Fortunately for me my current home doesn't really have any usable attic space, and my previous home was a flat, so this forces me to keep reasonably on top of my clutter. Now I have a garage (and no hope of putting any cars in there) and it's definitely cluttered already. My parents have been attacking their attic in the last couple of months - it all started with me doing a primary blitz on one cupboard and they sort of took over from there. I know how bad it has been, although I know other family members are far worse with no hope of recovery.

Attics are large pits to put things out of sight and out of mind so you can ignore them till you move. If you don't move for 20yrs or more you end up with a LOT of clutter insulating your house!! On this one and only point I can be a little virtuous, simply because I've been trained without one.

Routines however are a totally different matter as Honey knows. I think working outside the home probably helps to impose some more sensible routines, but there are many other things which I would do better if they were routine. With one child starting back at school on Monday and the other starting tomorrow I'm hoping to see some return to normality by next Monday.

I January. The after-Christmas chaos, letdown, lack of routine, yucky weather with nothing to look forward to, lack of light.... It makes me feel seriously restless and irritable. Just as well we're off to Singapore for CNY - week today - HA!!! A week or so of sunshine might just be enough to get me through till Easter.

Meantime I'll just have to survive by moving some furniture and annoying all the people around me. Just as well I now pay people to get annoyed by me!!!

Kerri.