May 16, 2016 at 10:39 am

@lookat Hi Anthony. Welcome to our group.

I think in any family there is one person who loves to collect things and the other who wants to get rid of all junk. I guess if both were same way, either the house would be pack-jammed with stuff or totally bare.

Yes, decluttering is great for psychological and health reasons. You just have to be firm with yourself.

My youngest daughter is almost 4 years old and i am pretty ruthless when it comes to donating her old clothes and shoes because I am not planning to have more children and there are so many other children who can benefit from her stuff.

We collect way too much stuff in our homes anyway.

May 16, 2016 at 10:31 am

@ Lee Ka Hehe seems to me you and I are in the same boat:-) 

We want to do too much and that sometimes is overwhelming:-)

But fun too. I am never bored and i am never out of things to do. This makes life exciting if a bit tiring at times.

I sometimes wonder at people who say they have nothing to do or they are bored.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Dawnwriter.

May 16, 2016 at 10:22 am

So true @bestwriter.

If we just pause before saying something and think about our words, there will be much less ugliness in this world. This reminds me of a quote I read:

“Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates:

At the first gate, ask yourself “Is is true?”

At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?”

At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?”

~ Rumi

May 16, 2016 at 10:18 am

@morgoodie I really want to buy a steam mop. I have heard such good things about it.

Do you use any particular brand? The ones I have seen in the market are a bit low quality stuff and people say they usually stop working after a few weeks.

Can you clean kitchen, bathroom and stairs etc with the same mop? For traditional mops, I keep the ones for the bathrooms separate.

May 16, 2016 at 10:14 am

@morgoodie i think you have good approach to decluttering.

I tried this tip a few years back and it really help me in keeping my house decluttered.

Take 3-4 strong cardboard boxes. use one for clothes,shoes socks etc children have outgrown. Other for books and papers, another for useless household items like mismatched mugs etc

Before putting them in boxes, i usually wrap them in old newspapers and plastic bags. after every few weeks, I make packets and distribute them.

Books go to old book shops and papers to recycling factory. I have a  small house and clutter gives me a horrible feeling so I try to go through all my drawers and cupboards regularly and get rid of things before they pile up.

@peachpurple Try to talk to your husband. Things cluttered around the house can gather lots of dust and it is bad for health. I have also noticed cockroaches make home in old, disused pots and pans. Also you can buy multi coloured drawers and store things by labelling them so that your husband can find them quickly. 

May 15, 2016 at 5:22 pm

I love drinking tea but i feel in recent years, it is getting too hot in summers to really enjoy tea.

Now I love to drink green tea and keep on trying new flavours. Lemongrass, Moroccan Mint, cardamom,, Jasmine and Apple and cinnamon are my favourites.

There are literally hundreds of flavors to choose from and I buy a few teabag packets whenever I go to the market and keep them in a jar and try new flavours everyday.

May 15, 2016 at 5:18 pm

Sometimes when I am sad or just feeling blue, I read inspirational quotes and they always help me to get in better spirits. There is so much wisdom in a single sentence that I can only marvel at the depth of the perception and intelligence of the people who said these words.

Today I read a few quotations on Hope and they were so profound that I decided to share them here:

Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. ~Christopher Reeve

When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.” ~Author Unknown

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. ~Anne Lamott

Hope never abandons you, you abandon it. ~George Weinberg

Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence. ~Lin Yutang

What’s your favourite quotation about hope or life in general?

May 15, 2016 at 5:13 pm

@bestwriter I agree time management is very important but I like to do so many things and want to experience a lot of things in life that sometimes it becomes almost impossible to manage everything.

I love reading and being online. i am doing a Quran course. I cook all food and meals for my family whether breakfast, school lunch, dinner, snacks and anything in between. I travel a lot between two cities.

Being a  Muslim, I pray 5 times a day. I teach my two children at home and also take care of their religious studies. I help the other two with their extra curricular activities including things such as Spelling Bee, Maths contests which requires a lot of training at home. I take care of laundry and pick and drop my kids to school too.

We entertain at home, though not very often but enough to make sure I have loads of food in freezer and pantry and I do all shopping myself.

I rarely watch TV. And yes, children should help but like @morgoodie said, I find it easier to do stuff myself but yes, teaching my children to put away their stuff neatly is something I need to teach my children.

But their definition on NEAT is so different to mine. In their case, it is mostly out of mother’s sight and out of their mind. Lol!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by  Dawnwriter.

May 15, 2016 at 1:58 pm

@swalia I guess we all have our own approach. i find it easier to be active on forums than sit down and write a 500-700 word post.

I am sure it is better to write posts for earning money quickly but somehow I cannot find time and energy for it yet. good luck and congrats on reaching $3. I have just earned my first dollar here.

May 15, 2016 at 1:19 pm

@grecy095 I hope you have got paid by now.

It is a horrible feeling when you are not paid and the silence on part of the admins is worse. It is an insult and I always feel that people have made a fool out of me. I think people were more angry with Arvind for the way he treated the members than the actual folding up of the site.

He was obnoxious and when I read the comments of people almost pleading for payment and he did not even bother to apologize, it made my blood boil.

Best of luck to you and I hope good news regarding payment is on its way. Keep us posted.

May 15, 2016 at 1:14 pm

@swalia The Kite Runner was Khalid Hosseini’s best book.

I did not enjoy the A Thousand Splendid Suns so much and like you, I have bought “And the mountains echoed” but somehow it could not grasp my attention like the earlier books and it is still unfinished.

May 15, 2016 at 1:11 pm

Find names of colours hidden within these sentences.

1. Worries or anger makes me sleepless.
2. Ogre endangers Princess Fiona’s wedding.
3. Bomb lacks power to explode
4. Shall I lace a shoe for you?
5. With dust storms, blind I go.
6. I yell owch when she stepped on my toe.
7. Low hit ended the match in a draw.
8. He learnt a new chop in karate.
9. Ocean currents are deep.
10. Tom and Bob row new boats in the sea.

Have fun.

May 15, 2016 at 1:08 pm

Find names of animals hidden within these sentences.

1) The farmer is sowing oats in the field.

2) He made errors while doing homework.

3) Demo used sophisticated technology for presentation.

4) The slow runner came last in the race.

5) The frying pan damaged in fire was made in China.

6) The Inca took many men prisoners.

7) The tired ogre fought with Princess Fiona.

8) Broccoli on toast does not seem tasty.

9) The green leaf is hanging on the branch.

10) The common key was stolen by the thief.

11) Seize branded items from the store.

12) They will get married in March or September.

May 15, 2016 at 12:55 pm

@Lee Ka  Yes, i reached $1 last night.

The first 50 cents were the hardest.

I am aiming for 20-25 cents per day from now on but I am not sure if it is achievable.

May 15, 2016 at 12:51 pm

@morgoodie It seems we think alike on a number of issues:-)