Resolved To Change?

It’s that time of year again when many of us resolve to change and make those small differences to in our lives that will – allegedly – make us better people.  Many of us vow to give up drinking too often, smoking, spending too much on what my grandmother would have called “fripperies”, eating cake and/or chocolate.  Even spending less time at work is something of us many of us vow to achieve.

And then there are the things that we say we will do more often – go to the gym, spend  time with the family, eat more fresh fruit and veg, drink more water ……….

Most of us want to “undo” some things from the previous year and make a fresh start when the clock starts midnight on December 31st  Although the giving up of ciggies, wine or beer tends to start somewhere around 3am or 4am on January 1st, depending on how good a night you’ve had!

For the start of 2013, a survey by MyVouchers.co.uk, indicated that the bite of the recession was affecting many people’s desire for change and the vow to save more money and get out of debt was driving many promises.

However, as many of us feel more optimistic for 2014, things have changed and once again achieving a better sense of health and well-being tops the lists according to a study carried out by eCigarette.co.uk.  Even self-improvement in the form of learning a new language or how to play a musical instrument are above vowing to spend less money, which came in as the number 8 most popular resolution this year.

Speaking of self-improvement, I was interested to see that breaking a world record made the Top 50 too – aim high guys!

Some of us want to make big changes in our lives such as find new partners, get married have babies and get that dream job.  Generally speaking, New Year is a time for reflection on the previous year and many of us take a good look at our bad habits and promises to make changes.

See the Top 50 in full:

1. Exercise more
2. Eat better
3. Cut down on alcohol
4. Stop smoking
5. Spend less time on Facebook / Twitter
6. Learn a new language
7. Learn a musical instrument
8. Spend less money
9. Secure dream job
10. Average eight hours of sleep a night
11. Improve qualifications
12. Spend more time with kids
13. Get a toned body
14. Have cosmetic surgery
15. Get a pet
16. More bike rides
17. Watch more news & documentaries
18. Dump partner (and find better one)
19. Improve cooking skills
20. Do more for charity
21. Get a promotion at work
22. Stop watching trashy reality TV
23. Have more sex
24. See more of friends
25. Sponsor a child in Africa
26. Eat less chocolate
27. Drink less coffee
28. Improve personal hygiene
29. Drink more water
30. More live music / entertainment
31. Learn to bake a cake
32. More outdoor activities
33. Take up a new sport
34. Learn to knit
35. Swear less
36. Introduce a regular date night
37. Have a baby
38. Take up a new sport
39. Go to church more often
40. Take the stairs rather than a lift
41. Read more books
42. Try to not get a parking fine/speeding ticket
43. Pass driving test
44. Eat less biscuits
45. Get married
46. Break a world record
47. Travel more
48. Learn how to use the technology properly (iPad, social media etc)
49. Eat less red meat
50. Spend less time at work

Personally, my top three resolutions have come in at 29 (drink more water), 1 (exercise more) and 24 (see more of friends) but feeling a little left out, perhaps I will go for number 46 too and see if I can break a world record!  Perhaps for biscuit eating?!  It certainly won’t be for ironing as I don’t think I could beat the current record, an ironing marathon lasing 80 hours in which Janette Hastings of New South Wales, Australia who ironed a massive 1157 items including jeans, shirts and shorts during this time.

And remember, if one of your resolutions is to have more me time, spend more time with your family or generally just do less of the things you don’t enjoy, then give us a call.  We will happily help with your ironing and let you concentrate more on keeping your resolutions.

Happy New Year everyone!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas………

Spirits are high in IM Towers this week and that’s all because we’re all excited about the fact the Big Fella’s due in just a few days’ time.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have both been and gone and most of us have even had our office parties now.  All that’s left to do is the last minute present buying  (thank you Amazon for your super speedy delivery!) and wrapping and then the fun can really start!

There’ll always be a few Scrooges out there who are quick to shout Bah Humbug!  But generally speaking, I think it’s fair to say that we all enjoy Christmas.  Having a chat over a tin of Celebrations (other tins of fattening cocoa based confectionery are also available) at tea break, the Maids’ top reasons for loving the festive season were:

Food and drink – even the most abstemious amongst us let go a little at Christmas; so whether its gallons of Baileys that makes you smile or the largest pile of roasties known to man, go on, fill your boots.  Eat, drink and be Merry!

Presents – we’re all brought up with the ‘it’s good to give’ message and it does make you feel all warm and cosy inside when someone you love gives you a big hug and tells you your present is perfect.   I can even laugh at the family sourpuss who grumbles every year about “more bl**dy socks”.  He doesn’t know that the joke’s on him, as we now all buy him socks just to wind him up, as he’s been so ungracious in receipt in previous years.  Don’t worry, we all spoil him on his birthday, he’s just an ol’ curmudgeon at Christmas!

No work for a few days – probably the only time of year that most of us get to switch off from the office/workplace.  OK, so we are still busy, as roast turkey and all the trimmings doesn’t exactly prepare itself and dealing with over excited kiddies can be exhausting but at least it’s a break from the usual daily churn.  Of course this doesn’t apply to all of us -  folk in the emergency services  and medical professions have to work and even poor retail staff often only get one day.  Spare them a thought.

Spending time with friends and family – perhaps the best bit for most of us.  Big children return to the nest, perhaps with their own little ones in tow; smaller children get super excited and even the most insouciant of teenagers can usually raise a smile for you at Christmas.  Older family members are just as important and aunties, uncles, grannies and granddads all get spoilt and do some spoiling too.  Catching up with friends is always special and everyone has the incentive to do so this time of year.

Seeing the children’s faces – from big wide eyes at the sight of all the presents to sleepy faces at the end of the day, children have the best time of all.  Presents, films, sweets, chocolates and non-grumpy parents and grand-parents, what’s not to love?!

Christmas Eve carols – for many of us this is the only time we go to church, other than weddings, christening and funerals.  We all love a rousing verse of O Come All Ye Faithful.  It’s important not to forget that Christmas is also a spiritual time for many and the celebration of the birth of Christ is at the centre of the holiday for them.

Leaving out mince pies and sherry for Santa and carrots for Rudolph – such fun!  I have even seen parents create tiny elven boot prints in talc on the hearth!  Also pretending Santa’s been and nibbling the mince pies and knocking back the sherry (“why has Santa left the mince pie but drunk all the sherry?!” was a regular question in this Maid’s home!) The person with the biggest teeth in the house always has to pretend to be the reindeer, regardless of whether or not raw carrot is a no-no!

TV and Movies – my mother’s favourite pre-Christmas ritual is buying the Christmas television guides and planning her viewing, not forgetting reading ahead in what’s happening in the soaps!  I think many of us become at least part couch-potato after stuffing ourselves silly and quaffing too much sherry.  It’s almost the law now to become sofa bound and semi-snooze (or downright snore in the ol’ curmudgeon’s case!) in front of the TV for a least a small portion of Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

Yes it’s expensive, yes it can be stressful, yes it’s exhausting and yes it’s overly commercial but hey -  It’s Christmas!!  And for the most part we all love it!

So Happy Christmas All.  Have a wonderful time and make the most of every precious second with those you love.

And then there’s New Year to look forward to……!!

Christmas: it’s Woman’s Work?

Hubby and I were having a “discussion” yesterday about everything that needs to be done over the next couple of weeks as Christmas is really just around the corner and, as ever, I have been slow off the mark.

Note I said “I” and not “we” because I seem to end up doing almost everything.  I don’t believe I’m alone either, as friends’ comments have varied from “he thinks being ‘Chief-Battery-Monitor’ is enough whilst I run myself ragged” to “I cook the meal and he takes all the glory just because he carves the bird!”  Does that sound familiar ladies?

Certainly in our house I decorate the house and tree, write and post the cards, arrange visits to and from family over the festive period, do all the food shopping and cooking; although I must admit that Hubby is very good at helping buy pressies and he’ll even help with wrapping them, for which I am very grateful.  He would probably even do some of the clearing and washing up post Crimbo Dinner if I asked but I must admit to being something of a control freak in my teeny kitchen and prefer to do it all myself…….being helped along by a glass of cava or three in the process of course!  (In reality, anything to avoid the sport on TV that step-sons have an unerring ability to find, despite the squillions of available channels and my hiding the TV guide!)

And it turns out that my friends and I are not alone in feeling that we take on most of the Christmas toil.  A recent survey by Battery Station found that mums take on almost five times more Christmas “jobs” than dads.  The ‘mum list’ covers buying, cooking, wrapping, cleaning, writing, delivering pressies etc.  – all too numerous to mention but we all know what goes into the lead up to Christmas and if you have small children, factor in presents for teacher and the dreaded nativity costume.

The ‘dad list’? Carving the turkey, topping up drinks, taking the toys out of boxes and putting batteries in, playing with the kids and putting out the rubbish.  10% of men admitted to doing nothing at all and leaving absolutely everything up to their partners.  The same survey concluded that 45% of couples row about this, with 60% of women wishing their menfolk would do more and  55% of men admitting that they should!

The truth is that I actually quite enjoy the chaos and the hard work, as it all seems worth it on the Day when we all sit down together without a mobile phone or a tablet in sight, all wearing daft paper hats and reading out stupid cracker jokes.  We do Eat, Drink and be Merry – and that’s just as it should be!  After lunch, I do take on all the tidying and cleaning but it’s my choice and it’s “me time” as I sing along to Bing and Frank and know that I have a really good excuse for not watching anything I don’t want to on TV and afterwards I can join my family and pull the “I’ve been working sooooo hard” card, so that they have to let me watch what I want on TV.  Genius! Downtown Abbey here we come!

Is it like this in your home too? Let us know by commenting below.