My Cleaning Tricks

So In order to still do the general housework I have made some changes and little tricks that help me. Now I know some might sound stupid and might not work for others but they do make having chronic health & OCD a lot better to deal with ... 

Hoover - I have three hoovers which are kept in different places which make it easier than having to carry one up and down the stairs. So I have one upstairs, one downstairs and one just for the kitchen. I keep them near the plug socket so easier to turn on and use whenever I can. 

Cleaning Items - I have a cleaning caddy in the bathroom for all the products I use upstairs and then I have products in kitchen under sink for all the products to use downstairs. I have a cupboard in the hallway which has back ups of products making sure I never run out which I get my Stepdad to reach and take out when I need to. I also have some products in my bedroom for easy access. Ideally I hate products on show but sometimes I have to think practical. 

Long Handled Dustpan/Brush - I have one in my bedroom as I have wood floor and one downstairs for the kitchen, utility and downstairs toilet. Long handled makes it easier to use few times a day without bending down or picking rubbish up ect. I have 3 dogs which mean dogs hairs and wood floor so having the dustpan and brush in reach means I can use it every time I’m in/out of the rooms.

Using Time Effectually - this might sound stupid haha so what I mean is that when I have a flare up with my bowel disease I will also clean the bathroom. It makes sense to do it as I’m stuck in the bathroom anyways. I will fold up washing while sitting on sofa, I will prepare dinner while sitting down and I will even sit on the floor to clean floors/polish, clean the bath/shower while I’m in there ect. It helps a lot to be honest as I find I get more done that way. If I had to wait to not be in pain to do these things then they would never get done. 

Ikea Bags - Totally Random but the blue Ikea bag are literally a lifesaver because of its long Handles and it’s a big bag. I use this to carry dirty washing downstairs and I will also fold up the clean washing put in the bag to carry upstairs. It makes it so much easier. 

Micro Fibre Cloths - I always keep one in reach so that if I’m walking downstairs or round the house I can easily grab it and polish ect. 

Clean At The Right Time - what I mean by this is I try to stick to the same time cleaning which is about 10 mins after I’ve taken my painkillers. I find if I wait anymore then the side effects have kicked in too far. 

Deep Freeze/Deep Heat Is My BFF - I have the roll on ones that literally are so easy to apply and I have one of each downstairs and upstairs which I put on as I’m about to clean. Okay it doesn’t get rid of the pain but it makes cleaning more bearable. 

Late Night No Sleep = Clean - I have nights where I don’t sleep til late because of pain so I use this time to sort my wardrobe out, sort storage out and do little bits in my room. 

I’m pretty sure there’s more than I do without realising but these are the main ones. To someone who isn’t ill I totally understand how stupid it might sound haha!! But you got to do what you got to do. Without doing any of these tricks I simply don’t get anything done. I have 3 dogs so I have to hoover lots and ideally I’d like hoover few times a day but I aim to hoover at least once a day which I find it easier to keep up with housework if I do it for like 20 mins a day rather than spending hours few times a week. Luckily I have a dishwasher but I wash up the dogs Bowls soon as they finished their dinner and I find doing it ASAP means it’s all done and dusted. Now I don’t really like antibacterial wipes well I do but I find it much easier to use a micro fibre cloth and antibacterial spray which probably doesn’t make sense and I’m sure wipes are more easier but my hands are quite sensitive and I was finding wipes irritate them more plus I seem to go through so much wipes so I prefer to use a few cloths instead. I don’t fill my cleaning cupboard up under the sink purely because it’s much easier to only have the products I currently using so I can just grab them easily. 

Obviously with me living at home with my mother means there are some things I’d love to do differently or change. I try much as possible to make the plan more organise, clean and tidy but it’s not as easy when people I live with are not like me lol!! Il spend ages cleaning and then I look and someone’s make it messy.. it’s rather frustrating because obviously I’ve made myself in pain in order to clean properly so it’s bloody annoying. I know if I lived alone I’d have things my way which would make things slightly easier for my health but for now with the small changes/tricks I use are working and helping. I truly believe that a “Tidy House Tidy Mind” and I feel so much better mentally when I’m doing cleaning even if my body is in agony.  My next post will be about what products I use. I tend to stick with the same products that I know work as I haven’t got time to be using rubbish products. So make sure you pop back soon to find out my top products. 

Love Katie xx 

Social Media Changes

Hello everyone.. its been a long time. 

I wanted to write a quick blogpost to tell you all about some changes. So we have a Instagram which we used to update alot but as life shit happens we stopped. Also our blog and twitter went quiet. However I (katie) have always been active on my personal twitter/Instagram.. well mainly Instagram to be honest. In the last two months or so I have been addicted to instastories on my personal account and sort of abandon Snapchat. I've been following accounts that have cleaning tips, home interior, Chronic health and more which I have been speaking to a few lovely ladies. I decided to log into our blog Instagram and dedicate more of my time and energy as on my personal is alot of people I know in real life and sometimes I had to be careful what I posted or my stories. Although I know they can also see our blog insta, I feel more comfortable and confident posting what I want, sharing my life and find its easier to be more open. So for the past month or so I have only been using the blog insta and not only has snapchat been abandon but my personal insta has. In just a short time I have been talking to a few ladies, already got my favorite people to follow and feel 100% better in myself knowing I am not alone in being OCD, being addicted to cleaning products, having mental illnesses, grieving for my two babies, dealing with the shit of having chronic illnesses.  

Although the Instagram is back up and running, the blog isn't. As much as I'd love to be able to write blog posts, its kind of impossible right now due to health. But I have soo many ideas to the point where my notes on my phone can't take anymore haha. I've learnt lately to live one day at a time which before I wasn't and it was totally making me stress. So I'm not going force myself to write blog post just yet. I've even made a few insta friends already so I am concentrating on that for the time being. I have also been tweeting from our twitter but I'm not really bothered about that as I've never found twitter amazing if that makes sense. 

Head over to our Instagram HERE if you want to see me moaning about being in pain, being tired, watch me go on about cleaning in my stories haha. I said this was going to be a quick post but its taken me forever as I'm rather tired. Thank you for reading and lets hope I can put my ideas into many blog posts soon. 

Love Katie 

Change Is Okay

Hello Everyone.. I honesty cannot remember the last time I done a health update or any update to be honest. Life has just got in the way for the last year or so and we have sort of abandoned the blog. I'm speaking for myself but I think Beth would agree when I say that we both are different people since we last blogged. Both older and are in a different place from few years back. Pain and illnesses has 100% changed me and weirdly for the best, I am more understanding, more patience and in all a much better person. Obviously I cannot speak for Beth but she's now a married lady with two kids and now they live in their own apartment so I think she's changed also but in a good way. If Beth is reading this I hope I don't offend you haha.

Photo by Pinterest 

What I'm trying to say is that change is a good thing. It's scary yes but it has to happen as we grow up. Since being a Auntie I have become less selfish and more caring. I'm sure as the months go by that I shall change more.. and I'm okay with it. Few years back I would of been scared.. scared of changing me as a person and scared of changing into someone I don't like. 

Years ago I wouldn't of thought I'd be where I am today. Living with Mother at 25 years old and unable to work... it's something I never planned in my head. But I cannot change being ill and I have to deal with that. I always think that I'm lucky in a way.. lucky because I am able to live at home with my mother who is my best friend. Some people don't have that choice or their mother isn't around anymore so I have to think myself lucky there. Of course I'd love to be living in my own place with my own family.. I crave it so much that it's constantly in my head. I have to deal with the fact that I cannot change my situation or health right now so I have to embrace and think myself lucky as I'm sure it could be worse. 

I'm not real sure what this blogpost is about.. and you can probably tell that I'm dosed to the max on painkillers but I just wanted to say that change is totally normal and okay. If you're in the position to change your life then totally embrace that face but for myself and other people who are unable to change life then just know that it's okay..the quicker we accept that we're unable to do certain things and stop beating yourself up about it.. then the better you will feel. I'm sure myself and Beth will have proper blogpost coming soon.. and I promise to try and not be dosed up on painkillers next time!! 

Love Katie xx

Toilet Thoughts

Hello readers.. 

I'm currently writing this as I'm sat on the toilet and I'm sure most people wouldn't want to know that but in reality this is my life. I have Ulcerative Colitis which if you have been following our blog since we started then you would know. If you haven't read our blog and don't know or heard of Ulcerative Colitis is then it's an Irritable Bowel Disease (NOT IBS) and this horrible disease means I attend the toilet basically 95% of the day. I get very sore joints because of this and also terrible fatigue so you can imagine sitting on the toilet isn't enjoyable.

I wanted to write this post because I swear some people think that I'm even making it up or that I enjoy suffering from Colitis! It's exhausted, painful & frustrating. I never have a proper goodnight sleep because for some reason my Bowel is more awake at night time. I never get to watch full programme as run back and forward to the bathroom. It's not fun or enjoyable having to sit on the toilet and for normal people when they go for a toilet they are not in pain but I am in pain. Everyone I open my bowel it is absolutely agony and I cry because of the pain. 

I sit on the toilet and watch people snapchats or insta stories and see people out having fun or not having to worry about to what to eat and it's hard to watch.. and I do feel about jealous of them. Then I go on Facebook and read people statues about their fun evenings and it makes me sad and angry. I look back and miss the old me. The old me who used to spend my evenings going out, drinking, eating whatever I wanted, was abled to have a goodnight sleep and literally having no care in the world. 

So when people say that I have an easy life being housebound, stuck on the toilet in pain and never having a goodnight sleep.... "easy" isn't the word I'd call it. I didn't choose to have this disease and I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I'd absolutely chose to be working, doing normal adult things and not having to be in pain over this any day!! It's hard to be positive when I'm stuck on the toilet, it's hard to be happy and not dwell on the past. But this IS my life and all I wish is for my health to be better and to gain my life back again. So yeah this isn't enjoying or fun and if anyone says it is then come and be in my shoes for a day and you'll soon realise how "fun" this really is!!! 

Love Katie xx