Spring Cleaning in Baby Steps – April Monthly Goals

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This month, I have been planning to get into the spring cleaning mood. Bigger projects are usually very difficult for me to handle, so I am doing it as tiny bite-size do-able tasks.

Last month my goal was to work on a strict office and kitchen work schedule. I am sorry to say, I failed. It didn’t work. I have been too tired to keep my morning office hours and the afternoon hours have been hijacked by my bossy 8 year old. Actually things were thrown about as the kids had their spring break in March.

Already, the toys have been sorted and put away. I consider that as a very big accomplishment on my part because with the kids on and off due to bad weather and holidays, we’ve been living in chaos . It is already time for the final exams and the end of the year stress is building up with none of us being in the mood to focus on studying these days. I had to remove the toys completely. The tots are more into mess making, than playing with them. Also, they got some new gifts this past month and the old toys have lost their value. I found this to be the prefect opportunity to remove the toy cabinet and the rest of the toys from their room. So now, we don’t have the toys in the children’s room. The toy cabinet now sits in my dining area!

I’ve started working on my kitchen setting too. It has all boiled down to just one rule now: throw it away. I’ve collected just too much trash. There is no question of sorting any more. Just throw what you can really! I started with what was easiest: Plastic bags. There were four huge bags of plastic bags all sorted by colour that went into the trash! Can you believe that? How much Plarn do I really want?! And why?! I told my husband we’ll just live without plastic bags for a few weeks now as it was better than living with a cabinet overflowing with them and taking over our kitchen sanity. There is nothing more important that my sanity.

I had collected too much trash, seriously. Egg trays, empty cartons, yoghurt tubs, plastic lids and bottle caps, jars, packing material … anything and everything that could be saved, I had been saving for crafting. The funny thing was that all the ideas I had of working with them were only in my head. Word of advice: You know that Konmari idea about keeping only that you love…? It is not for trash collectors like me.

I have scheduled to remove all of the above this coming week and so looking forward to having it all out. Can’t wait to see all those empty drawers and cabinets.

We also buy so many things in stock that I’m afraid many things have gone to waste as they have expired. This month, I’ve made a list of all the things I want to finish before I fill my pantry again. Last month, I cleaned my fridge and moved my kitchen around to make space and light. This month is the cabinets.

I’ve been tackling the wardrobes too. We purged all that we could last month but still I have no space to keep my clothes. Once the kitchen is sorted (hopefully this week!) I’ll work on getting one set of wardrobe cleaned out.

Next in line, no doubt, will be the books and papers. I hope Z will cooperate in donating the books. He just doesn’t want to part with them. I love having more than necessary books too but we live in a rented apartment and when you need a room for just the books… They will need to go.

Kids need some much needed one on one time. Z has been too busy the past month and I have been having to juggle at bed time. We are usually all tired and cranky by the end of the day. This past month, I’ve hated bedtimes every single day. Hated it. I hope this month, I can solve it. I see a family meeting on the cards.

April Monthly Goals

Blogging goals:

1. Newsletter will now be fortnightly magazine. It has been pending for sometime and I hope I can send it out soon.
2. Work on scheduling posts a week in advance.
3. Working on a months worth of posts at a time. It is a possibility but will need more concentration and diligence on my part. I can try.
4. Plan for a possible vacation and the Ramadan holidays.

Goals with Kids:

1. We are working on son’s Arabic learning and the resources that I have been using aren’t helping. I am trying to teach him in a way he can learn.
2. The everyday chore reminder for my eldest. This is working for us these days and he feels comfortable completing it.
3. Smiley chart success with the three year old and moving it further for more positive behaviour. We have been using a smiley chart for our hot tempered Lil’. She loves it and it is really rewarding to see her communicating more easily now.
4. Cuppycake needs some structured play that can help her concentrate and be attentive. She is the dump-all-explorer in our house. She isn’t interested in staying still and has no patience for anything that requires her to sit and do. I am looking for activities for her that can help her.

Personal:

1. 10minute workouts. I have fallen out on exercise and that means jelly belly and ouchie-ouchs. I need to get back to stretching my cramped muscles.
2. More detoxifying liquids. Every time I drink less water, it shows up on my face more tahn anywhere else!
3. Try to eat well. I have been going hungry again and blaming it all on the kids.

Menu management:

1. Introducing soups in the menu. We recently found that soups are helping prevent my husband’s digestive problems. He had been trying hard to control what seems like Gluten-intollerence for over a year now with medications but there was no relief. Starting meals with a soup is preventing his reflux-like symptoms thankfully. He is now able to keep down everything he is eating.
2. More quick lunches ideas. Getting lunch on the table at noon is not easy! It is not working at all. I am always running late. I am looking for more 30 minute meals and possibly those that can cook by themselves!
3. More salad recipes to introduce in diet. I am bored off all of our favourite meals these days. It is time for new experiments.

Craftiness:

1. Work on the five year old crochet dress WIP. Five years ago, I started a crochet dress. It is still incomplete because it is a yarn eater. 8 balls later, I still had more than half to do so I abandoned it. It isn’t that it stayed rolled up in my work basket because I made use of it in other creative ways a few times. Last week, Lil’ picked it up to show me something amazing. Do you know how to turn a UFO into a bolero? Ha! I’ll show you this month!! (hopefully, God willing I post it as soon as!)
2. Finish the T-shirt yarn project that I mentioned in my last month’s goal. (Oh dear! This started out as love… and we are still right where we were then.)
3. Recycle jar projects. The theme for this months Recycle Projects is Jars. Being April and Earth Day around the corner, I am working on including more Earth related activities for my kids.
4. Make taste-safe water colours for tot. (My toddlers drive me crazy!)
5. More crafts and activities geared towards two year olds. We have been doing quite a few projects that are suitable for toddlers and preschoolers but I need more. Novelty is the name of the game these days!

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