Bless, you definitely have perfectionistic tendencies - although that is commendable, much better than being a slob!

I used to battle them, too. But I finally realized no matter how late I stayed up, I could not do it all in a day, a week, a month . . .

I found out that I have to get more than a few hours of sleep a night, and that I tire faster as the years pass. I pace myself a bit more. For instance, when I was younger, I would vacuum the entire house, which had wall-to-wall carpeting, at one time. I later started doing it in sections. Most of the house now has Pergo flooring and not carpeting, so that's less of an issue, but the point is, the world won't fall apart if we don't do every task every day, or if we don't slavishly follow some preconceived plan or idea about how things "should" be.

The old saying was, "A man works from sun to sun; a woman's work is never done." That is sometimes still true. For people such as we, with no DH, there is more work to do than if we had a spouse sharing the load. Something has to give.

I admit that, not being employed, I'm not totally happy with how unproductive I've been, either. I look back on some of my previous years when working and think, "I was a time bomb waiting to go off." I'll spare the details, but I couldn't have kept up everything I was doing indefinitely - when DS was little, I had a full-time job, had to do a lot for DM, etc.

It pains me even now to admit that we CAN NEVER FULLY CATCH UP. If you thought your hours was in perfect order, then walked around and looked a bit, I'm sure you could find something else that needed doing. It's the nature of housework. For organized, disciplined people, it can be worse, because we are acutely aware of what "should" be accomplished, and compare it to what we do. But we can't make the day longer than it is, even if we stay up all night. And I've stayed up all night more times than I care to remember.

Personally, I find your dinner very late. One reason you may be tired is that you are hungry, whether you feel hunger pangs or not. It could be hours since you've eaten. My recommendation is to start dinner fairly soon, eat it, clean up, and LATER have tea, maybe afer doing a couple of household tasks.

I generally prefer to work first, then play. It gives me a chance to rest after working, and something to look forward to - a reward of sorts. DS says that that attitude can result in never playing, which is a good point; all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a dull girl.

I'm sure that, as efficient as you are, you sometimes combine tasks, such as sewing while watching TV (?). I don't watch lots of TV, but try to combine it with tasks when I can. Last night, I repaired reusable grocery bags while watching - I put duct tape on small tears that had developed in them over time.

Try a few different routines and see what works best. I know DD is busy, but if she took 20 minutes a night, that would be over 2 hours a week, enough to make a difference.

Please don't get discouraged. We have all been where you are.

Simplicity: Good to hear from you. You hadn't posted for a few days and I wondered if everything was OK. I sent you a PM, by the way - I hope you received it.

Yes, I am aware that my dinner time is considered late by American standards. But 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. is considered the norm in our culture. The evening tea is often a little more substantial than just a cup of tea, though. Yesterday, for example, we had hot buttered toast and fresh strawberries.

*************

On Wed. p.m., I cleaned the kitchen, including clearing the counters, wiping the appliances, and sweeping and mopping the floor.

Yesterday, I did a quick clean of my bathroom.

Today, I'd like to vacuum.

Bless, I'm so glad the once-over-with-quick-clean worked for you. I won't mention a thing about the state of my bookcase in the corner... in some areas, the dust has become stratified, I'm afraid. I swear, it's from DH using beeswax polish over the paint!

I've a friend who was raised in France, though she now lives here in the States... we joke about those nights where most everything runs late as "keeping European hours."

It's very normal for her family (current and extended) to eat closer to 8pm; they tend to have breakfast, a decent snack around 11am, a light "tea" (bread, cheese, fruit, veg) around 4, and a fairly light supper around 8.

When I know we're going to have a late supper, I also know it's going to be something like eggs, that won't keep us up all night trying to digest. Our normal dinner time is definitely later than other households here, as we typically eat around 7:30, and most I know of eat around 5.

I think you're on track, choosing one task per evening; over the course of a week or so, everything is touched on well, but at no point are you spending hours and hours doing it all. Even uninhabited museum houses have constant cleaning to do... we definitely can't expect housework to ever be entirely "done", but setting out a reasonable list and a rotation for touching on it all gives a certain stopping point, and we can rest secure, knowing we *will* get to it all, over the week.

(I have a friend whose husband built her a house with EIGHT bathrooms in it... I told DH that if he ever did that to me, I'd beat him with a stick. I don't *enjoy* cleaning bathrooms, and my poor friend would have to clean one per day, and *still* not touch them all in a week!!)

Thanks, Elizabeth.

A house with 8 bathrooms, eh? Well, I grew up in a house with 6 bathrooms, myself, but then, we had someone who came by daily to clean them all. (Cleaning bathrooms was considered beneath the dignity of the house servants; yes, it was definitely a different time and place. )

I would imagine the bathroom cleaner was REALLY efficient!

There's a curious cultural aspect here: people aspire to Really Large Homes, but there's a "thing" about "doing for yourself", so very few who live in those huge homes have any hired domestic help, as there's a social stigma with doing so (which I find ridiculous! If I can afford a 10,000 square foot house with 8 bathrooms, I'd better be able to afford domestic help, possibly even live-in, or I'm not going to survive long!)

In high school, our family's house had seven bedrooms and three baths, but there were ten of us, so everything was used frequently, and there were many hands to make lighter the work.

Do you have plans for streamlining your evenings this coming week? I do see your pursuit of a bit of down-time and quietly easing into night as a VERY healthy thing, and very productive in its own way!

"Do you have plans for streamlining your evenings this coming week?"

Well, I usually do the week's grocery shopping and laundry, and put gas to the car, on the weekend (plan to do that today) so I'll be ready for the week.

In addition, I'll be taking DD shopping for a scientific calculator today (so we won't have to do that tomorrow p.m.; she needs it for a test on Tues.)

But that is about it.

Blessmymess, thanks for your concern. I was busy, among other things, with the switchover from Comcast to Verizon for Internet, TV, and phone. E-mail in particular was messed up, and I didn't get your private message; I appreciate your thinking of me. By now, everything seems to be pretty much back to normal, although my antivirus program sent an odd message. I've also been tied up with Toastmaster duties and (yes!) applying for a job with the local library system. I actually get to hand it to a live person; keep your fingers crossed.

A later evening dinner works fine as long as you aren't too fatigued by waiting hours and hours between lunch and dinner to eat. I suppose if you have tea beforehand, that will tide you over until you can eat more.

Simplicity, I will definitely keep my fingers crossed for you! I am sending lots of good wishes your way.

Yesterday was a productive evening - I tidied up my bedroom and closet, cleaned my bathroom, and swept and tidied the family room. But then, even though I was wearing a dust mask, my asthma kicked in and I started wheezing. So, I had to stop and take my inhaler. However, I worked on paperwork/paying bills while I "rested", and later, when my cousin dropped by, had a quick visit with her. So, all in all, a good evening.

Today, I decided to make meat filled pastries, similar to empanadas, for tonight's dinner with leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. And those take a little time to make. So, I will not worry about doing housework, other than doing the dishes and ETEing the kitchen.

Simplicity, I hope you get good results on the job application! That's very cool!

Bless, not fun with the dust and asthma. That does factor into the cleaning rotation, doesn't it? I have to stay on top of a certain amount to avoid the same problems. Great job on using your recovery time so well!

I'm having problems with my internet connection - very sporadic connections at best. Typing up my posts and waiting till the light indicates a connection to hit 'send'!

I looked around the house this morning. Every room has been gone over (surface cleaning, not deep cleaning) at least once. Yes, there are some messy spots as DD and I are not the most diligent of 'ETE'ers. And, as long as I am guilty of leaving my stuff out, I will not get on her case for leaving her stuff out. Also, as far as teenage vices go, if being untidy is the worst of her vices, then, I am blessed!

This week, I will plan to spend an hour on cleaning/housework, each night, including one deep cleaning task. I will make a new list, too, for the new month which starts on Mon., scheduling the deep cleaning tasks I want to do. Then, maybe, I won't be so weighed down with this feeling of I'm not getting much done. If I see that cleaning out/tidying the gift wrap wicker chest is scheduled for Nov. 26 (a good 2 weeks before I need to wrap any holiday gifts), then, I won't go around, from now till Nov. 26, thinking to myself, I need to sort through the gift wraps and I still haven't done it! If I start thinking like that, I can simply tell myself, yes, and you've scheduled it for Nov. 26, in the meantime, everything is contained in the wicker chest, so there!