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.

Still in a general never gonna get this decluttering keeping clean thing but not given up trying :)

just off to sweep the kitchen

keep going loosinas - are you feeling a bit better!
On my second glass of white since getting back from airport. I need it I tell you...what with 2 teenagers and an 80 year old granny who needs a wheelchair!!!

still just in a state of standng lookng at the mess thinking WHERE do i start

start at the door, go round to your left and keep going till you get to the door again!! Does that help at all??

Loosinas - I know exactly how you feel and I sympathise, but I'm too tired to offer any advice tonight. I feel as if I am fighting a losing battle too.

Sod the housework. Am going to have an early night for a change.

what shall i do on the way around the room ??!!!! lol

Have a slurp of wine - chuck stuff out, have another slurp, chuck stuff out etc erc

Loosinas, have better method.
Emergency declutter method.
Throw everything in ONE room into a series of cardboard boxes, without rhyme or reason.
Clean room. Thoroughly.
Put back only those things you actually need and look good.
Throw or give everything else away, unless it genuinely belongs in another room.

Flylady is a different system; you have to do a little every day, following the babysteps, which slowly but surely declutters your home prior to cleaning and organising it.

loosinas we can be overwhelmed together - how on earth does it get so trashed so quickly?! off to do 5 mins before bed night all x

done
kitchen cleaned/tidied after supper
more laundry hung out to dry
children have written some xmas cards
laundry pile put away in drawers
nice chat with ds1 (10)
dd was foul overtired mood after mealtime contretemps which put a blight on evening really..

notdone
drawers still full of unfolded clothes as always.. who cares! at least they are not on the landing any more.
BEDROOM

toffee
I think you are allowed to give up, you've done most of Christmas marathon
optimistic glad your mum is safely picked up. I'm not looking forward to dealing with my teens' education. Still it will be nice to have them all sitting round table making intelligent comments or even just chatty!

Morning all,

Didn't get on last night as I had a stupidly busy day!

Round-up time!

sr is a tart . A thread tart that is . I suspect we may be the ones for chat , and a successful day into the bargain. We like tarts!

om did battle with Controlled Assessment...a battle I share on a daily basis. SHe offered advice in her own inimitiable manner...wine, work, wine, work...notice how wine comes first

loosinas was struggling a little bit but hopefully took on board all the sage advice offered and did not beat herself up too much. She can only do what she can and we are very proud of her for getting going which is the hardest part.

toffee has also been tarting it about on the fly christmas thread but has been a successful tart by being all smug and getting everything done way before the big day! SHe also had an early night which is a very good thingin my book and am insanely jealous of her organisation!

madwoman issued claims of completing a list that she can't find...cheating in my book . SHe also spent a lot of time soothing nerves and wondering about how to dispose of playmobil...a common past time on this thread.

linzer was drinking coffee to stay awake to talk to DH.....surely he isn't that boring

deck was handing out the mullied wine (sounds far more exciting than mulled wine ) and suffering a general panic about Christmas. You can join my panic club if you want...all members must wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and try to remember who they still need to get presents for, calculate cost and think of which shops to go to.

pa bought her first Christmas present! and was coming to terms with metal and hoping DH does the same

Big waves to everyone else, hope we are all coping in the Christmas madness. Back in a mo with the steps!

The babystep today is inspirational messages. I find wine does the trick just as well .

No missions today as it is that wondrous thing that we call the weekend!

Morning!!!

Thanks for the fab round up ellie

Today's list:

Blackpool
Sleep

Went out last night. it was a very late night. I am too old for late nights followed by early mornings

Hope you all have lovely days!

so far...put away three pillowcases
cleared kitchen table

and runs away to swimming pool with two dcs...why does the house look so bad on Sat morning?

Had a lovely meal out last night but we're paying for our child-free evening today - DD1 is the only one who isn't in a foul mood. I suspect the other two went to sleep far too late and woke up far too early; we keep saying they won't be allowed to sleep over at friends' any more if they don't behave better the next day.

A friend of DH's is here today and everyone else has gone to the Christmas market, but I've decided that it's far too cold out for me and so am staying in to write some Christmas cards and letters.

swan I often wonder the same - it must be something to do with having DH and all 3 DC around.

Deck Hope you have a lovely day in Blackpool!

ellie Thanks for the links. I am with you on the wine.

Hello lovely fellow Fledglings. Hope you are all OK.

Ellie thanks for links and round-up. Sorry to hear about your fil. Glad to hear he is doing better. And so sorry to have been such rubbish back-up.

Have had a difficult week work wise (office has gone mad just when I don't need it - BIG project coming to fruition next wk) and dd still going through difficult patch. I've been trying to make inroads in to my "definite Christmas list" which I'll post early next week once some things on it are crossed off . Too soul-destroying to do it now.

Ellie I think I am already a fully paid up member of the Christmas panic club if middle of the night pulse-jumping wakings are anything to go by, but would be delighted to join yours!! [Pls don't mention the present budget. Or rather, I'm avoiding mentioning it to dh!!]

Am now in the throes of wrapping and parceling up. Stand still in this house for a moment and you get bound and rolled in bubble wrap.

Sorry for lack of personal messages (save for following) and hope you are all surviving the madness!

Loosinas hope you are ok. Sending strong coffee and positive vibes. Go girl! You can do it!! Put on some blinkers and just do one thing in 15 min blocks until you finish it. Then go to the next thing. It's a case of developing tunnel vision. Once once thing is done it will give you motivation to do the next. Promise!!

Tally-ho everybody!

Tally-ho ... eh?

[Must be the port I'm currently swigging sampling]

[offers horse liniment]

dh has told me to sit down with a cup of tea and do nothing for 30 mins.

if it's any comfort SC most of my dcs are being difficult this week. Dd is in a very very touchy mood, has hysterics when she thinks anyone has been mean to her and is only on good [non whingy/waily]form when a visitor is in the house. Hence lots of playdates arranged They are playing lego now and the piano!

I've just finished making a reward chart with DD2. One of her challenges is to "not have any temper tantrums" (she won't be getting a sticker for that today).

One parcel, two letters and three Christmas cards ready to send.

dw
wm
work
pack bags, linens, christmas tree done
laundry done
ironing
2 presents left to buy
make up spare bed (once mattress acquired en route) mattress in acquisition
put up christmas decs tree up dec boxes calling

soothe dh's nerves dh's boss has convinced him to think about it over the weekend, as there might be a redundancy package he fits into in feb.

soothe my nerves.

attempt to explain to the children that we'll be moving again.

horse riding, ski-ing, skating...what will be we have next - skateboarding?
[offers WD40 for any rusty salopettes]

Morning all! Quiet day on here yesterday by recent standards! The power cable to the laptop has broken so am posting on my phone this morning. Unfortunately this means I can't link but I can tell you that today's babysteps is deleting emails from the fat fairy. Now I don't think any of us are still receiving those so hopefully that leaves a day to ourselves to consolidate routines. No roundup either as I can't doing posts on my phone. Sorry!

Back later to list post!

RL getting a bit frantic in the run up to Christmas. Had lunch with a friend yesterday (leaving boys with MIL and DVD of Toy Story 3 ), then she came back to ours, so no time to post here. Today, I have checked next weeks' calendar and the week is full of school stuff, so I have planned lots of slow-cooker recipes and done an online shop from Tesco.

I am joining in DS1's mock-WWII evacuation tomorrow morning, which means I have to dress up in 1930s/40s-style clothing and walk up and down a line of Year 6 children, checking for nits and suchlike (am expecting to find some!).

Various end-of-term concerts and parties coming up, for which I have foolishly offered to bake cakes.

Taking DS2 to a party today, so need to get lunch sorted and see if he has any clothes to wear for it .

Hope you are all having a lovely restful Sunday.

Hello, hope its ok to jump back on, I am going to have a good read after we have put our decs up, still have major issues upstairs with bedrooms, downstairs ok but have have a sick DS this week and a carpet to boot. Have been doing proper work work too so I will see how it goes.

I want to do my list and get ready for tomorrow am.

Does anyone else stryggle to get up on a morning?

namechange I don't struggle to get up but I do struggle to get moving. This morning I was up at half six but it was ten before I stopped drinking coffee and lazing about and actually got dressed .

Right ladies. I have a big plan. Being as first day of holidays is the 23rd I have to be organised shopping and flying wise this year. In my humble abode there are 7 rooms so if I was to properly clean and tidy a room a day that would take me to the Monday before Christmas and leave a bit spare just in case. So that is my plan. Tired or not I shall overcome! I am going to start tomorrow with the living room and today am going to have a quick tidy in most rooms to pave the way. Have already done Dow stairs, just upstairs to tackle. In amongst this I also have to do final round of present buying and food shopping. I think I may have lost my marbles! Back later!