#naclyoho 2023

[dignitywhatdignity]

NaClYoHo 2023, Day 1 (for me)

So for reasons I will get to shortly, I'm starting my NaClYoHo a few days early. Today I'm scrubbing the tub.

I wish I had the Bissel steam cleaner @copperbadge recommended, but Home Depot doesn't carry it and there's no way otherwise I'd get it in hand by today, which is when I'd need it.

So instead I climbed in with an old toothbrush, a bottle of CLR, and a podcast app. I got about 2/3 of the way done before I had to pause to take 7yo to math class. In that time, I listened to (at 1.5 speed): the second half of a Behind the Bastards about Ted Cruz; a Gotta Be Done about the Bluey episode Sleepover; and a Deep in Bear Country about the book The Berenstain Bears and the Sitter.

When I get home (currently chilling at the poke place with my passionfruit green tea with lychee jellies), I'll finish the tub and wash the curtains and liner. Queued up: The Muppets: The Sitcom: The Podcast about the episode Too Hot to Handler, followed by a The Alarmist about the Waco Seige.

So my NaClYoHo is always a little weird. Traditionally I only do tasks on days my kids are in school, although it's not unusual for me to get one or two weekend projects done (like today) when Husband either helps or gets the kids put of my hair (and often, again like today, explicitly asks me to do said tasks).

Another thing that happens most years is that I end up temping, so my in-laws come over to watch the kids. This is the first year both kids have been in school, which should make things interesting.

Likely tonight, while I'm playing D&D, Husband will do a layer of cleaning in between rounds of PUBG, so that tomorrow, between work tasks*, I can do last-minute stuff like clean the toilets, load and run the dishwasher, or wipe up the inevitable sticky spots 7yo will leave from breakfast. Once that's done I'll have freedom to do some NaClYoHo Tasks like filing and clearing out my email inbox. I'll keep you posted.

*As to that, my temp job is always subbing for the same person. She only takes vacation during quiet times, so I'm really more on call than anything. I have to jump as soon as a task is sent to me, but there have been days where... no tasks are sent to me.

[wisecollectorofbooks]

Decided to do "National Clean Your Home" Month this year, because I found it randomly on my "explore" page like 2 weeks ago and, well, I need motivation to organize my house. I've only lived here for 11 months already.

So, here's to me trying this out, and using my tumblr to keep track. Let's see how long this goes. Pinned for my easy finding this month.

Nov 1 - took down all random plastic containers in my upstairs rooms that needed to be cleaned for recycling, cleaned them, and put them with the plastics for recycling.

Nov 2 - put away two stacks of CDs that have been sitting on my stairs since... March? I think that was when I unpacked them. Also vacuumed living room floor.

Nov 3 - Took full recycling bags out to shed.

Nov 4 - Not even noon yet here in UK and I've already finally ordered the three shelf storage thing I needed for my kitchen, cleaned off half of my table downstairs, and filled another recycling bag of paper. Who knows what I can complete by tonight? update - just a bit more organizing downstairs.

Nov 5 - put stuff in crawl space that I've been meaning to for months. Will hopefully get the shelf thing today, and put that together so I finally have a place to put the slow cooker, rice cooker, toaster, and coffee grinder which doesn't involve just rotating things between counters and the table. Also have taken out two more bags out to shed for Tuesday recycling day. Update: I did get the shelf, and put it together, and now most of the "big" things sitting around my kitchen/table are stored away!

Nov 6 - Folded most of my dry clothes, and prepared for recycling day tomorrow. It was a long day.

Nov 7 - Folded rest of the clothes, put out recycling and compost bins. Folded couch blanket, which was graciously re-nested by one or both of the feline overlords. I have been duly chastised.

Nov 8 - cleaned off my desk, finally. Had the excuse motivation that I finally got my work-provided laptop for my WFH days on Friday and today was my first WFH day since then, so needed to get it set up, but first I needed space for it, so... clean desk. Also put away the clothes I folded the last two days.

Nov 9 - I did not forget to do it, I just forgot to log it here. But my task yesterday was to finally hang up a three part picture I bought in Thailand like... `14 years ago, that has been one of those things just floating around between my table, some chairs, the stairs, and the table again. So, they are now hung up! I also went out and raked up leaves and did another round of weeding in the garden.

Nov 10 - Honestly, today was a long working day (it is only 445pm as I type this, but my working hours are 8am-345pm, and today was just overly long) because it was my last day before 1.5 weeks of annual leave. So I think the taking the full recycle basket downstairs to be sorted into the bags will be all I do today. I may do something more later, but who knows. Reader - that is all I did today.

Nov 11 - Swapped over to my "winter" duvet cover (fuzzy! Warm! silver and white like snow! Matching pillow cases!) and washed my other linens so that I could make use of **checks weather forecast** the ONLY sunny day of my entire 1.5 week break. May also finally finish clearing off that table. I won't hold my breath on that one though.

Nov 12 - Cleaned the litter boxes.

Nov 13 - Cleaned one step off.

Nov 14 - Busy day because landlord has an inspector coming tomorrow for the annual energy inspection? I was notified yesterday evening about this. Have so far (it is just before 10 am) sorted through the piles of stuff on my office floor, set aside papers for recycling and for shredding, vacuumed the office floor and upper hallway, raked the leaves into my remaining litter bags, and taken recycling bags to shed. Still on the list to be done today: Organize my bedroom closet, finish clearing off the table... vacuum the bedroom, vacuum the stairs.

[wordnerdworld]

Day 1 NaClYoHo

Today's goal is to un-decorate from Halloween!

This is going to involve:

Washing Halloween dishware Done!

Washing Halloween laundry--in progress, also found a load of laundry I forgot was already in the washer, whoops!

Finding/wrapping/packing decor items--in progress

Fitting everything back in the storage tote--in progress

A bonus for this item, since it's closely related, is putting out the last of the Thanksgiving decorations.

I plan to combine this with watching Life Below Zero (my dad and I watched the show as a bonding activity; he died last year). I forgot that I had set the series to record and a bunch of new episodes are sitting in my DVR. So during commercial breaks or between episodes or generally when I feel like pausing, I get up and work on un-decorating. And when I start feeling tired or overwhelmed, I sit down and start watching again. I'm hoping there will be enough "natural" reasons to want to get up or pause the show that I won't get sucked down into inertia again.

Here's a picture of one of my Halloween items! I collect these nutcrackers and get a new one each year. Gonna have to get a new shoe box for them soon.

[msbarrows]

Nov 3 - hauled out all my under-bed storage containers (2 rolling bins, 4 non-rolling bins, 2 storage bags, and a bag full of plastic hangers from back when I had 2-3 times the hanging storage space I do here). Vacuumed the bedroom floor and the exterior of all the storage containers. Wiped down the lids of all the containers and did a quick check to see what each holds: one day soon I should haul them all out again and do a ruthless keep/donate/discard pass on their contents. Put all the containers back.

One lucky find during the spot checks; little wooden box full of old keys, key rings, and all my pins from various things over the years. Will have to pick out a few favourites to go on the ITA bag once it arrives. Hoping to include the one pinback pin I've kept - a green "Graduate of the Vogon School of Poetry" pin - though it's kind of large and plain so I might skip it in favour of more decorative ones.

Also hauled my backup drives out of the emergency go bag in the closet and did their monthly update. Plus re-updated my regular backup drive even though I just did that a couple days ago, because there was some big patches and new game downloads in Steam yesterday.

For supper I reheated some soup I had in the freezer because I was not feeling at all ambitious.

[copperbadge]

[ID: A graffiti drawing of a wolf on a stucco wall in an alley in Rome; the wolf's eyes and muzzle have been replaced with the word "Lupo". This is likely a reference to the Italian idiom "In bocca al lupo!" which literally means "in the mouth of the wolf" but is a phrase you use to wish someone luck.]

I didn't post about NaClYoHo yesterday, but I have been doing it! Hasn't been much to post because I'm still doing the digital cleaning, but I took the day off from answering asks and emails (communication is tiring!) to continue sorting photos for my annual photo yearbook, which is a bigger task this year because I haven't done one for the past two years. I'm on 2023 now, and thus working my way through what I want to put into the yearbook.

The Europe trip was a little bit a mixed bag which was to be expected given it was my first time; I loved it but I had moments of anxiety and upset as well. Still, very much a net positive -- I enjoyed every city I was in, even Amsterdam where I didn't have the greatest time. There's just something about Rome.

I spent the least time there, the museums I went to in London and Paris were bigger and nicer, the food in Rome was great but Paris was better. Rome just...calls to me. I thought about the next Europe trip I want to take, and I thought, well, I could just split the trip between England and Amsterdam (to give it a more fair shake) with a daytrip to Paris for the D'orsay...but if I go to Europe I have to go back to Rome.

Maybe it's because I spent the least time there, or because it was jammed full of intense emotion, between visiting the Great Synagogue and seeing the AS Roma game. But also I think it's just...a city I will love for reasons that will always be a mystery to me. Boston is the same way. Something about old cities with weird histories and streets laid out like you're never supposed to find where you meant to go. And very intense love for sports teams involving the color red.

I love Chicago and my life is here; I think at this point it would be extremely difficult for me to relocate anywhere. But the very short list of places I would move to if I did leave definitely includes Rome.

[feuervogel]

NaClYoHo 2023, day 8

I skipped a few days, but today I did laundry and finally put away the laundry from last week that was still hanging. I also went to the store for more toilet paper and water softener tablets for the washing machine. (Shock of moving to northern Germany: SO MUCH CALCIUM IN THE WATER. I use filtered water for my cat so she doesn't get kidney stones.)

[flowersnteacups]

National Clean Your Home Month 2023

Maintenance:

laundry (sort / wash / fold / put away)

dishes (wash / dry / put away)

vacuum /sweep

take out trash / recycling

deal with mail & bills /receipts

Big goals:

declutter kitchen, keep clean for annual maintenance of gas boiler

reduce amount of books in the laundry basket

start selling part of my MLP collection / duplicates from bundle

start decluttering Corner of Doom

start decluttering sideboard in hallway -> sell sideboard? -> reassemble cabinet from basement?

declutter desk

start decluttering cabinet under desk

install a wall shelf or another picture ledge

Crafting Goals:

finish one (1) cross stitch project OR

finish 12 sachets for advent calendar

give majority of paper stars to a family friend

These are my goals for NaClYoHo. However, due to life I might manage only maintenance and maybe one big goal in addition to cleaning the kitchen.

Last week my Mom not only was admitted to the hospital but two days later she had urgent surgery in another hospital. And she'll need radiation therapy. So we're worried and I'll probably spend most November weekends at Mom's home to take care of some things.

[otherpeoplescreativity]

It's the last Monday in November 2023, and today in Salty Pirate Adventures, I did not get much done.

I dealt with the telephone hassle of getting a prescription un-blocked by the same danged HMO as last week's problem

I did some internet research on an appliance that my parent emailed me about (for, it turns out, no particular reason except "hunh, lookit that". Sorry, Dad.)

I cleaned out a storage tote, putting all items away in their new Permanent Homes. Most of those homes are in the closet that I emptied and reorganized earlier this month.

I teamed up with a spouse to install seasonally-appropriate decor on the front porch

I fixed the setting on the holiday lights to be the one I like

I checked that spot in the attic above the garage to make sure the water pipes have plenty of insulation in place, since we do not want a repeat of last year's little "WHY is SHOWER NOT WORKING" fiasco

I feel like I could have crammed plenty more into the day. But. That was two separate blurts of NaClYoHo activity.

Thank you again, Copperbadge, for inventing this month-long festivity of enriching my own enclosure. I don't know if I will keep up any of these habits over the next few months. I hope so! I like the feeling that I have some direct influence over my own state of existence.

[lamajaoscura]

NaClYoHo 2023 Reflections

I hopped on ship midway through the month, but with a clear idea of what was stressing me out at home, and more energy than I'd had in a long time. This year started with me jobless and a fresh coat of paint in each room, but pausing larger renovations of the kitchen and bathrooms until I rejoined the workforce.

One of the things that makes me a solid roommate & partner is that I have a very clear boundary between what is & isn't my responsibility. Such that my mom was shocked at how clean my house was, considering how my room was growing up. I have visited friends with vastly different cleaning standards, and dated someone in the middle of a gut rehab renovation while getting very clear with what I needed to stay over. But my own space is my responsibility, and I am a cluttered-but-clean person living with a dusty-but-organized person, so it's held to a higher standard for my sanity.

I've since worked to develop some organizational skills and outsource other organization projects to those with more expertise in those areas. But it also meant that I would allow something to stress me out for days/weeks/months because I wasn't sure if I could solve it or it was my responsibility. Every productivity person will tell you to start with the task that will take you the least time, because this is the item that has percolated the longest, and you have the materials/skills to accomplish it in the least time. Then you take that productivity spree to attack the next item on the list. I didn't get through everything on the list, because there is much more than any two folks can do, and some will be solved with the (eventual) renovation. But I am proud of what I was able to fix, even if my efforts occasionally made things worse. By the numbers:

Items on list: 45

Completed: 10

Partially completed: 6

[dignitywhatdignity]

NaClYoHo days 4 and 5

Yesterday went OK, did my whirlwind tidy, and got the Halloween stuff put away. I also organized the coat rack by the back door, putting away some lightweight jackets, summer hats, and wayward purses. Among other things, I listened to the Great Pumkin episode of Film Reroll (wonderful ep, highly recommend), the Save the Children Convoy episode of QAnon Anonymous, and a Behind the Bastards two-parter about Alfred Hitchcock. I don't know why, but BtB is always great for cleaning.

Today I hope to organize the coat rack by the front door, and maybe work on some of the disaster surfaces in my bedroom. We'll see!

[wordnerdworld]

Day 29 NaClYoHo

'Twas another tiring day at work, so my cleaning accomplishments are fairly modest:

Took out trash

Had Roomba vacuum the kitchen

Picked up a package

Did a little digital cleaning (tidied up my inbox, updated some account info)

[msbarrows]

Nov 2 - Did a bunch of cleaning in the kitchen today; removed everything that was easily movable and vacuumed the floor, plus cleaned the exteriors of the deep freeze, fridge, bread maker, and portable dishwasher. Repaired our bread cutting board, which is made (more or less) of wooden dowels over a wooden crumb-catching tray. Two of the dowels had come loose from the headless nails holding them down, so I pulled the old brads and replaced them with some slightly larger nails with actual heads that were floating around in the junk drawer (meant for putting up drywall panelling iirc, but also a good size for the bread board).

Did toad-in-the-hole and buttered corn for supper.

[feuervogel]

NaClYoHo 2023, day 15

Skipped a bunch of days, but today I changed out my sheets and washed sheets and towels.

I also filled out some paperwork I've needed to mail in for a month already...

[flowersnteacups]

NaClYoHo Day 30

Today after noon I had a lot of train trouble (somehow everything came together: from slippery walking paths due to a lot of snow to train delays and a +20 minute wait on a train station in the cold without a seat as my aunt did not listen to when I would arrive) but before that I managed to take care of a pile of receipts - I put them into my housekeeping spreadsheet and threw them away.

I also did not bite my aunt.

Looking back at my Big Goals, I'm surprised what I managed to do as I estimated/hoped for one big goal in addition to the kitchen:

declutter kitchen ✅, keep clean for annual maintenance of gas boiler (ongoing task)

reduce amount of books in the laundry basket (very little progress, but reduced two piles of paperback novels from the cabinet)

decluttered Corner of Doom ✅ (managed that thanks to past!me's good work)

decluttered sideboard in hallway ✅ (less daunting thanks to past!me's preparation, I did not remember that but it helped a lot) -> sell sideboard? -> reassemble cabinet from basement? (task for the next three months)

start selling part of my MLP collection / duplicates from bundle ❌ (try to start this in the next three months)

declutter desk And start decluttering cabinet under desk ❌ ( will start next year)

install a wall shelf or another picture ledge ❌ (not yet, I have someone who will come and help me with this in December!)

and not planned for November 2023: start to sort through the Evil, Mean Box ✅

I also managed to finish one cross stitch project (Mouseloft kit) and two boxes of paper stars are now at my mom's home and will leave in the next days.

And my mom was released from hospital this week and she feels and also looks better, so I'm less stressed overall.

In December, I will have a few days of NaClYoHo Overtime to finish some things but I want to start with two or three days of resting, otherwise my body will be Very Angry.

[wordnerdworld]

Day 6 NaClYoHo

Today was mostly a day of tidying up loose ends rather than starting any new cleaning projects:

Put away the hang-to-dry stuff

Put away the rest of the summer clothes

Tossed some more leftovers and took out the trash

Picked up some packages

Now that I've had a chance to look around the winter version of my closet, I definitely think I want to get some baskets I can put cozy socks, gloves, scarves, etc. in. The question is if I can repurpose something I already have or if I'll need to get something new.

I think tomorrow's goal will be to cook a meal in my slow-cooker!

[wordnerdworld]

Day 5 NaClYoHo

Since it's a Sunday, today is my usual day to do cooking and whatever other stuff is needed to for the week ahead. I got my groceries yesterday but also have various leftovers in the fridge, so cooking isn't a huge priority, and might not happen today. We'll see.

Instead, I'm focusing on what still needs to happen related to clothes/laundry/bedding/closets. I started switching over my summer and winter clothes last month, but there's still a few things that need to happen:

Launder hang-to-dry stuff--Done!

Launder regular stuff

Launder towels--In progress

Finish bedding swap--In progress

Put away summer dresses and skirts--In-progress

Finish folding and put away shirts--Done!

Put away summer shrugs and jackets--In progress

Take out winter jackets--Done!

This is also my cue to start a new bag of clothes to give away. I try to do this during every switchover period. If I go an entire season without wearing a particular article of clothing, or if I pull something out and don't like it or it doesn't fit, then now's a good time to purge it.

This is also my time to start thinking about closet organization and if there are any improvements I could make there. I'm trying to think of a good way to store my knitted hats/gloves/scarves. I've tried various hangars and just having them sitting on the closet shelf and am currently doing a combo of both. But it's not a perfect solution. I'd like to try some sort of hanging shelf thing or tiered basket or something. Could be fun to poke around in stores.