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household shortcuts?


ariella

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I also clean a little each day instead of all at once. That's all I can say...I tend tp push myself when it comes to that stuff even though I should let it go :P But if you do a little each day you feel as though something is getting done...some days all I do is dishes and throwing in laundry, but at least I made some progress!

As far as cooking goes, crockpots are great because you can put dinner in to cook at any point during the day when you feel up to it and there are lots of recipes out there that take 10 minutes or less to make! Also, when you are cutting up veggies, potatoes, etc...just sit down at the table OR you can invest in a barstool that is high enough that you can sit while you cook.

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I second the 'clean a little each day' philosophy. Also, if I'm feeling bad at all, I skip the cleaning because that's when any exertion at all can put me in a potshole.

For tips, I have found this wonderful shower mildew cleaner that requires no scrubbing. Simply spray and rinse, and you can actually tell a difference. It came from Home Depot, and if anyone wants the name let me know.

I'm not a big fan of bending so if I do clean the floor I will physically sit on the floor with a dustbuster. Much easier than sweeping....

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i TOTALLY hear you all on this one...i have a really tough time with things around the house. for months this year i really couldn't do much on my own & now that i'm doing a bit better i tend to prefer to use my energy to go out, etc but am then crashed when i get home. so...the apartment is still a mess, which makes me SOOO frustrated.

the most effective shortcut i've found is my mom when she's been to visit, but the 500 mile trip is a bit much for her on a regular basis & i'm not willing to have surgery or go through a hospital stay just to get my place cleaned:-)...and i don't think she's for hire ;)

more practically speaking, i pretty much have major issues with anything that requires me to be upright for too long. i try to be creative & turn anything into a sitting project. in the kitchen i sit on a stool or sit at the table. i can't remember the last time i used the "real" vaccuum but rather - like others mentioned - use a dustbuster to help out a bit here & there. i try to wipe things down in the kitchen, bathroom, etc. as i go but that doesn't mean it always happens. some of the newer cleaning gadgets help some...i'm particularly a fan of swiffer dusters.

cooking-wise i always have some microwave meals available for when i can't manage anything else, and tend to do a lot of piecemeal eating rather than "complete" meals. when i am up for making something i tend to do some variation of a combo of a pasta & veggie(s) & sauce or spices & maybe some chicken. i buy some things that require less prep, like chicken breast pieces from trader joe's that alleviate the prep. as much as it kills the budget-minded me, i have realized that it's sometimes better to pay a little bit more if it means i'll actually be able to use the food. it's just me so i also tend to make plenty when i do & then eat it for the rest of the week. and i've had many meals of soup or cheese & crackers or other super easy stuff. not saying this is ideal but it's reality at times.

and while i haven't used mine recently, i'll second the fact that crockpots can be grand:-)

ariella -

i used a reach/grabber thing a lot after my neck surgery...not so much now but i do pull it out on occassion. i don't recall the brand but it was around $10 from bed, bath & beyond a few years ago.

if i could i would hire someone to help around my place in a heartbeat...i may pursue it after i move...try to find a student who could help with just a few things for cheap...

:-)melissa

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I am very OCD so I clean almost every day...I hate clutter. I have to pick up before I can go to bed or else I cant sleep. ;) It is much less overwhelming to clean everyday. That way you wont be dealing with a huge mess. I swiffer instead of sweep because it is less strenuous. I also try to get cleaning supplies with longer handles so I dont have to bend down. Clorox has a new bathroom cleaning wand thingy that looks like it might be beneficial, too. As far as easy dinners...I love the crockpot classics. You add water and cook in the crockpot for 6 hours. They are great.

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I have a housekeeper twice a week, who does the cleaning. It's also great for my social life because she's 22, studying to be a schoolteacher so we talk about EVERYTHING (she always tells me that she can do much more when I'm out ;) , but I don't care because I LOVE to talk to her). Next to that my children help. Maybe those of you with young children can help you: make it a game and let them "win" something so that all of you have fun (not on a regular base of course because they also have to learn that helping you doesn't have to be paid for). There are lots of "tricks" to let your children help and make it feel like a game, or ask them to help and go watch a video/dvd afterwards or print them a nice (self chosen) colouring picture. If you need any ideas just let me know :) .

And guess what: my husband just arrived home and bought me a stool to try to do the ironing (I used my stool on wheels for that, which I use in the kitchen) but I can't take it upstairs with me.

Best of luck,

Corina

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;) I am a neat freak and a perfectionist. I hate dirt and clutter. I clean every day of my life. No matter how bad I feel. My washing machine works everyday. Even the dogs bedding gets washed once a week. I can’t sweep floor or use a vacuum cleaner any more. I can’t use my arms as much as I get tired very quickly. It is irritating when I am baking. I have improved over the years. Due to my health or my beautiful dogs. But I have learnt to live a little. My doctor taught me about healthy meals that you just pop in the oven or microwave. They work great on BAD days. They expensive but my health is worth it. My floor is the worst and I can’t do anything about it. I black out from trying to clean one room. Just not worth it.

No one mentioned a dishwasher. It is my dream and I can’t wait to have one. Can you imagine how much time it would save you at night, after a day’s hard work?

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once again i am so glad for this website. all of my friends think that i am the laziest person they know and they all say i am the worst housewife! my fiancee does most of the cleaning, well all of it apart from the kitchen, he is a bit finatical about cleaning so i am very lucky.

i try to do the dishes and washing every day but that is normally all i can manage, on good days i make huge pans of lasagne or stew and freeze them in portions so i've got good healthy meals for bad days.

i really love cooking and that's the worst thing about this cos i used to be running around the kitchen cooking all sorts. ;)

I don't do hoovering cos i find it to exhausting and it always makes me dizzy, we've lived in our house for a year now and i haven't hoovered once!

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Hmm, I am living at home mooching off my parents, which is very cool. But I spend a majority of time at my boyfriends apartment. I usually get him to do the things that require reaching or bending over, like the laundry etc. I do have a hard time cleaning the tub...I never think to make him scrub it. He's a gross boy though...;)

As to meals, I LOVE to cook. As long as I don't move to quickly I am usually okay to cook different meals by myself. I do get dizzy sometimes,but I usually go and sit down in the living room and take a break.

I am trying to look into dietary benefits to help POTS/IST. I wonder what would be good.

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Hi!

I must say that I have a very hard time getting cleaning and laundrry done.. the laundry stacks up downstairs. most days I cannot make it up and down the stairs..

i will get blessed with a functional day every now and then... then I can get things done...

I have a dishwasher... I LOVE IT!!!!!!

as for cleaning floors... when I am able too.. I use the Swiffer Wet Jet.. i love that little gadget!

as for cooking...things that can be done in the crockpot... and Tv dinners.. quick things that dont require me to stand over a hot stove.. or a hot kitchen... :)

:-)

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I started using those disposable toilet cleaning pads with the scrubbie thing on the end--like a sponge/scrubber. I used one on the toilet the first time, I thought it would probably work great to clean the tub and shower, which always kills me. The bending over and then standing back up is a recipe for a nina-disaster. I bought another handle set just to use for cleaning around the house (not sharing the same handle with the potty)...and when the cleaning agent/solution runs out, I can use a spray cleaner and that does fine for me in the tub. I noticed the other night that a company has come out with a bathroom cleaning wand thing with a triangle head that can get in corners, but I'm happy with my adapted toilet brush--it works!

I also made a deal with Teri that I don't carry baskets of laundry. In return, if the baskets are taken to the washroom for me, I will run the laundry. Also, I fold it, and put it back in the baskets and Teri takes them back up to the dressers/closets. Seems to work out for us.

We've talked about getting a housekeeper to help from time to time, but we're still too cheap... :)

Like others here, I try to do a little every day to straighten and/or eliminate clutter. I try not to let it get away from me. I also use the swiffer on the hardwood floors as it takes almost no effort to move it around and pick up fuzz and cat food crumbs.

I vacuum with a self propelled model, but I do not lift or carry it--again, we have an agreement at home that I don't move it from floor to floor of the house, but I will do the vacuuming if it's placed in an area that needs it.

Nina :lol:

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Ariella,

I also do just a little bit of cleaning each day. I definitely have days where I can't do anything though. I also do not vacuum, I leave this up to my husband but I must say that our floors aren't very clean at the moment!

As far as an easy dinner....I like to keep a container of Tortellini noodles in the "frig"....they come stuffed with various cheeses or meats. (They are usually kept refrigerated in the pasta aisle at the grocery) All you do is boil for about 5 minutes and serve with your favorite jar of sauce.

have a great day! :)

Lisa

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one of the good things that has come out of needing to accomodate my POTS symptoms is that I realized that our household was too hectic. And we're working on making it more tranquil. I realized that we have more clutter than is controllable in our limited storage space, and the stimulation of seeing things not in order doesn't do good things to the ANS. Easy to happen in a large family. Still trying to get others to help more, I try to explain to them that it has nothing to do with Mommy being sick, rather has everything to do with having good manners. Sometimes if I calmly remind them that they will feel more comfortable if the house is orderly it gets them moving...(sometimes)

Pacing myself with cooking helps. I've learned that if I leave dinner prep until a little before dinner, our dinner is inevitably "downsized " (and I'm too worn out to eat)

But when I really hit a slump, I gotta keep reminding myself not to judge myself by how the house looks...

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I am a neat freak too and my frantic times are when I have a messy apartment and am too potsy to do anything about it. Here is what has worked for me.

1. I make a list of everything that I would normally do in an extensive cleaning. Floorboards- everthing.

2. I split it up into days of the week with one day free for "accident repair". Accident repair is if there is an incident in the apartment that just cannot wait. It gets priority for that day or the next.

3. I tackle only what is on the list for that day. It usually only takes 15-20 minutes.

4. I only vacuum on a good pots day and leave that one to chance. I spot vacuum as needed.

5. I practice the 3 things rule every day. Before you leave a room, put 3 things away. Sounds boring, but it works! You will see me hopping around with pills in my mouth and putting away 3 things before I can get water, or go potty or anything.

6. Then I relax. If something is not perfect, I know that it is on the list to make perfect on another day. If I am on schedule, I can allow myself the peacefulness and contentment to be free from guilt if something is out of place.

7. I organize to relieve stress. I take pet projects. A drawer. A closet. I don't get overwhelmed with dismatling it totally, I just keep it in mind and pick up stuff to organize it when I'm shopping. www.thecontainerstore.com is great and pots friendly (internet shopping).

Before you know it Whola! If anyone has cooking tips, let me know. That is where I really need help! :rolleyes:

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My best advice is the laundry basket!! I try to clean a room a day, so what ever is being cleaned the day is where the laundry basket is. All the clutter, etc that isn't suppose to be there goes in the basket. When everyone gets home, they have to either get there stuff out of the basket and put it away, or throw it away!!

Just make sure the basket gets emptied at night, or you'll start out with a full basket :rolleyes:

Take care

Sue

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sue...what if there's no one to come home to empty the basket? :rolleyes: anyone know where i can purchase some elves? or how to train my cat to clean?

:-)melissa

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