Remember Remember, Fledglings Fly through November

[DidEinsteinsMum]

Welcome to the November Fledgling Flying thread.

From the 1st of the month we shall be decluttering and taming the chaos using baby steps, missions and zones. A great big thank you to MrsDinky who looked after us last month.

We are not strict followers of the fat fairy and take some of the babysteps wearing shoes indoors with a pinch of salt. Also advise against signing up for the fairy's emails.

All are welcome, jump on board for one of our three methods of chaos attack:

1. Baby steps
2. Baby steps and 15mins decluttering in current zone
3. Re-inforce the baby steps and daily mission

This month the fat fairy is gearing up for the feastive period. So I shall also post the christmas mission for those who wish are brave enough to look.

In here the motto is:

*"No perfection! Do what you can, but be realistic about what you can do."

Happy flying.

Ouch Bob bet you swore! Glad you've had a better day today.

Have a lovely trip Nettie

Thanks for the reminder to plant the bulbs swan I've got a bagful I need to stop cluttering up the windowsill.

Dem wow what a list of 'done's!

Happy to report my ironing basket is EMPTY, that's surely a first in this household.
Have kept on top of Flying this week, and took DD and DH to Harvester for slap-up dinner. (means my freshly shined sink has remained intact!)

Welcome to Loosinas I expect by now you have a fabulous shiny sink too?! Dont worry about the finer details, as long as you come out better than you went in you're on the right track.

I have a question of my own for the more experienced Flyers: WRT the zones, when they come back round again, do you do the same missions over, or will they be different? ie, will you mop floors, wipe sides etc in kitchen, or will it be different details, such as cleaning inside cupboards and backs of fridges etc?

Hiya,

This going back to work lark is still wiping me out and I am just about doing the essentials in the house, but no time to sit and catch up on the gossip here. Wed eves i go out to pilates, and i love the lying down exercises because i am lying down and not on my feet

I am off to bed now - i have madly agreed to take DD1 aged 7 down to London tomorrow for the Discover Dogs show and we have an 8.30 train to catch - station is a good half an hour away etc etc.

Well done sittinghippo on the ironing, and well done to loosinas on your sink. Mine is only vaguely tidy this eve, i need to prioritise some sleep!

Sunday:
loads of washing/drying/ironing
tidy the kitchen/dining room and lounge - particular attention to thr hotspots of kitchen table and book shelves.

Oh, and does anyone know a good method of getting red wine out of carpet? Bloody cat....

Have a lovely day in London purple.
What on earth is your cat doing drinking red wine??!

Have you tried white wine, purple? I seem to remember it working quite well when I spilt a glass of red wine on my parents' carpet once. I also seem to remember reading that sprinkling salt on the stain will help to get rid of it, but haven't tried that one.

sitting The missions tend to vary slightly each time the zone comes around, although you do see the same missions coming up time and again; I think there are only a limited number. I tried to be clever and print out the missions for my control journal when I first started flying, only to find that they were slightly different the following month.

Bloody cat was pestering DH (he was after some of the ice cream DH was eating in the lounge) so the cat got shoved out of the way (he had his nose in the bowl!!) but there was a glass of wine on the floor. It was my glass. And I really could have done with drinking it!

Evening all

So far today
Finish morning routine done
Get DS to finish his breakfast done
Finish packing bags done
Load car done
DS into car done
Collect mother done
Major expedition to dentist - a long way to go! done
Dentist done and DS was awarded a sticker for his sticker book
Visit farm shop done
Coffee at friend of mum's done with no mishaps, even though she gave DS a china plate (from a set!) for his biscuit, and a real glass for his drink (she gave a choice and he chose orange juice - I was very glad when that was drunk). We sat in her exquisite sitting room with cream carpet, on her pastel sofa, and I was very glad when all food and drink had gone
Mum treating us to lunch out done
Come home, stopping at Hobbycraft on the way, to collect the "few" bits I need for Christmas done
Leave DS with mother for the weekend done
Fill car with LPG and petrol done
Any housework/jobs that need to be done for Monday doing
Pack bag for weekend - not done yet
Make tea done
Washing up done
Shine sink done
Clean aga done
Evening routine done
Laundry away done
Wet washing on airer done
Early bed (as have to be up at 4.30!!!) - looking hopeful

Toffee at 4.30 tomorrow we are off to Telford, the home of the IPMS Scale Modelworld Show (International Plastic Modellers Society). DH runs a stand (and I get dragged in to cover when he is elsewhere). This is his yearly version of us "going away for the weekend"! I have, by now, mastered a survival strategy: disappearing to a quilting shop, Aga factory shop and doing the bulk of the Christmas shopping. I do my stint on the stand, but have mastered the "please don't ask me any difficult questions" look, so mainly get left alone (and get on with my Christmas sewing).

swan I have found the Aga cake baker the answer to burnt big cakes, and just have to remember to check on all others at about half the listed cooking time to see how they are going.

DEM I think you win "list of the day"

Can't put off the packing any longer ... See you all on Monday

Ooooh fellow quilter.

ex has been a fuck wit driving to the drop has written knee and back off for the night. So i have dosed up on pain killers and used heat therrapy so very sleepy. Will post links tonight and round up tomo.

Hope you all have lovely weekends!

PA Thinking of you. Sending you positive vibes and best wishes for tomo.

reminders

babystep is to pick a mission and do it so a chance to catch up on missions you havent had time for

missions for those who wish to catch up but non new as the weekend

christmas missions for catching up perposes only

As i have to finish off what was lefgt from yesterday's to do list i suppose a sensible start to the day would be to cross off what actually got done yesterday.

Already done
pack ds' stuff for his dad's and load car done
library done
5 round trip to drop ds off. done

Morning jobs:
cobblers
charity shop
Banking.
dw
washing

Afternoon/as and when jobs:
remake ds' bed
washing up
benches and sink
Lounge floor
Hoover kitchen, lounge, hall, landing, bathroom, ds's room

Sort paperwork boxes. Into one big for burning, one for filing and one for recycling.
Burn the to be destoryed paperwork.

Evening jobs:
cut, pin and hem thermal lining
Attach lining to curtains
Rehang curtains

Tons to do especially as i have to drive to the shops and the next town to do banking so it will take most of the morning.

Hope you all have lovely days.

Another quilter here though I don't seem to have much time for it at the moment!

Made bed done
Swish and swipe done
Change teatowels and handtowels done
2 loads of washing done
Ist load dried and put away done
30 mins decluttering done
Ring fellow twin mum to try to get rid of clutter useful items done
Kitchen cleaned done
Declutter corner of bedroom for 15 mins done
Put clothes away in bedroom done
Shopping done

Had lots of fun playing tea parties with DS; I had ordered a pack of wooden biscuits for DNiece's Christmas pressie - DH was there when I opened the parcel and he was so excited that I decided to let him have them

Order new box of wooden biscuits for DNiece
Do 2 hours of work work
Look after DH who has horrid cold
Hoover lounge and stairs

Hope you all have lovely weekends. Ihatecobwebs, happy quilting!

hey all... what everyone doing for the weekend?
i havent managed much today so far.. have run the hoover over the lounge and put one load of laundry on the line... its not doing much out there though...
need to get cracking..

Hi everyone thanks toffee and linzer.

I cant even remember the jobs I did yesterday but mostly routine stuff no missions or real flying, although did shine sink!

I was working at a charity for the deaf and blind and met the most gorgeous guide dog puppy and learned loads about their training so everything else went out of my head.

Today I will do

Mission
Washing
Ironing
Drying

Relax as I have a really horrible head cold. :(

what is this mission thing guys ? xxx

Hi loosinas The mission is a task that FLYlady sets (the links that DEM posts go to the FLYlady website). Basically it seems that the house is split into what she calls 'zones'. Each week you focus on a particular zone and all the missions are in that zone. For example, this week the zone was the kitchen and she had us wiping down the fronts of the cupboards, wiping down the counters (under the toaster etc), washing the kitchen floor... the idea is that over a number of months the little jobs that never get done all get done! I'm new to FLYing (only been doing it 2 weeks) but it had improved my life in practically every way. I am happier, calmer, more comfortable, less irritable; life seems manageable again and the house is starting to feel like an ally not an enemy. My kitchen and hall and entrance porch are especially nice (the missions so far have been in those areas).

Also, the morning and evening routines are really helpful. They mean you start the day ahead instead of looking for a clean shirt/matching socks/clean bowl or plate.

Hope that helps.
Oh, and Welcome!

All Flying abandoned, DD is quite poorly she has been fitting and vomiting all morning :( DP is out all day so i've been a rubbish mum to DS, at least he's happy watching the F1 now. DD id alternately fitting and dozing on my lap, at least the whimpering has stopped briefly :(

is not id obviously

bob you poor thing and poor DD. Hope she gets better and things get calmer soon.

Welcome loosinas it really is helpful. I did this about four years ago now and then let it go and have never really got on top of things since. After being back at it for a few weeks now things are calmer, nicer, more comfortable and less depressing. :)

thanks so much guys for your encouragement... and bobloblaw i really hope your daughter is better real soon that sounds so awful for you :(
xxxx

B*ger!! Just typed out a long message, received a phone call and now I've lost it ...

Second attempt!

PA Good luck today!! Thinking of you!!

Bob Poor dd and poor you. That must be so hard to manage by yourself. Can you get any help in? Hope dd recovers soon.

A warm welcome to Loosinas

Linzer and Feetheart hope you can both take time out to recover properly (if humanly poss whilst looking after dc)

DEM/DID I receive a Christmas parcel in October every year like clock-work. It's from the uber-organised mother of some of our godchildren. She says she has such a long list of presents to give that she starts her Christmas prep. in September !

PurpleWednesday hope you and your dd have a lovely day in London (hands across mega-Mummy award)

Systems glad my reply was helpful but rest assured that I have never, ever got completely "on top" of the system! (Reassuring to know that you don't always complete your lists Ihate too - they are still v. impressive though!) You will find that the baby-steps do become second nature; you will do them automatically after a while but depending on what is happening in rl, my house is sometimes in a reasonable state and sometimes (like now!) a complete pit! Also have massive decluttering projects to finish in basement and roof. It becomes easier to tackle the bigger projects though once basic systems in house are working well. Also system does help you to tame the ground-hog day burden of housework in to short, sharp focused bursts of activity - otherwise housework has a tendency (I find anyway) to expand to fill all available time ...

Nettie I love Christmas too!! I go mad decking the halls every year (only way to cover up the holes in our house!!) Safe travelling! I used to live in Lakes and always used to forget how much further north Scotland was from there (if that doesn't sound too ridiculous!) It's a long way! Have fun!

SittingHippo yes the zones come around again and yes the missions do vary slightly. But I think I am right in saying that the same missions come around again too (eventually)!!

Linzer yes, St Nicolas used to be very traditional here with nuts and fruit and marzipan animals etc but now it's turned in to the big shebang (not sure how to spell shebang!) ... and dc tend just to get a few clothes and odds and ends for Christmas ...

I think I had better post this before I lose it again ...

Still foulest of foul weather here (very appropriate for Remembrance w/e) so decluttering still going strong ...

Waves to everyone I've missed!!

drat message vanished here too!
suffice to say, a good deal done and three visitors playing nicely
sympathy to Bob and I think siblings never get enough attention, my 3 certainly think so, please don't feel bad.

Bob - so sorry to hear your daughter is poorly. Hope she gets better soon. Make sure you have a rest if you can when your DP comes home (difficult, I know).

Am feeling stressed today. Feel as if there are too many people demanding my time. Between the children and my MIL I am feeling decidedly stretched! MIL can't be left alone in the house so DH and I have had to liaise about going out and DC have been going stircrazy. Have set my phone to bleep every time I need to give MIL her pills / meals (the two often go together), which is an added stress, even though it does at least mean I don't forget. DS2 is following me round like a shadow, so I can't even go to the loo on my own. Have now come out to the library with DS1 so that we can have some time together: we are now both happily sitting side by side on the library computers! Can feel the clock ticking though - have to be back in time to cook a meal ready for 6pm.

As for the party - that is the big stress today. Have at least done the party bags, but will have to do a crisis clean downstairs this evening. Wil be relieved when the party's over.

Not much progress with yesterday's list:

Clean dining-room chairs (children manage to drop pasta sauce etc all over the covers)
Borrow extra chairs for party
Wrap pass the parcel stuff
Party bags - fill done
Pizza recipes - staple and put into party bags done
Name chef hats and aprons
Tesco order for Sat arrived
Tidy dining room for party
Party to-do list done
Order Playmobil advent calendars (requested by both children - have you seen the price of these calendars? Having second thoughts.)
PM routine
Dinner
Eve routine
Bed at decent time

I looked at the lego calanders that ds wanted. I can believe it. ds it has to be said is not getting one this year.

bob how is your DD?

Thank you for all your good wishes, dd seems a little bit more settled now she's had her evening meds. Although she's still awake and I could really have done with a glass of wine this evening but I'm too worried about having to dash to hospital

I looked at those calenders Toffee but I've got a material calender with pockets and I've bought little chocolate sweets, football stickers/cards etc.

Sounds like a very successful day swan

Well done on your continued decluttering SC I'm finding it a little addictive.

Luckily, DS1 says he would rather have a cheap Simpson's calendar with chocolates in it as he thinks he's too old for Playmobil . Might splash out on the Playmobil one for DS2. Maybe we could reuse it every year ?

Cooked meal for MIL, casserole for us, tomato sauce for tomorrow's pizzas and made dough with the 'help' of younger son this evening - all at the same time. Just popping onto here whilst sitting by DS2, who doesn't want to be left alone in bed (thanks to watching an episode of Sarah Jane Adventures). Aiming to do big tidy up tonight and maybe the pass-the-parcel stuff. Then tomorrow I can make cakes with DS2 and get the party ready, without too much to worry about.

I think .