October is here, leaves are swirly, Fly with the Fledglings if your sink is surly

[MrsDinky]

Welcome to the October 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 September thread leader StillCounting for guiding us through the traumatic back to work and school period with lots of support and guidance!

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!

Friday 1st October.

Babystep No 1 - Shine Your Sink. Now this one I really do think is worthwhile (more than can be said for some of them!)

Todays Mission is in Zone 1 (for one day only) - 5 minutes in each of porch, hall and dining room Mission

Fridays Reminder Loving Movement!

Have a good day everyone.

Evening All

Welcome back PMPY, lovely to see you and lovely to meet our newcomers too.

I have two sets of guests coming tomorrow (at different times) and toddler outings all morning so I'm trying to keep everything under control. Flapjacks in the oven...just have to stop DH eating them before morning!

Ouch / SC - it could be all downhill from here......

marking. my. place.

i am here, honest. september was just utter chaos and my flying suffered horribly. Must Do Better (no gold star)

i have less than a month before half of my junk gets shipped to the other house though, so there might be room to swing a cat in here soon. (never did understand that saying...)

oh, oh (a short interlude for those who enjoy my Wild Animal moments), last weekend i took the kids for a walk to recce the impending cub camp hike - dd2 was whinging so i was trying to keep her busy 'look, dd2, what animal do you think has been here?' pointing at (horse) hoof prints in the mud. dd1, at the exact same time i clock them, says 'oh, mummy, those ones (gesticulating to edge of track) look like really big cat prints!

cougar.

omfg.

anyway, i'm wondering how many of the cubs and beavers i can get eaten this weekend... (ulp)

sometimes i really wish i lived where you do, it sounds amazing. other times i just know that i would end up with ds being eaten as he tried to huge the giant kitty cat. the neighbourhood cats flee in terror from him. doesnt stop him though.

Cougars in the FOG, now it is getting exciting!

I have no plans this month. I think I will just stay out of the house as much as possible.

But I've realised that SC has such a good memory that I have only to mention some task once and she will bring it up later in the month.

So this month the lucky winner of the task that has been put off for several years bedroom curtains
starting on the 3rd Oct....[allow 2 days for me to find the rufflette]

Good start - only 6am on 1st Oct and already we have filled 2 pages

Welcome to Sahara and Desire and welcome back to PMPY and Nick (are you opening a book on how many Cubs get eaten? )

SR - can I join you in the 'curtains I have taken several years to sort out' camp. Really, really need to get these done this month.

This is the month My Mother Comes to Visit - I have 25 days to beat the house into shape I will need support, cake and wine. In the right place then :)

Did most of stuff on yesterday's list though blitzing living room got side-lined as I met up for coffee with a friend who then came to lunch (and left at 2.30 so nearly time for school pick-up!)

Today's list:

• More Autumn Fayre stuff
• Bath and hair-wash for me
• All up and out without trauma/shouting
• Morning routine
• WORK - DH and I have to sit down and sort through things
• Mission
• Catch up with neighbour who haven't talked to for about 2 weeks!
• More Autumn Fayre stuff!
• Make packed tea for DC
• DD to dancing - eats tea in car!
• Mega Hotspot blitz in kitchen to reclaim worktops again
• DC bathed and in bed at sensible time - both tired
• Nachos for dinner
• Afternoon/Evening routine
• Collapse and have early night

That should do.
Have a good day everyone one and a productive, decluttering October :)

Morning all,

Thanks for today's links MrsD, especially the reminder to shine our sinks - it's something I don't do often enough. Today's mission looks quite manageable (well, apart from the fact that we don't have a dining room - the dining area of the living room will have to do).

swan I am glad the Austrians don't really go in for curtains; we have blinds everywhere (which DH was responsible for putting up). They don't like carpets either, but we have gone against the grain and have carpets in 2/3 of the house.

Today's list:

Morning routine
15 min decluttering
Mission
Bank - pay 2 bills
Invoices x2
Finish letter
Make shopping list
Fill in medical history form
Pay DD2's arts and crafts contribution
Pay for DD1's school trip
Buy DD2's arts and crafts supplies for school
Phone friend re birthday party
Birthday present for DD2's friend
Prepare English lesson for next Wednesday
Afternoon and evening routines
Discuss summer plans with DH (one evening we will be awake enough to do so)

Hope everyone has a good day.

Marching in for roll call this morning!

Wow, there are loads of us, no wonder its hard to keep up with everyone's life!

Thank you SC for steering last month and good on you MrsD for taking over.

*Feetheart, I will always supply cake, so you are a third of the way to your target.

Today, first day of the month. A new start and I am determined to get back on track slightly.
S&S - done
DW - done
Sink shiny - done
Bake some small cakes for DD3 to decorate for her boyfriends family who are returning from holiday today
Get to work (hopefully on time)
A little shopping
COAT CUPBOARD!
Sort out a hotspot that is in serious danger of becoming the towering inferno.
Enjoy a quiet afternoon with DH as the weather is absolutely foul and not looking much like bike stroking weather.

Have a good day everyone.

I tell you something, I never tire of hearing of nicks with wild animals. prairie oysters for brekkie anyone?

Now, I know I say this every month but this month I really am going to do this babystep malarkey properly 13th time unlucky?

.

Oh and I will add something for sc's gargantuan memory to nag me about- paperwork.

Flipping phone. Apologies for random missing out of words . Should read nicks adventures with wild animals and educate the youth! I don't think they should let me educate the youth when i clearly cannot type coherent sentences!

Morning all,

I've got an overdue curtain task too, put new ones up in the living room about 6 months ago in a rush, hung very badly (not enough hooks so there are some vacant curtain rings) also they are very light and need weights putting in the hems, weights are in a carrier bag under the stairs.

Foul weather here too, don't think there will be any cougars lurking in the gloom though. Off to play tennis (indoors) in a minute, then need to finish labelling stuff for tomorrow's NCT sale.

See you all later.

Nothing like the mention of cougars to liven up this housekeeping malarkey! Great to have you back Nick!

Thank you for steps MrsDinky. I'm with Ellie in that I'm going to try and do all the steps properly this month and attempt some serious decluttering. You never know, I might even get around to the missions by 2012! Please kindly administer kicks up the bum!

Swan, Ellie and Feetheart [SC writes 'paperwork' and 'curtains x 2' on sheet of vellum] Would be good if I could remember my own tasks btw...so much easier when someone else is doing the work

PA I need cake NOW! [Can I nick a flap-jack please MiniM?] Day did not start well. Was rooting around in my wardrobe this morning trying to find a warmer coat and the pole gave way and took all my clothes with it ... I think this may be a sign ....

Then dd had a strop and we were late for school which I HATE ....

And I'm now in the office faced with a pile of incredibly important research documents to file or shred. God give me strength and a large dose of caffeine.

This pm inspired by Feetheart and Linzer and their gargantuan lists I must:

finish morning routine, dw, wm etc
more laundry
do supermarket shop
stationery shop
fish shop
guinea pig supplies
school run
wash all brushes and combs in dettol
generally carry a lot of things that are upstairs, downstairs, and vice versa
wash school uniform
supper (fish tonight)
DO NOT WASH TV BUT DO SOMETHING USEFUL LIKE DECLUTTERING HOME OFFICE FOR 45 MINS INSTEAD
early night

Nettie do put a cardy on dear, it is chilly today ...

Huge waves to everyone else!

[SC wields quill pen and adds 'curtains x 3' to list]

And just for info, I don't actually 'wash' the telly!!

i was going to say that i didnt think the tv would work much after you had washed it.

Ring doctors of appt today done
sleep about to
School run
Doctor's appointment
throw ds' stuff into the car
drive him to drop off point.
sleep

Morning everyone and thanks for welcome, yes elliepac I was here a few months ago and fell by the wayside.But I am in the process of picking myself up and dusting myself off and ready to fight the good fight again:)

Morning fledglings

At work now, and away tonight but managed a bit of flying before I left. Am pleased to say my sink is now gleaming . Also:

Washing on done
Dishwasher unstacked and restacked done
General tidy of living room, entrance hall and landing done

Very good to 'see' you all again! MiniM am I right in thinking you are pregnant? Congratulations if so

I too have a curtain task born of too few hooks and too many rings. I am now inspired to finally buy some over the weekend

Been a bit of an odd couple of months at the Doolittle household, with DH's brother collapsing with acute anemia and then diagnosed with 'probable' leukemia. He gets the results of his bone marrow biopsy on Monday, so I guess we will know more then

I'm with ellie and SC trying to do all the steps properly this month. Probably. Hello to linzer, MrsD, feetheart, PA, swanriver and everyone else I have missed.

Good morning and thanks for the welcome. Not quite sure how this works, but think I can manage to shine the sink today!

I have a stinky cold so not sure about any other plans!

MrsD - please can I have a day off Flying today, miss? I will do my basic routines, promise. It's just that I am ill and feeling sorry for myself and don't have the energy for flying today. Went to bed early last night and have taken a handful of Lemsip pills this morning, but am still feeling lousy. Am going to sit at my computer and lookatMN work this morning.

Welcome to all the newbies! And waves to the regulars.

I'm doing lots of boring tasksnow.. will be back when they are done...
kitchen
hall
bathroom
bedrooms I HOUR for all!

please don't talk about carrier bags full of little things that just need to be tackled under the stairs [sob] MrsD

...

its going to be one of those days :(

Ring doctors of appt today done
sleep eluded me :(
School run
Doctor's appointment
throw ds' stuff into the car just tackling
drive him to drop off point.
sleep

hope everyone is doing ok and that they are managing to keep up with the new month babystep resolutions.

Hi to SaharaS, Desiretochange and Seeker, I think one of you said you had been on here before?
Anyway, just a quick explanation:

The Flylady system has several components. Assuming you are starting as most of us did from a cluttered house with little in the way of routines for household chore, we start with Babysteps, progressing to decluttering and then daily missions.

There are 30 baby steps, one is published each day of the month, they are small steps which you are supposed to make part of your daily routine. Some are good, some are silly, you pick and choose. As you start incorporating your baby steps you move on to decluttering. Flylady divides the house into weekly zones, the idea is that each day you spend 15 mins decluttering in that weeks zone. Once you have finished decluttering you can start doing teh daily missions, which Flylady publishes. WE link to these and the baby steps every day on this thread. Most of us have a mish mash of baby steps, decluttering and the odd mission going on, we all chat a lot and encourage each other. HAve a good browse of the FLylady website to get a grasp of the definitions she uses, and don't sign up to her emails unless you want your inbox to be inundated. Feel free to ask anything you like, or chat, whatever.