I agree, everything must have is own home. I bought a heap of small sets of drawers and labeled them so everyone knows where everything goes. Declutter, if you don't love it use it or need it, out it goes. I have a chore chart app that i follow each day and it only takes a few minutes and the place looks good. Everyone must tidy up their stuff before bed and again before going to school. With the app you can also have it so everyone has their own chores.

This ia a really old article. My third drawer now houses all those 'one off' bits and pieces that don't warrant a drawer for themselves and their ilk. Amazingly, when I need...that thinamejig or whatzit that would do the trick its always in the thrid drawer. tangled up with all the other 'third drawer' one offs. So - third drawer for whatever you need! Pretty good system really. Apologies to the professional cabinet makers who cater to the super organised...drawers with partitions. Honestly, if I absolutely had to live according to the norm.."a place for everything and everything in its place" I'd go a bit batty trying to remember what was supposed to occupy what partition and I think, the way my mind works, I'd feel quite frustrated. I don't have time to be super duper organised down to the colour coding, the things of square or round shape, the plastics and the chinas...and I certainly do not posess a china cabinet where to display all the expensive and heirloom dinnerware. that would never get used...can't see the sense. In fact, I only have six drawers in my kitchen and a nice large 100yr old built in linen and pantry cupboard down the length of the hallway that was built to house the basic kitchen utensils and also has room for any modrn appliances. My kitchen is small, functional, individual ane compact, My beautiful wrinkly assistance dog has his own drawer...and he diligently takes out and replaces his "stuff". My bits and pieces live in the third drawer and when all is put way there's a sense of ease in my kitchen.

@kirstieparker, Since our parents are now gone, mum just back in October, our family is a bit fractured because we simply came back to the family home for Christmas. Distance is also a bit of an issue with where our family members live so we personally, hubby and I will be celebrating Christmas by ourselves but we will have Christmas Eve with my son and the day after boxing day, the entire family including my son again, are meeting at a central loction, shared travel so to speak, where we try to make it easier on one family member not having to travel far and then it's swapped the next year. We're meeting at a nice Tavern, where no one is cooking and there are no presents just great times with everyone doing what our family like doing best and that's first and foremost being together, then followed closely by eating, joking, more eating and joking and so on!!! So in answer to the forum question, it's neither day really but whatever that day is that we all get together, is the best perfect day!!! Cheers, Barbara

White-tail spider in my track suit pants WHICH I WAS WEARING! I thought it was a lump of lint from the laundry, drew it out, and promptly flung it across the room once I realised... never to be seen again! How it didn't bite me and sat still to be picked up, I don't know - it must have known I wouldn't do it any harm. We lived in lots of country places, too... We were invaded by small black crickets one year, and lady bugs, another year, in your drawers, in your hair, in your pantry, in your undies... everywhere! And then the blue tongue lizard that would go in and out with our dogs via doggie door, and made itself a nest in our laundry... I gave up and left some old towels for it. Had an echidna get up into the wheel well of our car... wild brumbies in our patio... the list goes on. My husband still says that the most unwelcome visitor was his mother... I like her better than he does!