Fledglings polish their pumpkins and do their best, it's time for a Fling Boogie Octoberfest!

[Stewedcoot]

Heartfelt thanks to Engels (and Bitchy!) for leading the thread throughout September (Sept always being a busy one) despite feeling a bit poorly and despite being pregnant. Hope beneficial effects of injections kick in soon!

If you are strugging with C.H.A.O.S. (can't have anyone over syndrome) and S.T.U.F.F. (something that undermines family fun) then this is the thread where we (loosely) follow the step-by-step Flylady housekeeping system (in our own, unique, relaxed style) with lots of chat, support and and along the way.

Flylady link here.

This little-and-often system is designed so that you can follow a series of steps and routines each day (which gradually become second nature) in zones of the house which are designated weekly; defining and minimising housework, which in theory should leave you with loads more time to do something more interesting instead!

At the same time it is intended to reduce that panicky "rabbit in headlights" feeling when you are overwhelmed and everything needs doing all at once. No problem if you miss a day or two; just jump right back in and it will all come around next month again!

It's up to you, but we advise not signing up to receive the Flylady e-mails as you will be inundated! All the information you need will be linked here on a daily basis.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's steps and routines using a three-pronged approach (dependent on the stage everyone is at):

1. start or repeat baby steps
   

1. repeat baby steps + do 15 mins a day decluttering in the current zone
   

1. reinforce babysteps and do daily missions if you have finished decluttering.
   

[And if you are really enthusiastic and have finished decluttering - you can go on to detailed deep cleaning in each zone.]

More info here on getting started and Flying lessons . Here's the launch pad for more experienced fledglings.

Don't be put off by the barf-tastic language of the site - the underlying system is sound!

Three key points to keep in mind:
(1)No perfectionism allowed - this is harder than you would imagine
(2)You are never behind just start where you are and anything you do is progress.
(3) It didn't get into a mess overnight, it won't get tidy over night - accept it will take time to get on top of things and you will be happier.

If you are new; then trying to spend 15mins decluttering daily and doing the babysteps is a good way to start. Some of us (mentioning no names!) can have scary looking lists but don't let that worry you! Do what you can, anything is better then nothing, and don't judge yourself against others.

If all else fails, a brew + the power of three technique + a bit of support on here can work wonders!

Oh and don’t let it put you off if we appear a bit cliquey – some of us have been on here for years – but all lurkers, intermittent returnees, oldies and newcomers very, very welcome!

[BitchyTakesOnManagement]

SC you are an absolute blooming Star. Thank you so much!

[BlueEyeshadow]

SC, and Engels for Sept!

[CallingAllEngels]

Thanks sc . Parking my Dyson for October - let the nesting begin!

[Stewedcoot]

'Tis nay bother Bitchy !!

As it happens, I am off to school meeting tonight so will post links for tomorrow now.

All aboard everyone; here we go again!! (And pls forgive me for writing things out the old-fashioned extremely pedantic way, it just helps me keep on track with zones etc!)



Baby-step no. 1 for 1st October 2014 (and an explanation about baby-steps and getting started) is here! Shine your sink!

(Newcomers, if you don't know how to do this, an explanation is also included in the link above!)

Tomorrow we will be starting again in Zone 1: Entrance, Front Porch & Dining Room here. Declutter for 15 mins in this zone.

Tomorrow's mission (and all of the missions for the week) can be found here trash hunt!

The daily focus for Wednesday is anti-procrastination do something you have been avoiding!

The monthly habit for October is getting rid of paper clutter

And for a summary of the above, see the daily flight plan which should automatically update itself daily

Hope I haven't missed anything out! Have a good start to the month everyone!

Tally-hooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[Stewedcoot]

Waves feather duster at Engels and Blue!

[MercuryRising]

Hi. I thought I should flap my wings. The last month has been crazy with lots of ups and downs so I failed to keep up with the thread although my house actually isn't too bad. I am going to try to fly properly this month for a change

[Gladhoc]

A little flap here from a name changing returnee! After a summer (and spring...) of being overwhelmed by everything, I've started on some thyroid treatment and now things look much better.

I've been making gentle steps with the sink and now feel ready to jump back in!

[AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore]

Engels and Bitchy for September's thread.

I'm actually keeping up with the incoming paper clutter. Still some work to do on old paper clutter though - I am going to start going through my older files - a couple a day, and get it sorted by the end of the month.

Tomorrow will be baking day here. Oatmeal raisin cookies (by request of the dcs) and I'm going to try once again to make bread. I've yet to find a recipe that I'm really happy with.

[Sootball]

Good evening all, thanks k you Engels for your superb thread for September, I may not have posted a great deal but I did read everyone's posts before usually falling asleep with a half completed reply.

So the mega organising area has been working well and the house has a much fresher feel about it. I have taken on board the 15min a day method and slowly but surely I'm putting out hotspots - we've been eating better with only one lunch being bought in the past three weeks and one evening meal forgotten needing a swift trip to the local Chinese!

DH is beginning to check the weekly menu and the before bed checklist. This morning I hunted everywhere in the freezer to find tonight's dinner before opening the fridge to find it had already been taken out!

The biggest change is our playroom - remember I was going to speak to an organiser? I couldn't afford her but I spent some money on new storage and also being utterly ruthless on toys the DC don't play with and we now have a room with space to play and a separate storage area with their toys where they can choose one or two to get out.

Done
Both bathrooms cleaned
Playroom tidied
Downstairs hoovered
Bin, Oven, Fridge and Freezer all wiped down
Hallway shoes checked and two pairs thrown, summer shoes put under stairs and winter warm things put out
New wellies ordered
buggy wheels wiped down
Floor swept and washed (painted white fgs)
Stairs hoovered
Dusting done
Pile of rubbish junk recycled
Plants by front door watered

Airing cupboard emptied
Washing away
Two loads on
Two loads hung up
Mending done
Clothes out for the week
DC bathed, hair washed and dried

Sleep.

[MercuryRising]

To do before school:
Make beds
Hang up yesterdays ironing
Ss bathroom
Make lunches
Wash up
Shine sink

I'm going to tackle the shoe cupboard in the hall for 15 minutes this evening and have a look at the mission if I get time. I have an open evening at the school dd will possibly move up to in September, which makes me as it means she is no longer small.

[pushmepullyou]

Happy October everyone

Thank you to engels for leading last month and sc for this month.

I have started a massive whole house decluttering a la Marie thingummy (secret magic of tidying). Have only managed my clothes and the DC's clothes so far, but it makes a massive difference and flying is so much easier already.

To do
Tidy hall
Homework (keep forgetting and it needs to be in tomorrow)
Go to Cheltenham and back
Make tea
Tidy
Finances
Bed

[AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore]

pushme Hey, that's where I am!!

ta da
usual morning routine
first load of laundry in dryer, second load in washer currently
washing up
tidied living room
tidied dining room, but mainly so I could then spread out my paperwork.. so it didn't stay tidy long, did it?
checked bank
checked budget
updated menu plan

to do
vacuum living room
more laundry
go through two small bags of old school papers from last year (most will likely be thrown, but will keep a couple I think)
baking
more, but I can't remember what...

[Stewedcoot]

Good morning everyone! Pinch, punch, first of the month and all of that... !

Pushme (and Whoknows) funny you should mention Marie Kondo! I was reading her book at 5am this morning (woken up by hot flush and low-flying planes which is not a happy combination [grin[)! I think a lot of her concepts make sense (gathering stuff together by categories in a very un-Flylady-like way and sorting all books in the house, or all clothes, in one fell swoop). And I agree with her about how your house impacts on one's health, mental attitude, ability to live in the 'here and now' etc. I also agree with her when she says clutter can become something one hides behind in order to prevent you from doing what you really want to do in life; a sort of self-sabotage.

Trouble is, I live in a very long, tall, thin house, with loads and loads of stairs so the actual practical implications of having to gather every category of item in one place will be a bit of a nightmare. By necessity I have to keep the same type of thing in at least two different areas in order to reduce the constant stair-climbing (which is bad enough as it is) ie two areas where there are office supplies and stationery, two ironing stations, cleaning materials and hoovers on every floor etc etc, so I'm not sure her method suits my house very much.

And I kind of lost the faith when she goes on about the endless folding, and when she describes how she comes home from work every night and empties every item out of her handbag and puts them all away individually and then puts the handbag in a bag and puts that away! Something tells me that she doesn't have dc!!

The thing is, she hardly mentions children's toys, and frankly, my house was quite tidy until I came a parent. There followed an avalanche of 'stuff', equipment, books, plastic detritus ... . And it's not just the possessions that dc bring with them, it's the "having to stop every hour to wipe their bum or give them a snack, or do the school run" which makes sorting all of your books/clothes/photos out in uninterrupted sessions pretty difficult. So I think I'll be sticking to the Fat Fairy method (although interestingly I see both of them emphasise the importance of having a clean sink)! Haven't got to the end of the book yet either, so perhaps I shouldn't be making my mind up about it just yet. Really glad it is working for you though!!!

How are you finding it Whoknows I'd be interested to hear what you think of the Kondo techniques?

Well done for keeping on top of your house Mercury despite the ups and downs of last month. I'm in the same position (visiting secondary schools for dd, although think have settled on one now) and I also feel that primary days are nearly over. She has been going there since she was 2.5 yrs and so it has been a huge part of our life [sniff] Good luck with shoe cupboard!

Wow Sootball that is a very inspiring post! Really glad the system is working so well for you. Well done! It's great isn't it also how being organised in one area, has a positive impact on the other (ie cooking from scratch). Very impressed to hear that you have your dh on board too! And congratulations on getting your playroom sorted. Need to follow your good example! And top marks for your ta da list yesterday!

[SC lurks around Alice's front door in the hope of cadging a cookie!] Well done for keeping on top of paper clutter and good luck with yet more shredding!

A warm welcome back Gladhoc! Please forgive me as I know I should recognise you from your post, but I am humungously thick useless with name changes!! Glad you are feeling better however and much less overwhelmed!

I'm in a dither today so I'm not going to post a list until I sort myself out! Not the greatest start to the month!

Big feathery wing flaps to Engels Blue Toffee Swan Feetheart¨Bitchy Goth Honu Nicknacks Shannara Coffeeandcream Castle Lauren PA and Just (if you happen to be lurking!* And to anyone else I have missed!

[Stewedcoot]

Forgot to say hello to Vivacia and Trainersandaches and I am sure, many others! [Feathery waves]

[AliceDoesntLiveHereAnymore]

And I kind of lost the faith when she goes on about the endless folding, and when she describes how she comes home from work every night and empties every item out of her handbag and puts them all away individually and then puts the handbag in a bag and puts that away! Something tells me that she doesn't have dc!!

I'll second that!! I fling my handbag in the cupboard and get busy organising to make tea. NOTHING like cleaning out my handbag even gets considered until after the dcs are in bed.

SC It's silly, but I get such a huge satisfaction at getting rid of old paperwork and junk. You'd think my house would be much less cluttered. But I have made huge inroads this summer and last month in getting rid of unnecessary stuff and old paperwork. Little by little, I'm getting there. And trying to keep on top of it by not bringing in more IYSWIM. THAT's the big one!! Trying to keep from replacing old junk with new junk.

I'm setting myself a goal to get rid of a lot of the toys in the dcs rooms before Christmas. Even with the paring down done over the summer there are just far too many toys in there!

[Stewedcoot]

Pushme and Alice very [jealous] of your proximity to the spiritual home of N H racing!

Well at least your handbag gets flung in a cupboard Alice that's organised by my standards! Mine seem to live on the hall floor or at the bottom of the stairs (and I always have at least two handbags on the go at the same time, both of which are stuffed to the gunnals so it gets confusing). I have become one of those old women who "rummages"

I'm with you about "not bringing more stuff in" being the key!! [SC shiftily hides on-line shopping parcels just arrived]

Congrats with the paperwork and keep going! [Um, I need to actually start ... ]

Given I only have one child, and only work a few hrs a week, I really should be doing so much better .. sigh ....

[Stewedcoot]

Oops that should have been an

[ToffeeWhirl]

Engels - thank you so much for leading the thread last month. You did a fantastic job, especially as you were coping with work and pregnancy as well.

And SC - And thank you for starting up this month's thread. Love the thread title!

Just about to start home ed, but wanted to mark my place first.

[dizzyday07]

I am sneaking back in after going totally AWOL in September. I bring shortbread though that DD made. There should be a lot more baked offerings as she got a cheap food mixer for her birthday

There have been days I have done the basics, and days where the sink has been full of dishes but I had to give the downstairs of the house a quick blitz last weekend as DD had friends over for her party and I wasn't it to be presentable in case any of the mums came in.

But with weekends filling up with galas and other activities, and a pressing deadline of a customer's impending baby that requires some bedding for a crib to be made, I need to get back on the Fly Lady wagon before the house totally implodes in CHAOS!

[BitchyTakesOnManagement]

Morning. Day has been a wash out in terms and will continue to be so as I have the joys of a flu shot followed by a quick grabbing of ds from school, throwing stuff into the car and then heading for an evening at ds' training. Need an early night.

[CallingAllEngels]

Evening all!

ta da
work including 6 very successful lessons, a huge chunk of planning, a little bit of marking and 4 out of 5 sets of reports - some days I love my job.
washing up
made lunch for tomorrow
showered

now waiting for dh to take ds to bed then I will have the house to myself while dh goes for evening class and I am planning on spending the evening catching up on mn and fb!

[BlueEyeshadow]

Oooh, shortbread! Thanks, dizzy :)

Completely drowning in clutter here at the moment. The art stuff and toys and office need massively sorting out, but it's such a depressing thought that I come over all CBA about it. :(

[Gladhoc]

Thanks SC, I don't think there was anything identifying in my post, but my flying went into free-fall after a very plastery mess!

Since then I've been renovating and planning a wedding and living in total chaos. It's nice to be back

Ta da

Sink
Swish and swipe
Wrote, printed and sent letter (still had envelopes and stamps from last time was organised)
Bought wedding shoes (sparkly)
Found a fantastic dress that will suit all four bridesmaids (and a bargain )

To do

Food
Wash up after food
Change bed
2 loads washing
Small with Mr Glad when he finishes work

[pushmepullyou]

I like the folding . Not the bag emptying though - that's crazy talk! Done most things today. Not tidied the hall though.

Bed now, night all

[pushmepullyou]

Just to clarify - I don't actually like the folding, just the look of the insides of the drawers once the contents have been folded to her specifications.




Actually, I'm not sure that's any better....