Am I the only one?!

I wonder if I am??? It appears at times I'm the only living sole in this house that has a) common sense & b) optimal organisational skills.

I keep trying to drum in the importance of these two necessary life skills to my family, but as much as I try I get nowhere... Or so it seems (hopefully it is slowly drip-feeding into them)?

Every day I remind hubby to take his medication, he is on 3 different tablets daily, every night I full up his pill pot & my daily pill separator (I take meds morning & night), every morning I make my bed & ask the children to make theirs (since my mega blitz last week), also I get them to pull the curtains in their rooms - it's not hard (or at least it shouldn't be) but they're so forgetful... If I don't remind them constantly to do these things, guess what?! Yep, they don't actually get done. It's a bit like getting them to actually put their dirty laundry in the washing basket!!!

Since the weekend I've started a new washing regime this week, I am washing a load a day or every other day now instead of doing 2/3 days of multiple loads... It's being washed, dried & put away straight away - so much less daunting & if the kids don't assist then I can do it quickly without it taking over a full day (I did have to clear the back-log first yesterday) working a dream so far!

It's a little like the new tidy rooms rule; I've only had to pull rank once with Hermione today (she left all the play animals strewn across the girls room) but I only told her once & she put them away, I even helped her saying "you only have to ask & I'll help you"

I hope eventually the longer I persist with this tidy room rule, clean kitchen sides, washing daily  regime etc, soon it will rub off on the children & become second nature to them...

As for the hubby??? Well, I think he's a lost cause now - he does try (he is in fact very trying, lol) but take the kitchen sides... I often have to clean up after him both before bed & again after his toast/tea in the mornings. I don't mind that much, it's just frustrating!

Common sense, I think people have it or they don't... I have a lot (at least I think I do), Dunk has a little & well if the children have any, it is not yet developed - I need to try & channel this life skill quickly, if there's to be any hope of my children developing it at all.

Now of course I'm not being derogatory to my little family at all, I love & support them dearly. It is just a very tiring for me trying to remember all the menial things for 5 people - I often miss taking my own medication on time due to fussing over the other 4 in the house (no I know this is not good for me, but what else can I do?!)

I can organise pretty much anything I put my mind to, trips out with the family, holidays, parties, events you name it I'm your girl! Common sense, I have a lot but it's not overflowing but I wish more people had this skill.

All in a days...

Oh should that actually read 'all in a daze' I am not entirely sure about this title, as I do undoubtedly feel crazily dazed if I'm honest?!

This is my semi Ta-Dah post, I actually started this current housecleaning frenzy yesterday when I spent no little than 8 solid hours blitzing the girls pigsty - how can they live in such squalor is beyond me!

Anyway the chores continued today & over the past 35 hours I have totally annihilated 2 children's bedrooms into submission & they both look habitual now - this included stripping bunkbeds & a midsleeper, making all 3 beds again with fresh clean bedding.

I have washed & dried & put away 6 loads of washing & also put away another 2 loads that had already been washed & dried previously! How these children go through so many clothes is a mystery, some actually don't look like they've been worn & others are hideously dirty!!!

I have vacuumed the house top to bottom, cleaned the kitchen no less than 5 times, found a hidden pile of clean clothes stuffed in the bottom of number one sons wardrobe that needed hanging up, made sure the children didn't starve, arranged a birthday cake, packed an overnight bag for the kidlets, attempted to get a nice meal on the table at a reasonable hour (only for my super powers to fail & one item not being quite cooked in time - epic failure).

I would normally go to karaoke with the Funky one tonight (haven't been in a fortnight, as was away last Thurs) but I'm in no way motivated, it is freezing cold, I've not had my caffeine quota, I'm knackered & still I have an outfit to find for a wedding reception that I'm attending tomorrow night!

I feel absolutely bloated & fat today, hence finding an outfit I can actually fit into. Maybe I should just dress up as a pumpkin, it would hide all the flab on show - lol!!!

My skin feels awful as I've been overdoing the Creme Eggs & Chocolate - Easter should be banned next year... I've decided! I best take my meds in a minute, was very late in taking yesterday morning (it was in fact 2pm by the time I got round to it) Ooops.

I'll rest when I'm dead, either that or fall asleep on the sofa this evening! Fingers crossed I don't have to rush out & buy anything to wear tomorrow!

What's the Bzz?!

Yes, what is the Bzz???  I am a BzzAgent & have been since 9th May 2007, I bet you're wondering what a BzzAgent is?!  Let me tell you...


Basically it is a consumer testing panel & anyone can become a BzzAgent you just have to sign up, you can do it by visiting: BzzAgent


You get invited to join campaigns where you can get FREE products to try (or products at a reduced price, they're not always FREE) & you review them then spread the word - what they call the Bzz!


I am currently on the Naturally Powered campaign, Naturally Powered is a new range of environmentally-conscious cleaning products that have been developed with the help of environmental experts, tested in the laboratory, & approved in the home. Naturally Powered's outstanding performance makes it hard to believe that it is an eco range, but thanks to its combination technology, plant-derived cleaning ingredients & recycled packaging, it's as good, if not better, than other leading brands.


I was sent the anti-bacterial spray, that I must say is as good as the Dettol spray I normally buy, I was also sent a couple of samples of washing up liquid in my BzzKit but I wasn't as impressed with this compared to my normal brand Fairy - it didn't lather up as much & I didn't think it's performance worked as well as Fairy (that's just my honest opinion of the product though)


I have a couple of friends that are also BzzAgents (I only recently found out they were, so we quite often chat about campaigns & products) - Caroline had the Naturally Powered washing powder to trial, from all accounts this too is quite a good product! Lisa got the toilet gel & from her review she loved the gel as stayed where it was squirted, cleaned well but the fragrance was overpowering - so it looks like Naturally Powered seems to be a a good brand!


Other Bzz campaigns I have been on since becoming an agent include: Philips Pressurised Steam Generator, Remington Wet2Straight(TM) Slim, Philips goLITE BLU, Philips Wake-up Light, Colgate(R) Sensitive Pro-Relief(TM), Activia(R) & NutriCat (to name just a few of the campaigns I have been doing over the years)

Unbelievable?!

Seriously?!?!


Now this would be funny if it hadn't stressed me out so much in the first place... 


Imagine the scene, I place a large bath sheet, 2 bath towels, a hand towel, a bath mat, a pedestal mat & 2 flannels in the washing machine with my detergent dosing ball/cap/lid/thingamajig (whatever you want to call this device) & switch on the machine to wash my load of towels while I pop down town to meet my bessie Jason & good friend Jo for a nice chill out & Costa.

A large skinny latte (what is THAT mug all about?!)

The morning was most enjoyable, we drank coffee (I will never upgrade my medium skinny latte for large again as the mug is just too random for me), we chatted & then we went our separate ways, I did a spot of shopping before heading home.


Now on returning home, I dropped off my shopping in the lounge & then went to put my freshly laundered towels in the dryer... as I remove them one by one from the machine, I can't for the life of me find this blasted dosing contraption - where the hell has it gone, it can't just disappear?!


I proceed to shake the towels individually, thus removing any bunched up corners etc & to see if the offending article falls out to the floor... but alas, the thing is nowhere to be seen.  So, I shake my head & think ok I will check the machine again, I spin the drum round, nope it really isn't in the machine - odd???  So I then one by one shake each towel/flannel/mat individually again, but STILL there is no sign of the blasted thing!!!

The offending article - stupid dosing thingamajig!

Now by this point I am thinking it's no good it must have disintegrated in the washing machine cause I used a 40 Cotton wash instead of a 30 Synthetic & these things are not that heavy a plastic... Crazy I know, but I figure there is no other logical solution as I have triple checked everywhere & it hasn't appeared yet.  So I go off to the tumble dryer, thinking oh well I have another in the cupboard & start to load up the towels - I decide that I may as well just put them in I have checked them more than enough times & they were hanging directly over my arm...


I put in the flannels, followed by the mats, then goes the hand towel & low & behold when I put in the first bath towel what should fall to the floor?!  Yes, you guessed it the bloody stupid little dosing thing!!!  At that very moment I quoted my bessie's favourite line 'Unbelievable' - Jason, I am sure you would have been in fits of laughter had you been here.

My lovely freshly laundered towels

You really wouldn't believe it would you???  So unbelieveable I HAD to blog about this as I am STILL laughing about how stupidly crazy this actually was!!!