What do you do to avoid it all?

18 years ago

Today, I actually went outside and mowed the backyard. This is notable since I haven't used a mower in about...TEN YEARS! LOL

Reminds me of college. I used to clean out my closets or my refrigerator the night before a test. I guess I'm consistant!

Tonight, I attack the kitchen. The WHOLE THING is a 'hot spot'. We basically live in there. It's where 'my' junk is. It's where the paper lives. It's where everything I don't know what to do with, lives. It's the most evil place in my home.

It's not dirty. The sink is clean. The dishes are put away. The counters where I cook are clean.

But everything else? Oh lordy.

If you don't hear from me in a few days, send in a posse...

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

cupofkindness
18 years ago
Shop for more stuff.
shirleyinadirondacks
18 years ago
I read a good mystery. preferably, something I've already read. But after my daughter died in December and again when my father died seven months later, I couldn't read at all.

My youngest daughter does the same and had the same reaction to reading afater Shelly died.

Every other situation works with the reading.

shirley
Related Discussions
All you cooks, what do you do...
Q
Comments (10)
I have two stoves - one in the kitchen on the main floor, and one in the galley kitchen in the finished basement, so I don't have a problem. But it sounds as if you don't have that arrangement, so I guess I would cook the item with the shorter baking time first and try to keep it warm in the microwave, then bake the second item. Do you have a toaster oven that maybe you could use for one of the items? I hope you figure it out. Veta
...See More
What do you all do with your rose books you want to either sell/give?
Q
Comments (11)
I put mine in monthly rose society raffles. Some rose societies also have a lending library. You can also give them to rose novices who still have that spark of all-things-roses excitement. Your generosity can mean a great deal to the person just getting into rose growing. I still wish all these rose pictures had a scratch & sniff feature.
...See More
What do you do with all the "stuff" you pull out of a turkey?
Q
Comments (21)
I'm with everyone else. I just roasted a chicken last night and did what I do for turkeys. Plopped the cut off tail, heart, neck, and gizzard into a small pot with some water to begin a stock. After the chicken had cooked and was cut up, I added all the collected drippings and juice. When we finish the leftover tomorrow, I'll put the stock beginnings and carcass in the pressure cooker with some water for making a final stock. And I never use the liver. Unfortunately, none of my cats will eat it -- raw or cooked. So it gets tossed. But I personally love to chew on crispy chicken wing tips, so those are gnawed on and not included in the stock fixings.
...See More
What do you do with all the stuff you use but not often in garage?
Q
Comments (24)
I have this fantasy of installing a bookcase / shelves next to a doorway or opening, but placing them 3" or 4" away from the wall. And then slide big flat things BEHIND the shelves (that's why "next to a door," so there's room to slide them out). And maybe install ledges on the back side of those shelves to hold those flat things up off the ground, or maybe make it possible to store one of them higher up (double-deck). What made me think of that was this item from your list: 2 folding tables (when guests come over) Set some deep shelves (as deep as the folding chairs are wide) by the door to the house (if there is one, or any other door) far enough out from the wall to fit those tables, and then install one ledge low down on the back side of the shelves so you can slide one table in to rest on it, and another ledge above it to set the 2nd table on. You could install those big utility hooks I linked to above, or a 7" ladder hook, on the end of that bookcase to hang the 6 folding chairs on, some low and some high. I don't know how many folding chairs would fit in the 7" depth, but it would be one way to keep them from falling over, etc. And they'd be close by the door and easy to use. Not sure if all 6 would fit; you'd probably need 3 hooks, and I don't know how easy it would be to maneuver chairs off the top hook (Most are 38" high--so if you put the lowest set of hooks so the support is about 39 inches above the floor (not to lift so much as to keep them from falling over) and the next set 39" above that, then thelegs of the top set of chairs would be 78"/6.5' from the floor, so most people would be reaching over their head to get them--not so smart from a safety point of view, probably. If there are stairs, you could reach them more easily, maybe. Or experiment with hanging them upside down from the cross-brace, and that might let you control them better when taking them off. EDITED TO ADD: I just looked it up, and most steel folding chairs are 2" thick when folded, so 3 would fit on each hook. Here's a 7" ladder hook. Not so good for bikes because it doesn't have much of a front "lip" the way the one above does. But probably easier to get the chairs off it. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-5-16-in-x-7-3-4-in-Screw-In-Ladder-Hook-01219/202305568
...See More
Julie_MI_Z5
18 years ago
To avoid the worst jobs around the house, I usually do volunteer work or join a new committee. Volunteering gives a positive sense of accomplishment; washing the kitchen floor just means it's going to be dirty again the next day.

I'm trying not to do that as much this fall so I can get caught up around here!
des_arc_ya_ya
18 years ago
Play on the computer or talk on the phone. (Just think, by reading this we might ALL get new methods of avoidance! LOL)
kittiemom
18 years ago
My biggest avoidance method is browsing the internet - mostly looking at decorating ideas, furniture, & organizing stuff. Sometimes I read, watch tv w/DH or talk on the phone.
sheriz6
18 years ago
Same here. I can spend hours surfing when I should be doing other things.

Talking on the phone, though, actually helps me get stuff done because I can talk on the cordless and do mindless stuff like empty the dishwasher or fold clothes -- it makes the job fly by.
marie26
18 years ago
Going to several sites on the internet. They, unfortunately, have taken number 1 priority on my "to do list".

There are times when I'll stay up late just to get my internet fix so that I can concentrate on the house the next day.
maddiemom6
18 years ago
Shirley.. Like you anything that had to do with using my head like that was out after our baby son died 5 years ago... I acutally got a lot of or actually tackling projects that I had not gotten too... but that were for the most part mindless... it gave my head a a break and my heart time to at least start the process of healing... it take a long time but each day it gets a little better.
Lots of hugs for you!

Maddiemom
cupofkindness
9 years ago
I was appalled at the response to this question that I posted so many years ago... I'm much more proactive now. Clutter is exhausting, but I try to work in 15 minute blocks of time-short bursts of activity is an excellent coping mechanism for avoiding the crash and burn associated with the avoid/attack syndrome. Why did I ever think that having a lot of stuff was important?
LucyStar1
9 years ago
Like cupofkindness, I work for 15 minutes at a time with a timer. That's Flylady's method. I listen to my ipod while I am working. I listen to podcasts of radio shows. I like interviews with authors, BBC podcasts, local shows, etc. I have also downloaded FlyLady's crisis cleaning podcast, and I sometimes work while listening to that.

What do you do to avoid it all?

Comments (10)

cupofkindness

shirleyinadirondacks

Related Discussions

Julie_MI_Z5

des_arc_ya_ya

kittiemom

sheriz6

marie26

maddiemom6

cupofkindness

LucyStar1

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US