52 Ways To Organise Your House

AND DO I REALLY WANT TO is organise you

Found this link on facebook 
www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/52-totally-feasible-ways-to-organize-your-entire-h

It was interesting to say the least.

MY THOUGHTS...

1. Clever idea the rail but I'd be worried about the kids pulling knives off the magnets.
2. All very well if you have a pantry but hard to do with little space.
3. Do you have enough room to stand these up.  Mine are in a drawer
4. Clever but I just put them upside down on the pot and stack the pots.  Saves chasing them around.
5. I have an old shed gate which I would love to do in my own house.  DREAMS
6. Kids would have a ball pulling those off.
7. Just imagining cleaning them off after a dust storm.
8. Now that is a doer if I had deep drawers... when I build the dream house i will ;)
9. We use these in the coolroom.  ALREADY DONE
10. AGAIN DONE - station pantries need to be organised
11. Still remember the last basket collapsing.
12. If only I had hanging closet space.  BUILD new house is on the list.
13. AGAIN don't these people have dust.  Must add walk in wardrobe to dream house list
14. OCD???? Anyone
15. Thats if you put things back on the hanger or wear them straight off
16. DONE
17. For all one belt -- cool
18. Again my sunnies end up in a different car each time 

Okay time to skip a few... some good ideas but not going to analyse all

24 and 25 is something I do not.  One room in my cottage has a magnetic wall and is turning into a great storage item.

34 that is a brilliant idea.  I'm always chasing cleaner.  Although these days I am cutting chemicals out more and more and going back to simple cleaners

35 - in the bush this equates to good, jeans and socks, tops and jocks

46  and 48 - must do as they drive me nuts

5 and 52 - They must have seen my schoolroom

Socialisation and Isolation

I did write a pictorial post on this topic ages ago about my experiences.

*** Just some more thoughts ***

When coming out bush people worry about isolation and their social life.  Let’s do some comparisons and look at different situations.

Work Contact ---

Your work social life will go from just seeing them 9 hours a day to 24 hours a day to seven days a week.

Also you will find yourself having work drinks at some stations every night of the week, something which you probably didn’t do on a regular basis in the city, unless you work with a friend. 

Definitely increased contact here J 

Can also be frustrating as often they are not people you would choose to hang out with.  But make the most because these are often interesting people in their own right.

Old Friends and Family Contact ---

On a station unless you have mobile service you will no longer be talking or texting mates everyday.  It will more likely be once a week.   You still most likely will have facebook and internet access it is a good time to start communications like this.

Text and talk will decrease.  As will daily contact with friends and family.

It can make you feel very homesick if you do communicate a lot anyway.  Sometimes it is good just to through yourself into local and station life to avoid this.

Socialisation ---

When I say socialisation I am talking about the stuff that happens with friends not people you live with all the time.

Now if you are person in the city who just goes out every weekend and not on week days then this can remain the same or similar.  But if you are a person who goes out week nights then this will decrease.

Outback social events tend to be bigger and more fun affairs at times.  People are also friendlier which makes it easier to go out and have fun.  Their won’t be opportunities to go clubbing every night of the week but you will be able to go to the pub, rodeos, races, balls and BBQ’s at the neighbours lake.

Outback fun is different to going out in urban areas -- different not less.

Please get scared off by the isolation just remember

that often you social life is not less just different

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Tutor Top Ten with Outback Girl

Tutor Top Ten with Outback Girl

TEN "essentials" that I cannot live without:

Laptop

Books

Car

Music

Boots

Hat

Jeans

Family

friends

Photos

NINE words I love are:

Facetious

Perceptive

Gregarious

Idiosyncrasy

Pedantic

Scintillate

optimistic

Conscientious

Prerogative

EIGHT of my coping strategies, in no particular order:

Listen to music

Play a game

Go for a walk

Chat to a friend

Blog

Rant to my online support group

Clean and scrub :)

Read a book

SEVEN things I love about my "every day" life …

Sunday- watching bones and castle while I enjoy the last of the weekend.

Monday- talking to my family

Tuesday- trolling over the latest social media to see what is new

Wednesday- hump day what more can I say

Thursday- enjoying having no lessons and speeding through the work at the end of the week

Friday- finishing the week with fun and looking forward to the weekend

Saturday- wearing the pj's for as long as I want and catching up with friends

SIX of favourite quotes or moments in no particular order:

If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a horrible  warning. 


Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. 

 “Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.”

 “Ever notice how 'What the hell' is always the right answer?”

FIVE things I do everyday, without fail:

read my emails and messages

cruise over facebook and/or twitter

think of my family and friends in their distance homes

dream of not ever having to clean again EVER

enjoy an relaxing afternoon smoko while I recover my energy 

FOUR stores/websites I frequent

www.governessaustralia.com and the blog

www.omnilit.com 

www.gamesarena.com.au

www.ebay.com.au

THREE photos I love: 

TWO decisions I've never regretted

Living in the outback and not heading into town to get a degree.

I love the fact I have travelled across the many states of Australia and don't regret not backpacking across the world as a 19-20 yo.

ONE additional and very important thing you should know about me is …

I love a good road trip with mates and believe that friends and family are everything.

Thumb Sucking

How in the earth do you stop kids sucking thumbs?  

It is a nervous or concentrating action, which could be a problem because by the end of the year I hope my student will be able to spend lots of time concentrating.

As the govie you do need to consult with parents about these issues but when they are in the schoolroom for 6 hours.  It is a good opportunity to sort small things like that out.

Over the years I have had many habits to try and break....

• nose picking,
• hair twisting
• nail biting
• wiggling and moving

A govie's work is never done :)

New Schoolrooms

Since moving to my new job I haven't blogged.  No time for the wicked. LOL

Now I am going to write a rambling blog...

I have been very busy trying to set up the schoolroom.  My bosses are partway through putting a hole in the wall in my place and turning the schoolroom from one room into 2 rooms.  Very handy for what will now be 2 kids in the schoolroom and later on 3.   

This week has consisted of unpacking my stuff and rearranging the desk in the schoolroom.  For this I have applied the theories from one of my govie friends Queen Govie @ the Governess Australia website ... as she is a friend she has no choice but to help.  We have know each other too long.  

Actually through my blog her touches are everywhere and occasionally she will help with topics and idea which she can not use on her business blog.  I am also stealing some of her photos and recipes that I love to add to the blog.  Having met and been so similar in background and interest we have kept in touch and now work in the same state.  

Anyway back to the new schoolroom.  I am printing and laminating the Governess Australia posters one at a time.  Lucky our Queen Govie is so good at making these ideal posters.  Although on saying that some of them were stolen from me LOL.

After I finished this if I don't see another piece of paper or laminate I will be happy.  This cutting neatly and either laminating or contacting is time consuming.

On that note I can't stand contact.  2 out of 10 end up without bubbles or creases.

How is your start of year and schoolroom setup?

Do you have any good ideas or place to get posters?

If you are a teaching mum or a govie then check out the Governess Australia posters on The Schoolhouse pages.  Great ideas.

Remembrance Day ... an opportunity

What a busy week that ended with Remembrance Day.  I didn't have time to blog this week

I love days of national importance and history.  The kids have so many opportunities to learn.  All that needs to happen is a little Google Research on my behalf.

I really should finish packing up the sets.  Avoiding them and sitting in the PJ's this late on a Saturday is just too much fun.

The count down to the end of the years is on.  I hope all the govies across Australia are enjoying the closing moments of the year.

Monday Magic ... when no nagging is needed

Some Mondays are a pleasure.  Kids are happy, helpful and don't need to be nagged.

This is one of those days.  I came into the schoolroom feeling slightly behind schedule, I now have finished all the annoying jobs and I am just waiting for the marking to come in.

When the kids are well rested and get to bed early on a Sunday night you notice the difference in a week.  Instead of getting behind on a Monday.  Hounding the kids all Tuesday.  The kids feel pressured and rebellious on Wednesday.  Everyone is tired and grumpy on Thursday.  By Friday we are grateful it is all over.

This week we will get through all Mondays work with a happy attitude in the classroom.  Plenty of laughter and everyone chatty.  The quality of work is a lot better.  The handwriting is less rushed.

There is much research about kids and sleep, while I am not going to quote links I am going to tell you that kids need  10 to 12 hours.

For example ... 

• Wake Up at 6am  - Bedtime 6pm to 8 pm
• Wake Up at 7am  - Bedtime 7pm to 9 pm

I know it can be hard on a property to get the kids to bed early and maybe that is why as a child my mother made us have 1 to 2 hours resting on our bed until we were 9 years old.  We could read but we couldn't talk and had to lay down.

Some other families and govies I talked to the other day actually let the kids have a 40 minutes rest in a big comfy day bed in the schoolroom.  The govie would sometimes practice relaxation techniques where you get them to close their eyes.

Isolating, living in the outback ??? I'm in desperate need of a quiet weekend

I had a great weekend and thought I'd share some of the joys of outback life.  I can't show to many pictures as only a few are appropriate. So I have put together a snapshot of various weekends. 

Life is what you make it ... I have never found like in the outback isolating or lonely and I have worked in some very remote corner of Australia. Often I have found myself looking for a quiet weekend.

Governessing can have a fantastic social life, it is just what you make of your time...

A couple of years ago I went out for 8 weeks straight to all different types of activities

• sometimes to a local event; gymkhana, rodeo, races
• the pub in a town
• a weekend out on the station camping or with the bosses at the nearest lake
• road trip with the govies sightseeing and having fun
• weekend at a govies cottage

The list could go on.  

If you don't have a car then share costs with a govie or worker and jump in their car.  I am lucky enough to have a car and enjoy picking up govies on the way

Sometime the weekend may be a spontaneous weekend in which the bosses and locals head to the nearest lake.  BBQ, sunburn and drinks are the order of the day.

 

Other time you head out on a planned weekend with other govies and station staff to an event...

 

Meeting each other and road tripping together

 Swags at the ready ...

Nibbles and drinks on the nearest tailgate

 

Ready to dance up a storm in the dust or mud

 Some drinks fall victim to the fun and laughter but all will be rescued and consumed.

 Sunday brings a big bottle of water

 AND swags to roll up

 

Some weeks end up in a pub in town devouring cocktails by the jug

 

Leaving your belongings at the door of the motel as you rock back in the early hours of the morning.

Sometimes a weekend at one of the govies cottages on her property

Plenty of nibbles are required...

  

For a relaxed weekend catching up

Eating is not cheating because life it about stayers

Nothing better than a sunrise after staying up all night

Moaning Myrtle Moment

I am having a Moaning Myrtle Moment

I hate the end of the week! Do you know what happens at the end of the week in my Outback Schoolroom?  

I can hear the murmurs from other home tutors ...

1. Packing up the weeks work, 
2. making sure it is marked AND 
3. writing Bl*&dy feedback.

The kids are great at putting their work into the send in drawer.  Its a great acheivement for them as they don't have to deal with it again.  With tricky pieces of work they jump for joy as the put it in.

I then have to get the coloured pens and star stamp out.  Many activities I get the star stamp out and mark as they do it, especially when they are needing help.  Many times they call the answer out in draft work and you answer back....but still this all needs a tick on it just to please the teacher.  Sometimes I feel like ticking everything right or wrong just to see how well they (the teachers) are looking. 

The star stamp has been the answered to many of my dreams... I have started just putting a stamp on the page corner if it is all correct.  The kids do remind me to do it as I go now.  

One of the worst things to mark is quick maths ... a page of additions and subtractions.. no answers.  You have to quickly do them ALL as you go.  With Mr Procrastination this can be 50 wretched sums.  Do the teachers think I need practise????

Another horrible think to deal with is grammar sheets.  My grammar is my weakness and as such I prefer teachers to check.  Also when you are dealing with a multiple choice question for a Year 6 student I am at odds.  To be honest I don't mark english sheets UNLESS I am given answers now and asked to... certainly solved all my problems.  The teachers have got the hint and now supply answer sheets.

Then there is feedback, for me that either happens on a Friday as the kids work on Monday.  Usually Monday because after a hectic week of school my brain is fried.  I always think better on a Monday and don't rush through the set marking.

It's like an exercise in creative writing and I really wonder at times if some teachers actually read it.  Especially when any questions I put in go unanswered. I am NOT saying all teachers are like that some are brilliant at getting the sets back.... but then you get those who send it back 6 to 8 weeks after you post it in.

Anyway I have finished my feedback now.  

Kids had a great day at school.  

Sets ready to be posted on Friday or by next person heading to town.

 

Late Mornings - Late Nights

Many businesses you go to work at 9 and go home at 5.  Station life is just not like that! 

Even doing school in my little Outback Schoolroom is not regular no matter how hard we try we always seem to be having late mornings and late nights.  

Late nights mean tired children.  Often in the afternoon that will mean beanbag or lounge time.  Very handy area the reading corner in the schoolroom. 

Late mornings means they have been up at the crack of dawn, out on the station helping and have got back to school late.  Usually there is a flurry of text messages sent to me to tell me that they will be late.

On my big northern station life is busy, we have sheep, goats and cattle to deal with.  As Mr Boss has a mob of sheep, this can take a big chunk of time to complete each activity.  Sheep involve many jobs; crutching, shearing, jetting, putting rams out, getting rams in, jetting AGAIN and lambmarking.  

On a regular day my 2 students, Mr Pinocchio and Mr Procrastination, would come in just before 8.30.  Chatting to me about everything that has happen since yesterday afternoon especially if I haven't eaten at the main house.  

We do all the morning schoolwork and they head to smoko at 10am to 10.20.  The kids comeback for the second session, attend air lessons and finish work.

Off to lunch at 12.30.  We now have 50 minutes for lunch, far better than 60 minutes as it give them 10 minutes to get organised.  I don't tell them that.  :)  I now get back all the time they spend dawdling.  

After lunch they finish work between 3 to 3.30pm.  It use to be to just 3pm but I would find at about 2.45 they would pack up all the unfinished pieces of schoolwork so they could get out at 3.  A lot of school time would be wasted and schoolwork unfinished at the end of the week.  Now they don't look to pack up early as the time we finish is when I say pack up. 

Extra info about my living arrangement: The joys of having a couple of bedrooms cottage to live in means I get to have meals at my own place.  I have lunch at the house school days and sometimes smokos.  Once a week on a Wednesday I go over for tea as do other staff.  I do have other night meals over there when we have visitors.

oooh ... can't write anymore, we have visitors    

.

Bean Bags and Cranky Kids

Every outback schoolroom has one...you know one of those quiet corners where you put the kids when they need to read or just have quiet time.  OR it is where I go with the kids for some laughter and relaxation (OR tickles)

Today was one of those days when Mr Quick ( My youngest student) just needed to go there...after lunch he was not in the sharing mood with his his little 4YO cousin who was in for a visit.  Mr Quick has black circles around the eyes and had to be told to stop several times.

Mr Quick had finished most of the work so with a reader he was sent to a bean bag

 

After finishing the read and seeing Mr Quick is still lolling about.  I then put on my 'I am not taking no for an answer' voice and say close your eyes, get comfortable and rest.  He was that tired today that he did so immediately and fell asleep almost instantly.

Unfortunately he had a special lesson later in the day and I had to wake him up after 45 minutes.  If it wasn't one of those lessons to help him catch up to the class he wouldn't have been doing it.  He also woke up happy and wanted to do it.

Hopefully over the house tonight he is much easier to handle and ready to enjoy the current family visiting.

A days work is never done for a govie.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. - Hanlon's Razor

Life is often filled with moments of stupidity not malice.  

People often don't think about what they are doing and saying.  This often seen in print on facebook but I don't blame facebook as these people do/say the same things in life.  People need to also take responsibility for their actions and words.  Sometimes what we say is misconstrued, think carefully about how you say something.

Working in the outback means that I get to enjoy the setting sun.  My currently accommodation has my room positioned on the setting sun and there is nothing better on a rainy day or sunny day looking out the window and watching the sun set as I eat tea.

I love looking after myself on property.  The freedom of cooking my own meal and eating when I want is fantastic.  If means I get to watch the setting sun.  I don't think of the isolation, after long days in the schoolroom a little time by yourself it brilliant.  I also have facebook chat at my finger tips and can make phone calls to friends and family.

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome - Samuel Johnson

How true is that.

I often listen to P&C or other community groups and you spend an hour being negative, wasting good meeting time.   Throwing up negativity and bitching about people is SO easy.  No one puts forwards what they would like to do, just what they don't won't.

I am a doer, I like to chuck up ideas or make improvements.  I don't like things getting stale.  This reflects in my schoolroom.  Some parts move on a regular basis as long as it doesn't effect the usability of the schoolroom.

Human's don't like change but it is such a good thing for people.

Our local gonna come in under the clotheline everyday.  Such a friends dude and has been here for quite a few years.  I wonder what the life span of a sand goanna is? 

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission. -Eleanor Roosevelt-

I love a good quote or phrase...they can some up a moment, life or people  AND this blog will be filled with them.

2004 to see black cockies flying through the years at lamb marking in QLD was a whole new world.

Some days I just feel tired and quiet.  Tired of battling on every front and in need of something to go the right direction.  Even if the thing going right is just the fact that I don't drop the whole container on the floor to spill everywhere.

After a day in the schoolroom I often feel like the ocean a low tide, drained.  What is more draining when the jobs list of after school jobs has 15 things listed.

I am a person who NOW compartmentalise my life into family, everyday and work. At the moment 2 of those 3 parts of my life are crappy and it is not in my control to make anything go my way.  Patience is something I have a lot of but some times it is the people around you that pressure you just by asking continuously what is going on.

  This sunset was in 2005 as I was working up to the house for tea after a day fencing.   

 When looking back through photos you are often reminded of beautiful moments with friends and family.

When I started writing this blog I was thinking about writing about governessing, but I have read a couple of great blogs about governessing (Grits and Giggles & Unwritten Etiquette of the Governess World). They made me realise that for me here it is not just about governessing but my whole life.  

My whole life--past memories, present moments and the future.

I am a person whole like to take a problem and look at it from all angles EVEN when I don't agree with those angles.  I feel if I can appreciate the argument from the other side then I can defend my side better.

Of course some times I am just contrary and there is no logical argument.

Time to get organised to head to the house for tea, so until another day.