December's Fledgling Flyers: Christmas time, swish and swipe and wine, flyers sing to the fat fairy rhyme.

[elliepac]

Welcome to the December 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 DEM/DID who looked after us last month and did a fantabulous job

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.

quick pop in - removals arrived yesterday as planned so spent all day trying to work out to fit everything in - nearly there though, still a few things in the garage! not as lot broken, considering it was put into storage 16 months ago, then taken out by the shippers and re-packed into an iso container, sailed across to montreal, then got loaded onto a train to come entirely across the country, then got offloaded from the iso into a removals truck before being driven here!

although somewhere along the line we seem to have mislaid a double bed mattress... so guess who's got to make an ikea thrip this afternoon in a vain attempt to find a european mattress size in a north american store?! eek. it's either that or my mum and dad get to sleep on the floor when they come over for christmas!

(can't remember who asked upthread -sc? it's not a permanent move yet - we are still in a rental house four hours away, awaiting dh finishing his current contract and finding a nice new job here - aiming for spring-ish.)

right - lots to do! will read and catch up tonight! (still before lunch here )

Hi all

Great round-up last night Ellie (as Toffee says, it's become a welcome necessity now with such a long thread)

Toffee - sorry to hear you are feel grim and here's hoping for a speedy recovery

Deck glad you are feeling a bit better too

PA Yeah!! Blame it on the cat!!!
Great to hear you are back on cake-making form!!! xxx

Linzer so sorry!! I haven't been any help at all. Only looked on here a couple of hours ago. Have sent you a message about the translation query!! Glad it is resolved though and apologies again.

Sorry not to post any more personal messages. St Nicolas is arriving tomorrow, so we've just done the "putting out the glass of sherry and carrot and new slippers" ritual and I must go and steer an over-excited dd in to bed.

Was a bit of a fraught weekend and didn't get half as much done as intended. Instead compensated by cooking two very tasty chicken dishes tonight (even though I do say it myself) instead. We ate legs and roasted joints tonight with oven baked veg and I have beautiful stock and cold poached breasts for this week so at least I am a bit ahead there. Have over indulged in roast potatoes though!!

Raising a glass of red to you all!

[SC staggers up the stairs singing politically incorrect song that dd has been learning at school]
Zie Ginds Komt de StoombootSee There Arrives the SteamboatSt. Nicolas Day Song

(Flemish)

Zie ginds komt de stoomboot,
uit Spanje weer aan.
Hij brengt ons Sint-Nikolaas,
ik zie hem al staan.
Hoe waaien de wimpels,
al heen en al weer.
Hoe huppelt zijn paardje,
het dek op en neer.
Zijn knecht staat te lachen,
en roept ons reeds toe:
"Wie braaf is krijgt lekkers,
wie stout is de roe."St. Nicolas Day Song

(English)

See there arrives the steamboat,
From Spain again.
It brings us Saint Nicolas,
I see him standing there already.
Look how the flags,
Flutter back and forth.
Look how his little horse,
Hops up and down the deck.
His servant stands there, laughing
And he shouts at us:
"Who's good, gets sweets,
Who's bad, gets the whip."

Sorry for blaming you Mrsd

I wish I had thought of blaming the cat, or read your suggestion BEFORE owning up to DH that I had been an intsy, tintsy little bit daft! He raised his eyebrows and I had the "do you never think things through?" lecture, which always makes me visualise DH turning into my dad.

After 22 years of marriage he should know that life is not ever going to be quiet and normal married to me. When will he ever learn!

SC, I'm up for the sweets, not the whip tonight.

PoP blowing cobwebs away in the woods sounds a whole lot more wholesome than fat fairying!!

Have a good Sunday evening all, see you tomorrow.

Good evening peeps,

Do you guys realise that there are over 220 posts in 5 days.....240!

Here is your daily dose of what the fledglings have been up to. Please forgive me for typos etc. as I am watching x-factor and typing at the same time!

sc is eating copious amounts of chicken, awaiting the arrival of St Nick and whipping bad people...go figure .

madwoman has been unpacking although tbh i have lost track of where she is unpacking from . She has misplaced a double mattress and is going to negotiate ikea t find a new one! If she just comes back with a mattress I will eat my pants .

mrsd has had a rather eclectic day. Christmas fair, Christingle and Argos variety is the spice of life I suppose .

plenty has been blowing out the cobwebs and is looking forward to the DC's and DH resuming their education and employment (buggering off back to work in other words )

pa is officially back on form because she baked a cake . She also tried to save the silver platter from a sledge worse than death by dismantling a more expensive set of drawers....go figure . In the true tradition of pa, it didn't quite go to plan as a result of a rather awkward cat which forced a rather awkward confession to an awkward DH. Awkward all round (not that we are revelling in your misery Mrs FIshwife )

sr had a small rant about MOrrisons...and then you start talking about supermarketsand everyone chips in. MrsD is hacked off with Sainsbo's and I shall say I don't like our local MOrrisons because they NEVER have enough tills open...grrrrr.

deck is being evil mummy...she did warn us she was going to be a psychopathic lunatic...is this the beginning?

loosinas had an unexpected child which threw a spanner in the fat fairy works. I completely know how you feel as I get so much more done when it is just me in the house!

mumtoblair msde a cracking start. Well Done!

linzer bless her is still working...but she managed to fit in MN mates and sherry. Glad to see she has her priorities right .

toffee was feeling a bit rubbish but started to feel less rubbish. She posted an amusing man-flu link which I urge you all to click on. It is your homework....due in tomorrow .

RIght that's me off to watch the business end of the x-factor. Back in a bit for the links.

Your babystep for today is hot spots. True to it's word this is a hot babystep and one that can truly make a difference. The power of 5!

The mission for today is here.

Happy Flying.

Right thanks to some trickery with ds to get him to tidy his room

I have spent 30moins decluttering my room !

washing 3rd load running mountain of folding and ironing to do growing
run 1 errand c anceled due to ds' behaviour
tidy floor to move chair done
move chair done
clean windowsil done
Put christmas decorations up done
rest alot.
Txt coach re training this week decided to set the alarm and will see what happens tomo morning

In the process of rustling up a shepards shift/post play training outfit, with the help of the resident sewing expert.

Done far more then intended today. the plan for tomo is:

ironing
folding
remaining washing
schoool meeting
wash the rug
tidy some of the front end of lounge (blasted long lounges)
rest
ds to do some more christmas cards.

Hope you all have lovely evenings. Trying to get the creativity done so that i can get to bed early. So appologies for the lack of personal messages.

Goodness how do you ladies manage to keep up with what everyone else is doing lol?!

Got all the school uniform ironed and put away.
Got both kids bathed and fed then went to pick up DH from work.
Bags packed for the mad rush in the morning. Me and kids need to be up/dressed and out the door for 7.30am thankfully I drop both off at my parents and DD1 gets washed/teeth done and breakfast there, then my mum takes her to school while my dad watches DD2 until mum gets back and then dad gets ready for work and my mum looks after DD2 all day till I pick both kids back up again at 5pm. Don't know what I would do without them .

Away now to have a wee sit down and a nice cuppa, oh and a bar of areo. Both kids fast asleep in bed.

This is my favourite time of day! My sink is well shiney btw

mumtoblaire You can just read ellie's daily round-up if you want to save time and be entertained in the process.

SC St Nicholas and his whip have nothing on Krampus, a devil-like figure who comes to visit the naughty children here the day before St Nicholas, i.e. today. Not only does he have a whip (actually, I think it's a switch), he also brandishes a rattling chain and a big sack to put the naughty children into. Needless to say, he hasn't been to visit our house.

Had a lovely afternoon with MN friend before it was back to work this evening. I'm now propping my eyes open with matchsticks so think it's time to call it a night, but at least I only have 5 pages left so the end is in sight. I shall be rewarding myself with a large glass of wine either tomorrow, or at the latest Tuesday, night.

Right, must go and check that DH has actually put the presents into the DC's shoes (possibly still waiting outside the front door), although I'm a bit stuck if he hasn't as I don't know where he's hidden them and he's no doubt fast asleep by now.
See you all tomorrow.

Morning everyone. I have had 5 days off work and still don't want to go this morning! Roads are still pretty bad and am not looking forward to driving in it. Ds was sick in the middle of the night but dh not back to work till tomorrow so he is going to look after him. I don't feel too brilliant myself but had better go!

mumtoblair if you struggling to keep up read the roundups I post every night which hopefully sum up what people have been up to.

Have a good day everyone!

Good luck, Ellie- I know what you mean - I took one look outside and bottled our iced over snow! I've already beached my car twice! You'll be fine though and I hope you feel better!

DS1 is safely in Oxford after a fraught day on my part yesterday - he drove himself there in the end on M25/M40 (it was his first time motorway driving).

DD and DS2 are very grumpy at having to go back to school. DH very grumpy he had to go to US for 2 days. I'm very grumpy because I HAVE to go to Tesco!! (No deliveries - checked!)

Talk later - kids are off with neighbour!

It has warmed up slightly here today and was -8° this morning. There's still lots of snow around; the roads are generally clear now but the snow is all piled up at the side of the roads so parking can be a bit of a problem.

I'm looking forward to getting back into flying and getting a bit more organised for Christmas as soon as work is out of the way - if I don't allow myself to get too distracted, I may even finish it this morning.

ellie Hope you feel better as the day goes on.

OM If it's any consolation, supermarkets here don't do home deliveries at all. And are generally fairly small, so I usually end up going to two or even three to do my weekly shop.

Must get on... hope everyone has a good day.

Ellie oh poor you and poor ds. Hope you both get through the day alright!

Wishing you courage for Tesco run Optimistic

Linzer The name Krampus does sound sinister! Here it is Zwart Piet (another hugely politically incorrect figure]] who does the beating of dc with sticks and putting them in a sack. Fortunately dd escaped that fate this morning! Good luck to getting to the end of your work ... . I too am itching to get to my Christmas cards and parcels but have stacks of office admin to get through first.

Mumtoblaire you sound very organised!!!

Sounds like you are a bit better Deck - good luck with the sewing

PA hope your drawers are ok [as the actress said to the bishop]

Can very rarely say this so I am going to take a minute for blatant boasting!!! - Felt good going off to work this morning as my sink was shiny, my sitting room was immaculate, bathroom has been s&s'd, wc on, dw on, and 99% of the master bedroom floor is visible! It's taken forever but I think I'm finally back on track! Enough smuggery though because the ironing pile is still horrendous and the upper floors leave a lot to be desired.

OK had better stop Mnsnetting procrastinating ...shredding, filing and a Powerpoint presentation awaits ...oh what joy ...

Waves to Parnsips MrsDingDong Pushme MiniM Loosinas Swan Bob Purple Dolanette and Toffee and everyone else!

Have a great start to the week fellow fledglings!!

whats everyone got planned today ??!

My life just flashed before my eyes - as I thought I was locked out this morning - decided to risk putting door on latch to take kids to school as couldnot find key at last minute...door closed resoundingly despite latch AARGH! Spent a lot of time planning how I was going to get in/who to park myself with for the day etc etc/trip to shops/no tights/slippers etc.
Luckily serious scrabbling at bottom of my notso Mary Poppins-like handbag revealed key 15 mins later PHEW, nothing like a bit of adrenalin to get the day off to a good start.

So it's lovely to be back in hideously messy house for once

done
bought 3 new schoolties
paid for music lessons at school
sent kids in with labelled waterbottles (new) and homework hats scarves and gloves (labelled - well some
made two beds first thing!

todo
buy invites
buy big sparkly bright light for hall for builder to put up so we stop having hall rage every morning
buy washing powder
kitchen table clear
sweep floor
hoover playroom
rubbish in hall
laundry in drawers!
upstairs laundry downstairs

SC Happy St Nicholas - My Dutch friend doesn't even give her children Xmas presents, just St Nicholas presents small ones too! It is a lesson in expectations, her children never seem the slightest bit jealous of everyone else getting loads of presents on the 25th.

Ellie hope you get through the day - I bet the teenagers have all missed you!
Optimistic well done ds for driving on motorway, I can't even manage that yet and good luck with his interview.
Bob glad you had such a successful day shopping with the family, sounds lovely - must be just the right attitude that makes it work.

Well, I made my list last night, it says hoover the whole house, make some phone calls, do some exercise, go and help in school, so that's the plan.

SC - well done you!

I ended up completely losing my rag with the DCs getting ready to go to school this morning, I get sick of having to ask them over and over to put on jumpers, boots, hats, gloves, blah blah. We were just about on track this morning, DS had on gloves, boots, coats etc when DS announced he needed a poo and took it all off again, went to the bathroom and then changed his mind, by which time I was screaming and stamping my feet [bad mum emoticon] and he was crying [sad mum emoticon].

mrsd loads of sympathy...that has happened to me sooo many times. Luckily most of the time the children haven't actually got ready when it is time to leave, so we were going to be late anyway Maybe the answer is a small shoe bag with everyone's scarves, hat, gloves in, which one only hands to them when they actually leave the house (I'm making this up as I go along, never done this...but it sounds like it might solve our hall problems too...[thinks deeply about shoe bags, pegs in hall, further colour coding of winter items} We have an upstairs loo too, so children are Pavlovian about taking their shoes off which makes things even more infuriating.

Anyway I made a decision about 3 years ago that if someone has to "go" it is more important than being late (although obviously would try and persuade them to go at 8am...)Too much tension otherwise...

Swan Well, that's what I thought, especially as he had an upset stomach at the ned of last week. Thank you for your suggestion. I keep all the hats gloves etc in baskets in the hall shelf unit, so it is all there, but they normally scooter to school so it has to all go on before we leave, handing it out at the door would mean standimng around outside faffing about instead of inside.

At least our bathroom is downstairs and not far from the front door. It's just the whole thing of having to tell them over and over, grrrrr.

Right, procrastinating again......

Hello - still no further forward, DH has made gentle noises - we've had a lovely weekend of sofa, snacks and TV...Now its payback time and I have paid work to do.

Not feeling overwhelmed just CBA if I am honest.

I am going to do the 15 minute thing and crisis clean for three hours.

Declutter Living Room
Take Rubbish out
Break
Dust and polich living room
Clean windows
Break
Fix hoover then hoover

Write a kitchen list

Aim to do these two rooms by 1pm then need to do work work

tell me to stay off twitter and kick my bum if you want

I forgot two important things!
Buy ECLIPSE from Morrisons - still haven't seen it, and imposed screen ban on kids till 17th, so will have to watch it during day when they are at school
Put car tax disc on CAR

It is snowing, very elegant snow, like icing sugar all our other snow had gone..

I am envious of your hall thing swan as I have a small porch that opens into living room, so your hall thing is my living room thing

Clothes driers are used to hang up coats and scarves - maybe you need these? with days old washing on them to help with storage problem!

DS has gone onto emergency dinners this AM as SHE has no bread and we were also late for school as I couldnt find my keys, guilt as DS was ready 10 minutes before time and he did everything no bother this AM.

I on the other hand split juice then instant coffee on the top of it - another layer to clean in kitchen.

Phew - glad you got back in Swan Too cold for standing about on the pavement!

MrsDingDong could you attach gloves, scarves hats to each child's coat? Over here you can buy elastic that's about 1 cm wide - it comes in black or white - and it has 7mm or so holes spaced all along it every 1.5 cm or so. I imagine it would be available in most places. You then sew a button to end of sleeve or neck area of coat for example and then a button on to corresponding glove or scarf. Then you cut pieces of elastic to the appropriate length and attach it to buttons at both ends (if that makes sense!!) Voila! Every time your child picks up their coat; the scarf, hat and gloves all come too!!

Optimistic forgot to wish your ds the very best of luck today!!

Yikes! Must get back to it!

x posts Namechange [DC delivers very gentle kick to rear]

DC - whose that? Oh no, a complete stranger is kicking Namechange!!

Ohhh I think I like it errrrr anyway a client has just rung and delayed delivery til Wednesday yippeeeee, means I can concentrate on the house....

.....and err not put it off anymore. I havn't started my list yet

errrm I feel like I am living like a rat - I bet there are some nearby. Blooming fairies still havnt turned up though.

If I tidy I might book an overn man and a carpet cleaner man.

I must go, you are all to nice and informative.