fudge

Tuesday 1 November 2011

NaBloPoMo

So, today is the first day of NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month)  and I have signed up to write a post a day for the entire month of November

It's organised by the folks at Blogher in the USA but this year we are joining in thanks to nlpmum.com


Check out the Facebook page for inspiration, ideas, tips and links to other blogs taking part.


I decided that NaNoWriMo might just be a step too far for me at the moment as I want something I can totally commit to.

Only one post a day I hear you sigh, thank f*ck for that!

Umm, I should point out that I DO occasionally swear on my blog.  It's part of who I am so I hope it doesn't offend any new readers (assuming there are any;).

Hmm, slight mental block. What to share on this first day ....

My blog is a mix of the silly things I do and that happen to me as well as some serious posts and of course my weekly WoW post.  So really, you could get ANYTHING!


I know - the  lovely Jayne from Writing Without Pay made the mistake of likening me to Pay Ayres after reading one of my WoW posts and obviously it went STRAIGHT to my head so I've been dabbling in a bit of poetry this week.

Ha ha, I may call it poetry - you may beg to differ ... ;)


I was part way through a post a few days ago confessing how I'd hidden from a friend because a) Id had hardly any sleep the night before night and really didn't feel like entertaining and b) the children were on holiday and the house was looking a little trashed.

I sometimes wonder if I make my house sound much worse than it really is ... hmm, possibly not on that day!

The thing is, I have a list of criterion for visitors.

There are the friends I've known for years and of course family who can pretty much pitch up at will and that's fine, they take me as they find me.

There are friends who tend not to pop round ALL the time but we are pretty close.  For them I like a 10 minute warning to hide any errant dishes in the dishwasher which obviously doesn't work and for quite a while I'd COMPLETELY missed the fact that this didn't mean I couldn't still hide stuff in it (can you believe that?)

Then there are the people that I wouldn't in a million years want to just turn up no matter how pleased I was to see them because I really CARE about what they think dammit!

Now I am totally convinced that everyone but me lives in a show home (tell me you don't - I wont believe you!).  And you know what, maybe my house isn't so bad really.  The kids are clean, the washing's done (although obviously not ironed), I hoovered this morning and I shall bake a cake when I get back from the Orthodontist with my daughter (the irony of cake after the dentist is not entirely lost here).


So, here it is ...

The Ten Minute Tidy

Now I have theory
and I think its pretty sound
so listen up here deary
you may find it quite profound

I'm no domestic diva
my life is somewhat manic
but I don't get in a fever
and I do try not to panic

I really like surprises
and impromptu visits out
if one of those arises
you'll rarely see me pout

but if you knock upon my door
without a little warning
(Id like an hour and sometimes four
or preferably the previous morning!)

I may not want to let you in
(although I probably will)
I doubt I will have emptied the bin
which I ALWAYS overfill

there may be dishes the sink
the bath might need a clean
I may look like the missing link
my kitchen may not gleam

The hallway might just be a mess
I might just close some doors
but let's be honest, now please confess
Is there a reason we aren't at yours???

8 comments:

Fiona @nlpmum said...

Love it. I can see the link to Pam Ayres ;-) Our house is usually a tip and I only make an effort to clean up for my mother who is an obsessive compulsive cleaner uper. She's probably the reason why I'm soooooooooo not - a kind of irony there, or is it just human nature! F

Unknown said...

A great piece to start the challenge!

Sarah said...

Thanks Fiona - my mother fortunately lives (and rarely leaves) Spain so I get PLENTY of warning :)

Thank yu Angela :)

Unknown said...

This made me chuckle as it pretty much exactly describes my feelings on the matter too! Love it :) x

Unknown said...

oh I have that various levels of cleanliness for different visitors too! I can assure you we don't live in a showhome, in fact today I found several large spiders webs and some mould in the bathroom ( nice! ) oh well too busy with NaBloPoMo to clean!

Nikki - A Mother in France said...

Ha ha, very good. I try hard not to let it bother me when people pop in and the house's a mess and with 4 kids at home, 2 dogs (1 chewy puppy) a full time job and a house the size of a warehouse it often is far from tidy! So, my trick is to try and keep the kitchen reasonable and don't let them see the chaos in the rest of the house, then just pray they don't ask to use the bathroom!

Jay said...

Lol, so if it all goes tits up, blame me?

This is SO my house. How many times have we all said, "I'll come to you..."

Sarah said...

Thank you T&S :)

Ha ha RC

Unfortunately I live in a Victorian terrace Nikki and you have to go through the dining room and kitchen to get to the bathroom :(

Umm, basically Jayne ... yes :)