Happy New Year, January's here, fly with the fledglings to get clutter clear

[ToffeeChristmascake]

Welcome to the January Fledgling Flying thread. A very big thank you to Ellie, our intrepid leader, for guiding us through the frantic Christmas month.

We are not strict followers of the Fat Fairy and take some of the babysteps - such as getting dressed to lace-up shoes - with a pinch of salt. We also strongly advise against signing up for the FlyLady emails.

From the first of the month, we will be following Flylady's tips on restoring order to our homes, using one of the following methods:

1. Babysteps
2. Babysteps + 15 mins daily decluttering
3. Babysteps + daily missions

Following the babysteps helps to establish daily routines and build a weekly plan.

This month's motto is: You can't clean clutter! See here for Flylady's advice on decluttering.

If you are overwhelmed by the mess in your home, start with just one thing: shine your sink.

And if you need to sort out the house after the New Year revelry is over, a crisis clean is what you need.

Back shortly with tomorrow's babystep .

(With apologies to Ellie for plagiarising some of last month's intro')

Thanks all for evening routine advice. You are absolutely right - it needs to be done before dcs are in bed, then I can have some reward time. Last night failed completely - I suddenly got really really tired, to the extent I was actually dizzy, and could honestly do nothing whatsoever except crash on the sofa as soon as dcs were asleep.

Tonight's plan is to have a series of 'moments':

• the 'food moment', when I do dinner, clearing up from dinner and make sure I have food prepared for tomorrow (it will be a challenge as I have forgotten the ASDA ... again ...)
• the 'laundry moment', when I put laundry on, get clothes ready for tomorrow and Put The Clean Clothes Monster Away. Could do this while dcs are in the bath, if dp will make sure they don't drown each other.

I need a 'tidy up' moment too really, and a 'finish thank you letters' moment, but will focus on those two for now!

Agree that 15 mins uninterrupted is a bit optimistic with little children - and despite the sensible-ness of Flylady's advice about getting the dcs involved, it doesn't always quite work out that easily, particularly if those dcs are less than co-operative at times! (Good luck with psychs, Toffee; we see the paediatrician at the child development centre here next week ...)

movng bookcase on landing upstairs so builder can paint ceiling and walls, mend bit sof falling down plaster etc.
feeling a mite despairing..All books DUSTY, now addding to tremendous mess in livingroom where hall stuff is deposited.

now for the videos

fish recipe is untested so will tell you if it's eaten before I pass it on! Feet

Feet - I am up for the challenge of slavishly following Flylady for a week, as I am trying to do that anyway at the moment. Someone else said they were doing that too. Can't remember who.

Have been a super busy Fledgling today....!

Unloaded dishwasher done
Boys' breakfast done
Lunchboxes done
School run done
Extra washing up done
Cleared out and cleaned fridge done
Made soup with remaining vegs done (smug emoticon)
Phone child psychologist and leave messg done
Wash boys' bedclothes done
Put y'day's washing away done
2-mins on kitchen hotspot done
Lunch done
Second load in d/w done
Swish and swipe done
Empty kitchen bin done
Shine sink done

Mind you, I have spent all morning doing all this stuff, so I still don't see how it would all get done if I was out at work .

The kitchen is looking lovely and sparkly . A couple of sessions decluttering and tidying our bedroom has worked wonders. Resolution: keep doing 15-min declutters in the bedroom every day until it's sorted.

List for rest of day:

Tesco online order
Wet washing in tumbledrier
School run
Dinner: roast chicken etc
Reload d/w
DS1's hwk
Make sons' beds
Bedtime routine
Shine sink
Empty lunchboxes and add stuff for tomorrow
Lay clothes out
Socks in shoes
Check bookbags
Bed at decent hour

DH has taken MIL out to view sheltered accommodation, so I am going to take this opportunity to have a nap. Sshhh...Don't tell .

swan - I bought the budget book from organised mum and it has the sort of columns you're talking about. I was inspired by toffee buying a budget book!

Toffee - good luck with the CAMHS referral. Its the best thing to do.

I think I remember you saying you had a negative experience with the staff member you saw last time. If that's what is making you apprehensive you could politely explain what the issues were and that because of this you would like them to consider allocating your DS to someone else. (Sorry if I'm remembering that wrong though as it was a while ago you mentioned it!)

Toffee - you're on!
Can't compete with your list so far but have done all of Morning routine properly (S&S, washing up, washing - in and hung up, cat litter, sweep kitchen floor, feed birds and 2mins hotspot)

Rest of list looks bit sad as has taken a lot longer to do School Assoc stuff than I thought - I did send photos and a rousing email out as well as Minutes and the plan for year though. Have also ordered book for 'Book Club'

However still need to:

• Have lunch - got delayed as I was on a roll with School stuff
• Update Control Journal and see what I should be doing
• Work - Bank rec I think - tomorrow!
• Hoover downstairs
• 15mins declutter in kitchen

Well over an hour to do it so should be OK. Then have to pick up DS and friend from school as have done a child swap - my DD for a friend's! Luckily both DS's and DD's best friends come from the same family and they live round the corner so this is becoming a regular event now they are all at school. My turn to have 2 x 5yr olds today :o

Right, need food.

OK, Feet. Are we even going to include shoes on feet and inspirational writing in CJs? I don't do either of those. Or are we just doing the main stuff - routines, missions, etc?

Arabella - we have seen several people from CAMHS over the years. The last person we saw, who was tough but effective, has gone. There is a woman I particularly don't want to see, so am just crossing fingers we don't get her. My son hates going and I always feel judged, but I am getting tougher over the years!

Swan - the budget book from Organised Mum which Arabella mentions is great and makes me feel organised - although I have only filled it in once so far . Maybe I will update it on Friday (paperwork day).

Had a nap and just off to so school run.

do, not so. Didn't proofread. Tsk tsk!

Have an unexpected free hour while DD2 is at ballet and the other two at friends', so must whizz round catching up on everything I didn't have time for this morning. The English lesson went well, apart from the fact that I ran out of teaching material 10 minutes before the end of the class (luckily the teacher had already mentioned a song the children had been listening to, so we did that to fill the rest of the time).

SC You may even find yourself looking forward to cleaning now! Very occasionally there are podcasts that aren't available outside the UK, but the vast majority are (thank goodness).

feetheart Which book have you ordered? As much as I enjoyed the book club meeting I went to, I'm still in two minds about whether I have the energy to make the trek into Vienna in the evening. I quite fancy joining a MN book swap club but either I'm too late or they never get off the ground.

Tut tut, Toffee. (Will have to proofread my post with an eagle eye now to avoid any people-in-glass-houses comments!)

Toffee - please, please, please no shoes or inspirational guff writing, just the real stuff that makes a difference :)

Linzer - the book is Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo by Julia Stuart. I have no idea what its like but its supposed to be 'light' and funny. The 'Book Club' is really my collection of Mum friends that I made when DD was born. We started to meet up without children every so often and decided in the Autumn that as we had spent most of the evening talking about books we should do a sort of Book Club thing. As one of them is a member of a 'proper' Book Club we have copied their choice this time as it meant we didn't have to think!

DS and friend currently dressing up so will take opportunity to declutter toy box in living room that holds dressing up stuff and lots of other 'stuff'. Then leftover pizza and beans for dinner so very easy :)

Done
all videos moved
landing - disgusting dust behind large pieces of brown furtiture removed
two enormous bags of washing to laundrette
ds2 to piano lesson
and picked up
washing hung out
food bought from supermarket for week
friend's ladies' lunch - no-one there, did I get the wrong day or the wrong place, anyway too tired to be sparkly so probably a good thing...
dd's hair scrunchies bought

now:
homework
Brownies
Beavers help and take ds2
violin practice
piano practice me
cook supper with ds2
eat supper
rescue front room before dh throws up his hands in despair
put stuff under playroom table and hide it NOW

not in that order

Arabella yes that's what I need, will write it in the TO BUY section of CJ

oh yes, and I still need to unload and reload the dw CLUNK head on table..

Evening all

Done List

Work
Sainsburys for the stuff that I didn't get from Ocado, am only an occasinal user and they have totally changed their website since my last go, I managed to lose bread and coffee, grrr.
45 mins of Flying, include declutter kitchen counters and wipe all, sweep kitchen floor, washing on, 2nd lot just finished, sweep carpets with Ewbank
Get DCs from school
Bake a cake
Feed DCs and clear up, also madepacked lunches
Out tonight to PTA meeting so need to press on with evening stuff.

Feeling a bit tonight as my uncle has died, it was not unexoected, he has been very ill, my parents are upset too, obviously.

Update:

Tesco online order will do tonight
Wet washing in tumbledrier done
School run done
Dinner: roast chicken etc done
Reload d/w done
DS1's hwk doing
Make sons' beds doing
Bedtime routine doing
Shine sink
Empty lunchboxes and add stuff for tomorrow
Lay clothes out
Socks in shoes
Check bookbags
15 mins declutter in bedroom
Bed at decent hour

Feet - thank goodness for that! OK, you're on!

Swan - at your head clunking on table

Linzer - sounds like you did really well with the English lesson, especially improvising with a song to fill the last 10 minutes. Well done!

I'm so sorry to hear your sad news, Ogre . Must be awful for your family.

Back in a minute with tomorrow's tasks.

You can ignore tomorrow's babystep unless you have been foolish enough to subscribe to Flylady. Keep practising the previous babysteps though. Flylady says it takes 28 days for a new routine to become habitual.

The mission for tomorrow is here.

Thursday is grocery shopping and errand day.

Still in the midst of tonight's evening routine, but am going to post every little detail of what I should do tomorrow, according to Flylady (Day 1 of our challenge, Feet ):

Get dressed
Swish and swipe
Empty d/w
Put washing on
Breakfast for the boys
Eat something good for me, take vits, drink water (often forget my own b/f so it would be good to do this for a change)
School run
Errands - bank, library, PO, chemist
15-mins declutter in our bedroom (kitchen doesn't need it)
2 mins on hotspots
Tumbledrier on
School run
Dinner: chicken casserole
D/w on
Put dry washing away
Boys' bedtime routine
Lay out clothes
Empty lunchboxes; freeze water bottles; put some stuff (eg fruitbars) in lunchboxes
Check book bags; sign any forms
Tidy sitting room
Shine sink
Wash face, moisturise, brush teeth
Go to bed at decent hour

At some point Thurs/Friday, tackle this week's Fly Spot: the kitchen drawer (badly needs sorting).

I think that's everything. I feel exhausted just looking at it.

Good evening everyone.

swan thanks for the buff up the other day.i sympathsize with dusty books all over lounge as i have been like that for about 6 months.
ellie whats D&V? hope dd ok.
linzer glad your ds got card, sorry it was probably ridiculously late.

Firstly PANIC PPPPAAANNNIIICCC!!! i have 26 days till holiday and 8 working days left, work is an abhorrant mess of figures and anomalies and PPPPAAANNNIIICC. Not done any year end work yet as too busy sorting out anomalies. i have done bank recons past end of year....well i didn't know i shouldn't! aaaarrraaagghhhh.

Deep breath ah thats better thx.

today and yesterday i have
deposited christmas glass bottles in bottle bank
s/s
wm/td
d/w
dc up/fed/dressed/nursery-no shouting
work all day as above
picked up dc's/snacked/bed
ironed clothes put away (mostly)
laid out dc clothes for the morning and sorted out bags
put away ocado shop
made salad for dinner/ate too much rubbish.

good day in all. I'm not sure ill join you in being a proper flylady. I really could use a mission or two. I did this early on last year and made real headway and felt very positive about my achievements.

Tomorrows list
stamps for cards that i forgot to post today
more work and huge headway
dc to nursery
s/s
dw/wm/td
make bed
gym

im sorry i know its early but im old and im gonna switch off my little red and go to sleep. im sorry for significant lack of mentionables. If i jump up and down and wave emphatically will that make up for it? night all

ogre thinking of you ((hug))

Ogre when I think of all my lovely uncles..yes that is very sad. I have lost one, and I think of him often. All my uncles and aunts have had such an influence on me.

Toffee and Feet trying to cling on to sink shining at moment (and the builder keeps putting paint in it so that's doomed really

Today has been a disaster really, but at least it's over. That's what I always say at the end of Wednesday Suffering from PMT does not help things
good things about today - put ds2 to bed very peacefully and admired the order of his bedroom and nice clean blue wall/lego models
See more clearly what is wrong with current arrangement of landing now that all the stuff has been removed from it.

Does anyone else ever live for years with furniture etc in the wrong place and not quite see it, although it would be obvious to any visitor that x y and z would be a solution...Really struggling with the fact that after 11 years in this house there are arrangments and furniture which don't really work any more but dh can't see it (very attached to things as they are), and I'm only just workign it out. Oh for a blank slate!!!!(and £2000 and and a trip to IKEA)

P.S. Full of admiration for all of you who are working with accounts, Sage and suchlike.

Toffee - thanks for links and keeping us straight. I will frighten myself if I write a list like that but am definitely up for the challenge :)

Ogre - sorry to hear your news, it's always sad even when it is expected.

Have had a good day here, in preparation for hardcore Flying tomorrow (probably for the first time ever and I've been here for a year ) Have:

• Updated Control Journal a bit, need to do more
• Hoover downstairs - done
• Decluttered in kitchen - hellhole cupboard tackled
• Decluttered toy box as small children had already emptied it in the hunt for dressing up stuff
• Fed DS and friend (DH and I fended for ourselves later, both snacking as neither of us very hungry)
• Collected DD (and deposited DS's friend) and got her bathed and hair washed
• Ironing
• Put 3 items on ebay :)

Now need to finish kitchen, lay out rest of clothes and get to bed before 11pm

Night all

wasting time posting on are you ashamed or proud of your house thread!

I must tidy kitchen and go to bed too Feet
well done on your day!

swan - I feel your pain. This house is DH's childhood home and I moved in 8 years ago. Its never been a blank slate and, in truth, has never felt like 'mine'. I have big ishoos with it (and all the bl**dy stuff in it) at times and throw the occasional hissy fit but DH doesn't see what's wrong even when it is spelt out to him

Off to bang about in kitchen now to relieve frustration :o

Hello ladies -I'm back!

DD is nearly 7 months now and I'm really flying in earnest, inflicting major decluttering. I need to simplify my life!

I haven't read back and I doubt i will get round to it but i will try to keep up from now on

Hello Chairmum, lovely to hear from you (I'm Mrs Dinky). Wow, 7 months already, only seems like weeks. A lot of the same people are still here, you will soon catch up, we are still doing as much chatting as Flying!

Swan - oh yes, both the DCs bedrooms are small and full of mismatching, randomly acquired bits of furniture, would love to make a clean sweep, even if money really permitted I wouldn't know where to start, trying to get optimum storage out of small rooms is very hard. In fact it's true of the whole house, apart from our bedroom, where we did make a clean sweep about 8 years ago and is the only room in the house with a full set of coordinating furniture.

Thank you all for your kind words re my uncle. I haven't seen him for a few years, and did not see him all that often even then as we live at opposite ends of the country, but when I was a child he was definitely my favourite uncle. I don't think it has really sunk in yet (only heard this afternoon).

Better go to bed, see you tomorrow.

Good morning everyone

Welcome back chairmum lovely to see you! (dishes out blank checks and magic potions to blind dh's from the loss of precious artefacts)

Am I being unreasonable in relishing dh getting in a real pickle with dc who are doing a fantastic job of winding him up! That'll teach him for playing on his phone and ignoring them all breakfast. oh evil

Better go and help