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Post by becki on Dec 11, 2008 10:19:52 GMT -5
We are not doing well keeping things up. The kitchen is trashed again, no clean dishes, ordered Pizza last night for dinner. The box and plates are still on the diningroom table, along with everything else no one has put away yet. My 6yr old and 4yr old were SO pokey getting dressed for school today that I yelled. They couldn't find any socks :' Totally not their fault, cause I haven't been doing the laundry. I went out a bought fabric to make the curtains I needed in the entryway, was all excited. Them sewing machine kept breaking the thread. Went out and got oil for the machine, but havenot done anything with it ....the mood has passed..so now the fabric and machine are all just hanging out in the dining room making a mess. No tree up yet..kids keep asking. I do not even have a clue where I would stick a tree? ? I HATE feeling this was and bringing down the kids for Christmas. So here I sit in the Library Hiding from my house and life again. We were doing well for a while....
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Post by gottaproblem on Dec 11, 2008 12:30:43 GMT -5
I agree with positivelypickles. Keep it simple and small, but do something for the children. They are little and probably still believe in the magic of Christmas. You could decorate a tree outside with popcorn or pinecones of peanut butter and seeds for the animals. The dollar store is a great place to pick up decorations for little money. You can do it.
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Post by AnnieOkie on Dec 11, 2008 12:51:32 GMT -5
Amen to all of the above. Start simple and stay simple if you must. Maybe even get the pizza box off of the table, the sewing machine put away and put a tree up on the dining table if you have to. Your kids need some magic! Good luck!
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Post by zinnia on Dec 11, 2008 18:34:57 GMT -5
Hugs to you. I hope you are able to reclaim a spot for your Christmas tree today.
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Post by messymimi on Dec 11, 2008 19:14:37 GMT -5
Recruit the kids to have a contest. If they beat the timer getting the pizza boxes bagged and out to the trash can, they get to buy an extra ornament for the small tree you will buy. Same with the "who can pick up the most plates" game. They are still young enough to be trained to do it the fun way.
Put the small tree on that clean table, and tell them that for every day they help you keep the table clean, they get to put on another few ornaments. The fully decorated tree by Christmas will be their reward.
Other great games are "who can match the most socks", "how fast can we each get 12 pieces of trash" -- just use your imagination.
Put the curtain fabric and sewing machine away for now. Pull them out daily for a certain number of minutes. Let yourself work on the curtains at that time, then put it up again. Yes, that can be a pain, but living with seeing the stuff sitting around unused is more painful. Try to have them done by Christmas that way, and it will be your gift to yourself.
Each day, a little more, and you can do it.
messymimi
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Post by Arid on Dec 11, 2008 20:01:58 GMT -5
If your thread keeps breaking as you try to sew, there are several things that you should check out; the machine might need oiling, it is true, but there are several other "causes" for breaking thread.
First of all, be sure that you have your machine threaded correctly. It is very easy to loop the thread around a part incorrectly or to miss a point all together. Next, make sure that the tension is set correctly. Also, as well as making sure that the tension at the top of the machine is set correctly, make sure that the tension for the bobbin thread is set correctly--which reminds me--make sure that the bobbin thread is threaded correctly. Make sure that both the top and bottom threads are passing through the throat plate the way that they should.
Make sure that you are using the right kind of needle for the fabric (i.e. "sharp" for cottons, etc.; "rounded" or "ball" for knits, etc.). Also, make sure that you are using the right kind of thread for the type of fabric that you are using. Last, but not least, make sure that the thread that you are using is "good." Too cheap a quality of thread tends to get "slugs" in it (i.e thick places in it that will keep it from passing through the eye of the needle easily); thread that is too old may be getting "rotten", and it will break easily as a result.
All of this will be a lot easier to check out if you have the sewing guide/instruction booklet that goes with your particular model of sewing machine. Failing that, you probably can look up your machine and its model number on-line to find the information that you need.
Since you said that you were doing well for a while--does this happen to you regularly? When I was younger, I could plan ahead for my "PMS" days like clockwork. I KNEW when I was going to be able to get things done and when I wasn't. When my "non-functional" days were looming, I planned for simple meals that didn't "trash" the entire kitchen. I saved my "labor intensive" recipes and meals for the days when I knew that I would be feeling better.
Your problem might not be PMS related, but you might want to consider keeping a calendar for a few months to chart your moods and energy levels. You might discover that you do have some garden-variety version of PMS, or you might find that you cycle like someone who has bi-polar disorder. If you include a few notes about how you feel at certain times, you might discover that everytime that you eat a certain food, or use a certain type of cleanser, you feel terrible (ill, achy, depressed, runny nose, whatever. . .) If you know what causes you to feel so lousy that you aren't keeping up with the necessary daily routines, you might be able to circumvent them (don't eat anything that causes an allergic reaction--even if the "allergic reaction" is a feeling of lethargy or depression, use a different cleanser, etc. )
Since you were doing well for a while, it likely won't take you too long to get yourself (i.e. your household) back to that level.
You've gotten some great suggestions about how to decorate for Christmas on a smaller scale. Even a decoration or two likely will make you and your children feel happier about the holiday.
Best wishes for a lovely holiday season,
Arid
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Blackswan
Banned
Joined: October 2008
Posts: 6,388
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Post by Blackswan on Dec 11, 2008 21:05:47 GMT -5
I have the same thing going on right now. I was doing really well, and then I have been making excuses to not clean for about a week or two.
I just had a great idea after reading your post though. Why don't we just accept our not cleaning for awhile as a natural part of recovering from squalor, and not feel any guilt about it, and just pick up where we left off? Nothing really has changed for us to stop cleaning. That means we are still capable of cleaning as much as we did. Heck, we can even go clean it all up right now and use air freshener, and mop floors and have fancy houses that we like cleaning in!
I'm getting the timer out, how 'bout you?
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Post by becki on Dec 12, 2008 12:51:59 GMT -5
Thanks guys for the encouragement,...but we are just drowning . I can't get it together. I know it is my fault. It is my job to be the mom and cook the meals, and make sure everyone has clean clothes. My mom says I should lay out their clothes for them the night before. Nice thought. She says I am just ***, but there are 5 of them and only 1 me and I am not getting any cooperation. They don't care if they have to step over things or on things. They don't care if we order pizza instead of me cooking. Today, I found my 4 yr old using the bathroom and instead of trying to aim for the toilet he was spraying all over like a fire hose..partly in the potty, in the garbage can, on the floor. His response...."its fun" I clean something, they mess it up. It just gets so draining.
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Post by AnnieOkie on Dec 12, 2008 14:31:43 GMT -5
Thanks guys for the encouragement,...but we are just drowning . I can't get it together. I know it is my fault. It is my job to be the mom and cook the meals, and make sure everyone has clean clothes. My mom says I should lay out their clothes for them the night before. Nice thought. She says I am just ***, but there are 5 of them and only 1 me and I am not getting any cooperation. They don't care if they have to step over things or on things. They don't care if we order pizza instead of me cooking. Today, I found my 4 yr old using the bathroom and instead of trying to aim for the toilet he was spraying all over like a fire hose..partly in the potty, in the garbage can, on the floor. His response...."its fun" I clean something, they mess it up. It just gets so draining. I don't think your son is too young to be given a rag spritzed with a cleaning solution and told to clean up the urine. I know he won't do a very good job at that age, but maybe it will make an impression on him not to do it again. Hang in there and I hope things get better.
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Post by clearwaterush on Dec 12, 2008 21:49:34 GMT -5
With my grandsons when I was potty training them, every time when the peed or pooped in the stool I showed them how to flush "Go bye-bye they'ed say. I told them to leave the potty seat up. I taught them to get the toilet brush and clean the inside of the toilete. I spritzed some soap in there to make bubbles. Now my grandsons are 7, 5, and three and still clean after they use the toilet.
I just couldnot get my youngest grandson to go potty over at my house. He'd go for his mom and dad. One day I noticed that Zack's favorite toy was Captain Jack(that caribean pirate guy). That morning I took the toy and zack into the bathroom and placed Captain Jack on the stool rim at the back, pulled zack's pants down and told him "Captain Jack thinks you are a big boy. Show him how to pee!" Well, it took him to trys and still couldn't do it. Then I heard this shrieking grandma! grandma! Comere! I ran into the bathroom thinking he was dying and there he was with his pants down peeing and he had stood Captain Jack on the stool side rim to watch him! Never had another problem after this!
If your son thinks it's fun to pee all over the place he should be made to clean it up. Get some of the dollar store bleach Clorox wipes so he thinks he's helping. A different color of glass cleaner and letting him clean-up spraying and wiping makes it a game, and tell him if he pees in the stool and you don't find any messes on the outside of the stool, he can have 5 M&M's. My new daughter in law used this gimmick on Zack at her house when she was training him and he came and told her to look in the pot, he went big potty. She gave him 5 M&M's. Get this...That was his first poop in the pot and he told her he needed 5 MORE candies because he went poop. His mom said it was still the potty. "Nope", he said...the two potty's are different so I want the candy." Of course she gave in and the rest is history.
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Post by AnnieOkie on Dec 16, 2008 9:57:07 GMT -5
hidingfromhouse-How are things going? I was thinking of you this morning and hope things are a little better for you.
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Post by gottaproblem on Dec 16, 2008 10:50:58 GMT -5
I also have been thinking of you. Take care of yourself, too!
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Post by zinnia on Dec 16, 2008 12:15:22 GMT -5
Thinking of you. Let us know how you're doing.
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