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!

Fridays Links

Babystep Control Journals again

Mission. Remake your bed. Well, I get ahead for once, need to go and do that now. Not covering it in Febreze though, perish the thought.

Reminders for Friday.

Thanks MrsDinky
My mum raves about flylady, she gave me a bunch of stickers once, but I found the website too much. At the time I had a 2 under 2, so I had my own routine that worked for me anyway.

So I can find the babysteps on here too? Will have a look through now. Thanks for your post. Have been decluttering this week and enjoying being ruthless

bob I'm so sorry that must be so difficult for everyone especially when he is so far away. Re sage I've never had any training just dmil showing me how and I feel that my knowledge is lacking. That and finding out the sage and windows 7 isn't [hangry]
bat well done at paediatric app I hope it moves things on for you. Good luck glossing
mrsd I think i should be mrschristmas I love it! soon as satsumas are out I know Christmas is on it's way. Always used to get an apple and a satsuma in our Christmas sock from Santa. [hgrin]

Friends been
Gym done
House cleaned (not in this order)
Computer issues moved on but not solved

I forgot that dc were having there photos taken today and sent them in the scummiest clothes imaginable!! Can't wait to get those back!!! [hangry] (at me)

Off to watch apprentise before bed.

Oops sage isn't compatable with windows 7. Bit frustrating.

Oh no Boblaw, that's terrible. So sorry. We're having a bit of an eventful time of it on this thread at the moment.

Welcome redhappy, there's nothing like a good bit of decluttering to make you feel productive .

ellie hope you've survived the Ofsted stress and are relaxing with a bottle of wine

batbrains, that's quite a list - particularly impressed by the glossing!

MiniM, finished your Christmas shopping? [hshock]. Gosh that's impressive, I haven't even thought about mine yet!

Big wave to everyone else, but as tends to be the case at the moment I really need to go to bed!

Talking of Christmas, DS said he wants a Nintendo DS for Christmas. Fair enough, he may well not get one though. On the other hand, all DD wants is a chcolate coin, awwww.

Can you tell I'm procrastinating here?

Bob very sorry to hear about your dp's friend, was he on holiday or working out there? Horrible to be so far away for everyone concerned.

did lots of cooking today, to increase washing up mountain, but at least something to show for the mess

can't even face sink (washing up done at least but otherwise v. grimey) - think just need a good night's sleep and get twins off to their Gaelic football match tomorrow without floundering.
done
food in fridge
dw unpacked and on again

Thanks for all the thoughts, things had been looking better but we got the bad news today. He was working swan but two days from coming home :(

Must do before I go to bed:
Sort craft for toddler group tomorrow done - will be gluing gilter veins on leaves
Sort food for toddler group tomorrow done as much as possible - fruit ready, will do popcorn in morning
Look up some legal property stuff, so I can email solicitor tomorrow done, but still don't know exactly how to phrase query to solicitor, what is the definition of keeping a house "in good repair"?
Shine sink done
Clean Aga done
Decide whether I can be bothered to get something to eat done - toast and yoghurt

And so to bed .... (and all the catching up needed tomorrow [hsad]

BTW - have had idea for Christmas presents, which can involve DC, and be reasonably priced, will post tomorrow when I am more awake.

SOz forgot to say hello to redhappy welcome

Morning all,

Not sure how far I'll get with my list today with the DC and DH at home - I usually only just about manage my morning routine, mission and decluttering when I'm on my own at home all morning, and I'll be out for a good part of this morning too. DH has just gone to the hairdresser's and I'm now MNing tidying up while the DC are being kept occupied by the CBeebies DVD that arrived yesterday.

Will post my list and hope for the best, anyway:

Morning routine
15 min decluttering in master bedroom done yesterday
Mission
DD1 to dyslexia lesson
DS to speech therapist's
Get DH to go through (ideally get rid of) second pile of clothes horrors
Afternoon routine
Learning centre for results of DD1's assessment
DS to gym club
Sort out travel insurance
Pack for weekend away
Evening routine

Welcome redhappy - decluttering is great fun, isn't it? [hgrin] I think everyone's struggling to keep up with all the chat at the moment tbh, but having the OP's - MrsD's this month - posts highlighted definitely does help (thanks for the tip earlier this month, MrsD!).

twins off to play in Gaelic football match (two packed lunches, gloves, hats, boots, kit) and we've been up since 7am - its been like Christmas morning

it's freezing
and now I really have to tidy this hellishdump lovely family home

ds has peed all over the floor next to the loo again [tmi] Deep breath.

todo

clear breakfast
unload dw
change beds
put away laundry/new clothes
s & s bathrooms
sort out dd's room again (it's appalling)
books in ds1's room sort again
fold clothes in dcs' drawers and put in right drawers
rationalize uniforms and put away summer uniform

and work downwards, music, coffee, lemsip, read my book at 11am as reward for 30 mins

Lord I havent even looked closely in the bathroom yet swan am hoping as i have bedding to wash again today that i will be spared the loo floor.

Ds got up at 4am this morning! [hshock] Thankfully he was good and i got to go back to sleep. He was also good at getting ready for school. Only his mouth let him down. [hhmm]

List today:
Bank
school tour
pick up blades and drop off music.
Txt coach
2 important phonecalls
Important paperwork
Heat packs to sort muscles.
Ds' bedding

but that is all i can think of today. Am tired and am having tonight off training. Early night with chocolate and hotwater bottle and the Harry potter film I have yet to watch on dvd.

Linzer - can you not bride get children to help?

Swan - freezing here too. especially with the windows open to air out some paint fumes.

Morning all.

Sorry to hear the sad news Bob

Welcome redhappy you sound like you could be me! My DD stated at Pre-school 9-12, M-F from mid September. So I am actually, for the first time EVER, really trying to get a grip on running the household. Those few hours to myself every day have made the world of difference.
I joined this thread only a week or so ago, and am addicted! And dont worry, I have also struggled to keep up with the chat, but just sit down with my cup of tea once or twice a day and skim through to get the gist.

Today so far I have only managed to load DW and get it going, but its a start!
Am going to go and do my baby steps now, and see if that will motivate me to do Wednesday and Thursdays missions that i neglected [hblush]

Busy afternoon as got 20 week scan today. Woohoo excited!! [hgrin]
Will let you all know how I get on. Going to meet DH from work, go for a pub lunch and then off to scan.

Welcome to Redhappy. You'll get lots of tips and support here.

Bob - I'm so, so sorry about your DH's friend. That is awful.

Yesterday was a bit of a write-off, thanks to the presence of DC (who seemed VERY well after their initial moans and groans, I must say! ). Eventually, had the brilliant idea of dragging the Halloween box out of the cupboard upstairs, which kept them busy and happy for ages. [hsmile]

Both children at school today, so I can catch up on chores. My list looks horribly similar to yesterday's, but with extras thrown in.

Get kids to school done
Hand out party invites for DS2's 5th BD done
Answer emails and check MN done
Put recycling bins out
Errands - too many to list
Menu planning doneyesterday
Online food shopping doneyesterday
Morning routine
Swish and swipe
Hoover
Declutter in bedroom doneyesterday
Crisis clean (in preparation for MIL's visit on Saturday)
Tackle hotspots
Defrost homemade hidden veg pasta sauce doingnow
Online application for DS1's school
Afternoon and evening routines
Bed at decent hour

Right, time to wrap up warm (it's freezing here too) and get started on the errands, which involve, amongst many other things, buying Christmas cards and wrapping paper (sorry to those who weep at the mention of this, but I am trying to be more organised this year).

and breathe.........

It is safe to say that that was the most torturous experience of my life and I include childbirth x 2 in that. We had the most picky inspection team who were really really tough. I was observed on the first morning by the lead inspector and she made me feel like a little NQT and gave me a satisfactory which I know is ok but I every observation I have had since joinging this school 6 years ago has been good or outstanding so I was gutted and cried quite a lot. Went home Wed night, worked from half 5 till ten,computer crashed at 10 and lost 3/4 of the work I had done, making me cry again. Had to go to my sister's and re-do everything and eventually got in at 2.30am and was up again at 6.

The feeling around school was awful. Despite massive improvements in exam results which put us in the top 25% of similar school nationally for the last 3 years the inspectors seemed determined to find fault. We were satisfactoy last time and anything less than good would have completely devalued everything that we have done over the last few years and made a mockery of the whole process. We have a staff meeting after school where we will find out.

Will attempt to catch up later.

xx

That sounds so, so hard, Ellie. I'm so sorry that all your hard work did not seem to be valued. You sound like such a fabulous, caring teacher - I'm sure the children and their parents value you, even if that picky inspector didn't.

In fact, the only nursery school round here to get an 'outstanding' at the Ofsted inspection is the very one I would never, ever send my children to. It ticks all the boxes, but there is no love and affection for the children there. I chose a 'good' nursery, where the nursery teachers had genuine affection for the children and cuddled them when they were hurt or sad. My son loved it there.

Good luck at the staff meeting after school - I really hope it is good news. It sounds as if the school deserve it.

Having pored over Ofsted inspections for my own DC's schools, your description really makes me see a different perspective. It must be incredibly stressful to have your work scrutinised in such a way.

Three hours' sleep! [hshock]

x fingers for you Ellie, it sounds a brilliant school and whatever the report says you know you are doing your best for kids, and they and the parents will know it. It must be like someone coming into your house running their fingers along the skirting boards for dust when you have cooked a fantastic meal for them and lit a fire.
Our p school got a Satisfactory a while ago, it went up to Good. In the end the school was no different (a lovely local school with caring teachers) when it was Satisfactory and when it was Good, same teachers, different spin, possibly different monitoring systems. It seems to be all in the details. I don't think results changed either Anyway, all anecdotal.

Yes, Toffee, I've been poring over ofsted inspections too for secondary schools. I noticed the inspectors' obsessional emphasis on monitoring and tracking, and I noticed the concern for pastoral systems (more interesting). I always noticed when they said school had a delightful atmosphere or that the children were courteous or friendly. I always wished the reports would tell you more about the actual lessons and how the kids engaged in them, or did not engage, and styles of teaching etc. And whether the kids learnt anything

One school I went to, Headmaster said, we have a Outstanding Ofsted, and that's because we on the Management Team are all ofsted inspectors and know what they are looking for! What an odd thing to say

Oh Ellie, it sounds like an awful three days. Well done for getting though it xxx

I don't know where I got three days from by the way - however many days it was! x

Ok, ok, please stop being impressed about the Christmas shopping! Don't forget I won't be leaving the house for a while in a few weeks time! Oh, and I remembered there is DH's family to buy for too (although he is usually pretty good and does that himself)...and then I remembered I have to buy presents for the new baby which feels a bit odd since I don't know who he is yet IYSWIM!

Oh that is weird Minim as mine were Jan and Feb born that has never occurred to me. Hated Xmas shopping with large bump in Dec though .