September Flying, Fledglings are trying; holiday steps were slow, back to work we go ...

[Stillcounting]

Welcome to the September 2010 Fledgling Flying thread!

This is where from the 1st of the month, we attempt to declutter and follow the 30-step wisdom of the Fat Fairy, with lots of chat and support and mutual motivation along the way. (More info available here! )

Many thanks to our previous splendiforous thread leader Ellie for guiding us through July and August and to her dynamic deputy, the one and only PA. You've both made it a lot of fun!

As usual we will be following a three-pronged approach (and don't worry - we are all at different stages):

• repeat or start baby steps (again!)

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

or

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

Together we can do it! All newcomers welcome!

Sounds good to me, Ouch. Although I'd actually prefer it white - it's just that that sentence has stuck in my head as it's what my Norwegian teacher used to say before every break.

Yes, it's a shame when parents give up on bilingualism too quickly. My dad didn't even try with me - Welsh is his first language, but he didn't see any point in speaking it to us when we were growing up in England.

Right, quick teeth clean for everyone and then it's off to the dentist.

yep white with sugar here. My family thinks me and dsis are philostines for putting milk in it.

sitte a litte is the only Norwegian I remember! I think it means bide a while...sounds so English doesn't it..

Just been looking which secondary schools offer German. I pointed out to dh that our dcs would be at an advantage if they could have some in-house help from him for German GSCE etc. His answer was ..wait for it..why would they want to do German? He is German for ffs!!!!!clearly does not want them to be bi-lingual at all. And he keeps saying he is crap at languages..the man speaks four languages fluently (well three to speak, 4 reading wise) Perfectionism at its worst.

I think I might have to flounce . There are so many posts each day I just can't keep up.

Am posting whilst on a free period so can't scroll though everyone, i'm afraid. I will attempt to do so tonight. Have only managed a quick skim through and did manage to pick up that Austrian's have some wierd habit, ouch is norwegian and had her car fixed, some new lovely people have joined us and
pa is going shopping , a pasttime which can cure any ill!

DH has been out of work for the last few weeks and to be fair has been a little fat fairy himself (well, in reality a large and hairy fat fairy!). He was back today though so time to get those routines going again. This morning I did

Make breakfast/clear away from/wash-up from
Washing on line
made beds
s/s bathroom
DCs and me dressed and out

Tonight:-

Do sums to figure out how little money i have
DS to swimming
CLothes out
Dinner (nice and easy tonight, jacket potatoes, cheese and beans)
Bath
Schoolwork
Bed.

Will hopefully get back later. Sorry I haven't done many personal messages lately. I am like rabbit in headlights being back at work and hopefull things will calm down soon and I can resume lounging about on mn all day long . Still love y'all though .

Crikey you lot! Just as well I popped in - am missing all the phone.

Your posts about Austrian attitudes to health are making me cackle!

If it's of any interest, Belgians too are obsessed with ailments in general (a pharmacy on every corner - I kid you not) and they cannot abide drafts and bundle up dc up against the weather (even, like today when it is generally sunny but there is a tiny spot of rain). What's worse, dd is adopting the same aversion to the elements; whereupon I suddenly morph in to my (Irish) grandmother... "for shame child, scared of a wee bit of weather!"

Oh and fwiw, the Portuguese think it is very bad for the digestion if you eat fruit after a meal and not as a starter (as I discovered to my shame a couple of years back when serving some friends a fruit-based pudding).

Am very impressed with your mastery of Norwegian Linzer btw and how interesting to hear about your origins Ouch! (You sound very focused today btw - well done you)

Swan lol re bumble bee music & tidying being preferable - it can't be that bad !!! On the subject of pretend ponies, have you seen this?

Tigger probably just as well you didn't do it because there was a mix up with the mission yesterday - and Linzer thankfully put us straight. Well done with your list today!

PA anyone who talks about his wife at work like that is a complete twonk imo. It speaks volumes about the man. No wonder she has been feeling ill for 12 years married to him! Serves him right you are breaking free! Shopping = best therapy - HAVE FUN x

Another milestone today Bob - hope your first day back at work went well!

Off to do second half of ballet run ...

Missing all the phone???? Eh???

x posts again Ellie!! Beautiful summary there and lovely image of your dh wearing an apron and a tutu! I miss your round-ups!! Must dash ...

Just dashing in and out

Today (morning):
morning routine inc. s&s, dishwasher on, wm on and master swipe done
dash and stash in home office done
laundry done but more to do
put away clean washing done
paid work done thought was going to be difficult and it was easy - yipppeee!!
lunch & school/ballet run done

(afternoon)
personal grooming done
visit to stationery shop NOPE
quick supermarket shop done
make 2 important calls done
quick dust and hoover 3rd floor done
more paid work done
admin (home)half done
supper done but not tidied up

Going to parents' evening tonight so in all likelihood won't be back on here until tomorrow as aiming for early night too.

Hope you've all had a good day and see you in the morning!

Can't keep up with today's posts - it has been a busy day here. I was doing so well with Flying, but work's messing it all up, so I haven't been able to do anything in the house today. Plus I have been going to and fro from school to get DC, which really messes up the day.

Btw, my MIL has all sorts of weird ideas about health. She was appalled when I let DS1 eat tomatoes as a toddler ("Not the PIPs, surely?"). She is obsessed with airing clothes so that you don't catch cold. And she never, ever drinks orange juice without diluting it first because of 'the acid'. Oh, and she always thought DS1 had wind as a baby and that I wasn't helping him get the wind up properly . Tried to explain the difference between bottle-fed babies (DH) and breastfed babies (mine), but she didn't believe me.

Back to work. God, it's dull. Thinking of the money.....

Waves to all of you.

Linzer och Ouch Du maste ser til att du ha gjort allt omkring huset innan du ta en kop kaffe men du fa gjarna ha en bulle ocksa :o

I'm of (half) Swedish extraction myself...and their houses are always spotless it seems!

Not a lot of flying going on here and there are so many posts to read. DS1 has done his 11+ this week so tonight we are celebrating, kicking back and forgetting all about the results, so no flying here tonight but a big catch up tomorrow when I'm back from school. All the really important routines are in place though.

Waving to you all.

Well, we survived the dentist's - DH had to have a filling replaced which, being Austrian, he had done without an anaesthetic, telling me proudly he had saved us 15 euros. DD1 may need a brace and/or one of her 21 teeth taken out, so we now have to make an appointment with an orthodontist.

Pluto All the Scandinavians are coming out of the woodwork now. So I can have a cup of coffee and a bun but only once I've finished cleaning the house, or have I got the wrong end of the stick entirely?
Good luck to your DS for his results, anyway!

Toffee I am also slightly worried about work messing things up once some eventually arrives - do you have a deadline or an end in sight? (Always good to have a bottle of wine to look forward to as well as the money!)

SC Hope the parents' evening goes well. The Austrians are also very into wrapping up well, and are particularly fond of wrapping long scarves around their neck when they have a cold. You can always tell Austrians with a cold - they are the ones wearing their scarves indoors.

ellie Nooo, don't flounce - it wouldn't be the same (or half as entertaining) without you. Must learn how to say jacket potatoes and beans in Slovak, as I had terrible trouble ordering it at the M&S cafe in Bratislava last time we were there. Surely all M&S employees should be able to speak English?

Good evening :)

I did everything I had planned today and this evening dd exploded poo all over me hurray

Finally done part of dds hospice referral this evening as dp is out and I get a bit upset looking through everything :(

I can't keep up today, what with my 2 hours work and all

Hope everyone has had a nice day.

Pluto - used the google translation service to try and make sense of this. Does it mean: you can't have a cup of coffee before you clean our house, but you can have a bun?

Linzer - no deadline yet, which is terrible for me because I can only work if I have a deadline. It's the adrenalin of panic which keeps me motivated. Am hoping client will get back to me tomorrow and give me a deadline which is achievable, but not so soon that I have to do all-nighters. This will all be so much easier once DS2 is at school full time the week after next.

Still no Flying happening here. Kitchen looks awful .

Bob - who is the hospice referral for? I'm so sorry .

Evening to SC, PA, Toffee, Nick, MrsD, Ellie, Linzer, Nettie, Bob and Ouch, and anyone else I've missed. At the moment this is the only time of day I'm free to post.

Managed to clear the list I posted yesterday. And have completed evening routine.

And, unfortunately, the boss did not like the room layout I had set up for our new office. I'm still concerned that his plan will leave us without enough room to get all our kit in, but will have to wait and actually see it on friday when we make the final move. Grrr, all that effort wasted. Oh well, he did bring a box of Turkish Delight back from Cyprus (so I guess it would be Cyprus Delight instead )

Tomorrow's list:
up and shower
morning routine
shop before work
shredding and packing of office
collect dcs from school
washing
dinner for dcs (dd goes to guides so they get fed a little early as DP is working late; I like to wait for DP as no-one likes eating alone, and we get to chat)
take dd to guides and ask leader if space for dd's friend
evening routine

I'm shortly going to log out and spend some time to complete a cross stitch kit I started only 15 years ago It's a bad kit with some weird stitches, and I basically put it to one side doing other crafts instead. As it's for dad, I'll try and get it done for Xmas this year. At least that'll be one present sorted.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting here with a nice glass of cider can I pass you any?

It's for dd Toffee it's ok it will be good, they have support workers for ds and wonderful resources for dd, it will be positive for all of us, it's just a bit shit.

mmmmmm cider, thanks darts much appreciated. .

Have been quite good this evening. I have:-

ds swimming
clothes out
s/s bathroom
washing off line and put away
wm on
dinner cooked
washing up done
sit down and partake of some of darts cider

I have decided not to flounce . Who else can amuse me if i leave you lovely ladies...I might even have to talk to DH and that is a though not worth having .

I tried to catch up with thread again and this time managed to glean that darts is crossing stitches, toffeefudge actually wants a deadline...wierdo , boblob had a sad day , linzer is actually married to superman, a thrifty superman at that (does that mean he doesn't wear a cape...because that's a lot of material ), pluto posted but i couldn't understand half of it, and half of the thread was given over to revelations about nationality. I shall add to it...I am 100% English. How very dull .

Special mention to pa, hope the shopping was therapeutic. I love it. DH just asked me what I wanted for xmas and I said instead of buying me something which I won't like or won't use (he is the world's worst presnet buyer), he should give me the money instead (mercenary I know), have the DC's for the day and I will go to Meadowhall or Leeds on the train for tthe day, BY MYSELF, shop, drink coffee, shop, lunch in a bistro with wine, wander aimlessly, people watch in a cafe with a book and then come home. Much better than make-up that a 14 yr old would wear which is what I got last year (bless him, thought was nice, but it was really hideous )

ANyway, am going now to have a bath. Have morning off work tomorrow which in theory sounds nice but it is for a trip to the dentist for several fillings.

Waves to all I haven't mentioned. As I said earlier I am a rabbit. Will become non-rabbit like soon!

I missed that bob has had a sad day regarding her dd, hope things are better for you soon.

I have just found some old 80's stuff on youtube, so got caught up in reminiscing Spandau Ballet, anyone?

Have just remembered I need to prompt dd (again) to speak to DP about my birthday. She keeps telling ME she knows what she wants to get for next month, and I keep telling her it's not ME she needs to speak to (I'd like a surprise for once, a good one, obviously).

that cider is going down very nicely so don't mind if i do darts...not too keen on SPandau Ballet...now if we were talking Bros.....

More than a bit shit, Bob, but I'm glad that it will provide support for all of you. Makes housework seem very trivial all of a sudden.

Joins Ellie in rabbitland better than bananaland (best not to ask)!

Me myself 100%Scottish sitting in Essex pretending but failing miserably to be an Essex girl!

Today on the flying stakes I have made my bed (round of applause please)

Been at work all day followed by impromptu dinner with old friend and dcs (barely managed to finish one sentence/thought) think I might be banned from that one after my ds and her dd screaming at each other and my dd handprints (spagetti covered) all over magnolia Walls, chairs, mirrors

Plan was to come home dash round tidying cleaning. Don painting clothes and start painting our new bedroom. In reality returned at 8.30 was 9 before dc in bed.

Tomorrow I fear not much better. A list I have, try I will

Get dc up
Ds 4th birthday present giving
Drop off at nursery
Work do all work didn't manage today and tomorrow and trip to cash and carry for next weeks party food.
Pick up dc bath and bed
Gym for pt session first in 2 weeks
Home to tidy and clean friends over straight after work Friday pm ( why oh why when my house is up in arms about having so much done with unexpected piles of stuff and furniture everywhere have I agreed to have visitors!????!!??)

Dh says im mad but who listens to him!

Somsorry at laconic personables messages but but well just but. You are all fab! Hubert wave to all and hi to \kit!

Evening, or should that be morning. I should have known the flight would be late in, it was an easy jet one :/ am jst going to dump stuff off bed and crawl into it.

Tomorrow's flying list
Morning routine and school run
Coffee with friend dayout
tea and homework
school night routine.
Bed.

Sleep well.
Bob sorry to hear about dd.

Good morning Fledglings one and all

You have a free pass when it comes to today's baby-step, no.16, as it is pure indoctrination as opposed to action.

Yes, you have guessed it, we are still in [[
www.flylady.net/pages/FlightPlan.asp Zone 3]] today! (See note about shower curtain at top of page.)

Today's mission is here cleaning the bathroom sink and doing a fling-boogie sort of dash and stash thingy

Thursday is errand day and here are some reminders.

Back later to catch up with what I missed last night.

Have a productive day everyone!

OOps!

Correction: note about shower curtain is at top of mission page under 'Fly Spot Alert For Week'

Should drink coffee before posting ...

Quick post and run (I will catch up and write personal messages one day, I will, I will)

DS's first day having lunch at big school - with his shiny new RED lunchbox of which he is very proud - so I am 'free' until 1.30pm

List includes:

• All up and out without shouting - not been bad so far this term
• Morning routine
• Newsletter, poster etc to school office (its Autumn Fayre time again and I'm chair - eek!)
• Coffee and cake with friend to catch up after w/e when she (and her 3 DC) were here due to yucky domestic situation
• Rest of Morning routine
• Some hoovering
• Complicated email to Committee about Autumn Fayre
• Work - invoicing
• Lunch without the boy :(
• Pick up boy :)
• Let boy do rest of hoovering - he insisted I left it for him and he's good
• Pick up DD
• DS's swimming lesson
• DC dinner, bath and bed
• Feed DH and I
• Evening routine
• Early night

Lets see how I get on.
Hope everyone has a good day, especially you PA