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!

Swan - oops - those sentences got mixed up! 'Good luck with school quest' should have appeared at end of para.

x posts Toffee - glad your ds2 appears to be on the mend!

G'night all

Wine on me tonight everyone!! Plus chocolate cake, cookies, doritos, dip and anything else you fancy.

Oi SC - click on your envelope next to "login" at the top of your page!!! Its fun, But a huge draw to waste even more time!!
Goodbye FB!!!

thanks PA!

Just wondering, could the music buffs have a think for me. i need some music for a routine 1 1/2mins final (can be edited) that is non vocal and has a change of pace. But is grown up too. ANy ideas cos i am stumped

Well, I'll raise a mug of Lemsip to PA.

Gradually feeling worse and worse, but have managed tp survive the day and get a reasonable amount done. Just need to make my Ocado order, watch the end of the Great British Bake Off.

Hopefully. see you all tomorrow.

Good morning lovely Fledglings one and all ...

Today's baby-step, no. 22, is here. If you haven't started a control journal, now is the time.

We are still in zone 4, the master bedroom ^this week

And today's mission here involves a mad dash removal of anything in your bedroom that doesn't belong there (a stuffed ferret, a crate of vodka, unicycle ... that sort of thing) + 5 mins more!

And yes, as you probably know by now, today is Wednesday so it's anti-procrastination day + we should remember to do a 5 min room rescue apparently

And here are the reminders again

Hope everyone is feeling OK with steps and routines etc.

Have a productive day! Back in a mo!

PA? Trying to lead me astray eh? Will be back to investigate ...

MrsDinky [passes over steaming cup of lemon and honey] hope you start to feel better soon - take it steady

Ouch how is your bedroom going? Now I am better, I am starting to nag motivate you again ...is the music needed for an exercise routine btw?

I've got so much housework and 'work' work to catch up on I don't really know where to start ... managed to keep ground floor vaguely respectable but 1st floor and laundry are out of control.

Today:
dd off to school with packed lunch
morning routine + s&s (needs a bit more than a s&s actually) dw on, mw on
more laundry
office

Lunch-time:
school run
lunch
ballet run/swap with baby-sitter and back to work

After work:
supermarket shop
Laundry
Catch up with missions in master bedroom
More laundry
Pack up parcel
Important e-mail
15 mins tidying up home office
More laundry
Supper
Afternoon/evening routines

All very boring but necessary ...

That was a mammoth round-up last night, SC - thanks for all the reminders and links today too.

PA Great to hear your news; it must be a huge weight off your shoulders. I hope the infection clears up soon so that you can get back to normal asap.

MrsD Hope you're able to take it easy today and are feeling better soon.

Another busy day here today:

Morning routine
Mission
15 min decluttering
Last-minute preparations for English lesson
Send birthday card
English lesson
Afternoon routine
Dance class (trying out a new course today because DD2's friend wants to be able to do the splits, but the name - Kiddy Jazz - is enough to put me off)
Invoices x2
Pay deposit for holiday in October
Fill in bank form
Discuss summer plans with DH
Evening routine

I think it was you who asked about the English lesson, SC - I help out with DD1's English class at school once a week. She has a new teacher this year who seems to want me to take over the teaching entirely, which I am really not too keen on doing. I told her last week that I only ever used to teach alongside DD1's old teacher and had nothing prepared, but still found myself having to teach the children on my own with no help and very little intervention from her, even when they were being quite noisy (something that DD1's old teacher would never have allowed). Apart from the fact that I don't think I'm a natural born teacher, it also means a lot more preparation. This is partly my own fault because I'm too much of a perfectionist; if I could teach in English it would be a different matter, but I'm not as confident in German so need to be well prepared. I'm starting to wish I'd never volunteered this year, but am hoping things will get better and the teacher gets a bit more involved in the lessons.

Right, rant over (sorry!), on with my list...

Morning all,

Feelin worse if anything today, two nights of very little sleep due to pounding sinuses not good.

So, very little Flying planned, got a couple of lots of washing to do as DD wet the bed, also need to tidy up a bit.

Catch up later.

mrsd sinus trouble is miserable
sc loving the stuffed ferret!
linzer could you try singing some English songs like London Bridge, which presumably has lots of good nouns and verbs and they could all do pictures of it [frustrated teaching emoticon]

So...teachers/parents of teens among you, tell me honestly...do boys and girls perform/learn better in mixed sex education (which is what the raw GSCE results seem to show), or do the girls become "observers" and the boys become the "doers"? Please Ellie", PA, MssB* any opinions?

Anti-procrastination day here, so going to todo
pick up drycleaning/duvet,
send off paperwork
ring piano teacher to cancel due to open day changeover

havealready
hung out laundry
unloaded and reloaded dw
bought cereal
done ds2's homework
taken five dcs to school
taken out rubbish
put out kerbside recycling x 5 [holds nose]
s & s 2 loos

Hi all, Just a quick catch up, as I've sneaked on at work.

PA good to read your news.

MrsD, hope you feel better soon, and SC nice to hear you're feeling better.

And hello, to Toffee, bob, ouch, tigger, linzer, nettie and anyone else I've missed.

Garage decluttering is slowly moving on. DP is now getting involved, which probably increases the time we'll need to complete it . One problem I do have is a large box of original Sindy furniture, most still in original boxes. I reckon it'll be worth something to collectors, so am looking at ebay to sell. However, I've never used ebay before, not even to buy, so an idiots guide would be very gratefully received. (I've looked on the web in general for this and believe I could get £300-£400 for the stuff I've got, all going in to our holiday fund.)

Anyway, back to today

Toy box done
morning routine done

work:
office move done (and in a cramped corner )

Home again:
read with dd
put washing out
prep dinner
ds swimming lesson
tidy bedroom!
DARTS - first match of the season tonight!!! (and collect Mum, she plays too!)

Sinus issues are dreadfull! MrsD take it easy hope they clear soon.

linzer that sounds tough. Do you do the mystery bag game? I saw a teacher do this at ds' school. she had pictures on cards of the words that they had learnt in a bag. Each student had to take a picture out and say the word on it, cards went back in the bag. If student picking then class could help. Second time the bag went round the had to put the item into a basic sentance. eg picture of a banana. A banana identified, then I ate a banana. etc. Kids loved it.

SC the music is need for a test routine for skating. like the programs that they do for the olympics but shorter and easier elements (sutff) in it.

Right so far on antiprocrastination day i have procrastinated.
Still the list today is:
Morning routine done
WM 1st load on
DW running
Today's mission
yesterday's mission
room rescue lounge
Put clothes away
Nap
RSVP party invite done
return shirts
make ds' bed
school night routine
Ds' reading

Half a ton of other stuff but still fuzzy brained. need to finish my coffee and maybe have another.

ooooo just discovered that my procrastination this morning counts as loving movement thing. I was walking whilst i was procrastinating :) bonus.

Darts I was reading a Barbie collectors' guide from the Oxfam shop the other day - sooo compulsive. However dd is not a doll girl. good luck with E-Bay, for that much money, and the quality of your so-called clutter it must be worth it to spend a bit of time sorting out the technics of it all, although I know Flylady doesn't approve of delaying the decluttering.

done
all recycling, kitchen clearing
cheese scones
further ss research
sink is full of soapy water
cancelled piano and rearranged ds2's lesson to 6pm just before Beavers

ouch stop prcrst, now, and I will too!

MrsD - so sorry you are feeling poorly. Hope you get better soon.

Have spent the morning with a friend, so haven't done any work yet and am just about to start. Flying is bottom of my list at the moment, I'm afraid. Managed to throw dirty dishes into the d/w this morning and wipe a few surfaces, plus do a quick s/s in the bathroom, but that's about it.

DS2 stayed for lunch at school for the first time today. Hope he was OK. It was roast chicken and gravy, which he loves. He is with his lovely childminder now, so I can get on with MN work.

SC - do you know if I can look at this week's list of missions again next week? I really need to tackle our bedroom and would like to save the missions up for when I do have time.

Back to work now!

Once again, flying had to be abandoned mid-morning thanks to the arrival of some urgent work (due midday tomorrow). At least I managed to get the mission and most of my morning routine done, but I still need to hang up the washing that's been in the machine since early this morning.

Ouch and swan Thanks for the useful suggestions re the English lesson. I'm feeling a lot more positive about it now - despite the fact that the teacher sat at the back of the class marking exercise books this morning, so was even less involved in the lesson than last week - as I only managed to get through about 1/6 of what I'd prepared, so have realised that lesson planning won't take as long as I thought.

Toffee I've never been able to find missions other than those for the current week on the Flylady website, but I saved each week's missions when I was making up my control journal and have a Word document for each zone on my computer. You could always save the sneak peek for this week to return to next week (I'd be happy to send you the file I saved, but the missions vary from month to month so probably wouldn't be exactly the same as the ones we're doing this week).

Darts I've given up selling things on eBay as I never used to make more than a couple of euros, so it was hardly worth all the time and effort. It's definitely worth doing if you've got a few hundred pounds' worth of things, though - you can find lots of guides to selling on eBay on the Internet. I'm no expert by any means, but timing your auction to end when a lot of people are likely to be online (evenings or at the weekend, especially Sunday afternoons) can help a lot.

Right i think i have completely abandoned the list
Morning routine done
WM 2nd load on
DW run
Today's mission done
yesterday's mission done
room rescue lounge
Put clothes away mine done
Nap
RSVP party invite done
return shirts
make ds' bed
school night routine
Ds' reading

But I have declutter 2 shelves worth of books. 1 shelf to go, one in pile to read through then go. 3 shelves have been cleaned.
I have pull out chest of drawers and rescued stuff fallen behind plus cleaned behind. Declutter top of chest of drawers. And even discovered a bit more floor. Plus have watched dinci code so can return the loaned dvd. Started 2nd dvd on loan. emptied a box out the bath (just transfer into an emptied drawer which is now accessible)

So have had a really productive day despite the slow start. Will have to shoot off for school run when everything will slow down a bit.

Blimey girls, ive only been awol a day and you have gone to infinity and beyond!!

pa so glad you have an anser and hope consultant is positive about it today too.
sickies hope you feel better soon

manic jumping up and down waving to everyone else. (please forgive me emotion)

Today so far

morning routine but forgot s/s
dc nurseried
me work
trip to cash and carry for the party food
more work
trying to convince DH to go crabbing even though its low tide as its a lovely sunny evening and we wont have many more chances.

Still to
put away ironing
tidy house
bedroom mission i must do this as we will be moving and i need to get rid of as much as possible.
sort out how many children confirmed for party and start preparing party bags.
Paint room but in reality probably going to chill out as im shattered.

ouch how about an Enya song off her Only Time Collection. I used a lovely one for my walking down the ailse song starts slow but speeds up and then there is bagpipes . i can just see you floating across the ice to this. Unfortunately i cant remember the name of it

Hi, I'm not sure I'll be able to catch up dd has been ill and we've been in hospital, she's okish now but the house is a tip so the next few days will be trying to get back on an even keel. Hope everyone is ok :)

bob glad dd is ok. don't worry about catching up start from where are. Flying is not a main concern. ill children are.

Wise words there from ouch. a little snowed under here with work and life and flying has fallen by the wayside. Have come home relatively early for the first time in a while and managed a house rescue of all rooms bar dc's bedrooms, slung some washing on and am about to take ds swimming only dh has come in from work fallen asleep so am going to have to take dd with me. Back later hopefully.

Evening all,

Still feeling pretty rough, but have had a nice day on the whole, went to a friend's house for coffee and cakes this morning which was nice, then picked up DD after lunch went to a park we don't go to very often and had a nice mooch round town together before getting DS from school. Not Flying to speak of, upstairs looks awful, hoping to press on with the decluttering tomorrow am.

Bob couldn't have put it any better than Ouch, hope DD is improving.

Ellie - well done with the house rescue

Linzer _ your control journal sounds good. I have STILL never got mine going [defeatist emoticon].

Toffee - hope DS enjoyed his lunch, my DD has been staying for hers this week, she goes full time next week.

Nettie - crabbing sounds lovely, hope you presuaded DH.

PA - been meaning to ask you, have you tried any of the Ben and Jerry recipes yet?

Ouch - music not my strong point, sorry.

Darts - I think there is an Ebay section on MN? Enjoy the darts tonight.

Swan - 5 separate lots of kerbside recycling? We have three, garden waste (you have to pay extra £25 a year for so we don't do it, luckily live near the tip), glass, and everything else, that's bad enough.

SC - sounds like you had a lot on today, hope you manage a bit of a relax this evening.

Waves at everyone else.

Good evening everyone. Hope you have had a good day.

MrsDinky I really sympathise - sinus pain is utterly horrid. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Ellie respect for taking dc swimming after a full day's work.

Bob ditto what Ouch says. No need to catch up - just jump in where we are at when you can. You are doing brilliantly. Hope your dd is feeling a bit better now. Take it slow - being in hospital whether as patient or carer is stressful.

ooohhh Nettie crabbing as the sun sets sounds so lovely Didn't realise that you live so close to the shore. Hope you make it! Glorious September day here too - 25°c!

Ouch top marks!! Well done! You've done loads on your list and made huge inroads in to your bedroom. That's brilliant going! Trying to think of suitable skating music with plenty of speed variation - a bit brain dead tonight so can only think of a Vivaldi quartet "Winter" or something from Peer Gynt "Morning"??? or a bit from "Hall of the Mountain King"??? or that Karl Orff choral bit that's all wintery with the bells from Carmina Burana ... but they are all horribly ubiquitous I'm afraid.

Linzer gosh I would feel a bit put upon if I was only there to help out on voluntary basis - think you are being incredibly nice about it! "Chapeau" to you! Glad it is going a bit more smoothly though and some more ideas here dunno if any good?

Thanks for ebay info btw. You have just saved me huge amounts of effort!

Well done on getting your routines + mission + paid work done!

Toffee sorry to take so long in getting back to you. As Linzer says, no I don't think it is possible to go backwards on the Flylady site and the missions are a bit different each time. So your best strategy would be to wait until Friday when all of this week's missions will be posted up on the site (in Flightplan section) and copy it in to a word doc. Hope balancing work/childcare is going OK for you - sounds as if you are doing really well - not easy I know.

Swan fwiw (am no expert) the boys and girls split at dd's school next year (ie when dc are 8 yrs old) so interesting to know what the teachers here will say. They are taught in different building/same curric taught in different way/male teachers etc + loads of competitive sport. I attended a 2-hr lecture explaining all of the pedagogical reasons as to why this is benefical to both genders. Can remember very little of it tbh but I know I went in feeling deeply sceptical and opposed to the idea (they seem so young to separate) but came out feeling totally convinced it's a good thing - but only if you have a ds who is "boy-ish" ifyswim - not sure how a gentle, shy, artistic sort of boy would thrive in that environment. Um, with regard to secondary ed, I think the scientific research concluded that it all comes out the same in the wash but that girls do better in maths and sciences when boys not present. Not sure if that is any help at all frankly!!!

Well done for finishing the toy box Dart Hope you win tonight! Up the ocki and all that!

I had quite a productive day today:
Today:
dd off to school with packed lunch done
morning routine + s&s (needs a bit more than a s&s actually) dw on, mw on
more laundry done
office done but loads more to do

Lunch-time:
school run done
lunch done
ballet run/swap with baby-sitter and back to work done

After work:
supermarket shop NOPE
Laundry done but loads more to do
Catch up with missions in master bedroom nearly
More laundry
Pack up parcel done
Important e-mail done
15 mins tidying up home office done
More laundry
Supper - quite good improvisation - bacon/veggie/potato cakes with green beans from garden
Afternoon/evening routines done half need to iron some school shirts for tomorrow
Early night

Be proud fledglings! You have all done really really brilliantly today! See you in the morning.

Took so long to write that I've x-posted with you MrsDinky
So glad you you managed to have a nice day despite feeling rough. Take it steady.

[SC leaves out large glasses of red wine and hot toddies for everyone to share ....]

G'night all