry” on the whiteboard for the following day and it stays there again because there's more to be done and becomes part of the decor. At least I can close the door on the laundry if visitors come.

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Usually, though, it's my kitchen that gets on top of me. Today I was determined to get it done and my day went something like this:

Wake up, get dressed, switch the internet and phone on, go open my daughter's blinds in the hope of waking her, grab the key to the shed and go to let our rooster, Roast, out for the day. It's warm and really windy, the small grapevine growing up the arch has fallen down and is lying across the path. Step over it with Roast's carrier in hand, let him out, feed the chickens in his run, take a tub full of feed to the quails, check the crops of the two hens with crop issues in the hospital/bantam run on the way back, putting the one with the fermenting lump in a separate area so she doesn't get any more food to add to the lump before it's cleared. Notice their water is nearly empty, grab that bowl and head back for their food. Check the water in Roast’s run and they're nearly out too. Grab their bowl, fill the tub for the other flock and feed them, putting the water bowls on the floor outside Roast's run where I'll see them as I leave. Back to Roast's to put the feed tub back and empty the dirty newspaper from his night in his carrier into the compost bin, take the carrier back to it's daytime storage place while grabbing the water bowls on the way and stepping over the fallen vine. Put the bowls inside the house, go back outside and find some string, tie the vine back up to the arch.

Back inside to clean and fill the water bowls and take them back out one at a time to each flock. Feeling really hungry now and wanting breakfast, but the rabbits haven't been fed yet. It's a dry day so I take each of them out to their cage tops to eat the lawn; that takes two trips. Finally I can get breakfast while I catch up with emails and notifications on my tablet. Get distracted reading and answering people on Steem and discord, realise it's past 10am and make myself put my tablet down. I know there's lots to do, but can't think of anything right at that point, so I start eyeing up the garden. Then I remember the never-ending laundry pile and go fill the washing machine. A plan forms to have a real go at the weeds on the front and I collar my daughter to come and help. We pull them up and run them through the mower before chucking them in the chicken run, giving an excited flock something to kick at, scratch through and eat. All the time I'm trying to decide what to make for lunch. It's just the two of us, so something smallish. I settle on fajitas, then my other daughter pulls up in the car. Three to feed.

I tell my youngest we can finish up, take the last bucket of weeds to the chickens and put the mower away. Before I start lunch, I nip out to move the rabbits to fresh grass, then back in and move some things to clean a space in the kitchen to cook, thinking how much I need to get the kitchen cleaned. I'll do it after lunch.

Back outside to collect some salad leaves for the fajitas and select the different ones for each plate. I'll eat everything the youngest doesn't like coriander, the eldest prefers coriander to parsley. Shout “FOOD!” to the girls in the back bedroom and they rush out to snatch plates before putting Gotham on Netflix. Yes they want drinks, so I'm left behind to pour them. I can carry three drinks in one go, but have to come back for my food.

Lunch and Gotham done, time to start cleaning the kitchen. Just quickly move the rabbits again, then back in and unload the dishwasher, load the clutter of dirty dishes on the side, pick up the compost pot and decide I can empty that and turn the compost while I'm there as I psyche myself up for doing the things that need hand washing. Really I'm just delaying the task I hate. I realise it's already gone 4 pm, so the chickens need their afternoon feed and the eggs need collecting. As I come back towards the house I suddenly realise that at some point I'd started hanging the laundry out, but something must have distracted me and I can't for the life of me think what. Was it when I suddenly remembered to ask my eldest about putting a day aside to sew some clothing she'd wanted altering or making? No it wasn't that. What one earth had distracted me!? It needs hanging out so it can dry before the end of the day; lucky it's hot and windy. I bring the compost pot back in and grab the egg basket, but put it on the side because I'm worried I'll forget to finish hanging the laundry if I go back to the chickens, so I go back to the laundry, putting off the endless seeming job of hand washing pots for just a little longer.

As I'm pegging the laundry out, hubby comes home and pops his head around the corner. That probably means I'm going to have to start thinking about what to do for dinner. But I don't feel hungry, yet, so I finish the laundry and head in to get the egg basket. Go up, collect eggs, notice Roast's flock still have fairly big crops from all the weeds, so I collect their eggs then go to the other run to collect theirs and check whose crop doesn't need any extra feed. Both crop problem girls get separated this time, then I head back to the other run for feed. As I scoop the feed Roast's flock is looking at me expectantly. They don't really need more food, but I give them a little bit to stop them trying to follow me out the gate as I leave with the other flock’s food. Feed the others, grab the egg basket and head over to the quail run for their eggs. Go on an Easter egg hunt trying to find camouflaged eggs on the floor of the run, while nearly treading on some, note that a couple of their bowls are empty, so I put the egg basket outside the run, grab the empty bowls and head to the tap. Two trips with full bowls and a bit of food for them and I can head back inside again.

Candle the eggs, saving the best looking ones for friends and setting the blue eggs from Roast's run in the incubator ready for a hatch. Finally I start filling the sink to wash the pots. I wash some of the big items that don't fit in the dishwasher. As I’m drying the second lot hubby's asking me questions, I go to answer them and listen to him. Get back to the kitchen and dry what's left on the drainer. One side of the kitchen is clear, but it's past time for dinner, according to my now hungry stomach. Start cooking again.

The rest of the kitchen is still waiting to be cleaned...I'll do it tomorrow...

~○♤○~

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You could really use a wife. I picked one up, coming on eleven years ago and life's never been easier.

They sound really good those wives!

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I do absolute bare minimum of housework (in my neverending lifestyle of driving the people around me insane). If the laundry and dishes are done and the surfaces are clean I'm done as far as I'm concerned XD

Bedsheets are changed every 2-4 weeks (depending on how much they smell/I can be bothered) and everything else gets done when I notice it really needs doing. Got an infinite amount of better things to do than housework XD

ps - sometimes I think you really need to write these things out to realise just how much crap you're expected/trying to squeeze into a time period O_O

I think you're right about writing it down. Some days I feel like I've been so busy all day, but have achieved next to nothing. I have to really think about it to figure out what had taken up so much time. Hubby used to regularly say that jobs only take a few minutes, but stopped recently when he's spent time at home being out of work and setting me constantly doing things. He also realised things aren't as quick as they seem when you're doing them. More time goes by than you realise.

I know there are a lot more little things I didn't include up there. I keep trying to simplify my life, but as I simplify one thing, something else seems to come in to take the time slot. It was probably always there waiting, it must got de-prioritised before. 😅

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We always had a massive laundry pile cos my mother was obsessed with ironing everything. It was ridiculous. She never seemed to be able to grasp that if you fold stuff when you take it off the line, 95% of it doesn't need ironing. And we never cared anyway. It was her thing. Then she would make me and my sister iron most of it. As a result, I hate ironing and haven't ironed anything in years.

I gave up ironing shortly after we came to Australia. Like you say, only a fraction of things even need it, as long as you dry them hanging flat and put them away, they're fine. I feel like it's an English obsession. These days everyone seems to have super fancy steam iron stations over there.

My mother was English so that makes sense.

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And that is why I could never live on a small-scale farm....

About the only thing I get overwhelmed by (and that's an over-statement) is doing my accounting. Running my own business means I need to do BAS every quarter.... and every time I find myself doing it every three months, I tell myself that if I just spent a couple of minutes each day or even weekly, I wouldn't have to do it all at once. And I don't even need to do that much, because I pay a book-keeper!!!! What is wrong with me?!?

😅

I think if your farm was your job, it wouldn't be so bad. Most of us have to live in the system as well, though, and that's a time sapper.

Oh yes, that old "little and often" habit that everyone advises, but you never quite seem to master it and neither do they if they're really honest. 😆

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