May declutter, day 18: 18 items (171 total)

Today's selection of items comes from all over the house - a few things from the loft cupboards - some old CD racks, a scarf, another region 1 DVD (charity shop), a few old posters, some dried up glue (bin), and a handful of highlighters and clips, which are going to school. 

May declutter, day 17: 17 items (153 total)

Some more stuff (mostly) from the loft storage - an old sleeping bag which no one uses - we have a couple of better ones, and we don't camp, so there's not a huge need for sleeping bags in our house anyway.  A ton of boxes - mostly shoes boxes with flip lips (rather than separate lids) and a few other things. The kids have broken these down and they'll go to the tip. I did keep a good handful (6 or 7) shoeboxes with lids and a couple of small mailing boxes. Three duvet sets, which will go to the charity shop. The kids' beds still have 2 or 3 sets each, and I still have a couple of spares in case I need some to send to uni with Olivia next year. And the Aristocats is a region 1 DVD, which we can't readily play. It's going to the charity shop (with a note) and we'll replace it with a region 2 DVD, because even teenagers need Aristocats from time to time...

Book 39: The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell

This is another one which I bought intending to share with my class - picked it up in the bookshop the other week without realising (despite it actually saying on the cover) that the author also wrote Rooftoppers, which I read earlier this year.  I enjoyed this one - another good, imaginative story from a great writer.

Dinner, 16/5/18: Spaghetti with Courgette & Lemon

A nice simple, summery pasta dish - you don't even cook the courgette in advance, just grate it and when you mix it into the hot pasta, it wilts just enough.

May declutter, day 16: 16 items (136 total)

Sarah and I cleared out a couple of cupboards in her room (which is in the loft, so has all the extra storage in it) and found lots of things which we don't need anymore. The bookmarks are actually going to school - we have tons and these can go in books in my book corner. The two ready beds both leak, so aren't very practical (they are also very old) - they are going to the tip. The two baskets can go to the charity shop as they've been in the cupboard for years. The green canister was a Christmas present container, but we'll never use it. The backpacks - two are going to the charity shop, and one, which is really in bad shape, in the bin. The gym bag in the same picture is ripped, so also - bin.  The toaster box has the old toaster in it, which sort of works, but tends to burn things even on low (which is why we got a new toaster) - again, it's going to the tip. And the red plastic box (which is actually a set of stacking boxes), we just never use, so no need to keep it.

Book 38: Holes by Louis Sachar

Picked this up in school today, when I had two long periods of clock watching, where I wasn't able to do much of anything, while children sat exams they weren't allowed any help with.  I thought I'd read it before, but it's possible I only saw the film - anyway, it's brilliant, which I knew. 

May declutter, day 15: 15 items (120 total)

A kind of random assortment of items today - some stuff from the bathroom - the bath gel and fizzer sets are going to the raffle prize bag and the other stuff in that photo going in the bin. The bookmarks are ones which are either broken or which we don't ever use because we don't like them in books. The USB cord only half works and we have loads, so it's going in the bin. The magazine is pretty much used (recycling bin) and the book isn't something we'll use  (charity shop).

Book 37: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

First in a trilogy; fantasy set in a future where a significant percentage of the population has psychic powers of one sort or another, but those people are being systematically wiped out & persecuted. Nice premise, some interesting revelations about the world within the book - all is not as it first appears, and great characters.  Looking forward to the next one.

Dinner, 14/5/18: Sausages, Mash, Green Beans

May declutter, day 14: 14 items (105 total)

A few more items from the hallway - some gloves, a bag strap, a hat Sarah doesn't wear, a pair of Superman converse which the girls bought in a charity shop, which I love, but they are a size too big, so it really doesn't work. then some stuff from upstairs - some old watches, a canister of film which is probably 15 years old, Alex's old calendar, and some puzzles which we'll never put together again.  We still need to clear out the rest of the bookcase where the puzzles live, but I'm waiting for one of the kids to be free to help me.

May declutter, Day 13: 13 items (91 total)

These items are mostly from the set of drawers in the hallway which had all the hair bands in it - gloves, hats, all that. Here are some handwarmers, some gloves which no one wears, Alex's panda hat (which I was kind of sorry to see go - he LOVED that hat, but even if it still fit him, which it doesn't, I can't imagine him wearing it any more). A couple of extra bags for life and the last item, from the kitchen, a free sample of glucotabs, which no one uses. It's been there for years.

May declutter, Day 12: 12 items (78 total)

Some of this is hair stuff from the same drawer (notice I've counted that enormous pile of mismatched clips as one item!), and some of it is from different drawers in the same unit - a broken umbrella, some umbrella sleeves for umbrellas we no longer have; a pair of goggles which no one likes because they leak, an old pair of ear muffs.  Most of it is going in the bin, but a few things goign to the charity shop.

Dinner, 11/5/18: Filled pasta with tomato sauce

A very simple weeknight supper after a long week, with a busy weekend ahead.

May declutter, Day 11: 11 items (66 total)

Same drawer as yesterday's haul - and again - hair things which would never be used these days.

May Declutter, Day 10: 10 items (55 total)

In our drawers in the hallway, there was a drawer with hair stuff in it - it's been there for years, since the girls were small enough to need last minute hair treatments before heading out to school.  It really needed a clear out. So here are 10 various hairbands which definitely would never be used these days.

Dinner, 9/5/18: Lentil Salad with salsa verde & cornbread

Another dinner which got pushed back due to barbecues - luckily, it was something which saved well!

May declutter, day 9: 9 items (45 total)

Still working on the drawers in the kitchen - some of these things are from the general junk drawer, like the old AA cards and the extra keyring rings (I saved about 6 of them). The earbuds are from Alex's drawer - headphones always come with extra ear buds in different sizes - who knows why we tend to keep the sizes we don't use!  But Alex seemed to have the national collection of spare ear buds in his drawer.  All of this stuff went in the bin.

Dinner, 8/5/18: Courgette & Mushroom Tart

with a green salad.This meal was originally set for Sunday, but two different neighbours invited us to barbecues over the bank holiday weekend, so it kept getting pushed back. Finally!

May declutter, day 8: 8 items (36 total)

More things from Alex's drawer - some broken or used up things, a spare oyster card case (he got a new one a while back, which is more to his current taste), various other bits and pieces. Most of them bound for the bin, the oyster case to the charity shop.

May declutter, day 7: 7 items (28 total)

Today's items are a result of helping Alex clear out his drawer in the kitchen - the Tardis shaped box with key is going to the charity shop, the other things are either empty or broken, so they are going in the bin.